Key Selection Criteria.

Spend valuable time on the writing, thinking, planning and reviewing and it will be worth every minute!

• It should be a breeze. A walk in the park. A lovely relaxing think, but all too often talking about ourselves in positive light, is the most difficult thing to do. Most of us need help with learning the Key secrets to writing responses to Key Section Criteria and other tricky demands of the application process.

Job Applications that require responses to  Key Selection Criteria (KSC)- or Capability Statements, can be an excruciating experience…especially if you don’t know what to do!

Firstly, you must respond to the Key Selection Criteria. If you only send in your Cover Letter and Resume for a job that has a request for you to respond to Key Selection Criteria your application will immediately be discarded

Don’t assume that employers or the selection panel will pull the information out of your application package and pick up the salient points.  They will not!  Even if they had the spare time for such insight, they are not allowed to infer anything.

Here are some General hints to follow when responding to KSC (Key selection Criteria)

• Read the vacancy announcement carefully  ( I often read it out aloud and slowly – it helps!)
• Gather the information needed to begin writing
• Be specific and be precise
• Get to the point and don’t ramble
• Use poignant examples to support your assertions (current and past colleagues may be able to assist you remember)
• State specifically what you have done, and the results or outcomes
• Do not use acronyms
• Present yourself in “clear and plain” language
• Do not borrow language from the position description
• Make sure you answer each Key Selection Criteria separately. NEVER, ever, write a response that combines 2 or more Key Selection Criteria in one response or write, eg, refer to para 1 or refer to resume
• Study each Key Selection Criteria very carefully. Note the language used and the very specific areas the question covers. Underline any key words and phrases. Then write your response.

For each Key Selection Criteria, delve into your career history and work experience and come up with an example that demonstrates the particular skill or experience that you are being asked for. Try to find examples of a project that was completed (i.e. something that started and ended, with a definable result, while you were there) and write a response outlining what you actually did to assist with the project

Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structure to respond to the Key Selection Criteria

Keep your responses to Key Selection Criteria within the guidelines on the advertisement.

Keep it succinct and brief. More than 3 or 4 pages per criterion is almost certainly too much. Less than this is to brief and more than this will put you at risk of waffling. Please Note that waffling does not cut it. The questions are very specific and it’s critical you provide specific responses.

There are a number of publications and further information on the web .Let us know if  these tips are useful!

Ivana Agapiou resume writer and career advisor

0404 056 278