3 interview formats decoded

Walk into any Perth IT interview knowing what's really being tested.

A boutique MSP owner and an enterprise panel are screening for completely different things. Know what each tier is looking for, what to watch out for on your side of the table, and how to walk in prepared either way.

Start with boutique interviews Jump to the prep checklist

Same question, different test

Passing a technical screen and passing an interview are two different skills. The mistake most graduates make is preparing for one generic "IT interview" when the format changes completely depending on employer size — a boutique MSP owner is testing for something entirely different than a panel at a carrier.

Underneath it all, every tier is trying to answer the same thing: can I trust this person with what matters to my business or my clients? They're just asking it differently depending on how much structure and safety net sits around the role.

1Identify what's actually being tested
2Match your answers to the format
3Ask questions that reveal what the job is really like

Tier 03 — Boutique & small MSP

They're hiring a person, not a specialist

Rarely a whiteboard grilling on OSPF metrics. The owner is working out something simpler and harder to fake: can you be trusted in front of a client, and can you figure things out under pressure without making it worse.

See how to prepare
T3

Boutique interview

Owner-led Perth shop

FormatScenario-based chat
InterviewerOwner or lead tech
StagesUsually one
Think out loud.
Check the obvious first.

Tier 02 — Mid-size MSP

Process and communication get tested too

More structured technical questions, sometimes a practical lab or take-home task, plus questions about how you document and communicate. This is where the STAR method genuinely earns its keep.

See how to prepare
T2

Mid-size MSP interview

Structured, often two rounds

FormatBehavioural + applied
InterviewerTeam lead, sometimes HR
StagesTwo, maybe a task
STAR every
behavioural answer.

Tier 01 — Enterprise & carrier

Depth, process and behavioural rigour

Multi-stage: recruiter screen, technical panel, a separate behavioural interview, sometimes a formal lab. The panel goes deep into your domain — and the behavioural round is the part graduates most often underprepare for.

See how to prepare
T1

Enterprise panel

Integrators, carriers, gov panel

FormatPanel + behavioural
InterviewerTech panel + recruiter
StagesThree or more
Bring a mistake story,
not just a win.

Know your tier. Know the test.

Every tier runs a different interview — and wants different questions asked back.

Tier 03 — Boutique
Composure & trustScenario-based, one stage

The owner is picturing you in front of their client.

  • Troubleshoot out loud, calmly
  • 2–3 real troubleshooting stories
  • "I'm not sure, here's how I'd find out"
  • Ask who you'd escalate to
Tier 03 deep-dive
Most graduates interview here Tier 02 — Mid-size MSP
Process & communicationBehavioural + applied, two stages

Structured enough to test process, small enough to still see you.

  • Fundamentals cold: VLANs, DNS/DHCP, routing
  • STAR-structured examples
  • Reason through a topology out loud
  • Ask how support tiers actually work
Tier 02 deep-dive
Tier 01 — Enterprise
Depth & accountabilityMulti-stage panel, often a lab

Could you be trusted with infrastructure thousands depend on?

  • Go 2–3 questions deep on every CV item
  • Incident-response thinking
  • A mistake you owned and fixed
  • Ask about real scope vs the title
Tier 01 deep-dive
TIER 03

Boutique & Small MSPs — they're hiring a person, not a specialist

Rarely a deep technical grilling on OSPF metrics or subnet math on a whiteboard. What the owner or lead tech is actually working out is simpler and harder to fake: can this person be trusted in front of a client, and can they figure things out under pressure without panicking or making it worse.

