Below is an article written by a government recruiter. If you want to know how to succeed at a government interview, go to this article instead.
Have you ever wondered what government selection panels complain most
about when it comes to applicants? What are their biggest
interview gripes? Or what piece of advice a government recruiter would
give to an applicant? Find out in our interview with a
Government Recruitment Consultant and regular independent member of
selection panels
Q. What do you
think is the biggest misconception from applications regarding
government job applications?
A. The biggest misconception I come across is
applicants thinking that by just showing that they meet the selection
criteria means they will get an interview. I was on a government
recruitment panel last month for an APS Level 6 Technical position
where 28 out of 30 applicants showed that they met the selection
criteria to a good standard. Unfortunately it is isn’t
practical to interview 28 people for one job, so only the top three got
a shot. I think that is a perfect example of the importance of a well
written application and proves the point that not only do you have to
show that you meet the selection criteria, but you met them better than
everyone else!
Q. What is the
number one applicant criticism from selection panels?
A. In general, selection panels are disappointed with the
amount of preparation that applicants put into their written
applications and their interviews in terms of researching the
position. Most panel members come from the work area where
the vacancy exists, enjoy their jobs and are passionate about what they
do. They are looking for people to join their team who have
similar drives. They find nothing worse than asking an
applicant what they know about the organisation to be confronted with a
blank face. Or asking the applicant if they have any
questions to find the applicant asking “what do you actually do
here?” This does not impress a panel at all!
Q. If you could
give one piece of advice to a job applicant, what would it be?
A. A job application is a serious investment in your future –
it shouldn’t be treated lightly.
Q. What is the
most amusing application you have ever seen?
A. Two immediately spring to mind. The most memorable was a
resume that had been photocopied so many times that it was difficult to
make out the text. There was as brief “cover letter”
scribbled on the back of a bank deposit slip and stapled to the front
of the resume. There were not any responses to the selection
criteria. I immediately though it was someone submitting
their quota of applications for Centrelink benefit purposes who really
wasn’t interested in the job, but the gentlemen later called to enquire
further about his application and seemed genuinely interested in where
he had gone wrong. Needless to say I gave him some advice and examples
of what his application should look like.
The second example is more recent. Only last week I read some
statements against key selection criteria where the applicant was
obviously struggling to come up with the right words so he just left
blank spaces with a row of question marks. In some cases he
would start a sentence and then finish it with a “?”. It made
interesting reading but I really had no idea what the applicant was on
about.
There are two lessons that people can take from these examples, always
ask for feedback, and always proof read your application before sending
it!
Q. After many years of
working in government recruitment, is there anything that still shocks
you?
A. I am still astounded when people don’t show up for their
interview. This happens really frequently, about one in 20
interviews would be my estimate. Some people call and withdraw their
application and some you never hear from … until they submit their next
application, which is quite amusing in itself.
Q. Speaking of
interviews, what is your biggest interview “gripe”?
A. Applicants who interrupt the interviewer or start to answer the
interview question before the interviewer has finished
speaking. I think it not only shows a lack of professionalism
and interpersonal skills, but I also feel for these applicants who are
usually so nervous that they are just not listening and thinking
properly. In most cases they end up blowing the interview
because they have not heard and comprehended the question properly and
given themselves the chance to think of the most appropriate response.
Q. What is the most
frustrating thing about working with government selection panels?
A. A lot of government panel members are so entrenched in processes and
used to being governed by guidelines that they take a very inflexible
approach to the task of recruitment. For example, panel
members who insist that every applicant is asked exactly the same
question and mark them strictly against their responses to these
questions. These panels start using interview questions as
selection criteria in their own right and forget that the purpose of
the interview question is to gather evidence to assess the applicant
against the advertised selection criteria. Smart applicants
know how to overcome this, but most applicants don’t even know that it
is happening.
Q. There is
some talk in government circles about abolishing selection criteria,
what are your thoughts?
A. I think the people who are proposing these ideas forget the actual
purpose of selection criteria. Selection criteria are just a
framework for assessing an application. They tell the panel how to
assess the applicant and ensure that the applicant knows what they are
being measured against. If you were to abolish the use of traditional
“selection criteria” and replace them with an assessment against the
job description for example, which is what is being proposed, the job
description just becomes the replacement “selection criteria”
so to speak. I personally think it is a lot easier to demonstrate
skills against a set of say five selection criteria than a two page job
description. That said, some forward thinking panels are now
removing the need for applicants to write statements addressing the
selection criteria as a response to the war on talent with private
industry. In this case, selection criteria still exist but it is the
panel’s job to assess the resume based on the criteria, not the
applicant’s job to write an essay. I am fully supportive of
this approach and think more panels should be doing it. Some of the
best candidates for a job never apply because they just don’t have the
time to prepare their application and this approach almost eliminates
this problem.
