Five minute read

We’ve been hearing a lot lately that responding to selection criteria is a waste of time. Fair call, on the surface it can feel like busywork. We’re also seeing an uptick in enquiries and applications that all look strangely similar, generic cover letters, criteria responses full of vague statements, or the “just read my resume, it’s all in there” approach. And frankly, that last one makes us roll our eyes a little.

If you’ve taken the time to vet an AI supported application and make sure a human’s actually gone over it properly, great, that’s a different conversation. But that’s not the bulk of what we’re seeing. So it feels like the right time to unpack why criteria still matter, and how to actually use them to your advantage.

Why criteria matter more in some sectors than others

If you’re applying to a small or medium private business, there’s usually a lot more flexibility in how they hire. Employers can read between the lines, lean on a strong resume, and fill in the gaps with a phone call or an email.

But in disability services, government, not for profit and the broader public sector, key selection criteria are front and centre in how people get shortlisted. There’s a good reason for that, and it works both ways:

• For you, criteria make it quick to figure out whether a role is actually a fit.

• For the employer, we’re often required to prove the process was merit based, and your response to the criteria is what gets you into that initial yes pile.

More and more job ads are saying it outright now, if you don’t address the criteria, you might not get shortlisted at all.

That doesn’t mean you need to tick every single box before you apply. If you’re missing part of a requirement, use your response to show how you’d close that gap, through training, volunteering, or a plan to grow into it. Honestly, that’s often more compelling than ticking every box on paper anyway.

How we approach recruitment at Full Circle.

Worth explaining how we work, since it shapes what we’re looking for. We’re not a general recruitment agency putting out ads for anyone and everyone. We only recruit for our members and clients, and only for specific roles, because we know their business the way an internal HR team would. We’re not walking in cold when a vacancy comes up.

We also don’t hold a bank of candidates and we don’t do temporary placements, and that’s not a knock on agencies that do, it’s just not our model. Every role we recruit is a genuine, intentional permanent or contract vacancy, one we understand because we’re working with that business every day, not one we’re trying to fill off the back of a database.

We also tend to work mostly on management level roles, which makes for a much more thorough and personal process than filling a standard vacancy. So at that level, here’s generally what we’re hoping to see:

• A resume that’s up to date, accurate and easy to read
• A cover letter that introduces you and gives us a sense of why you actually want this role
• A response to the selection criteria that’s clear, logical and backed by real examples of when you’ve done the thing being asked

Using the STAR method to structure your response

Honestly, a lot of people just aren’t sure how to tackle selection criteria, whether they’re going for an admin role, a management role or something technical. That uncertainty usually shows up one of two ways. Either the cover letter is so generic it leaves us to join the dots ourselves, which puts the work back on the recruiter rather than you, or the response is full of hypotheticals and fluff because the applicant isn’t confident about what to actually say. Neither does you any favours.

Our go to is the STAR approach:

• Situation, set the scene, what was the context or environment
• Task, what needed to happen
• Action, what you specifically did, not what “we” did as a team
• Result, what came of it, and what that says about your ability in this area

Gippsland based communication expert, Leah Mether, has a great four part Job Seeker series covering phone interviews, writing applications, interviewing well and more on youtube. We’re linking one video here, but honestly, we’d recommend watching all four, no matter what level role you’re going for: https://youtu.be/G6j7nmGlqPw

And keep your examples tied to the actual question being asked, not just whatever you’re keenest to show off.

A quick word on AI generated applications

We’re seeing a flood of AI generated applications land in our inbox, and too often, some that make it to the shortlist include experience or claims that just don’t check out. Even more often, the real issue is that everything starts to sound the same, which makes it a lot harder for you to actually stand out.

AI can be a great tool if you’re short on time. Just make sure you proofread it, tweak it, and make it sound like you, not like something that was spat out for you. It should read like you took the time to actually think about it.

Bottom line

Nobody’s expecting pages and pages for every single criterion. But taking the time to actually read the position description and respond to what the business needs says a lot about your attention to detail and how invested you are. An application is your shot at putting your best foot forward. Cutting corners on the criteria only works against you.