With extensive experience working for the Department of Human Services in a highly involved, complex and confronting role, the client was looking for a change where she could still utilise her skillset within a leadership position. Through feedback she had received after presenting Selection Criteria for other roles, she expressed that despite the adequate representation of the requisites needed for the applications she had been told that her examples were too confronting. This was our biggest challenge – to ensure the points for the new role she wanted to apply for were true, a well-rounded representation of the criteria and not too involved. As a caseworker, most recently, this was something we had to work through sensitively.
The position she was applying for was through the Fair Work Ombudsman and whilst it was still a fast-paced role where strong negotiation techniques were needed, it was quite different from her past positions. To highlight her capabilities and draw parallels between her experience and the advertised role, I used common language and ensured that I demonstrated the client’s ability to adapt and learning new skills, as well as the fact that her skill set was transferable. The criteria points were quite specific so we decided to use a number of examples that overlapped to keep the document flowing and also to emphasise her aptitude for adjusting skills to fit the situation. Furthermore, this also drew attention to her resourcefulness and relationship building skills.
The points that were to be covered were:
- Management and leadership skills – Demonstrated experience in leading, coaching and developing staff in a geographically dispersed team environment. Proven ability to encourage and motivate teams in continuous learning, promoting positive workplace culture and leading staff through change
- Performance – Experience in leading a team including setting the direction of work priorities, monitoring work distribution in a high volume environment, driving team performance and addressing performance weaknesses
- Achieves Results – Demonstrated skills in leading a high volume dispute resolution team to achieve business and customer outcomes
- Communicating with influence – Experience in using a diverse range of influencing and negotiation skills tailored to the situation to communicate effectively with a diverse range of customers, staff and stakeholders
- Strategic Thinking – The ability to think strategically to align team objectives with business objectives, and to take the initiative in progressing new business initiatives, innovation or opportunities to enhance service delivery
The application also called for a 1250 word limit and for the applicant to answer two fundamental questions within the document. This was achieved through specific questions during the consultation and the client being more than prepared with a number of examples. All in all, the finished product encompassed all aspects of the outlined credentials and the client was able to submit their application on time.