Recruitment process

*The Maori & Pacific Islands scholarship candidates do not complete interviews.

The Interview Process

What happens at a first interview for graduate and summer candidates?

The first interviews are held at the University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury and University of Otago campuses. You will have your interview in a private room with two people from the Reserve Bank, who will spend about 30-40 minutes asking a variety of economic, banking and finance questions.

What happens if you don’t visit my campus?

Massey Albany students are invited to attend the interviews at the University of Auckland.

Massey Wellington students are invited to attend the interviews at the Reserve Bank.

Massey Palmerston North students are invited to come to the Reserve Bank in Wellington.

Lincoln University students are invited to attend the interviews at the University of Canterbury.

What happens at the second interview for graduate candidates?

If you’re a shortlisted candidate, you will be invited to the Reserve Bank for a half day where you will be involved in a general interview, technical interview, and written exercise, which are each around 40 minutes long.

• The general interview includes behavioural based questions on areas such as communication, team work, and finding out about you and your career aspirations.
• The technical interview will focus on a variety of economic and/or finance related questions, including questions about what is going on in the world at that time.
• The written exercise includes three essay questions and you choose one question to answer.
• The general and technical interview will have a panel of three interviewers who will each have a turn at asking you questions.

You will spend 40 minutes with a past Reserve Bank graduate (grad buddy) and you have the chance to ask questions, have a look around the Reserve Bank or just sit down for a coffee.  Your grad buddy has been through this process before, and knows how you’re feeling.  This part of the half day interviews does not impact on the interviews or our decisions, so you can relax at this point!

There is also a lunch with the other candidates, your grad buddy, and managers from around Reserve Bank.  If the Governor has a spare moment in his busy schedule, he likes to come along and have a personal chat with you during lunch.

The Reserve Bank pays for your flights, accommodation and taxi fares if these are necessary, so there is no hardship on your pocket.

We’ll send you an itinerary for your half day before you arrive for your interviews, so you’ll know what to expect.

What happens at the interviews for the Reserve Bank and Women in Central Banking scholarships?

The scholarship interviews are the same as the second interview for graduate candidates (see above). The top performing candidates receive a $10,000 scholarship and graduate position.

How many positions does the Reserve Bank offer?

The number of positions offered for the graduate and summer programmes differ each year, depending on a variety of factors.  Usually the Reserve Bank offers between 4-8 graduate positions and 6-10 summer positions.

The number of positions offered for the Reserve Bank scholarship is usually 2-3 positions and 1-2 Maori & Pacific Islands scholarships.

What do I wear to an interview?

If you are coming to the Reserve Bank for an interview, then a good guide for men is dress pants, blazer and a tidy shirt.  It is up to you whether you want to wear a tie.  For women a smart dress, dress pants or skirt with a tidy top or shirt is appropriate.

If you are having an interview at your university campus, we understand you’ll probably be in lectures that day, so you are welcome to come along wearing more casual clothes.

I’ve been waiting to hear back about my interview... how long will it take?

We aim to get back to you as soon as possible, however, we want to make sure that we have made the right decisions and can provide you with useful feedback.  After we interview all candidates, a group of us get together for an in-depth discussion about how it all went.  The first campus interviews can take over a week to complete, and we can’t make any decisions until we have interviewed everyone.

If you are applying for a graduate position or a Reserve Bank scholarship, we look at each candidate’s performance in the general and technical interview, and in the written exercise.  We also have to consider which area(s) of the Reserve Bank each candidate has the skills for and, of course, the area that candidates would enjoy working in.  From here we complete reference checks.  We will let you know the outcome, immediately after this is complete.

Interview tips

• Make sure you feel comfortable in your interview outfit. It will make you feel more at ease, which the interviewers will notice.
• Be prepared! Take a look at our About us section to find out more about our organisation. Jot down some notes on the subjects that you are taking, and on current economic issues the world is facing. For the general interview think about your strengths and weaknesses regarding behaviours like communication, teamwork and problem solving. Consider your studies, part time job(s) and leisure activities when answering general questions.
• Think about some questions you’d like to ask the interviewers. You might want to know what a certain department is working on at the moment, what interviewers find interesting about working at the Reserve Bank, or what the culture of the Reserve Bank is like.
• Try to stay relaxed. We know that this can be a daunting process, but we want you to succeed in your interview and ensure that we get the best out of you.