A NSW Government website

Planning and Environment
Work with us

Your candidate journey

Apply for a role where you can thrive

When you apply for a job with us, we aim to make the recruitment process a great experience.

We'll communicate with you at every stage. We will:

  • acknowledge your application
  • let you know if you have been successful or unsuccessful
  • give feedback if you have been interviewed and unsuccessful to improve your chances next time.

If you identify as someone with disability and need an adjustment at any stage of the candidate journey, let us know and we'll give you the support you need.

We’ve simplified our recruitment process

Recruitment can take 4 to 6 weeks. We'll keep you informed at every step.

Here’s an overview of the recruitment process for the NSW public sector and what to expect.

Your candidate journey

  1. Submit your application


    • When you find a job opportunity that sounds right for you, click the ‘Apply now’ link and complete the application requirements.
    • Set up a candidate profile and provide a copy of your up-to-date résumé.
    • Read the job advertisement in detail and submit a cover letter if requested.
    • We'll text and email you along the way, so make sure your contact details are correct. Ideally, only give your personal contact details.

  2. Application reviewed by the hiring manager


    • Once the advertising period closes we'll review your application. Please allow 2 weeks for us to get back to you.
    • The hiring manager will be looking for the skills and experience that make you the right person for the role.

  3. Interview and assessments


    • Well done; you’ve been shortlisted! More shortlisting happens during interviews and assessments.
    • We may invite you to an interview (with a panel of up to 3 interviewers) and ask you to do up to 2 assessments. These can include work-based tasks, written assessments or presentations. We may also send a link so you can complete a video assessment or online testing.
    • We’ll notify you by email and text if we invite you to an interview and ask you to select an interview time online. To help you prepare, we’ll send a confirmation email with a copy of the role description.
    • In the interview, we’ll ask you to draw on your professional experience and give examples to show your suitability. We recommend using the STAR method for your responses: tell us about a specific situation, the task, your action and the result. The questions we ask will assess if you can meet the focus capabilities in the role description.
    • Check out the Public Service Commission website for tips on how to prepare for your interview.

  4. Pre-employment checks


    • We’ll ask preferred candidates to give contact details for 2 professional referees. One must be your most recent manager or supervisor.
    • Depending on the role you’re applying for, we may do other checks such as a working with children check, pre-employment medical test or a criminal background check. In these cases, we’ll email you to ask for personal information. Some pre-employment checks can take 2 to 4 weeks to process.

  5. Offer of employment, contract, and pre boarding forms


    • Congratulations! The hiring manager will call you to offer the role, give details of the salary and benefits  and discuss your start date.
    • We’ll send you a letter of offer once you have agreed on the details
    • If you accept the offer, you’ll need to give personal information such as bank account and superannuation fund details, your tax file number, and any necessary workplace adjustments so we can set you up for your first day.

  6. Your first day!


    • Your new manager will be in touch to discuss arrangements.
    • Your start date is usually 12 days or more after you accept your employment offer. This allows us to onboard you into our department.

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