Key selection criteria
Key selection criteria list the qualifications, skills (competencies) and experience needed to perform the role.
They are designed to make the hiring and selection process objective. This increases the chances of a fair decision and minimises the risk of a rejected candidate being successful in a formal objection or grievance. It gives the panel something to score and therefore compare like with like.
You must satisfy every individual criteria
This is not an average across all of the selection criteria. The fact that you meet one criteria at 150% does not make up for only meeting another at 20%.
If you cannot satisfy one criteria, as a rule, you should reconsider applying. It is a judgment call as to how many other people are likely to meet that criteria.
If you are close otherwise, you could consider admitting that while you don’t have [X], you have [Y]. Perhaps you can commit to learning what’s required, undertaking relevant study, etc.
Some key selection criteria are written in a way that the only person who can meet each criteria is the incumbent.
Generally, half a page should be enough for each criteria. You can use dot points.
Invest time in giving examples
Your achievements must support each key selection criteria and included in the CV unless they are more day-to-day.
Your CV should be a stand-alone document. The hiring manager should be able to cross-reference the examples used in the key selection criteria with that ‘story’ being listed as achievements on the CV.
Being confident in writing key selection criteria removes a major roadblock to applying for roles. Many people miss out on an ideal opportunity because they lack the time, at the time, to get their CV up to date and to invest days writing key selection criteria.
20 minutes planning will save hours later and reaching halfway in a muddle. You need to plan two different examples for each criteria and you may need to shuffle examples around.
There are four variations of key selection criteria:
(1) The long version (used typically, for government and academic positions). This is an additional document that you must prepare to address each of the criteria listed for the position. Personally, I like this as it is clear as to what criteria the hiring manager is using to assess your application. All you need to do now is to focus on these criteria and nothing else. When there are no selection criteria given, it is very hard to draft your cover letter and CV and to prepare for the interview if you are called.
(2) An abbreviated “cover letter” version. You can focus the content of your cover letter to address each of the requested key selection criteria.
(3) Single examples or targeted questions especially asked during job interviews.
(4) An Expression of Interest in replacement of a formal job application response.
Planning
The key is planning, even if you are a good writer.
Most key selection criteria refer to “proven” or “demonstrated” skills, ability or experience. These means shown through examples. Try not to repeat two similar examples. This won’t happen if the response has been planned effectively.
Make sure you note and answer every element of the question using the STAR method of response. (See below)
If, for example, the question involves “managing projects involving multiple stakeholders” then the example needs to detail who they were.
It is far preferable for you to furnish a response to key selection criteria with the most recent examples. But it is perfectly acceptable to draw on previous work experience, or, in some cases, matters outside of work (especially for competencies you might not have faced at work such as an ethical challenge).
Types of key selection criteria
There are two types of key selection criteria:
(1) Tick-the-box criteria that relate to your qualifications, accreditations, memberships and the equivalent in years of experience.
(2) General key selection criteria that require “demonstrated” skills or a “proven ability” in an area.
Tick-the-box criteria can be answered simply in a sentence or two or a couple of dot points. For example:
“I hold qualifications including:
- Bachelor of Laws
- Postgraduate Certificate in Jurisprudence”
Use the STAR method
Use the STAR method to structure the communication of your examples:
Situation – Outline the background to set the scene e.g.: “In my role at [name of organisation], I was responsible for delivering a project to … “
Task – Explain what you were asked to do or were trying to achieve e.g.: “I had to deliver a component of the project requiring extensive negotiation …”
Action – Detail the steps taken. You may choose to list these in a series of dot points. Sometimes there are steps that we take are so obvious to us, but they can give the hiring manager significant insights into our thinking e.g.: “I called together a meeting with X, Y and Z … Then I … Next I …”
Results – The obvious result is the outcome. Don’t forget your other results such as its impact or the acknowledgement it received e.g.: “The result was that all the stakeholders were satisfied with the outcome. I received individual emails from X, Y and Z commending me on my management of the situation, noting that they felt their needs had been listened to and accommodated.”
Common mistakes when crafting your responses
The most common mistakes when responding to the key selection criteria are:
(1) Not including solid but detailed examples that highlight your achievements.
(2) Each key selection criteria should be a stand-alone answer and can be cross-referenced in your cover letter and CV.
(3) Talking about how something should work in theory rather than explaining what it means in practice or sharing your beliefs.
(4) Talking too much about the day-to-day work. The way you show, for instance, that you have good time management skills is through an actual example of when you were under pressure and what you did to ensure that you could deliver the outcome.
(5) Select the best example to answer the question. Your examples should not be the most complicated or highest-profile one.
(6) Not understanding what is meant by “collaboration” and “teamwork”. Although the two are similar, collaboration is the idea of working with someone to produce a result whereas teamwork is more general working together. Collaborators may have different goals, but teams share the same goal.
