Katie Roberts Career Consulting

Selection criteria need not be feared, but it is worth investing some time and effort to prepare winning responses that help get you noticed. It can be easy to get carried away with irrelevant facts, or worse, not provide enough detail to showcase your ability and experience to the selection panel.

When addressing selection criteria, it’s very important to understand some of the common words used:

• demonstrated capacity
• experience
• proven ability
• knowledge of
• skills

All these words are asking for a different view of you and it’s vital that you read the selection criteria carefully then provide the specific information requested. Also, you should respond to each criterion individually, unless the application states otherwise.

When preparing your responses, the most important aspect is providing appropriate evidence or proof. It is essential that you take the time to think about specific, relevant examples from past work or other experience where you can demonstrate how your ability, skills, experience or knowledge helps you meet the criterion.

This is where the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) model comes into play. By thinking about your example in the context of STAR you can formulate a clear and concise answer. Use these points to brainstorm potential examples:

• Situation – What was the circumstance, situation or setting you found yourself in?
• Task – What was your role?
• Action – What did you do and how did you do it?
• Result – What did you achieve? What was the outcome and, if possible, how does it relate to the position you are applying for?

Once you have decided which examples to use, you need to craft your response. Be clear and concise – don’t confuse the reader and don’t skimp on detail. Remember to take into account any specified word count or page limits – make sure you stick to these or risk your application being culled before it’s even read. Prepare a brief introduction that sets the scene before referencing the example to support your claim. This is the most important part of your response and must be written with strong and positive language. The example should preferably be recent – and not older than five years if possible. Pay attention to the language used in the criterion to ensure you address specifically what’s being asked – remember there is a difference between phrases like ‘knowledge of’ and ‘demonstrated capacity’.

Of course, it goes without saying that you should also triple check your document for spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors since this is often another way of culling responses.

Most importantly – be honest – your responses should reflect your role without exaggeration or ambiguity. And remember, this is a process that requires time and effort – don’t leave it until the last minute and you will be more likely to succeed.

If you would like assistance from a professional resume writer with preparing selection criteria for a job application, please see our Resume Writing Services.