Had to submit an assignment first, short policy brief on a municipal topic. Panel interview after with three staff members, all structured behavioral. How do you prioritize competing work demands, describe a time you synthesized complex information for a non technical audience. They gave time at the end to revisit any answer I wanted to add to. Security clearance kicked off after the offer and added another 5 weeks before my start date, so factor that into your timeline
Questions Asked
1.“Describe a time you collaborated across multiple teams or departments to complete a project.”
Ontario Ministry of Finance
Policy Analyst
Toronto, ON
Summer 2026Accepted
University of Toronto · Economics
4th year · 3.7+ GPA · 2 past internships
Easy Interview
BehavioralVirtual
Interview questions given 20 minutes before, actually really helpful. Panel of 3 people 15 minutes all behavioral like tell me about competing deadlines and managing stakeholders and why you'd be the best candidate. Nothing about actual policy or in depth knowledge, standard OPS interview from what I've heard
Questions Asked
1.“How would you approach a consultation process that includes Indigenous communities?”
Bank of Canada
Policy Analyst
Ottawa, ON
Summer 2026No Offer
University of Ottawa · Economics
4th year · 2.5-2.8 GPA · 1 past internship
Average Interview
BehavioralSlow processMultiple roundsVirtual
Had to give a 10 minute presentation on a policy issue then answer behavioral questions about research experience. Panel of three. Brief French conversation to test fluency. Process took over 40 days
Questions Asked
1.“How do you stay current on policy developments in this area?”
Health Canada
Policy Analyst
Ottawa, ON
Summer 2026Accepted
University of Ottawa · Commerce
2nd year · 3.3-3.6 GPA · 0 past internships
Easy Interview
BehavioralFast processVirtual
25 minutes, general behavioral questions about team fit and past experience. Not technical at all. Super relaxed, felt more like a conversation than an interview. Applied through school co-op office. About 2 weeks from interview to offer
Questions Asked
1.“Describe how you've written something complex for a non-technical reader”
2.“Tell me about a time you had to change your recommendation based on new evidence”
Transport Canada
Policy Analyst
Ottawa, ON
Summer 2025No Offer
University of Ottawa · Economics
2nd year · 2.9-3.2 GPA · 0 past internships
Easy Interview
BehavioralVirtual
Tell me abuot yourself, explain a past project, a couple basic behaviorals. Maybe 25 minutes total. They described it as fairly easy on the posting and that was accurate. Ottawa co-op placement through my university
Questions Asked
1.“How do you synthesize conflicting stakeholder views into a coherent policy recommendation?”
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Policy Analyst
Ottawa, ON
Summer 2026No Offer
University of Ottawa · Political Science
3rd year · 3.3-3.6 GPA · 0 past internships
Easy Interview
BehavioralMultiple roundsSlow process
Government structured behavioral questions. Had to give examples demonstrating specific competencies. Process was long with clearly defineed evaluation criteria given ahead of time. Helpful to research their mandate before the interview
Questions Asked
1.“Explain the difference between policy development and policy implementation.”
BC Public Service
Policy Analyst
Victoria, BC
Summer 2026No Offer
University of Victoria · Commerce
3rd year · 3.3-3.6 GPA · 1 past internship
Easy Interview
BehavioralVirtual
Know the BC public service values before you go in because they expect you to reference them directly. Virtual panel with two people, fully behavioral and structured with no deviations from the script. Public service motivation came first then competency questions on research skills and communication. They read from a sheet and scored everything in real time
Questions Asked
1.“Walk me through how a federal policy brief is typically structured”
2.“How do you communicate a complex policy issue to a minister or elected official?”
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Policy Analyst
Ottawa, ON
Summer 2026Pending Outcome
University of Ottawa · Economics
3rd year · 3.3-3.6 GPA · 0 past internships
Easy Interview
BehavioralMultiple roundsSlow process
Waiting on security clearance now so we'll see. HR round was general career stuff, panel was behavioral about policy work and handling situations from past experience. Housing policy context in the questions was interesting
Questions Asked
1.“Explain what Access to Information means in the context of the federal public service”
2.“Tell me about your interest in public service and what draws you to this specific department”