Addr essi ng

Sel ec t i on Cr i t er i a

WORKI NG WI TH SELECTI ON CRI TERI A

Selection criteria are the key competencies required for a position; they include the skills,
knowledge, experience, values and personal attributes required.

Some common examples of selection criteria include:


Well-developed communication skills
Ability to work as part of a team
Ability to work under pressure
Ability to prioritise tasks
Administrative and financial experience

When selection criteria are provided
Commonwealth and state government departments throughout Australia have a system
whereby all the details of a position are available for applicants to help them prepare their
application. This includes a position description and the skills and knowledge required (often
referred to as the Selection Criteria or Knowledge and Skills Required). Non-government and
many industry employers also produce formal selection criteria for applicants to address.

There are two types of criterion: essential and desirable. As an applicant you must address
each criterion.

When selection criteria are not provided
If the organisation does not have any formal selection criteria for you to address, you must
still tailor your application to their needs. You can do this by using some of the key words in
the advertisement and attaching a supporting statement which is prepared in the same way
as formal selection criteria.

When minimal information is provided
In very rare circumstances you will be provided with little or no information about the
knowledge and skills that are required. In this case all you can do is prepare a very strong
covering letter setting out your particular claims to the position.


BASI C GUI DELI NES FOR
ADDRESSI NG SELECTI ON
CRI TERI A
The basic guidelines for addressing
selection criteria are as follows:

Collect the information
Ensure you gather all necessary material
from the employer:

get the position description;
find out the knowledge and skills
required;
ask further questions to clarify
issues by contacting personnel
(indicated in the advertisement or
position description); and
dont assume any details without
checking.
Identify each criterion
Write down each criterion and break it up
into distinct, workable parts. For example,
if one of the criterion statements reads
must have strong written and oral
communication skills, the ability to work
well in a team as well as high level
negotiation and liaison skills, you need to
divide the statement up as follows:

strong written and oral
communication skills;
the ability to work well in a team;
high level negotiation skills; and
high level liaison skills.

Brainstorm your examples
You must address each part of all of the
criteria listed, giving fairly equal attention
to each. For each part, brainstorm as
many examples as possible of your
background in this area. Dont be too
selective at this stage about what to
include.
Revise and refine
When you have completed the brainstorm
for each criterion, go back and select the
examples that you think best address each
one. Youll find youll do a bit of cutting and
pasting before you end up with the most
appropriate and powerful examples under
each heading.

Make sure that you use a variety of
experiences throughout your statement. Be
careful not to use your involvement in a
particular activity (no matter how
significant) as the only evidence for every
criterion.

WRI TI NG UP THE SELECTI ON
CRI TERI A
When addressing selection criteria, it is
useful to apply the STAR model. Placing
examples of how you have demonstrated
your skills into the STAR model is critical
for developing an effective statement.

The STAR acronym stands for:

S ituation (briefly describe the
context)
T ask (what were your
responsibilities or initiatives?)
A ction (what did you do?)
R esult (what were the outcomes?)
For each criterion:

write the name of each criterion
exactly as it is worded in the
application package;
start with a positive claim;
give a specific example;
describe how you acted; and
describe the result.






For example:

Excellent verbal communication
skills
I have highly-developed verbal
communication skills, which have been
enhanced through a number of
experiences. [POSITIVE CLAIM]
In my role as Vice-President of the
Seacliff Tennis Club during 2005
[SITUATION], I was asked to speak to
the local Rotary club in support of an
application for sponsorship [TASK]. I
gave a 20-minute presentation outlining
the Clubs aims, and responded to
questions from Rotary members
[ACTION].
The tennis clubs application was
successful and we received a $5000
sponsorship from Rotary [RESULT].

