Selection Criteria
Career Workshop #4
Careers Services
University of Canberra
www.canberra.edu.au/careers
Selection Criteria
 Criterion
 Criteria
- singular
- plural
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
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.
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.
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.
Where do I start?
… with a new document and a heading ….
Response to the Selection Criteria
or
Statement Against the Selection Criteria
Heading …
Response to the Selection Criteria
Public Affairs Officer
Media Liaison Unit
Department of Trade and Commerce
Position Ref: 234/2009
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.
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.
Criteria - responses
First, for each criterion, state that you
possess this skill or this experience.
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.
STAR method
 Situation
context?
 Task
–
–
what was your situation or
what did you have to do?
 Action
–
what action did you take, and in
 Result
–
what was the result or outcome?
what order?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.