Candidate Resource Hub
Early careers interview guide
G’day! Are you seeking guidance on what to expect from the Atlassian’s award-winning early careers program? You've come to the right place! We value your progression through the process and are committed to helping you succeed in any interview for early career opportunities. As you read this guide, you will gain a broad understanding of our hiring process and what to anticipate at different phases. Additionally, we will impart valuable tips and strategies to help you excel in the interview. Lastly, you will have access to insightful advice from previous graduates who have effectively navigated their interviews with us.
Our hiring process
Our hiring process varies based on position. The key stages are outlined below.
1. Application
Explore, review, and apply for the right opportunity
The first step in your journey as an early career candidate at Atlassian is to identify an opportunity that aligns with your educational background and career aspirations and submit your application with the most updated resume. It's important to note that the application submission procedure might differ depending on the region.
Before you submit your application, carefully review your resume and the job description. Then, find where the two intersect; this will enable you to effectively align your qualifications with the role's requirements, maximizing your chances for success in pursuing this opportunity. Based on your alignment with the opportunity, the early careers recruiter will review and process your application before contacting you for further steps.
2. Assessment
Complete an initial assessment
This marks the initial stage of the evaluation process, which assesses your skills and suitability for the position. The assessments you undergo have been carefully crafted to evaluate the essential characteristics necessary for excelling in a specific role. It is mandatory for you to clear the assessment round successfully to participate in the interview process.
The type of initial assessment you will undergo is specific to the role you apply for. It is crucial to note that, in most cases, it must be completed within a certain timeframe. For instance, if you apply for a Software Engineer grad position, you must complete an online coding test within the stipulated time. Similarly, if you apply for a Product Management grad position, you must complete a take-home case study within the specified timeframe.
3. Interview loop
Follow our recruiter’s guidance
Based on the role you applied for, the recruiter overseeing your application will guide you through the interview process. You should be prepared to undergo 3 to 4 interviews, which may involve craft-specific technical and functional assessments, as well as interviews focused on leadership and values. We take a virtual-first approach for all of our intern and graduate interview processes.
The craft-specific interviews will mainly concentrate on the skills and abilities required to succeed in the role. The leadership interview will explore your approach to various aspects of your role within a team environment, while the values interview will evaluate how well your thought process and actions align with our core company values. Both rounds will involve behavioral and situational questions.
"One of the key steps to preparing for a tech interview is to get your basics right. A strong foundation will help you go a long way!’'
Interview best practices, tips, and tricks
Focus on your resume
- Tailor your resume: Tailor your resume to fit the job and company you're applying to. Research the position and team thoroughly to ensure your skills align well.
- Don’t forget your achievements: Make sure to highlight all your achievements, including education, internships, projects, competitions, certifications, and extracurricular activities.
- Update your contact details: We may reach out via mobile, email, or LinkedIn, so keeping details current is crucial for effective communication.
- Highlight your skills and experiences effectively: Ensure to emphasise all your transferable skills, including those soft or interpersonal skills, that you have gained that would contribute to your success in the position
- Proofread: Don't forget to thoroughly proofread!
- Choose the right resume length: We recommend keeping your resume concise, ideally within 1-2 pages.
- Keep your resume flow consistent: It’s essential to ensure your resume is organized in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and relevant experience taking precedence.
- Be yourself and make it your own: Your resume is often the first impression, so let your authentic self shine through in your resume design.
- Don’t forget your graduation date!
Interview Do's and Don'ts
Do’s
- Do your homework: It's important to thoroughly research the job, craft, company, and values before your interview. We're looking to ensure that you'll be a good fit for the company, and we're excited to see your enthusiasm for joining the TEAM.
- Check your interview setup: We take a virtual-first approach for all of our interview processes, so it's crucial to ensure that you join the interview from a comfortable and quiet space. To ensure a smooth interview experience, check your devices and setup before joining the call.
- Connect with your interviewer: Keep in mind that your interview is a chance to establish a connection with the interviewer. Listen carefully to their guidance and ask for clarifications when needed, they want you to succeed and chances are they are likely giving you tips!
- Be well-prepared for your interviews: Ensure you're well-prepared for both craft and behavioral interviews by drawing on examples from past experiences, projects, and portfolios. When prepping for craft interviews, we suggest practicing whiteboarding or using online platforms to demonstrate your skills. As for behavioral interviews, prepare diverse examples showcasing your experiences, and use the S.T.A.R. interviewing method for framing responses.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers: This is your chance to also interview our TEAM and ask any questions you may have. You might want to ask about the company culture, their experiences at Atlassian, or even their career paths.
