IEBC & JSC Jobs: What Should You Expect In A Government Job Interview?

By Selipha Kihagi

The IEBC is on the process of hiring in 2,878 posts for Voter Registration Assistants for the period between February and March this year. The positions are on a temporary basis for a 30-day registration exercise. While the positions were closed to applications on Friday, 15th January, applicants may want to start preparing for the interviews in case they make the cut. And so should the 716 Clerical invited for interviews by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

So, if you applied for the various vacancies advertised by the JSC early last year, you might want to visit their website to confirm whether you made it to the interview stage. And if you did, it is best you prepare exceptionally well by following this government interview guide below. Interviewing for a government job is different from other jobs and this is how.

What To Expect In A Government Job Interview

1. A panel interview
When interviewing for government jobs, the first thing you will need to know is that all government interviews are panel based. Hardly will you find one interviewer when you walk in the room. This is solely because government jobs advocate for transparency and having more than one person goes a long way in promoting transparency and fighting corruption.

So, whether it is for the JSC positions or the IEBC job vacancies, prepare for a panel interview. If you are still wondering how a panel interview is different, read more about how to prepare for this kind of interview here.

2. Questions on current events and controversies
While it is vital to prepare for the common interview questions and answers, do not forget to also focus on what is happening around you. If you have not been watching the news, then it is high time you make time to catch up on what has been happening that affected your area of specialization or the specific institution.

What is new with IEBC? Did they make changes to their policies or structure? Who is the top boss of IEBC? What new laws have been established? Such questions will come in handy during the interview. The same applies for JSC interviews. By knowing what is happening around you and keeping taps on various changes, recruiting managers trust they can depend on you to do the job. Oh, and read the papers on a daily basis, especially on that day of the interview.

3. What do you know about vision 2030?
Every government body and institution is currently operating under the Vision 2030 goals, meaning that you will need to be acquainted with the goals and how they relate to the body you are interviewing with. If you are not sure how to find this information, visit the relevant websites and research on the same. All have a vision 2030 section with plans, objectives and events geared towards meeting these goals. Research and read to understand the bottom-line because it will more often than not come.

4. Questions on your understanding of current laws and acts
If you are scheduled for an interview with the JSC, you will need to get acquainted with laws currently governing the commission. Under which provision of the constitution does the commission operate and what is its mandate? Has these laws seen any changes of late? Answering these questions to yourself before the actual interview will give you a baseline for answering any questions that may come up pertaining the commission’s operations. The same will apply to the IEBC jobs and any other government job.

5. Scrutiny on your opinions
Everyone is allowed to have an opinion and the constitution provides for freedom of speech, but this does not translate to you getting away with a negative opinion towards the institution you are interviewing at. So for every negative opinion or indifference you may have towards operations of the government body, remember not to mention it.

The interviewees will want to catch you off guard so know whatever you say will be under scrutiny. Be well behaved and only voice neutral opinions with a logical explanation behind each one. And remember having an opinion on trending topics will be better received than having none.

If you are scheduled for a government job interview or look forward to working with the government, follow the guide above and see how it turns out.

Have I left something out? Share with other job seekers in the comment section below.