NAB's mission and what it means for your interview

NAB says it's "on a mission to become the most customer-centric company in Australia and New Zealand". Its careers site adds that "customer obsession guides everything we do", so be ready to talk about customers, whatever stream you're applying for.

NAB's about page also names three areas it's focusing on: taking climate action, supporting affordable and specialist housing, and backing Indigenous businesses. If you care about one of them, it can be part of your answer to "Why NAB?", as long as you can say why.

NAB and business banking

NAB describes itself as Australia's largest business bank, working with small, medium and large businesses. That's worth knowing whatever stream you're applying for. If it's technology, data or risk, work out how your role would help NAB's business customers, so you can talk about it in your interview.

NAB's Who We Are behaviours and what they mean for your answers

NAB lists five "Who We Are" behaviours and says they guide how it operates and who it hires: We're customer obsessed, We keep it simple, We move with speed, We own it, and We win together. The first two are both about customers, so they share a card below. Have a story ready for each.

Behaviours 01 and 02
We're customer obsessed, and we keep it simple
What this looks like in an answer
NAB says "We put our customers at the centre of everything we do" and "We show up for our customers as one team". In an answer, that means putting the customer's needs first and making things easy for them, even when it's more work for you.
How to show it
Use a story about a customer, client or anyone you were serving, such as someone at your part-time job, a club member or a student you tutored. Say what they needed, what you did and how you knew it worked. A good example is one where you made something simpler or clearer for them. If they came back or recommended you afterwards, say so.
Behaviour 03
We move with speed
What this looks like in an answer
NAB says "We innovate and look for better ways to deliver. If we make mistakes, we learn and correct as we go." In an answer, that means improving something on your own initiative, and learning quickly when part of it doesn't work.
How to show it
Pick a time you found a better way to do something and got on with it, such as a new process, a tool or a shortcut. Explain why you thought it would work, and if part of it didn't, say how you found out and what you changed.
Behaviour 04
We own it
What this looks like in an answer
NAB says "We take responsibility for the success of NAB, beyond our team." In an answer, that means owning results, good and bad, and caring about more than your own task.
How to show it
Use a story where something went wrong and you took responsibility, or where you fixed a problem that wasn't strictly yours. If you made a mistake, say so plainly. Then say what you did about it. A story that admits what went wrong is easier to believe than one where everything went perfectly.
Behaviour 05
We win together
What this looks like in an answer
NAB says "We set bold ambitions and clear expectations to get the best customer outcomes." In an answer, that means teamwork with a clear goal: agreeing what you're aiming for and who's doing what.
How to show it
Pick a story with some friction in it, such as people with different priorities, backgrounds or ways of working. Say how the group agreed on a goal and who would do what, and how you handled it when things got stuck. Show what you did to bring other people along.

Graduate program streams

NAB's graduate program page lists the business areas below. You choose one when you apply, and you do rotations during the program. NAB also runs a separate Regional and Agribusiness Graduate Program.

  • Business and institutional banking: the Business Banking, and Corporate and Institutional Banking streams, working with customers from small firms to large companies. Read up on what's worrying Australian businesses at the moment, such as costs and interest rates.
  • Personal Banking: banking for everyday customers. Be ready to show you can explain a financial product simply and honestly.
  • Digital, Data and AI: technology, data and AI roles. Be ready for technical questions as well as behavioural ones, and for questions about turning data into business decisions.
  • Risk: the teams that manage credit, operational and other risks. Be ready to explain a risk clearly to someone who isn't a specialist.
  • Finance and Strategy: reporting, analysis and planning. Brush up on how a bank makes money.
  • Other areas: Private Wealth, People and Culture (HR), Group Transformation, Group Marketing and Internal Audit. Check the program page for what each one involves.

The selection process

1
Online application
You give your academic and work history and choose a business area. Choose carefully, and be ready to explain your choice later. If the form asks why you want to join NAB, give a reason that's particular to NAB, such as its business banking or its focus on customers.
2
Online assessment
Next come NAB's online assessments. Its page doesn't describe them in detail, so read the instructions carefully and do them somewhere quiet. If you get questions about workplace scenarios, think about what the customer needs and what NAB's behaviours would suggest.
3
Video interview
This is part of the same stage: you record answers to a few questions on video. Use STAR, finish every story with a result, and record yourself a few times beforehand so the format isn't new to you.
4
Engagement centre
This is NAB's version of an assessment centre. It includes interactive activities, and you meet the early careers team, current graduates and business leaders. In group activities, the people watching can only judge what they see, so take part, build on other people's ideas and help the group reach a decision. Talk to the graduates while you're there, since they've just been through the program.
5
Offer
NAB says it calls successful candidates a few days after the engagement centre. Check the program page for this year's dates.
Know where NAB is heading

Before your interview, read NAB's latest results announcement and what it says about its strategy, so you can talk about where the bank is going. That gives you material for "Why NAB?" and for any question about the bank's future, like question 10 below.