Other tips to keep in mind when
addressing selection criteria

Dot point form and/or concise
sentences make your application
easier to read.
Use examples to back up every
statement you make (use examples
that can be visualised).
Dont just feed their words back to
them make every sentence count by
focusing on what you have to offer.
For a listing of words you can use in
your statements, see the list of buzz
words at the end of this fact sheet.
Each criterion should be approximately
half a page.
When each criterion is given a
weighting of importance you should
dedicate a proportionate amount of
detail to each part.
When a statement asks for
qualifications or some other information
that is finite, the length can be shorter.
EDI TI NG CHECKLI ST
Before submitting your application you should
check your selection criteria against the
following checklist:

responses sound professional and
active
information is logical and consistent
checked for grammatical errors
verb tenses are accurate and
consistent
sentences are concise
avoid abbreviations or unexplained
acronyms
avoid weakening qualifiers
put most important information first
A FI NAL NOTE
Once you have addressed the selection
criteria you will be well prepared for the next
stage of the job search process the
interview. This is because selection criteria
usually form the basis of interview questions.

At interviews candidates are usually asked
questions that are directly related to the
selection criteria. This allows you to prepare
responses that are an extension of what you
have written in your Statement Addressing
Selection Criteria.

CONTACT US

Career Development and Employment offer
support across all UTAS campuses, and
regularly hold resume skills workshops and
appointments.

For more information or to register, go to:
https://careerhub.utas.edu.au

Why not submit your resume for feedback to:
[email protected]

You can contact us by email or phone.
[email protected]

Hobart 6226 2511
Launceston & Cradle Coast 6324 3526


University of Tasmania J anuary 2013
Reorder Code SC CD 01
E
ensured
equated
established
evaluated
examined
executed
exhibited
expedited
experienced
experimented
extracted
F
facilitated
familiarised
fashioned
financed
fine-tuned
focused
forecast
formulated
founded
G
gained
generated
grouped
guided
H
handled
harmonised
headed
held
hosted
I
identified
illustrated
implemented
indexed
influenced
initiated
instigated
integrated
interpreted
introduced
investigated
issued




A
accelerated
accomplished
accounted for
achieved
acquired
acted
adapted
addressed
administered
adopted
advanced
advised
aided
allocated
allowed
analysed
applied
appointed
appraised
approved
arranged
assembled
assessed
assigned
assisted
assured
attained
attuned to
audited
authored
automated
avoided
awarded
B
balanced
began
believed
broadened
brought
in/about
budgeted
C
calculated
catalogued
characterised
clarified
collaborated





C
competent with
compiled
concentrated
conceptualised
conducted
configured
consolidated
constructed
consulted
contacted
contained
contemplated
continued
contracted
contributed
coordinated
critiqued
curtailed
D
delegated
demonstrated
designed
despatched
determined
developed
devised
diagnosed
differentiated
directed
disseminated
distinguished
diversified
diverted
documented
E
edited
eliminated
employed
empowered
enabled
enacted
encouraged
engaged
engineered
enhanced
enlisted
enrolled

J K L
joined
judged
kept
launched
lectured
led
liaised
lowered
M
made
maintained
managed
manipulated
manufactured
mapped
marketed
master-minded
measured
mediated
mentored
modelled
moderated
modified
monitored
motivated
N
named
navigated
negotiated
networked
nominated
noted
O
obtained
opened
operated
organised
originated
overcame
overhauled
oversaw









P
packaged
participated
perfected
performed
permitted
persuaded
pioneered
planned
presided over
processed
produced
programmed
projected
promoted
proposed
provided
publicised
published
purchased
Q
qualified
quantified

R
ratified
recognised
recommended
reconciled
recruited
rectified
referred
reformed
regulated
rehabilitated
reorganised
represented
researched
restructured
retrieved
reversed
revised
revitalised

S
scheduled
screened
selected
served as
settled
simplified
solved
specified
streamlined
strengthened
structured
succeeded
suggested
summarised
supervised
surpassed
surveyed
systemised
T
tabulated
taken part
theorised
trained
transcribed
translated
trimmed
turned around
U V W
undertook
unified
upgraded
used
utilised
validated
verified
versed
viable
voted
widened
won
wrote


BUZZ WORDS FOR J OB APPLI CATI ONS
The following vocabulary is a useful reference list of active language: