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Australia job interviews for Indians: behavioural questions, local experience and salary

For Indian graduates, skilled migrants and professionals interviewing with Australian employers.

Updated 5 October 2026 · 7 min read · Published by Interview Sarthi, makers of Prep Sarthi (AI mock interviews) and Live Sarthi (interview help on Windows)

Short answer: Australian interviews are behavioural and conversational: answer with STAR, show you work well in a friendly, direct team, and meet the “local experience” worry with results that transfer. Salary is quoted per year and often “plus super”, the employer's compulsory superannuation contribution, so check whether a figure includes it. Public-sector jobs ask you to address selection criteria.

Not immigration or legal advice. Visa and work-permit rules change. Check the official source for your situation (the Department of Home Affairs for Australian visas) and your university or employer's immigration adviser.

Use live help only where the interview's rules allow AI assistance.

Behavioural questions, Australian style

Expect “Tell me about a time…” questions on teamwork, customers, conflict and working under pressure, asked in a relaxed, first-name tone. Relaxed does not mean unstructured: answers are still scored. Use STAR (situation, task, action, result) and say “I” for your part; worked examples are in the STAR guide.

The “local experience” worry

Recruiters may ask, or only think, “do you have Australian experience?”. Answer the worry behind it: will you fit how we work here?

Selection criteria (public sector)

Government and many university jobs list key selection criteria and may ask for a written response to each before the interview. The interview then asks for examples against the same criteria, so keep your written examples and your spoken ones consistent.

Referees are almost always checked

Prepare two referees, ideally recent managers. Managers in India are fine; tell them to expect a call or email from Australia and which skills to speak about.

Salary: per year, “plus super”

• Employers must contribute superannuation (retirement savings) on top of most salaries: 12% of ordinary earnings since July 2025. An advert saying “$95,000 + super” is different from “$95,000 including super”.
• Research the role on job sites, which often show ranges. For award-covered jobs, the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guides show minimum rates.
• Answer with a range and say whether it includes super: “I'm looking for 95 to 105 thousand plus super.” (Example figures: use your own research.)

Visas, briefly

Employer sponsorship is common through the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), and recent graduates of Australian universities may hold a graduate visa (subclass 485) with work rights. Answer the work-rights question in one sentence (see the sponsorship guide).

Indian-English phrases that confuse interviewers abroad

These are normal at home and in Indian offices, but they slow down an interviewer in New York, London, Toronto or Dubai. Swap them before the call:

Instead of	Say
“I passed out in 2024”	“I graduated in 2024”
“I have a doubt”	“I have a question”
“I will revert”	“I will get back to you”
“Can we prepone it?”	“Can we move it earlier?”
“Please do the needful”	Say the actual request: “Could you send the offer details?”
“My CTC is 18 LPA”	“My base salary is about … a year” (convert, and say base and bonus separately)
“I was out of station”	“I was travelling”

Speak a little slower than you do at home and finish sentences clearly. Nobody expects you to change your accent; they need to follow your examples.