Why do I need to address the selection criteria?
At Groote Archipelago Regional Council (GARC), we assess applications against the requirements of the role. The selection criteria help us understand your knowledge, skills, experience and overall suitability for the position.
When applying for a vacancy, you are required to provide a response to each of the Key Selection Criteria outlined in the Position Description, as well as any Desirable Criteria.
Your responses help us understand how your previous experience relates to the role and enable us to assess all applications fairly and consistently.
How should I respond?
We recommend responding to each criterion separately under its own heading. This gives you the opportunity to clearly explain how your experience relates to the requirements of the role and ensures your application presents a complete picture of your skills and capabilities.
While there is no prescribed format, providing a separate response for each criterion is the recommended approach. This helps you organise your information clearly and demonstrate how your knowledge, skills and experience align with the requirements of the position.
To help you prepare a strong application, we recommend that you:
- Use the criterion as a heading.
- Write a separate paragraph responding to the criterion.
- Provide specific examples from your employment, study, volunteer work, community involvement or other relevant experiences.
- Explain what you did, how you did it and what the outcome was.
- Keep your response clear, relevant and concise.
Use examples to demonstrate your experience
The strongest applications provide evidence rather than simply making statements.
For example, rather than saying:
"I have excellent communication skills."
Explain how you have demonstrated those skills:
"In my previous role as an Administration Officer, I regularly communicated with community members, contractors and internal staff. I managed enquiries by phone, email and in person, ensuring information was provided accurately and professionally. This contributed to improved customer service outcomes and positive stakeholder relationships."
Specific examples help us understand the depth of your experience and how it may apply to the position.
Transferable Skills and Experience
GARC is a unique place to work, and we recognise that not every applicant will have the exact skills, experience or industry background identified in the desirable criteria.
If you do not have direct experience, focus on the skills and experience you do have. Explain how you have applied those skills in previous roles, studies, volunteer work or community activities, and how they would assist you to perform the role you are applying for.
Many skills are transferable between different jobs, industries and life experiences. We encourage you to draw these connections for us rather than assuming they will be obvious. Your application should clearly explain how your experience relates to the position, as we can only assess the information provided in your application.
A simple structure to follow
One helpful approach is the STAR method:
Situation – Briefly describe the situation or context.
Task – Explain your responsibility or objective.
Action – Describe what you did.
Result – Explain the outcome or achievement.
You do not need to use these headings in your application, but this structure can help you provide clear and relevant examples.
Example Response
Criterion: Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
"In my previous role as an Executive Assistant, I was responsible for supporting three managers who regularly required urgent assistance. I developed a task-tracking system to prioritise work based on urgency and organisational requirements. I communicated regularly with stakeholders regarding timeframes and managed competing requests while maintaining accuracy. As a result, key deadlines were consistently met, and the managers were able to deliver projects and reports on schedule."
Before You Submit
Before submitting your application, make sure you have:
- Addressed every key and desirable selection criterion
- Used specific examples to demonstrate your experience
- Written a separate response for each criterion
- Checked your spelling and grammar
- Included an up-to-date resume
Addressing the selection criteria is an essential part of the application process. Applications that do not address the selection criteria may be deemed incomplete and will not progress to the next stage of recruitment.
