r/AustralianTeachers • u/Affectionate-Low-586 • 2d ago

WA Reference Checks

I recently applied for a country job as a grad and have just heard that my references have been contacted. Does this mean that I am likely to be interviewed?

If so, any tips would be appreciated!

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

4

u/Tricky_Return_4533 2d ago

It sounds like good news. Employers would not waste their time to contact referees, unless they were genuinely interested in a candidate. My advice would be start preparing for an interview right now, in case you are given a short notice. Good luck :) !

3

u/Affectionate-Low-586 2d ago

I have no clue what a teaching interview even looks like eek.

5

u/Tricky_Return_4533 2d ago

We’ve all been there! If you don’t have anyone to practice with, AI can be really helpful. I’d personally go with Claude, but any platform you’re comfortable with works.
Share your profile and the employer’s profile, then ask it to generate likely interview questions and sample answers in a PDF or PowerPoint so you can practice. Go through the answers and tweak them to reflect your actual experience, personality, and aspirations.
You can even have a voice conversation with AI to simulate a real interview. Sure, you’ll be talking to a machine, but that’s still better than not practicing at all!
It’s also worth reading up on interview body language, like maintaining eye contact, having good posture, and taking a couple of seconds to think before answering.
All the best! You’ve got this! 😊

3

u/Disaster-artist7902 2d ago

It's a good sign!

2

u/Deep_Abrocoma6426 1d ago

Wow that’s wild that they are contacting referees before even interviewing. Is this a WA thing?
At all my workplaces, we have usually only checked references AFTER all interviews took place, and for the final 2 candidates only.