The Secrets to Winning Positions With Selection Criteria: 2nd Edition

For anyone facing the whole process of applying for an Australian government or corporate private sector job, here’s an easy way to understand the requirements of the position and write your own powerful application using proven marketing strategies that `sell’ your skills to the employer.

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Chapter 1 

Understanding the Selection Process

Understanding what selection criteria is and why it’s so important

Getting a handle on how the selection process works

Figuring out the steps in the government selection process

Understanding employment trends and finding where the jobs are

Working out how to get it all together

If you haven’t applied for a job in the last few years, you may be wondering why applying for a government job would be different to applying for any other job. The reason can be summed up in two words: selection criteria. For every government job advertised, there’s a set of requirements for the position, commonly known as selection criteria. If you’re applying for a government job, you have to show that you can meet these criteria. Not only that, but you have to present your application in a very specific way — you can’t just fire off a cover letter and a résumé and hope for the best. Instead, you have to formulate a selection criteria statement (in addition to the cover letter and résumé!) that explains, in detail, how you meet each criterion. You may be surprised to learn that the use of selection criteria as a means to recruit staff isn’t exclusive to government positions. Increasingly, many private sector organisations (such as employment agencies, private hospitals, private schools and private universities) also rely on selection criteria as their principal selection tool.

Although it takes patience, commitment and determination to learn how to produce a professional application, like any skill, answering selection criteria is easy when you know how. In this chapter, you’ll quickly get a handle on how government and private sector selection processes work and where government jobs are advertised. You’ll also discover which occupations and industries experts predict will provide most future employment in Australia, and where the most exciting opportunities lie. Your new career is just around the corner …

Unlocking the secrets to winning that job

You’re probably reading this book because you’re looking to build a career, find a new job or start a new career after being zapped by the modern employment scourge of the ‘three R-R-Rs’…Redundancy, Retrenchment and Restructuring. If you’re in the latter group, it may be small comfort right now, but you’re not alone. Thousands of people who have faced similar challenges have moved on successfully to new opportunities. Many have said that losing their job was the best thing to happen to them because it made them think about the work they really wanted to do. As mentioned in the introduction to this chapter, the secret to winning any government or private sector job where selection criteria apply is to take a very specific approach, marketing your skills and experience to the employer. This chapter gives an indication of just what’s involved.

Understanding the rationale behind selection criteria

The big question is ‘Why do we have selection criteria?’ You may well wonder … The reason federal, state and local governments use selection criteria is to ensure that all applicants have an equal chance of being selected for a job. Applicants are rated against set criteria on the basis of how well they meet the required competencies to perform the job. In other words, the selection and promotion of staff are based solely on merit. All government departments and agencies have equal employment opportunity and anti-discrimination policies to ensure that everyone who applies for a job has an equal chance of getting it. For example, when someone with a language barrier applies for a public sector position, they are entitled to receive the assistance of an interpreter so that they have an equal chance of winning the job. Similarly, an applicant with a disability may also require special assistance such as wheelchair access or a communication device.

Figuring out whether you need to answer selection criteria

Sometimes, the way the ad is worded can be confusing, but the following statements all mean you need to answer selection criteria: •‘Phone or go to www …for an application kit’

• ‘Phone or go to www …for an information pack’
• ‘Phone or go to www …for enquiries and a Position Description’
• ‘Your application should include a statement addressing the selection criteria’
• ‘Applicants must address all criteria listed in the advertisement’
• ‘See website for further details and selection criteria’
• ‘Send your selection criteria statement to …’
• ‘Send your statement of claims against the selection criteria to …’
• ‘Application kit can be downloaded from  …’
• ‘Apply online at (government website) ..‘.
• ‘Further information including selection criteria is on our website at …’

Have a look in your Saturday newspaper careers section to get an idea of positions that require responses to selection criteria. You’ll be surprised at how many private sector organisations also use this form of selection.

