Selection criteria are the gate on nearly every government job in Cairns, plus plenty of roles at councils, universities, hospitals and the bigger not-for-profits. They are also where most applications die. The panel does not shortlist the best worker; they shortlist the best evidence. Learn to write that evidence and you will interview far more often than your competition, because most people never learn.
What a criterion is actually asking
A selection criterion looks like a statement: demonstrated ability to provide high quality customer service, or well-developed written communication skills. It is really a question: prove to me, with something that actually happened, that you can do this.
That word demonstrated is the whole game. The panel cannot score claims. "I have excellent communication skills" scores nothing. "Here is a specific time I communicated something difficult, what I did, and what happened as a result" scores. Every sentence you write should either set up an example or deliver one.
STAR, done properly
The STAR structure is the standard way to shape each example, and it works because it forces you to finish the story:
- Situation: where you were and the context, in one or two sentences.
- Task: what you specifically were responsible for.
- Action: what you actually did, step by step. This should be the longest part, and the word is I, not we. The panel is hiring you, not your old team.
- Result: what happened because of your actions. Ideally something observable: a problem resolved, a deadline met, a process still in use, positive feedback received.
Here is an invented example, written purely to show the shape, for a criterion about managing competing priorities:
"In my role as office administrator for a busy trades business, I handled reception, scheduling and accounts support at the same time (Situation). During our busiest quarter, I was asked to take over job scheduling while still covering the front desk (Task). I set up a shared calendar the tradespeople could see on their phones, blocked two hours each morning for scheduling before the phones got busy, and agreed a triage system with my manager for urgent jobs (Action). Double-bookings stopped, the schedule stayed current, and the calendar system was still in use when I left the role (Result)."
Notice what that paragraph does not do: it does not claim to be organised. It shows organisation and lets the panel draw the conclusion. Do not copy that example; the panel reads hundreds of applications and recycled material stands out. Mine your own history, including volunteering, sport and study if your work history is short, and the job references guide covers how to back thin experience with the right referees.
Decoding the language
Criteria are written in code. A rough translation table:
- Demonstrated ability or proven experience: they want a real example, not a claim. This is a must-have, so bring your strongest story.
- Knowledge of or understanding of: you can satisfy this by showing you know the thing and how it applies to the role, even without deep experience. Do your reading and connect it to something you have done.
- Well-developed or highly developed: a signal of the level. Highly developed means they expect depth, so a senior-sounding example beats a routine one.
- Ability to: the softest phrasing. If you lack direct experience, a transferable example plus evidence you learn quickly can carry it.
Also read the role description and the ad itself, because the words they repeat are the words the panel cares about. Mirror their language naturally, the same trick that works in a resume for local employers.
Length, format and the two-page pitch
Follow the instructions in the application package exactly. If it says a maximum of one page per criterion, or 250 words, that is a test of whether you follow instructions, and blowing the limit fails it.
Queensland Government roles increasingly skip itemised criteria responses in favour of a short statement, often capped at one or two pages, sometimes called a statement of suitability. Do not treat this as a cover letter. Pick the two or three most important capabilities from the role description, and spend the space on your best STAR examples against them, with a short opening line about why you want the role. Same evidence, tighter packaging.
Formatting stays plain: the criterion or capability as a heading, your response under it, normal font, no tables or graphics.
The common fails
- Restating the criterion as your answer. "I have demonstrated ability to work in a team" proves nothing.
- All we, no I. The panel cannot score your team.
- No result. Stories that end at the action feel unfinished and score lower. Even a modest result beats none.
- One giant paragraph. Panels skim first. Short paragraphs, one example per criterion, two if the criterion is broad.
- Recycling one response across different jobs. The mismatch is obvious to people who read these all day.
- Leaving it until the night before closing. A decent set of responses takes hours, not minutes. Late applications are generally not accepted, so start early.
After the criteria comes the panel
Strong written responses get you to a structured interview, where the panel asks for examples verbally. The good news: you have already written your best material. Rehearse your STAR stories out loud and you walk in prepared, which is rarer than it should be. The interview guide covers the rest, and if the role asks for a cover letter as well, the cover letter guide shows how to keep it short.
Selection criteria skills pay off beyond government: the same evidence-first writing lifts any serious application. See what is worth applying for on the live listings, including the admin roles where these skills are most often tested. Employers post here free, so new local roles appear daily.