Our recruitment process

Get to know how the recruitment process at Transport works and what to expect when you apply for a job with us.

Creating a standout resume

A great resume quickly and concisely communicates your strengths and suitability for the job, helping you stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. Learn how to organise your resume and application materials to highlight what matters most.

Ace your interview

Make a great impression on your interviewers and learn more about the organisation and role.

What is the STAR technique?

The STAR technique is a structured way of answering your interview questions by describing a relevant Situation, Task, Action and Result using an example from your previous work to demonstrate your skills and experience.

Preparing for a video interview

Learn how to prepare and make a good impression in a video interview.

The recruitment process

Get to know how the recruitment process at Transport works and what to expect when you apply for a job, starting from preparing your application, to job interviews.

Research and preparation

Thoroughly read through the job ad, role description and other candidate information, such as the candidate information pack, to ensure you understand the role responsibilities, selection criteria, and NSW Public Sector Capability Framework

Get to know Transport a bit better by reading up on our organisation and some of our current strategies, projects, and more via our website.

Further recruitment process steps

Eligibility for employment

To be considered for employment with NSW Government, you must be either:

an Australian citizen
a permanent resident of Australia
a New Zealand citizen with a current New Zealand passport
a citizen of another country with a current visa that allows you to work in Australia. If you hold a valid work visa, employment will not exceed any limitations imposed by or law regarding your entitlement to work in Australia. For example, your visa must cover the full duration of the job vacancy if you’re applying for a temporary position.

For senior or specialist positions, please contact the talent specialist listed in the job advertisement to discuss your options.

Recruitment process support and adjustments

Our recruitment process is aimed at getting to know more about your skills and experience in relation to the role you’ve applied for. We want all applicants to feel supported to do their best throughout the process, and that sometimes adjustments are needed. Whether it’s a change to a work process, procedure or environment, it’s important that you let us know what you specifically need.

Explore some examples of recruitment adjustments and more about how Transport is supporting people with disability

To arrange an adjustment or discuss flexibility options, email or phone the Talent Specialist listed on a job ad or email our Talent team at talent@transport.nsw.gov.au

Aboriginal Employment Unit

Transport’s Aboriginal Employment Unit (AEU) is run by a dedicated team of Aboriginal employees. Our team supports Aboriginal people working at Transport and those considering joining us.

Some of our services include:

Job search and application support
Drop-in sessions all over NSW to learn more about employment opportunities
Ongoing professional support, mentoring and advice

To have a yarn with someone from the AEU team, email: Supporting Aboriginal people

Short-answer questions

Your online application may require you to respond to some short-answer questions (sometimes referred to as pre-screening questions) in addition to uploading your resume. Make sure you draft and check your responses in a separate document before you add them to your application. Your answers should contain examples from your previous work that relate to the role you’re applying for. Check your spelling and grammar before you submit your responses in the application portal.

Want more information about the role?

First, make sure you’ve read through all the materials listed in the job ad. If you still have questions, contact the talent specialist listed in the job advertisement.

After you submit your job application

Our talent teams thoroughly review all applications to ensure a fair and rigorous recruitment process. Depending on the volume of applications we receive, it may take up to four weeks to review all applications after a job’s closing date. Once our talent and hiring teams have reviewed all applications, a talent team member will contact you via email or phone to advise you of the outcome of your application and of any further steps in the recruitment process.

You can also view your application status under the Jobs applied section of your candidate profile.
Once you've submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email at your nominated email address. If you can’t find your confirmation email, try the following options:
Check the spam/junk folders in your email account.
All jobs you’ve applied for will appear in the Jobs applied section of your candidate profile, where you can review existing job applications.
If you haven’t received a confirmation email or the role doesn’t appear under Jobs applied, your application may not have been successfully submitted the first time. Please try resubmitting your application again.
For further support, contact the talent specialist listed on the job advertisement or email TalentSystems@transport.nsw.gov.au

Job-related testing/assessments

You may be required to participate in job-related testing or assessments to measure your performance and skills in relation to the role. Your talent specialist will provide more details about the test type, timing and deadlines for this step where applicable.

Job-related testing helps Transport to ensure our selection decisions are objective, fair and based on a candidate’s ability to perform in the role effectively. For recruitment processes that require job-related testing, all testing sessions use the same testing procedures to ensure the same conditions for everyone.

Pre-employment checks

Reference checks

Applicants who progress past the previous steps will be asked to provide the contact details of two recent work-related referees. You can provide referee contact details as either part of your online application form or at the pre-employment checks stage. Referees should be a current or previous manager or supervisor who can comment on your work performance over the last five years. Personal character referees are not accepted.

National Police Check

A National Police Check is conducted through an authorised agency on all external applicants.

Applicants found to have a criminal record will have their individual circumstances taken into consideration. Depending on the offence and when it occurred, a criminal record does not automatically disqualify candidates from the recruitment process.

NSW Government employment review

Service history checks are undertaken on all current and previous Sydney Trains (RailCorp, State Rail or Rail Infrastructure Corporation RIC) employees. A service history check is also undertaken on all current NSW Government agency employees. A satisfactory service check is required before an application can progress.

Other checks

Health and physical fitness checks

Depending on the role you’re applying for, you may be required to meet specific health and fitness requirements to be eligible for consideration. Any roles requiring health, medical or physical fitness checks as part of the recruitment process will indicate so in the role description, and your talent specialist will provide more details about these throughout the recruitment process.

Offer of employment

Following all pre-employment checks, the panel. will make a final comparison of all candidates based on the applications, interview/s, assessments (if these are conducted in the role’s recruitment process), and pre-employment checks. After the selection panel has made a decision, the successful applicant will receive an initial offer of employment via phone, followed by an email containing a formal letter of offer.

Talent pools

In some cases, more than one applicant will be assessed as suitable for the role and added to a talent pool for a period of 18 months. If you have been placed in a talent pool, you will receive an email notification. If you’re added to a talent pool, our talent team may get in touch about identical or similar vacant roles that you’re eligible for.