Free Resume Advice For Job Seekers

Hello everyone,

Stay tuned and please keep checking my Blog page regulary as I’ll be posting selection criteria answers and examples that have gone on to win my clients job interviews. I’ll be posting responses and examples on a regular basis (fortnightly or monthly) showcasing different job fields and levels from entry level government positions, senior positions(administrative, technical, project and service), middle management up to executive levels. In the meantime please read the blogs that I’ve posted in the ‘Addressing Job Selection Criteria’ category for helpful hints and tips.

I’m here to help market you!

Cheers,
Annie Cerone

Note: I commenced posting selection criteria answers and examples on 24th July 2009; please go to my BLOG page and select the ‘Addressing Job Selection Criteria’ category to view and read.

It is becoming more common in many government organisations to follow the Leadership Framework when addressing selection criteria. The following outline provides you with several helpful prompts and guidelines when faced with addressing this type of selection criteria. Please note that each job application will most likely provide you with a different set of guidelines. Below is a specific example of a Leadership Framework used to address selection criteria for one of my previous clients. I have included it merely as a guide to demonstrate what it involves and assist in your lateral thinking processes.

1. Contributes to strategic thinking:
Describe a situation that demonstrates your ability to anticipate and do something about a problem that will likely arise in future. In your answer address the following: What was the situation and what was your role? What were the potential problems? How did you become aware of it? What did you do once you became aware of the problem? What was the effect of what you did?                         

2. Achieves results:

Provide an example of a time that demonstrates your commitment to achieving good outcomes for clients. In your answer address the following: What was the situation? What sort of clients were you dealing with? What sort of client needs were you trying to address? What steps did you take to achieve good outcomes for the clients involved? How did clients respond to the action you took? What was the outcome? What effect did your actions have on the outcomes that clients received?                         

3. Supports productive working relationships:

Provide an example that demonstrates your ability to maintain productive working relationships with internal or external clients by engaging in open communication and collaboration. In your answer address the following: What was the situation and what role were you performing? Who were the clients involved? What strategies did you use to ensure that you were open in your communication and that you created an environment of collaboration? What was the response of the clients and were you successful in meeting their needs?                        

4. Displays personal drive and integrity:

Describe a situation in which you have demonstrated your capacity to be resilient to difficult circumstances at work. In your answer address the following: What was the situation? What role were you performing? What were the circumstances at work? Why were they difficult? In what ways were you resilient to these circumstances? What was the outcome? How did your capacity to be resilient impact on your approach to the difficult circumstances?                               

5. Communicates with influence:

Describe an example of a time when you had to translate or interpret technical information for an audience that was unfamiliar with this material. In your answer address the following: What was your role? What was the nature of the information you needed to communicate? In what form did you need to communicate it? Which features of the audience did you need to consider in tailoring your communication to suit them? What steps did you take to ensure that your audience understood your material?  What was the outcome? What effect did your communication have on your audience’s level of understanding?                               

6. Demonstrates professional or technical proficiency:

Describe a situation in which you have drawn upon your specialist or technical knowledge to propose a new or innovative idea in your work area. In your answer address the following: What was the situation? What role were you performing? What specialist or technical knowledge did you draw upon? How did your specialist or technical knowledge help you identify a new or innovative idea? What was the outcome? What impact did your proposal have on your work area?

Remember, I’m here to help market you in the best possible manner.

Cheers,

Annie Cerone

Research has shown that in order to produce a high quality application addressing selection criteria (five or six per application) requires up to eight solid nights work, up to two to three hours per night! That’s quite the process and daunting for the majority of individuals. You will be relieved to know that the process of writing and addressing selection criteria is changing – it’s becoming a shorter more refined process. It is not unusual now to be asked to prepare a two page statement or synopsis addressing a few key criteria or points; you can be asked to adhere to a word count for each criterion, for example, maximum word count of 200. The days of addressing selection criteria requiring up to one page in length is dying, although there are still applications requiring this quantity. When addressing selection criteria it is very important to write clearly and logically. There a two key techniques or rules you can follow which will make the selection criteria process simpler for you and help you write concisely.

The most commonly applied method is the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) technique. First, what was the SITUATION? Start by providing an example of a situation where you have demonstrated the particular knowledge, skills or abilities outlined in the particular selection criterion. Second, what was the TASK? Outline the task undertaken and other responsibilities in this particular situation. Third, what ACTION/S did you take to achieve the tasks? What skills, knowledge and abilities did you use? Be specific and provide detail of what you do or did. Finally, what RESULTED from the action/s you undertook? What was the outcome (positive) of doing the above? This can be any positive outcome or result relating to you, the team, the customer, the organisation, and so forth.

The Claims-Evidence-Benefit rule is a variant of the STAR method and can simplify the process to a degree. First, you make the claim, for example: ‘my written communication skills are of a very high level’. Second, you back this up with evidence and state what areas you excel in written communication skills, for example, complex report writing, university assignment writing, and so forth. Finally, state how your written communication skills have been of benefit, the positive outcomes that have ensued as a result, and so forth.

The important thing to remember when addressing selection criteria is to provide specific concrete demonstrable examples that show how you meet the criteria. ‘Philosophical’ statements will get you no where without the backup. If you are going to make these types of statements keep them short (one to two sentences only) and incorporate them either at the beginning or the end of each criterion. Also, once you have written and addressed selection criteria applying the technique or rule outlined above, you will have a solid template from which to work from when addressing future criteria. Sure, selection criteria will differ for other positions, but the process remains the same and you can apply this to each subsequent application that you develop and prepare.

Remember, I’m here to help market you in the best possible manner.

Cheers,

Annie Cerone