Obtaining an Information Pack for advertised positions

Each position in the public sector has an Information Pack (sometimes referred to as an ‘Information Kit’). Just to confuse the issue, this pack may also be incorrectly referred to as a ‘Position Description’, ‘Job Description’ or ‘Selection Criteria’.(In actual fact, the Information Pack contains the Position Description, selection criteria, statement of duties and so on.)  You can find out how to obtain this information pack by following the instructions that appear at the end of each advertisement (for example, you might have to download the information pack from the website or phone a nominated ‘contact person’ to arrange to have it mailed to you). As mentioned above, the pack contains some or all of the following: • Application form or cover sheet

• Position Description (also called a Job Description)
• Selection criteria (usually between five and seven criteria)
• Statement of Duties
• Additional information about the organisation (sometimes info about occupational health and safety, equal employment opportunity and so on)
• The organisational structure, including reporting responsibilities
• Special information about the job such as travel requirements
• The period of employment for contract or temporary positions
• The closing date for applications (usually 5pm on a nominated date)
• Contact person details for further information about the position.

It can be rather confusing, but don’t worry, you’ll find out all you need to know about answering selection criteria and understanding the special language of selection criteria-ease in this book.

Taking the mumbo-jumbo out of selection criteria terminology

The wording and content of selection criteria varies from position to position — some government departments formulate their own selection criteria, while others use generic criteria common to a range of positions. The terminology can be confusing to a first time applicant, but it is usually listed as:

• Mandatory Criteria or Essential Criteria. These terms are used in relation to qualifications (certificates, licences, etc.) that are necessary to perform the job. For example, current registration with the Board of Teacher Registration is a mandatory criterion for teaching positions in schools.
• Key Selection Criteria or Selection Criteria or Important Criteria. These relate to the purpose, duties and responsibilities of the job.
• Desirable Criteria or Less Important Criteria. These may have less weighting than Key Selection Criteria, but are still very important.

As well as the words that indicate the importance of each criterion, you need to look for ‘key words’ that describe the level of skills and experience needed to perform the job. Some examples of key words and phrases include ‘demonstrated ability ’or ‘proven ability’, ‘an ability to rapidly acquire’ and ‘thorough knowledge’. You’ll find as much as you need to know about interpreting selection criteria terminology and understanding key words in chapter 3, Translating Selection Criteria into Simple English.

All criteria are important, even if they’re only listed as ‘desirable’ or ‘less important’. The scores from these criteria can be the difference between winning the job and being the runner up.

Answering your questions about selection criteria

The following information will hopefully answer your questions (even if you haven’t thought of them as yet) and provide you with a quick overview of how to write your application.

• How much do I need to write for each criterion?

The amount you need to write varies depending on the level of the job, your background and the number of criteria listed. You need to write enough information to convince the selection panel that you have the knowledge, skills and ability to perform the job. Quality is more important than quantity. A rule of thumb is to write between half a page and one page for each criterion. In some cases, you are advised about word length, so simply follow the instructions to the letter.

• What’s the difference between a ‘candidate’ and an ‘applicant’?

The general term used is ‘applicant’ but recruitment companies always use the term ‘candidate’. They mean exactly the same thing.

• What if I don’t have the required skills or experience?

Remember when you skipped a question on your exam paper at school and you scored zero points? Similarly, an unanswered criterion is worth nothing. If you don’t have exactly what the criterion requires, refer to previous skills or knowledge that you have in a comparable area and state how you could similarly acquire the required skills or knowledge.

• What’s the difference between criteria and criterion?

‘Criterion’ is simply the singular form of the word ‘criteria’.

• What if a criterion seems to be two or three questions rolled into one?

If a selection criterion has several elements (e.g. oral and written communication skills and negotiation skills), then each section of the selection criterion must be addressed.

• How long will it take to write my application?

This varies depending on your background, experience, writing skills and your proficiency in compiling applications. You will need to take the time to gather information about your achievements, qualifications, training and employment history, and then provide concrete examples that demonstrate your skills for each criterion. People who say: ‘I’ll just throw together an application and see how I go’ rarely succeed. Think of this task as an investment in your future. Let’s say this position pays $50,000 per year and you intend to remain in the job at least five years. You have to ask yourself: ‘Is it worth spending ten hours of my time now to earn $250,000 in the next five years?’

• How many people will be applying for the same job?

It varies widely, but for positions such as an information officer, you may be competing with hundreds of other applicants for two or three available positions.

• Do I need to send a cover letter with my application?

As a rule of thumb, if you are provided with an application form, you can choose whether or not you wish to provide a cover letter as well. Chapter 8 talks lots more about different kinds of cover letters and when to use them.

• How long before I get a response?

You can expect a response within a few weeks of the closing date, but some positions may take up to twelve weeks. If you haven’t heard anything two weeks after the nominated closing date, phone the contact person to check on the situation.

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