Checking
Ensure you proofread your work and make sure you answer every element of the key selection criteria.
Have a third party check each criteria have been met in full.
Addressing key selection criteria in the cover letter
If you are required to address the key selection criteria but a separate document is not necessary, then address the criteria in the cover letter, albeit in an abbreviated form.
Unfortunately, you will only have time to draw attention to the examples briefly without the use of the STAR method. These examples should then be listed in more detail on the CV.
The key is to make it easy for the hiring manager to ‘join the dots’ to conclude your skills are a good match for the role.
Structuring the cover letter
Use dot points to list what you can offer in your cover letter.
In the abbreviated version, the dot points will have mini headings representing the criteria e.g.:
“I can offer you:
- Project management: I have led projects on X, Y and Z. Budgets have ranged from $X-Y with teams of up to ten. On X project in particular …”
CV scanning software
Technology is changing how CVs are structured and presented.
Given the number of job applicants writing in, employers are increasingly using an applicant tracking system to reduce the cost of hiring. These serve as the first filter of applications to cull the volume to a reasonable number, therefore decreasing the number of applications “human eyes” need to review.
How does the software work?
The applicant tracking system scan individual CVs, looking for set criteria such as keywords, skills, former employers, qualifications, memberships, and software used that are relevant to the position.
The content of your CV is then sorted into individual categories such as contact information, education, skills, and work experience. This information may then be used to populate the organisation’s hiring database for future use.
The more instances of the criteria being met, the more likely that your CV will survive the filtering process. If your CV passes this initial automated filtering process, it will be read by a human. From there, a decision is made on whether to interview you or not.
It is estimated that up to 75% of online applications are rejected by this initial screening process. The applicant tracking system even sends automatic rejection letters.
Therefore, it is best to avoid applying for jobs online when you submit your cover letter and CV to the applicant tracking system. A lot of jobs are advertised in social media and word-of-mouth.
Tips to get selected
Some tips to maximise your chances are:
(1) Mirror the exact keywords from the job advertisement throughout your CV and cover letter. You might need to look at the employer’s website and publications or talk to or look up the profiles of employees on Linkedln to learn what language and terms are favoured by that employer.
(2) Use text, not graphics.
(3) Separate out the sections of information in the CV with standard headings e.g., Education, Experience, Referees, etc. This makes it easier for the applicant tracking system to identify the correct information.
(4) Spell out acronyms, no matter how commonly the phrase is used. The applicant tracking system may be searching for “Business Development Manager” not just “BDM”. The same rule should apply for degrees e.g., “Bachelor of Laws (LLB)”.
(5) Employ commonly used job titles e.g., “Sales Representative”
(6) Where possible, include keywords in your list of skills and in your achievements under relevant roles.
(7) Bullets are easier for the applicant tracking system and human eyes to scan and read.
(8) Consider including other wording important to the employer such as its key values.
(9) It may be advantageous to include any relevant volunteering or memberships. These may result in additional instances of keywords appearing in the scan.
(10) Include your suburb and most importantly the state (use “Suburb State Postcode” format) as finding the appropriate state on the CV is an obvious culling factor. It may well exclude for example all CVs that do not include “NSW” in the address. Some applicant tracking systems will generate a database of applicants that will allow the hirer to sort according to who lives closest to the role, if that it is an important consideration.
(11) Use your Overview section strategically. This is a good way to include keywords without looking like you are trying to artificially stuff the keywords into the documents.
(12) While older applicant tracking system prefers text format documents, most newer systems can scan both Word or PDF formats.
(13) It may be more valuable to include unfinished degrees over having nothing at all.
What should you avoid?
(1) Don’t go overboard artificially trying to inflate the use and inclusion of keywords. A good applicant tracking system will spot this. In any case, without any substance, you will be eliminated at the human eyes stage.
(2) Avoid inserting tables, images or logos, etc. You can use the columns function if you wish to split information into separate lists to save on length.
(3) Don’t use weird fonts as some older systems struggle with them. Use “sans serif” fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Calibri or Tahoma.
(4) Remember not to neglect any questionnaires that form part of an online job process. Most applicant tracking system will read these responses in conjunction with your CV (be sure to elaborate on your answers where possible).
(5) Check for spelling mistakes, typos, and grammatical errors especially on keywords. A very common one is for people to write “manger” instead of “manager” as this will not be picked up by a spelling check.
(6) Don’t include important information in headers and footers. Some applicant tracking systems can be thrown out by headers and footers and may skip the section, potentially resulting in a rejection.
(7) Start each role with the organisation or job title, not with dates. Starting with dates confuses the software which is more used to the conventional job-title-then-date formats.
(8) There isn’t a lot of value in listing lots of soft skills. It is highly unlikely that a recruiter will look for words such as “good communication” over functional hard skills such as “Adobe Photoshop”.