Spend valuable time on the writing, thinking, planning and reviewing and it will be worth every minute!

• It should be a breeze. A walk in the park. A lovely relaxing think, but all too often talking about ourselves in positive light, is the most difficult thing to do. Most of us need help with learning the Key secrets to writing responses to Key Section Criteria and other tricky demands of the application process.

Job Applications that require responses to  Key Selection Criteria (KSC)- or Capability Statements, can be an excruciating experience…especially if you don’t know what to do!

Firstly, you must respond to the Key Selection Criteria. If you only send in your Cover Letter and Resume for a job that has a request for you to respond to Key Selection Criteria your application will immediately be discarded

Don’t assume that employers or the selection panel will pull the information out of your application package and pick up the salient points.  They will not!  Even if they had the spare time for such insight, they are not allowed to infer anything.

Here are some General hints to follow when responding to KSC (Key selection Criteria)

• Read the vacancy announcement carefully  ( I often read it out aloud and slowly – it helps!)
• Gather the information needed to begin writing
• Be specific and be precise
• Get to the point and don’t ramble
• Use poignant examples to support your assertions (current and past colleagues may be able to assist you remember)
• State specifically what you have done, and the results or outcomes
• Do not use acronyms
• Present yourself in “clear and plain” language
• Do not borrow language from the position description
• Make sure you answer each Key Selection Criteria separately. NEVER, ever, write a response that combines 2 or more Key Selection Criteria in one response or write, eg, refer to para 1 or refer to resume
• Study each Key Selection Criteria very carefully. Note the language used and the very specific areas the question covers. Underline any key words and phrases. Then write your response.

For each Key Selection Criteria, delve into your career history and work experience and come up with an example that demonstrates the particular skill or experience that you are being asked for. Try to find examples of a project that was completed (i.e. something that started and ended, with a definable result, while you were there) and write a response outlining what you actually did to assist with the project

Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) structure to respond to the Key Selection Criteria

Keep your responses to Key Selection Criteria within the guidelines on the advertisement.

Keep it succinct and brief. More than 3 or 4 pages per criterion is almost certainly too much. Less than this is to brief and more than this will put you at risk of waffling. Please Note that waffling does not cut it. The questions are very specific and it’s critical you provide specific responses.

There are a number of publications and further information on the web .Let us know if  these tips are useful!

Ivana Agapiou resume writer and career advisor

0404 056 278

The post Let’s explore the Excruciating “Writing Part” for Key Selection Criteria appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Looking out, the grass can always appear greener. Make sure you research the future job, and your motives for moving.. before you leap!

Feeling trapped in the job you have? looking for another job? Here are a few tips before you launch into resignation or even worse, lose your cool and walk out! Sometimes, we can find ourselves in a job that is not working out. There may be a number of diverse factors for this…

• boredom
• the tasks are becoming more difficult
• conflicts with other staff or management
• pay rate too low
• high expectations
• increase of hours for no extra recognition
• wrong job at the wrong time
• taking work home with you

The list is endless. Whatever the reason for your unhappiness, make sure you plan your escape carefully. Here are a few tips:-

1. Take any leave owed to you as this will help you to revive and review the situation, without being 100% in the workplace. Hopefully you can get away from it all and have some “me” time to consider your options with a clear head.
2. Talk to friends who can listen and not necessary advise, just listen. Sometimes hearing your own voice can assist you in forging a solution yourself.
3. Visit a Doctor and have a general health check and a chat about your current stress
4. Sit down and write a life plan which should include what your financial/ family /health goals are – a good question to ask is “Where would you like to be in the next 5 years” for example, do you want to move to the Metro or country? If you had to describe what your dream would be… then write it down!
5. Writing your goals and plan for the next few years, is the most important aspect of this journey

Once you have completed your plan, and you have concluded that you are going to leave your current job, consider your exit plan carefully.

Your first step into the new, is to check out your old resume and make sure it’s ready for the journey ahead!

Ivana Agapiou – resume writer and career advisor

The post Feeling Trapped in your current job? appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Don’t ignore the Capability statements, levels and frameworks.

Tread slowly and carefully, as responding to these can be a minefield.

Capability (or ability) frameworks describe the skills and behaviors that employers want their people to demonstrate if they are doing high quality work. These frameworks provide an over-arching list of the skills required in particular work settings or contexts. They are broad descriptions, against which specific skills can be mapped. Typically they cover a range of job roles andor work contexts.

