Resume Digest Blog

In most cases, government agencies run their own recruitment. Agencies advertise jobs in the Employment Gazette, in newspapers, through recruitment agencies, on their own websites, and on websites such as www.jobsearch.gov.au.

The range of government jobs covers service delivery and advice to the public, policy advice, programme design, implementation, stakeholder management, and high level decision-making, corporate services such as information technology, human resources, records management, accounts processing and ministerial and parliamentary processes, technical and professional jobs such as lawyers, journalists, accountants, scientists, engineers, librarians, inspectors and economists..

Goverment job ads usually include the following, which will help you decide if it is the right job to apply for:

* the name of the position
* the location of the job
* the salary range and the classification level
* a description of the job and its role
* whether it is ongoing or non-ongoing
* a phone number or web link to the duty statement, selection criteria and/or application kit
* the name and contact details of a contact officer.

Good applications make a positive impression and can lead to an interview. Don't apply just for the sake of it. Select the right job and prepare a strong (and accurate) application highlighting your skills, experience and abilities, and how they meet the requirements of the job. Your application will be assessed on the basis of merit.

It is important to provide all the information specified in the application kit. This may include some or all of the following:

* a cover letter advising which job you are applying for, and including a short summary of your skills and abilities
* a cover sheet
* a copy of your CV (or resume)
* a statement addressing the selection criteria
* contact details for your referees.

The STAR model is one way of presenting information against selection criteria. For each criterion think about the following and use these points to form sentences:

* Situation - Set the context by describing the circumstance where you used the skills or qualities and gained the experience.
* Task - What was your role?
* Actions - What did you do and how did you do it?
* Results - What did you achieve? What was the end result and how does it relate to the job you are applying for?

If your application is short-listed, you may be invited to an interview by a selection team. Using the selection criteria as a guide, you may be asked a range of questions to demonstrate your skills and abilities. These could include behavioural based questions, and hypothetical scenario questions.

You may also be asked to do exercises such as a work sample test, presentations, or psychometric testing. If an agency is recruiting for a number of positions, you may go through an assessment centre which could include group work exercises. You can prepare for the interview by:

* looking at the government agency website to understand what they do (their most recent annual report may be helpful, along with their corporate plan)
* reviewing your responses to the selection criteria, picking a few additional examples
to use in the interview
* doing a mock interview using the selection criteria to think up possible questions.

In a typical recruitment process the selection team will rate your suitability for the role based on your performance at interview, statement against the selection criteria, other activities (e.g. work sample test), and referee comments (if sought). The most suitable person will be offered the position. In some processes, an order of merit may also be established.

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