Selection Criteria

1. Selection Criteria Career Workshop #4 Careers Services University of Canberra www.canberra.edu.au/careers

2. Selection Criteria • Criterion - singular • Criteria - plural

3. What are they? Selection criteria are the requirements that applicants must have to be considered for an interview. These requirements will include: • Qualifications/Education • Experience • Skills • Personal Attributes

4. Who uses them? • Selection criteria are a part of most job descriptions today. They are part of every government job description and are used widely in the private sector too. • If the job description includes selection criteria, you MUST answer each one for your application to be accepted. Otherwise it will go in the bin. • The employer will rely on your answers to the selection criteria to decide if he/she wants to interview you.

5. What to do first .. • Read the selection criteria carefully!!! • Decide if you can meet most of the criteria or not. If you cannot meet most of the criteria, do not bother to apply for the job. The first criterion is usually the most important. A degree in information technology with a focus on software engineering. Two years’ experience in a management role in retail. High-level writing and editing skills and experience.

6. Types of selection criteria Often, there are two categories of criteria in a job description: Essential – you MUST have these qualifications or skills or this experience. Desirable – the employer would value these, but they are not essential.

7. Where do I start? … with a new document and a heading …. Response to the Selection Criteria or Statement Against the Selection Criteria

8. Heading … Response to the Selection Criteria Public Affairs Officer Media Liaison Unit Department of Trade and Commerce Position Ref: 234/2009

9. Essential Criteria Essential Criteria A degree in communications, with a focus on public relations, journalism or marketing. I hold a Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) from the University of Canberra, gained in 2008.

10. Criteria - examples • Good research and analytical skills • High-level oral and written communication skills • Good customer service and interpersonal skills • Ability to work well in a team • Understanding of OH&S principles at work and a commitment to workplace diversity and equity.

11. Criteria - responses First, for each criterion, state that you possess this skill or this experience.

12. Good analytical and research skills (Statement) I have good analytical and research skills gained from three years of tertiary study in communication at the University of Canberra.

13. STAR method • Situation – what was your situation or context? • Task – what did you have to do? • Action – what action did you take, and in what order? • Result – what was the result or outcome?

14. Good research and analytical skills (cont.) (Examples using STAR method) During this time, I researched a number of topics in communication and analysed data to complete assignments. For one assignment, I carried out research on media audiences in the 12-15 year age group. I analysed data from a variety of sources including data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. I compared the Australian data with similar data from Canada and New Zealand and presented my findings in a report. I took the subject Communication Research Methods as a required unit in the course and gained a Distinction grade. Completing this unit increased my research and analytical ability, including statistical skills and report writing skills.

15. Good research and analytical skills (Final version) I have good analytical and research skills gained from three years of Tertiary study in communication at the University of Canberra. During this time, I researched a number of topics in communication and analysed data to complete assignments. For one assignment, I carried out research on media audiences in the 12-15 year age group. I obtained and analysed data from a variety of sources Including the Australian Bureau of Statistics. I compared the Australian data with similar data from Canada and New Zealand and presented my findings in a report. I took the subject Communication Research Methods as a required unit in the course and gained a Distinction grade. Completing this unit increased my research and analytical ability, including statistical skills and report writing skills.

16. Ability to work well in a team (Statement) I am able to work well with others to achieve team goals. I have gained this experience at university and in volunteer work in the community.

17. Ability to work well in a team (cont.) (Examples using STAR method) At university, I worked in a group to prepare a third-year research assignment. Each member of the group had a different role. My role was to collate the contributions of the other members into a final written assignment. We agreed on a timeline to enable us to keep track of our work. Other members forwarded their work to me on a regular basis and I assembled it and collated it into the final report. We then met to discuss the report and make last-minute suggestions for improvements. This was a positive experience and we gained a good mark for our collaborative work. In my volunteer work for the Cancer Council fo the ACT, I worked with a group of other volunteers to design posters for Daffodil Day. One of the group had good design skills, another person with art experience suggested a colour scheme and my role was to write the text for the poster and the flyer. We met twice a week to combine our skills and at the end of a month, we completed a design we were happy with. We submitted our design to the Council’s Media Manager who was pleased with our work and accepted our design.

18. Ability to work well in a team (Final) I am able to work well with others to achieve team goals. I have gained this experience at university and in volunteer work in the community. At university, I worked in a group to prepare a third-year research assignment. Each member of the group had a different role. My role was to collate the contributions of the other members into a final written assignment. We agreed on a timeline to enable us to keep track of our work. Other members forwarded their work to me on a regular basis and I assembled it and collated it into the final report. We then met to discuss the report and make last-minute suggestions for improvements. This was a positive experience and we gained a good mark for our collaborative work. In my volunteer work for the Cancer Council fo the ACT, I worked with a group of other volunteers to design posters for Daffodil Day. One of the group had good design skills, another person with art experience suggested a colour scheme and my role was to write the text for the poster and the flyer. We met twice a week to combine our skills and at the end of a month, we completed a design we were happy with. We submitted our design to the Council’s Media Manager who was pleased with our work and accepted our design.

19. OH & S, Workplace Diversity, Equity, Industrial Democracy • Difficult criterion to answer. • This criterion is about government legislation so every government job description will include several of these concepts. • You need to know what these concepts mean! • Every workplace will have policies about these concepts. Go to the website of the department or company and find them. Read them. • (More information on Careers website – Resumes and Job Applications)

20. Desirable Criteria Desirable Criteria (examples) Experience working in a university or TAFE college. Understanding of current government media and broadcasting policy. Able to work at weekends to attend corporate functions as required. Some experience with statistical packages.

21. Some final points .. • Language – this is not an academic assignment. Your language should be clear and in the active voice. Do not write: ‘I was required to prepare a monthly report ..’. Write: ‘I prepared a monthly report ..’ • Format – make the selection criteria easy for the recruitment manager to read. Bold the headings. Use 12point font. Use Times New Roman or Arial. • Presentation – white paper. Do not use tables, do not use graphics. Line spacing either single or 1.5 spacing. Do not use double spacing. • Spelling/Grammar – check your spelling and your grammar! Ask a friend to read your document for spelling mistakes or unclear sentences.