Selection Criteria Myths
These collection of myths have been collected over the years from
not only applicants, but also career counsellors! They have
been
tried, tested and talked about and proven to be false in the government
recruitment industry. It just goes to show that you should choose your
advice wisely, and make sure it is coming from an authoritive
source!
These myths were first published in "Get That Job! The Best Guide to
Applying for a Government Job" which is available on
this website
| X |
The shorter my statements are the
better, that way the selection panel are more likely to remember what I
say. |
|
If
you don’t provide enough information
to substantiate your claims, the panel won’t remember what
you say
because your application will be in the “no” pile. |
|
|
| X |
Longer
applications allow you to expand upon your credentials, and you should
use the application as the opportunity to say everything, in case you
don’t get an interview. |
|
Not
only will too much information not
be remembered, but it probably won’t even be read.
Panels do not like
ploughing through lengthy applications and may end up skim reading
yours, which means they will not take in much of your application at
all. |
|
|
| X |
Unique looking applications will
stand out from the crowd, so it is good to use stand out fonts and
coloured paper.
|
|
It
is always better to conform with what
others are doing, and follow general expectations. Employers
generally
don’t want employees who don’t conform, so
presenting yourself in your
application as someone who goes against the flow with isn’t a
good
starting point. |
| X |
You
have to exaggerate to sell yourself. |
|
Don’t
lie! People will check. There is a difference
between selling yourself, and exaggerating. |
|
|
| X |
Save
some of your big accomplishments for the
interview. You shouldn’t give it all away in your
application. |
|
You
might not even make it to the interview if you don’t tell the
panel important information in your application! |
|
|
| X |
You
should always include details of your marriage status and
children. This implies stability and maturity. |
|
Personal
information such as who you are
married to and the ages of your children is referred to as
“personal
information” and it is not relevant to your
application. It is illegal
to use marriage status as a discriminator between applicants. |
|
|
| X |
You
should use dot points rather than paragraphs. |
|
Your
claims should be narrative in content rather than just a list of
your skills. Dot (or bullet) points can be used where appropriate, but
should always contain a description of a skill, and not just the skill
on its own. In fact, in a recent study (see Selection
Criteria Secrets Revealed) it was found that none of the
applicants chosen for an interview used bullet points. |
| X |
To
save time and paper you can include your claims against the criteria as
part of your cover letter. |
|
Cover
letters and statements against selection criteria have two different
purposes, and should therefore be treated as two separate documents. |
|
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| X |
I don’t need to address
criteria that are labelled “desirable” or
“less important”.
|
|
You
need to address all criteria! And, you should put equal
effort into the desirable or less important criteria as the
others. If two applicants are running neck and neck for a
position for example, the less important criteria may be used as a
discriminator. If you leave these criteria out, or just brush
past them, you could be handing the position over to someone else. |
|
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