Westpac Group Manager Interview Questions
& Process

About 3-4 weeks after applying, HR called to schedule my interview for about a week later. I'd already done the Gallup test and worked at Westpac twice before. The first interview went well. Then there was a month gap with no updates before the second interview, so I pursued other opportunities. After the second interview, I got a formal offer from Westpac a week later. Coincidentally, I also got a more senior, higher-paying offer from another company. Westpac initially pushed for an on-the-spot decision, but I asked for a few days to consider, which they agreed to. A few days later, I accepted the Westpac offer, but they then said they were giving the role to an internal candidate. This was after over two months of stringing me along, and I had already turned down the other offer because I decided to go back to Westpac. It was very unprofessional to offer me the job and then withdraw it after agreeing to give me time to think. A really bad experience, not what you'd expect from a big, supposedly professional company. Westpac should be ashamed.

Applied online and then quickly heard back from the HR manager. An interview was scheduled, and I had to complete a short online test beforehand. The interview itself was behavioral, focused on examples of demonstrating key skills. I believe it's usually in person, but mine was online. The process after the interview was quite long, and getting clear feedback from the hiring manager was difficult and vague. The HR team was as helpful as they could be. The interview took about 45 minutes, but it took nearly a month to get the outcome, which is tough when you're looking at other jobs. A quick 'no' is much better than waiting a month after the interview, especially when they say it'll take 5 business days.

The whole process took 5 months, with really long waits between interviews. I started with a call about the new role and team structure. Then, I had my first formal interview with the hiring manager where we talked about the Risk discipline and some behavioural questions. Because of time limits, I couldn't ask many questions. The second interview was with the hiring manager and another manager, again mostly behavioural/culture questions. Since I'm in another city, all interviews were phone calls, no Skype option, which made it harder to connect. I was expecting more technical questions for this role and more discussion on how I'd set it up, like what the first 6 months would look like. The long gaps between interviews (over a month) weren't communicated well, and I had to chase for updates because the hiring manager had personal reasons for delays. There wasn't much HR support, which didn't reflect well on Westpac or the hiring manager's respect for staff. Salary was negotiated at the very end, and there was a big gap between their offer and my expectations, which put me at a disadvantage. Since HR wasn't involved and it was all driven by one hiring manager, I'm guessing this isn't the usual process.