Practise your answers out loud before your NAB interview

InterviewZap asks you behavioural questions based on your CV and the job description. Answer by typing or out loud, and after each answer you'll see what was missing and a better way to say it.

Start Practising Free →

No credit card. Free to start.

NAB graduate interview questions to practise

Use the STAR method for the behavioural questions. The practice questions below are based on NAB's behaviours. Practise with them to get your stories ready, whatever the wording on the day.

Questions 1–10 · To practise out loud
Question 01
"Tell me about a time you took the initiative to make something better without being asked."
What a good answer shows
We move with speed, and We own it: that you look for better ways to do things without waiting to be told.
How to answer it
Describe the situation, the problem or opportunity you spotted, and what you did about it. Make it clear that nobody asked you to, because that's what the question is about. Finish with the result and, if you can, what would have happened if you'd left it.
Question 02
"Describe a time you were honest about something that was uncomfortable or risky to say."
What a good answer shows
We own it: that you'll say what needs saying, even when it's awkward.
How to answer it
Choose a time when saying nothing, or saying something nice, would have been easier. Describe what you said, how you said it and how the other person took it. A story where it was awkward at the time but turned out better for everyone fits this question well.
Question 03
"Tell me about a time you invested in a relationship or outcome for the long term, even at short-term cost."
What a good answer shows
That you'll put in effort now for a better result later, with a customer, a colleague or a project.
How to answer it
Spell out the trade-off: what it cost you at the time, and what you gained later. It could be rebuilding something properly instead of patching it, or a hard conversation with a colleague or customer that left the relationship stronger. The more concrete the long-term result, the better the answer.
Question 04
"Give me an example of a time you helped bring a group of people with different opinions towards a shared decision."
What a good answer shows
We win together: that you can get people who disagree to agree on a goal.
How to answer it
Describe what each side thought and why. Then walk through what you did to move the group to a decision. Show that you dealt with the reason people disagreed, beyond the argument on the surface. "We agreed to disagree and moved on" is a weak ending. "I worked out that each side was assuming something different about the budget, and once we checked, the decision was easy" is a strong one.
Question 05
"Why NAB? And why banking?"
What a good answer shows
That you chose banking, and NAB, for reasons you can explain.
How to answer it
Answer the two parts separately. For "why banking", give a real reason, such as what banks do for people and businesses, an interest in how money moves through the economy, or something you saw in a family business. For "why NAB", use something particular to NAB: its business banking, its mission to be the most customer-centric company in Australia and New Zealand, or the business area you've chosen. Your "why NAB" answer shouldn't work for any other bank.
Question 06
"Tell me about a time you failed to deliver what was expected. What happened and what did you do?"
What a good answer shows
We own it: that you take responsibility when things go wrong.
How to answer it
Choose a real failure, rather than a success dressed up as one. Say what you'd promised, what went wrong, what your part in it was, and what you did about it. Give the recovery and the lesson as much time as the failure. Tell it plainly, without making excuses.
Question 07
"Describe a time you worked with a difficult stakeholder. How did you manage the relationship?"
What a good answer shows
That you can keep a working relationship going when it's under strain.
How to answer it
Be careful how you describe the other person. If you make them sound unreasonable, the interviewer may wonder how you'd talk about your future colleagues. Instead, describe what made it hard, such as different priorities, different ways of communicating or a lack of trust, and what you did to understand their side and find common ground. Show that you understood the pressures they were under.
Question 08
"Tell me about a time you had to understand a business's financial situation in order to help them."
What a good answer shows
That you can think about money in business terms. It's especially relevant to business banking.
How to answer it
If you've done financial analysis or advised a business, use that. If not, use any time you had to understand the money side of something: a student society's budget, a case competition, or a part-time job where you saw how the business made its money. Walk through what you looked at, what it told you and what you recommended.
Question 09
"Describe a time you received feedback you disagreed with. What did you do?"
What a good answer shows
That you take criticism seriously, even when your first instinct is to push back.
How to answer it
Choose a time your first reaction was to disagree. Describe the feedback, why you resisted it, how you weighed it up, and where you landed. If you came round to it, say what changed your mind. If you still disagree with part of it, say why, and what you took from it anyway. Either can make a good answer, as long as you show you thought about it fairly.
Question 10
"Where do you see the biggest opportunity for NAB in the next five years?"
What a good answer shows
That you've thought about NAB's business and can back up a view.
How to answer it
Work out a view before your interview. Some places to start: using data and digital tools to serve business customers better, winning small businesses that bank elsewhere, open banking, or the areas NAB says it's focusing on, such as climate action and affordable housing. Any view you can back up with specifics is fine. "Growing the customer base" on its own is too vague.
Before the interview

Know NAB's business banking story and its Who We Are behaviours, and prepare at least two real examples for each behaviour. Be honest in your answers, including about failures and disagreements, and be ready to explain why you chose NAB over other banks.