Many organisations have critically analysed the role/s and formulated the necessities to perform the roles. Not only is there a LIST of what is required, they also have graded the capabilities in priority groups. These levels reflect a progressive increase in complexity and skill that may be required from the candidate. Job applications for  many public sector jobs  now require you to address “capability statements” in your application. These were developed using a capability framework and have replaced the old “selection criteria“. NO application will be considered seriously unless your application incorporates the capabilities.

So, you find “that” great job and you eagerly apply.  You notice that they only have a few application requirements, that is, a resume and responses to a few “target questions“.

Often the target questions seem quite simplistic, innocuous even, just like the following examples:

1. We are all faced with challenging deadlines. Could you describe a scenario where you had competing deadlines. How did you manage your workload? What was the end outcome?   OR
2. Please describe a situation where you had a complex issue that had to be resolved. What was the issue? What factors did you have to consider in resolving it? What was the outcome?

Then you notice other documents, like the position description; a table with capability framework and capability statements.  All these documents need to be thoroughly analysed prior to your application. DON’T assume that they are just background chatter! The “trick” is to incorporate the capabilities into target question responses .YEEK – not as easy as it sounds!

This is my advice for tackling target questions

1. read and analyse all documents
2. visit the public sector website for handy hints
3. note the “weightings” on specific capabilities – some are more important than others
4. create responses that reflect the capabilities, in fact adapt and use some the wording used to describe the capabilities for example in response to a target question on the capability, challenging deadlines

“I self managed the work load by formulating a clear and simple Business plan that followed measurable and achievable goals and included priorities and deadlines. I arranged the project into bite sized projects and whilst investigating and researching the project I proactively encouraged “excellence in trade operators” to gain their T A E qualification. This ensured that I had a workforce plan with capable resources.  Once I set the operational targets, I consulted and evaluated the progress with the customer demographic, along with the team and executives. I solicited feedback, gathered more ideas and resolved potential problems”. The outcomes were,  job ready staff, new products delivered on time; increase in student numbers .

NOTE the following: The items in “bold” all reflect the abilities required to handle challenges BASED on the capability statements that are clearly outlined in the application documents . Also note that it was all set in the past and the story had the following formula or structure

1. a scenario or situation 2. what you did in the scenario 3. the results or outcomes

Many organisations, especially those that all on-line applications, also use software programs that check for KEY words and phrases as they pertain to the capability statements and grade your application accordingly!!!

Computers now conduct searches for the vital key words in a resume and the targeted responses to  find the more qualified candidates in a few key strokes.  They don’t care how long  or detailed your resume is (now) because they let the search engine do the identification based on what THEY ARE LOOKING FOR and believe that the software will identify the more qualified candidates to interview.

So start the process of updating and obtaining a rewrite of your resume TODAY with the best resume writer in the marketplace so you, as the job seeker, can be ready to actively (or passively) search for that next exciting career job!

Ivana Agapiou Resume Writer 

Extensive experience in Education, Training and Employment services both in private and public sectors – 0404056278

The post What are Capability Frameworks and how to treat them seriously… appeared first on Eather Recruitment.

Time to stop, think, re-group, take stock AND start again with a even  better resume!

Often, our jobs are much more than just the way we make a living. They influence how we see ourselves, as well as the way others see us. Our jobs give us structure, purpose, and meaning. So how will you cope when you are no longer working?

The good news is that despite the stress, there are many things you can do to take control of a future situation and maintain your spirits. You can get through this tough time by taking care of yourself, reaching out to others, and taking the opportunity to rethink your career goals and rediscover what truly makes you happy.

Remember that the vast majority of job openings are never advertised; they’re filled by word of mouth. That’s why networking is the best way to find a job. Unfortunately, many are hesitant to take advantage of networking because they’re afraid of being seen as pushy, annoying, or self-serving. But networking isn’t about using other people or aggressively promoting yourself—it’s about building relationships. As you look for a new job, these relationships can provide much-needed feedback, advice, and support

Other proactive strategies are:

• Complete and update a new resume
• Tailor resume for each job application
• Keep eye on job market trends
• Search for jobs each day using a variety of methods
• Stay positive

Regularly check link to job vacancy on Eather Recruitment and Labour Hire’s website https://www.eatherrecruitment.com.au/jobseekers/search-for-jobs/#

Ivana Agapiou resume writer and outplacement consultant
Eather Recruitment 

The post Getting ready for job loss – are you facing redundancy; resignation or seeing the writing on the wall? appeared first on Eather Recruitment.