What is the ADF YOU Session?

What YOU stands for

YOU means Your Opportunities Unlimited. Think of the conversation as a chance to connect your interests and experience with the roles you are exploring. Your appointment instructions are the best guide to its arrangements.

Prepare useful examples

Write a brief account of your education, work, sport and leadership experience. Choose examples you can explain accurately. You do not need to invent an impressive story; a specific account of something you actually did is easier to discuss clearly.

Research your role interests

For each preferred role, note what attracted you, what you understand about the work and what remains unclear. Bring questions about training, commitments and eligibility. The conversation should help you understand the pathway as well as explain your interest.

Know the next stage

The YOU Session is not the later psychological interview. Follow the tasks issued through your Candidate Hub and recruitment contact. Keep a note of any documents or follow-up actions requested during the call.

Why the YOU Session matters to your role choice

Treat the conversation as a chance to connect your interests with the information you still need. A role title can sound appealing while leaving you uncertain about the work, training or lifestyle. Your preparation should help you recognise those gaps and ask useful questions, rather than simply demonstrate that you can repeat a job advertisement.

For each role you are considering, write one sentence about why it interests you and one question you cannot yet answer. For example, you might want to understand how initial training connects to later duties. Keep a separate note for anything that would affect your decision, such as family arrangements or where you would need to live. Ask for clarification instead of filling an information gap with an assumption.

Build a one-page YOU Session preparation sheet

Divide a page into background, role interests, personal examples and questions. Under background, note the education and work information you may need to explain. Under role interests, capture the reasons behind your shortlist. Under examples, record a few real situations involving responsibility or working with others. Under questions, list what you need to ask before deciding your next step.

Keep this sheet short enough to use as a reference. A page full of complete scripted answers can tempt you to read instead of listen. If a question takes a different direction, pause and answer the question asked. Preparation is useful when it helps you communicate accurately; it becomes less useful when you try to force every conversation into a rehearsed script.

How to talk about limited experience

You do not need to invent an impressive story to explain your background. If most of your experience comes from school, casual work or sport, describe an actual task and what you did. A small example can still be explained clearly. Separate your contribution from the team's overall result and acknowledge what you would do differently next time.

As a practice prompt, consider a time you had to complete something with another person. What did you agree to do? What changed? How did you communicate? These are reflection questions from Service Prep, not a list of questions guaranteed to appear in the YOU Session. Their purpose is to help you recall details and avoid vague claims such as “I am always a great team player”.

What preparation can and cannot give you

A workbook and guided course can give you a sequence for research, space to organise notes and prompts for speaking practice. They cannot decide which role is suitable, supply a confidential marking guide or guarantee an outcome. Use them to identify what you know and what remains uncertain.

After the conversation, review the actions agreed with your Careers Coach and update your notes while the details are fresh. Your preparation sheet then becomes a useful record for the next stage rather than a document you discard once the call ends.