SMC-Spouse interview questions

[nz_newbie]

Hi,

We are having our interview in a week..quite nervous about what questions the co applicant has to be prepared for.Most of the questions seem to be directly intended for the primary applicant to answer.

A bit of background : Both of us are in IT..and we will both be working in NZ.

Cheers!

[JandM]

Do a Search (button on the blue bar above). People have previously shared what happened to them.

[nz_newbie]

a.Ive already been through the interview questions posted on this site.We have prepared answers to these questions,but what I am worried about is whether we will be asked the same set of questions seperately.

eg:
What have you done to look for a job?

Right now,we are applying for jobs which only match my husband's skills as I will be travelling atleast 6 months after him.Will this negatively impact the outcome of our interview?

b.Will the questions be targeted to the principal applicant (OH) explicitly ?Can I intervene and answer when he misses some points?

[JandM]

From what I've seen of other people's accounts of their interviews, there is no set format for this aspect of things. What happens depends on the CO's discretion, and feel for the situation of this particular couple. For instance, some secondary applicants plan to be stay-at-home parents, not workers, then the questions will probably be oriented towards how they plan to make contact with other parents and interest groups, and what they know about NZ society. Another thing that occurs to me that you could be asked is what you would do if, since you plan to work, you couldn't find a job in your preferred specialist area in the location where your husband had found work. But I must stress, these are just possibilities - it is entirely up to the CO.

About your question (b), I wonder, are you being interviewed in person, or by Skype or phone?

The reason I ask is, if you're not in the room with the CO, you could have paperwork to hand, so that if you realized your husband had missed a point, you could indicate it on the list, or card, to prompt him. I really DON'T think it would make a good impression if you tried to answer FOR him or put words in his mouth.

(a) It's perfectly reasonable for your husband to be looking for jobs, and not you at this point, since you plan for him to go ahead. As one example, suppose you got a job lined up in Wellington, it would be absolutely no use if he, the principal applicant, then found work in Dunedin! Nobody would hold this sensible planning against you.

[nz_newbie]

Thanks for your thought provoking reply. We are having a face to face interview next week. Hoping that all goes well!!

[rashvk]

Hi Newbie
Know Both your CV's update , They asked us a Lot about our previous jobs.
The next important question -
What if you don't get the job in your field of expertise?

Fortunately I have two degrees a civil eng and PGDp in GIS - The diversification aspect that I could fit into different roles with different skills.

I took a take a print out of my credentials(CV/ Work Experience), so did my partner and we sort of read it out and clarified the same as and where required.
I am glad they were very supportive during the whole process , they made us feel at home and they do see the communication skills of both the partners. (Guess that is not an issue)

As mentioned in the above post - Interest groups, and what they know about NZ society - This is another important thing they sort of ask about but not much in detail ,
Guess the CO wants to know that such societies and interest groups are available and you are willing to refer when need arise.

Hope it helps

Good luck for your interview , PM me incase you want to have a chat , cheers for now

Regards
Rashvk