Interviews are vital for your career, but they can be stressful for a lot of public servants. You have limited time, a lot to say, and somehow need to sound calm, capable and memorable all at once.

At Apolitical’s recent Career Moves | How to Interview Excellently event, senior public servants Thembi Watt and Lucy Ellis shared candid stories, practical strategies and reassuring reminders that even experienced leaders still get nervous. The important thing is to learn how to work with the nerves instead of against them.

Here are the seven standout lessons from the session.

1. Good interview answers are good stories

The strongest answers feel human, structured and authentic. Preparation is important, but you don’t want to sound like you’re reading off of a script.

Lucy Ellis encouraged attendees to think less about ticking STAR boxes and more about storytelling. Great answers have a beginning, middle and end. They explain the stakes, show your actions clearly and land with a strong outcome.

Most importantly, you need to be the hero of the story.

Too many candidates hide behind “we”. Teamwork certainly matters, but panels want to understand your contribution, your judgement and your impact.

2. Stop underselling yourself

It’s common to downplay your own achievements in an interview due to nerves or a fear of seeming overconfident. But, Lucy shared a hypothetical of interviewing for a speechwriting role after writing only three speeches in your life. She pointed out: “Three speeches is still a plural of speeches.”

Interview confidence is not pretending you know everything, it’s recognising that your existing skills are transferable and trusting that you can grow into the role.

Public servants often underestimate the scale of what they already do every day. Managing stakeholders, balancing competing priorities, influencing senior leaders, coordinating teams, these are valuable skills. Be confident about them.

3. Preparation starts long before the interview

Discussing your experience is vital in interviews, but it can be difficult to remember and prepare examples. Thembi Watt highlighted the importance of “always-on” interview prep. Instead of scrambling the night before, she keeps a running record of achievements, interesting projects and positive feedback throughout the year.

That way, when opportunities arise, you have all of the evidence you need to impress your interviewer.

It also helps you spot patterns in your strengths and build confidence in telling your own story. As Thembi put it, reflecting regularly on your work turns examples into “brain muscle”.

4. Don’t confuse “relaxed” with “unprepared”

Both speakers shared early-career interview disasters. Thembi recalled taking advice to “just relax” a little too literally, turning up overly casual and failing to answer questions properly. Lucy admitted she once attended an interview without researching the organisation at all.

Preparation is vital, but this needs to be balanced with authenticity.

Over-rehearsed answers can sound robotic, especially if they rely too heavily on AI-generated scripts. Thembi warned that authenticity still matters hugely in interviews, even when candidates receive questions in advance.

Bullet points beat memorised monologues every time.

5. Your examples probably work harder than you think

A strong example can answer multiple competency questions if you adjust the framing.

Lucy demonstrated how one high-pressure experience managing communications during overlapping agricultural crises could showcase collaboration, leadership, resilience, stakeholder management and strategic thinking, depending on the question being asked.

That means you don’t necessarily need dozens of examples prepared, just a handful of strong, flexible stories you know inside out. Soon, you’ll be able to adapt them to answer any skill-related question.

6. Feedback is a career superpower

The speakers repeatedly returned to the value of feedback, both before and after interviews.

Thembi described feedback as “a gift” and encouraged attendees not to give up if hiring managers are slow to provide it. Ask another panel member. Follow up. Stay curious.

You also don’t need to rely on just hiring managers. Ask trusted colleagues how you come across in meetings, presentations or online calls. Every interaction can become practice for interview season.

7. It’s okay to be nervous

One reassuring takeaway from the session was that nerves never fully disappear, even for senior leaders.

Thembi described feeling like “an absolute swan” during a recent internal interview, calm on the surface, panicking underneath.

You don’t need to eliminate nerves, you just need to learn how to keep yourself steady when they arise.

Pause before answering unexpected questions, keep your body language calm and give yourself thinking time. And remember that panels do not need you to be perfect. They are looking for evidence that you can think, communicate and learn.

Watch the highlights video below for more practical advice and real interview examples from the session.

You can also visit the event page to watch the full recording, access resources, and read full speaker bios:

This article was written with the help of AI using an anonymised transcript and edited by a human before publishing.