How to prepare your application
Selection exercises for employment at the Embassy are competitive. Before you start your application it is important that you read the Position Description for the advertised position(s) and decide if your skills and abilities match the requirements of the job. If you require additional information to make this assessment it is recommended that you contact the nominated contact officer to discuss the job.
It may also help you to know a little about the Embassy’s work and the work undertaken in the area where the vacancy exits. The Embassy website www.argentina.embassy.gov.au has a range of information and links to the Australian websites of the government Departments represented at the Embassy, including the Department of Immigration and Citizenship www.immi.gov.au
Please do not send any attachments such as examples of work, publications or graphics with your application. If you are selected for interview you may wish to bring them to the interview.
Addressing Selection Criteria
The following information is designed to assist you in demonstrating your suitability for a position against selection criteria. This is your opportunity to inform the selection panel about tasks roles and responsibilities that you have undertaken in your previous employment. Please provide a variety of examples and do not assume that the selection panel or the delegate (who will make the final decision regarding the most suitable applicant) will know additional information about you
1. The word limit.
Ensure you use the word limit wisely. The word limit is 150 words per criterion; therefore addressing the criterion in 20 words is unlikely to provide the panel with sufficient information. On the other hand, do not go over the allocated word limit. Selection panels may disregard information that exceeds the maximum allowance.
2. Unsupported and unsubstantiated statements.
Give a clear picture of your roles and responsibilities in functions and tasks that you have cited in your application
Provide relevant and concrete examples that support statements about your skills or attributes. Consider the following statement:
“I have excellent oral communication skills which enable me to communicate effectively”.
The following statement is more likely to show the panel that you actually possess this skill/experience:
“My highly developed oral communication skills are demonstrated by the regular presentations I coordinated and delivered to the senior management committee. In these presentations, I provided progress reports to the committee. They used this information to inform their decision making processes”.
3. What, how and result.
A good approach in writing claims against selection criteria is to tell the panel what you did, how you did it and what the result or outcome was. This gives the panel an opportunity to see exactly what your skills and experiences are and to make a determination regarding your suitability for the job. The acronym CAR can be used as a guide:
Circumstance – briefly describe the situation
Approach – outline the action you took to address the situation
Result – explain the outcome of, or response to, your actions
4. Address all parts of the criterion.
Consider the following criterion:
“Embassy staff must have good oral and written communication skills, and well developed liaison skills. Please provide examples which demonstrate these skills in the context of your dealings with clients/colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures”.
Avoid addressing only the ‘oral communication’ component and ignoring the ‘written communication’ and ‘liaison skills’ components
5. Written language skills.
The written application provides to the panel a strong indication of your writing skills. Ensure that your application is written clearly, concisely, is grammatically correct and that spelling is accurate.
Writing style: Use positive, active language when describing what you have done. Eg. 'I am…, I performed.., 'I managed…’. Avoid language such as ‘I was involved in…', 'I was required to…'
Ensure your grammar and spelling are correct and you ensure you have used the correct punctuation where appropriate.
Some information provided above has been extracted from ‘How to Address Selection Criteria, improving your chances of being short-listed for a job’ by Dr Ann D Villiers
6. Preparing your Application form
You are required to complete a number of questions on the application form; the information provided will be used by the selection panel to determine if you meet the requirements for the position
Please ensure that you check that the application form for the following details
- Full name and address.
- Contact telephone numbers.
- Education qualification including membership of professional organisations.
- Employment history (include dates, name of employer, position occupied, work area) and a brief outline of the duties undertaken. The details should be in reverse chronological order, starting with your present position and working backwards.
- Name and contact details of two referees (one of whom is preferably your current supervisor).