State of Idaho Interview Questions
& Process

It was an interesting setup. You start with an online test, and if you get a good enough score, they'll call you in. Since the HR division is really small, they do *3 rounds* of panel interviews. Each interview has 3 people on the panel, which is actually a third of the whole division. I guess that makes sense because you can't have personality conflicts in such a small office, especially when the whole state government relies on those 9-10 people for important advice, considering the huge costs and legal risks involved. They asked a lot of "tell us about a time when you..." questions, which weren't really difficult. Anyone with about 5 years of HR experience should have plenty of answers for those.

I put in my application online in mid-July and was put on a hiring list by early August. About two weeks later, I got a call and an email to come in for an interview at the Department of Insurance. The interview had the hiring manager, an HR person, and another supervisor. It was pretty standard with set questions from a form, and all three of them wrote down my answers. Less than two weeks after that, I got another call and email saying I was a finalist and invited back for a second interview with the hiring manager and her boss. This interview was a lot like the first one, with some of the same questions, and they both wrote down my answers again. At the end, they gave me an envelope and told me I needed to get fingerprinted because the job involves working with the elderly, who are considered a vulnerable population, and they can't proceed without it. I got fingerprinted the next day and mailed them in. It's been almost a month and I haven't heard anything back. While I don't mind not getting the job, it's just good practice to call people who interviewed in person to let them know the outcome. It's a lot of time, effort, and hope for a pretty low-paying job ($13.11 - $13.77/hour), so not getting that courtesy call is disappointing.

This was a panel interview with 3 people, mostly behavioral and situational questions. I had to bring work samples. The interviewers were nice and professional. I was told they'd let me know if I got the job. For a state job, it was pretty fast. I waited about a month for the interview, and then got offered the job a week after that. They also did a background check.

The interview process involved open-ended behavioral questions mainly about my previous work experience. I was given time to ask questions. There was a two-person panel that included the hiring manager and a senior employee. My advice is to be prepared and ask good questions.