Answer Selection Criteria For Government Jobs

When you apply for a job in the public sector, you need to answer the key selection criteria (KSC) for the government job. These criteria are meant to help the selection panel determine how suitable you are for the job by evaluating your skills, knowledge, ability, and qualifications. You will want to carefully assess each selection criteria and craft a detailed response. Remember to proofread your answers.

Steps

Outlining Your Answer

1. Read the position description. Many job descriptions should be posted online. However, you may need to request an information packet. Read the job description carefully. If you don’t understand the job requirements, you won’t be able to answer the selection criteria successfully.
   • Make sure to save the job description or print it out so that you can refer to it later when you draft your answers.
   • Analyze whether you can fulfill the job duties. If you can’t, then you might not want to bother applying.
2. Call the Contact Officer with questions. Their name and phone number should be listed in the job details. Tell the person you have read the selection criteria and ask what specific experience they are looking for.
   • Many selection criteria are written in a vague manner. For example, the selection criteria might say something like “Demonstrated excellence in communication skills and negotiation.” You probably have no idea what that means.
   • In practice, your “negotiation” might be working with vendors to secure the best price. You won’t know that unless you call and ask more information.
3. Identify common selection criteria. Key Selection Criteria (KSC) are the skills, knowledge, and qualities that you will need to successfully do the job. There are many common KSC, though each job will have its own list that you must respond to. Consider the following:
   • ability to prioritize tasks
   • ability to develop and maintain systems
   • resilience to achieve goals
   • ability to identify a problem and propose a solution
   • ability to work in a team
   • word processing or other computer skills
4. Analyze the wording of the selection criteria. Return to your job description and highlight the particular selection criteria for the job you are apply for. Some criteria have more than one skill listed, so identify the skills requested in each criteria. Then drill down and analyze what they are really asking. For example:
   • The words “demonstrated” or “proven ability” refer to skills or tasks you have previously performed. You will need to refer to your actual experience and give specific examples when addressing this criterion.
   • When responding to language concerning your “abilities,” you should speak to your potential based on your previous experience or training.
   • Terms like “sound” or “high level” will require you to show you have advanced skill or knowledge in this area.
   • When the words “an understanding of” are used, you need to show both your in-depth knowledge of the subject but also explain its importance.
   • When asked about “desirable” criteria, you should draw from your extra-curricular and non-work activities.
5. Brainstorm how you satisfy each KSC. Take the first KSC and come up with concrete examples that illustrate each. For example, think about relevant experience, training, incidents, or personal qualities. Jot down your notes. Try to write down the following:
   • The situation. Where were you? For example, you might have been in your first job as a secretary.
   • The action. What did you do? How did you do it? For example, you might have devised a new filing system for the office by organizing patient files alphabetically by last name and creating digital scans for easy access.
   • The outcome. What was the result of your action? Did it improve things? For example, the waiting time in your office might have declined because of how easy it became to find client files.
6. Summarize your notes. Try to turn your notes into a short paragraph of about 100 words. Write in complete sentences and use connections such as “as a result,” “but,” and “for that reason.”
   • Analyze any specific examples. Do they seem vivid to you? Can you think of better ones?

Writing Your Answer

1. Open with a topic sentence. State that the selection criteria has been important in your work, or that you have extensive experience. For example, you can write, “Word processing has been an important responsibility in my two previous secretarial jobs.”
   • You definitely need to mention the selection criterion in the first sentence, otherwise the employer will be confused as to what you are responding to.
2. Provide more detail about your role. If you typed up documents, identify the types of document. If you solved problems, identify what types of problems you were confronted with (e.g., customer complaints about a product not working).
   • For example, you can write, “In my role as secretary to Mr. Nelson, I compiled numerous word processing documents. These included the following: word processing collation of official company documents, reports, executive summaries, and contracts; formatting and maintaining databases; formatting and drafting Power Point presentations; writing letters and memorandums.”
3. Add at least one concrete example. Highlight one situation or incident that vividly illustrates your skills in action. An employer reading your answers will probably remember the example more than anything else.
   • Continuing with the word processing example: “Each year, I was responsible for drafting the annual report for review by our Board of Directors. As part of that task, I imported data from multiple Access databases in order to create pie charts, tables, and other graphics to supplement the written report.”
   • The biggest mistake is not providing enough concrete examples. Go through your answers and bulk them up with specifics, if necessary.
   • If the KSC asks about two skills—e.g., problem solving and organization—provide an example for each.
4. Explain the result of your contribution. If you solved problems, then you should explain the result. Did you fix the problem? Did consumer complaints fall? You have to give the person reading your answer some idea of the effect of your contribution.
   • Explain results even if the KSC isn’t about problem solving. For example, you can write about your word processing skills: “The graphic presentations assisted the Board greatly when analyzing the company’s financial performance.”
5. Remember to tell the truth. You can’t lie in your answers. Don’t claim to have experience that you don’t have. The employer will likely call your previous bosses and double check whether you did these tasks. You’ll be instantly rejected from a job if you lie.
   • Also avoid coming across as too perfect. You don’t want to say “I never make errors.” Instead, you can write, “I am committed to making as few errors as possible and quickly correcting those I do make.”
6. Assess the length of your response. Answers should be sufficiently long to explain your experience. Generally, more senior roles will require about a page for each KSC. Junior positions will require one-half to three-quarters of a page per selection criteria.
   • However, reviewers might appreciate a shorter response. They are reading these back to back and will quickly tire.
   • Always check whether you have been given a word limit. If so, obey the limit.
7. Make the answer easy to read. A full page of densely packed information will make an employer groan. For this reason, assess whether the text looks comfortable to read on the page. If not, use the following:
   • Use bullet points, where possible. If you’re listing accomplishments in one sentence, then bullet points help make the text easier to read. However, don’t have most of the answer consist of bullet points.
   • Break up giant paragraphs. You want plenty of white space on the page.
   • Select a comfortable font size and style. Avoid 10 point or smaller fonts.
   • Add section headings, if possible. You might provide an introductory paragraph and then a detailed example. You can set off the example with the word “Example” as a bolded section heading. If you have more than one example, use “Example 1” and “Example 2” as headings.
8. Proofread your work. Set your answers aside for a day or two and then proofread the work. Catch all typos, dropped words, and grammatical errors. Have another person read your answers, which will increase the chances of someone catching your mistakes.
   • You can also read your answers from the end. Start with the final sentence and then read the one before it. Work your way slowly to the beginning.

Tips

• Before writing your answers, you should ring up and ask if someone is currently acting in the role. If someone is, then you might not want to apply for the job—especially if the current person is applying.
• You can find sample KSC answers online. Avoid copying them. At most, glance at them to see how they are structured and their length. Analyze which ones seem compelling and which ones are forgettable.

Related Articles

• Write Selection Criteria

References

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