Don'ts
- Don’t be late: We recommend joining the interview call 5-10 minutes early to ensure stable connectivity and readiness. If you are running behind schedule, please inform us so that we can make the necessary adjustments and communicate with your interviewers.
- Don’t be distracted: Distractions are everywhere, and we know that things can easily get in the way. During your interview, it is crucial to avoid distractions like checking your phone. Demonstrating to your interviewers that they are your top priority is essential for making a positive impression.
- Don’t interrupt your interviewer: Allow your interviewer to finish speaking before responding. Your interviewer is on your side and genuinely wants to see you succeed in the interview. Don't hesitate to ask for clarification or listen to their advice, as they are likely offering helpful tips.
- Don’t let your nerves get the best of you: Easier said than done but rest assured, we understand that interviews can be daunting so we strive to ensure that the process is as seamless as possible for you. Staying calm and collected is crucial to acing your interview!
- Don’t come unprepared for the interview: Take some time to learn more about our company, culture, and company values. Consider potential examples you'd like to share with our TEAM. We just want to get to know you and ensure that you’re a fit for Atlassian!
"Practice presenting your projects. As it may have been a while since you completed them, go over the highlights, how you along with your team contributed to it, and what has been the impact.’'
Craft your elevator pitch
What is an elevator pitch?
- A compelling story about who you are and where you’re going in under 2 minutes.
- An effective elevator pitch encapsulates your identity, professional background, and aspirations for your next role, setting the stage for a potential "Tell me about yourself" inquiry.
- An elevator pitch markets you as a confident potential hire. During the early stages of an interview process or even a networking event, elevator pitches can be particularly helpful because employers may be looking at a high volume of potential candidates or meeting a lot of people. Speaking convincingly about what you bring to the table can help immediately signal your professional skills!
Structure for Elevator Pitch
→ Introduction → Summary of your experience → What you’re looking for → Next steps, If possible
Example Elevator Pitch: “Hi, my name is Sarah. Thanks so much for sitting down with me today. I’m a senior pursuing a degree in Computer Science and will be graduating in May of 2025. I’ve spent the last two summers interning as a Software Engineer at Atlassian where I focused on Backend Development for their Confluence product. Aside from my internship, I have leadership experience as the Vice President of our Women in Computer Science club at my university. I am excited to learn more about the opportunity to further support software development tools such as Jira and Confluence at Atlassian as a full-time employee. I’ve always been passionate about the Values oriented culture the company has, and I believe I’d make a great impact as a Full-time Software Engineer.”
Elevator Pitch Do's and Don’ts
Do’s
- Keep it brief and practice it!
- Be positive and flexible! You typically aren’t interviewing for a specific position when you deliver your pitch, so you want to appear open-minded and flexible.
- Mention your goals! You don’t need to get too specific. An overly targeted goal isn’t helpful since your pitch will be used in many circumstances and with many different types of people. But do remember to say what you’re looking for.
Don’ts
- Don’t speak too fast or go off on tangents! Speak so the person you’re talking to can understand you!
- Don’t restrict yourself to a single elevator pitch. Maybe you’re interested in pursuing two fields — public relations and content strategy. Many of your communication skills will apply to both those fields, but you’ll want to tailor your pitch depending on who you are speaking to.
"Be candid and authentic. It’s important to be impressionable during interviews and the best way to do that is by bringing your original self.’'
Star interviewing method
What is the STAR method?
The STAR method is a great approach for structuring responses to behavioral interview questions. Following this funnel approach makes it easy for interviewers to gather the evidence they need, and to build a complete picture of the situation, what happened, as well as the final outcome or result. It can be really easy to give extraneous details so sticking to the STAR method can help focus your answer and story-telling! Lean more about the STAR.
What is a behavioral interview question?
- Behavioral questions seek to understand what you have done in the past.
- This method allows interviewers to assess a candidate's capabilities, potential, and growth from previous experiences. Candidates are not required to only highlight favorable past experiences; what holds significance is their capacity to introspect and learn from those experiences. Sometimes after sharing a specific example, you may get a follow-up questions such as, “Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?” Or “How could you have improved on your outcome?” This is to assess how you’ve learned from the experience.
We hope this guide has enhanced your chances to secure an exciting early careers opportunity with us. Good luck!
Don’t see an exact role match? No problem! Join our Talent Community and stay up-to-date on job openings relevant to your skills and career.
You might also like
Interviewing
Atlassian engineering interview handbook
What’s it like to interview for an engineering role at Atlassian? An inside look at our process so you can shine.
Interviewing
Atlassian product manager handbook
What’s it like to interview for a product role at Atlassian.
Interviewing
Atlassian product design handbook
Learn what it's like to interview for a design role at Atlassian.