Digital Graduate Program eligibility and applying

The Digital Graduate Program has an easy-to-use graduate recruitment process, with no need for assessment centres or cognitive testing.

You may want to apply for more than one Queensland Government graduate program. If you have registered on the Graduate Portal via SmartJobs, you may also be notified when other graduate program applications open.

Interstate applicants please note positions offered are within Queensland Government, therefore relocation to Brisbane is mandatory. There are no regional positions on offer for the 2025 intake. Regional offers will be advised for the 2026 intake when applications open mid-year 2026. Interstate applicants are encouraged to apply, however, it is up to the successful graduate to arrange relocation and cover any moving costs involved. It is not the responsibility of the program, nor the home agency to arrange or fund a graduate's relocation.

Eligibility

We are looking for graduates in all aspects of IT development, customer service, design and delivery of services to Queenslanders.

To be eligible for the Digital Graduate Program, you must:

  • have completed a university degree within the last 3 years (from January 2022 for the 2026 intake), or expect to finish your studies by the end of December 2025 prior to the start of the program in March of the intake year
  • have your bachelor, graduate certificate, or master’s degree in any of the following areas:
    • information technology, cloud computing, cyber security, computer science, data analytics, robotics, telecommunications, information management, mathematics
    • business, marketing, procurement, project management
    • law
    • creative industries, web and multimedia design, user experience design.
  • be an Australian / New Zealand citizen; an Australian permanent resident; or an international student or graduate eligible to work without restriction in Australia until at least March 2028 (for the 2026 intake).
    • Please note: International students must provide evidence of visa entitlements that reflect full working rights in Australia—this includes bridging visa for full working rights visa and completion of your degree no later than June 2025.
  • If you have overseas qualifications, you must have your qualifications recognised in Australia
  • be available to commence employment in March 2026, or earlier (could be as early as September 2025) if required by your employing agency.

Diversity and inclusion

The Queensland Government is a proud employer of a diverse range of people. We encourage people of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply, including:

  • women
  • people with disability
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
  • the LGBTIQA+ community
  • people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • mature-age and career changing Queenslanders.

Support and reasonable adjustments can be provided to applicants throughout the selection process as required. Email our graduate manager at ictgradprog@qld.gov.au to discuss further.

The recruitment process

The recruitment process is conducted in 4 stages.

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Details for applying to the 2026 Digital Graduate Program will be available prior to applications opening in 2025.

How to apply

  1. Register at Gradsift, program code will be provided when 2026 applications open.
  2. Create a GradSift applicant profile.
  3. Add your resume, and academic transcripts under My Documents.
    • See application and interview advice for tips on writing your resume.
    • International students and graduates only: Under My Documents, upload a copy of your current visa, showing the expiry date. You may also need to upload the following, if they apply to you:
      • If you need to apply for a new visa (e.g. change from Student Visa to Graduate 485 Visa): Upload a separate, brief statement of the visa you will be applying for and the expected approval and expiry dates.
      • Unrestricted working visa must be open to March 2028: Upload as a separate document.
  4. Include a video:
    1. Record a short video to promote yourself to potential employers.
    2. Upload your video to YouTube. Save as 'Unlisted' to keep the video private.
    3. Include the YouTube link in your GradSift profile under My Programs.
  5. Choose 3 role preferences under My Programs. Learn more about the roles on offer and choose the ones that best match your qualifications and interests.

Note: Do not use your university email address, as it will no longer work after you’ve graduated.

International students

Important: Below is general guidance and should not be considered legal or immigration advice.

Check and prepare your visa documents early

While you must wait to complete your course to get the letter of completion and/or graduation to apply for the visa, all other support documents (e.g. identity, location, Federal police checks) can be prepared beforehand.

  • You may be able to ask for a letter of completion from your university after your course grades are released. This can happen up to 2 weeks before your graduation date (and release of your qualification).
  • For supporting documents, please refer to: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) Post-Study Work stream or the relevant full working rights visa. Make sure you choose the correct visa stream.

University visa advisory services

Make use of your university visa advisory services. Do this at least 6 months before you graduate. You can then prepare your documents in time and with guidance.

Once you've completed your GradSift profile and applications have closed, applicant lists will be forwarded to the departments seeking those roles.

Each department is responsible for their own recruitment processes, including shortlisting and contacting applicants for interview (face to face or via MS Teams).

Each department will contact prospective applicants directly for an interview. As we are a whole of Queensland Government graduate program, you may be selected by several agencies for interview.

Please note: Registering on GradSift to apply for the program, does not guarantee you will be shortlisted for interview by any of the participating departments.

Interviews will be held in various locations in Brisbane, but mainly in the central business district. Microsoft Teams interviews can be made available to those candidates that are outside the Brisbane region. Most interviews run for approximately 30 minutes.

There are no regional positions on offer at this stage for the 2025 intake.

Familiarise yourself with behavioural interview questions and the STAR response framework. The STAR method may be a helpful format when considering examples that demonstrate your experience.

Review our tips for job interviews.

If you're successful, a representative from the interviewing department will call you to offer you a place on the program.

We encourage agencies to contact successful graduates with a phone call, followed by email/SMS/text. If you accept, you will receive a letter of offer once you submit the necessary paperwork and it’s approved. This may include a criminal history consent form, proof of identification, evidence of the working visa with unrestricted working rights (if applicable) and referee checks.

Please note: This process can take weeks to several months to complete. You can ask the interview panel when they expect to advise the outcome of the process. If you do not hear from the agency within this time frame, you can contact the Panel chair to seek updated information.

If you are unsuccessful, ask for feedback on how you can improve your next application and interview.

Application and interview advice

Applying for your first job can be overwhelming. We have put together some tips to help you with our application process.

A good resume is vital for gaining an interview. Your resume lay-out should be clear and simple.

Here are a few tips for a good resume:

  1. List your full name, postal and email address and contact phone number (ensure your contact details are correct, or you may miss out on a job).  It’s a good idea to:
    • have a professional voicemail recording and email address (e.g., not hottie99@email.com)
    • not use a university email address—once you graduate it will no longer be valid.
  2. Include a statement about you and your work interests. (e.g. where your passion lies and what you really want to achieve at work).
  3. List your education, training qualifications, professional certifications and any professional memberships.
  4. Outline your knowledge and experience using hardware, software, programming languages, databases, etc. This is the first thing employers will look for when filling a technical role.
  5. Include your professional work history and any other relevant work experience, whether paid or unpaid.
  6. Ensure you list 2 contactable referees, including their name, job title and company (if relevant), email address, contact phone number and relationship to you. Remember to ask referees' permission before listing them on your resume.
  7. It’s not typical to include a photo of yourself, but you may choose to include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

For more information see how to write a resume and cover letter.