This presentation describes why and how Key Selection Criteria are used by employers in the recruitment process, and provides strategies for addressing the criteria.

1. Addressing Key Selection
Criteria
Career Development Centre
December, 2012

2. What are Key Selection Criteria (KSC)?
KSC describe the personal qualities, skills, abilities,
knowledge and qualifications a person needs to perform the
role effectively
CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE | La Trobe University 2

3. How are KSC used by employers?
KSC are central to the recruitment process
• Short-listing
• Assessment of your capabilities / skills
• Comparison against other applicants
• Referee checks
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4. How are KSC assessed?
Typically by rating your response to individual KSC
However, may also be achieved through:
• Responses to interview questions
• Performance in assessment centre activities
• Responses to online application questions
• Sample of your writing (e.g., cover letter)
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5. Example KSC
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6. How to Respond to KSC
Check the method preferred by the employer:
• Document addressing individual KSC
(traditional method)
• Summary response to all KSC
(word limits may apply)
• Answer a „behavioural question‟ in an online application or
paper based application form
• No written response, assessed via other means
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7. Getting started
• Analyse each criterion to identify the skills & attributes
being rated
• Think of scenarios from work, study, volunteering, sports
and other activities that could be used to illustrate your skill
• Use a different example for each criterion
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8. Structuring your response
Situation
Task
Action
Result
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9. Example - Situation
KSC: Excellent organisational skills
“I have developed excellent organisational skills through my
part-time job as an event assistant at XYZ Events. In this role
I am responsible for booking staff to set up marquees at
private functions.”
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10. Example - Task
KSC: Excellent organisational skills
“To perform this job I need to identify all jobs booked for that
day, calculate how many staff are needed to set up each
event, and ensure that there is sufficient time to set up each
event by the time required.”
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11. Example - Action
KSC: Excellent organisational skills
“Last month I discovered that one of the sales staff had
booked an event, but forgot to enter the booking into the
system. As I had already created the schedule for the event
staff to follow, it was too late to make changes.”
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12. Example – Action (continued)
KSC: Excellent organisational skills
“I quickly made some phone calls to other event staff not
rostered on for the day and found two people who were able
to come to work immediately. I then arranged for a spare
truck to be loaded with the marquees, so that when the event
staff arrived, they were able to deliver the marquee to the
customer immediately.”
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13. Example - Result
KSC: Excellent organisational skills
“The result was that the marquee was set up in time, thus
avoiding a major disruption to the customers‟ event. My
supervisor was very impressed with the work that I did to
resolve the issue and gave me some movie tickets as a small
reward.”
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14. Activity
• Read the examples (next slide)
• Think of a scenario to use
• Draft out your response
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16. What impresses employers?
• Responses that clearly and quickly demonstrate how you
meet the criteria
• Written responses use formal language and are concise
• Examples given from wide range of situations
• All criteria addressed
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17. Tips
• Make sure you understand how the employer wants you to
address the KSC
• Usually a response of ½ to ⅔ page is sufficient (unless a
word limit is specified)
• Check document for spelling and grammatical errors
• Have you used the STAR method to construct your
response?
• Allow plenty of time to prepare your application
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18. Thank you
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Email: careers@latrobe.edu.au