What they're testing for
  • Scenario-based questions, not knowledge recall — "a client calls and says the whole office can't get online, walk me through what you'd check first"
  • Calm, logical sequencing over the "correct" textbook answer
  • Humility — "I'm not certain, but here's how I'd find out" lands better than bluffing
How to prepare
  1. Practise thinking out loud — isolate the problem, check the obvious first, narrow from there
  2. Have two or three real troubleshooting stories ready, even from a lab or a helpdesk role
  3. Show client-facing composure — this tier is watching how you'd behave in front of their customer, not just at a bench
What to look out for
  • Ask what the actual client mix looks like and how support is structured day to day
  • A vague answer, or one that suggests you'll be the only technical person with no one to escalate to, means a steep learning curve — go in with eyes open
Common question format
FormatScenario-based, conversational
Who's interviewingOwner or lead technician
StagesUsually one, sometimes two
TIER 02

Mid-size MSPs — process and communication get tested too

More structured technical questions, sometimes a practical lab or take-home task, and questions about how you document your work and communicate with clients or internal teams. This is where the STAR method genuinely earns its keep.

What they're testing for
  • "Tell me about a time you explained a technical issue to someone non-technical"
  • "How do you handle a change that goes wrong mid-implementation"
  • Applied scenarios over pure theory — a topology diagram and a broken connection, not a definitional quiz
How to prepare
  1. Know your fundamentals cold — VLANs, routing basics, DNS/DHCP troubleshooting, basic firewall rules
  2. Structure every behavioural answer with STAR — see the reference block below
  3. Practise reasoning through a scenario on a whiteboard or screen share out loud
What to look out for
  • Ask about escalation paths and whether there's a senior engineer or team lead to lean on when stuck
  • An MSP that can't clearly explain its support tiers is a sign the structure exists on paper more than in practice
Common question format
FormatBehavioural + applied technical
Who's interviewingTeam lead, sometimes HR too
StagesTwo, occasionally a task
TIER 01

Enterprise & Carrier — depth, process and behavioural rigour

Usually multi-stage: a recruiter screen, a technical panel, often a separate behavioural interview, sometimes a formal lab exercise. The technical panel goes deep into your specific domain, and the behavioural component matters just as much — this is the part graduates most often underprepare for.

What they're testing for
  • Genuine depth — routing protocols, troubleshooting methodology at scale, incident-response thinking
  • "A core switch failed over unexpectedly during business hours, walk us through your incident response"
  • Whether you'd be safe to trust with production infrastructure thousands of people depend on
  • Accountability under structured behavioural interviewing — "tell me about a time you made an error in a production environment" is a very real question
How to prepare
  1. Go two or three questions deep on every project or lab listed on your CV — that's exactly where panels probe
  2. Prepare a mistake story, not just a success story — the right answer shows you caught it, owned it, fixed it, and changed your process afterward
  3. Practise plain-language explanations of technical concepts — valued here just as much as at the boutique tier, tested differently
What to look out for
  • Ask about the specific scope of the role and how narrow or broad it actually is day to day
  • Enterprise job titles can undersell how much of a role is BAU ticket work versus the project or architecture work the title implies — a fair, respected question to ask directly
Common question format
FormatMulti-stage panel + behavioural
Who's interviewingTechnical panel + HR/recruiter
StagesThree or more, often a lab

The STAR method — your structure for every behavioural answer

Four beats, in order. Keep the Situation short and spend most of your time on the Action.

S
Situation

Set the scene in one or two sentences: where, what system, what was at stake.

T
Task

What you specifically were responsible for or asked to do.

A
Action

The steps you actually took, in order, in your own words.

R
Result

The outcome, and what you'd do the same or differently next time.

Quick reference: prep checklist by tier

What to have ready before you walk in, whichever tier you're interviewing at.

Boutique Mid-size Enterprise
What to bringBoutique (Tier 03)Mid-size (Tier 02)Enterprise (Tier 01)
Stories ready2–3 troubleshooting scenarios2–3 STAR-structured examplesA success story + a mistake story
Technical depthFundamentals, spoken plainlyApplied scenarios, whiteboard-readyDomain depth, incident response
Questions to askClient mix, who you escalate toEscalation paths, support tiersReal day-to-day scope vs title
What's being judgedComposure, trust, initiativeProcess discipline, communicationDepth, accountability, judgement
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