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Selection Criteria Examples for Graduate Jobs in Australia

2026-11-03

Selection criteria are the skills and qualities an employer uses to decide who gets the job, and in Australia you answer them with a specific example of work you have actually done. The Australian Public Service Commission defines selection criteria as the skills and qualities required for the job and used for selection decisions. Read each one as a request for a story about something you did, not a list of adjectives about yourself.

What each criterion is asking for

The commission's guide to applying for an APS job says selection criteria, where they are used, describe the personal qualities, skills, abilities, knowledge and qualifications a person needs to perform the role effectively. Before you draft, write out those qualities, skills, abilities, knowledge and qualifications in your own words, and mark the ones you can point to something real for.

Public service jobs are not the only place you meet them. Western Sydney University Careers says private sector applicants generally address their claims more briefly, in the cover letter or an online form.

Match the format you were given

The Australian Public Service Commission says agencies may ask you to address several criteria separately or write one general statement of your claims, so work out which of the two your application is asking for before you write a word.

When a statement of claims is the format, the University of Sydney Careers Centre explains that you use each criterion as a heading and write a description of how you meet it. A cover letter covers the same criteria more briefly, in the form of a formal single-page letter, the centre says.

What the wording looks like

The University of Sydney Careers Centre gives examples of the criteria graduates meet. A technical one: 'Intermediate programming skills, preferably using Python and/or SQL.' A transferable one: 'Excellent time management skills including an ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines.' Sometimes the criterion arrives as a question instead, such as 'Can you describe a time you have successfully worked as part of a team?', which the centre lists under teamwork.

Some criteria bundle two requirements together. Western Sydney University Careers points out that a criterion often holds more than one aspect, such as written and verbal communication, and that you have to answer each aspect.

Break the criterion into its parts

Curtin University recommends breaking each criterion down into its crucial points and underlining the key words. Do that this week: paste the criterion into a document, underline every word that names a skill or a quality, and count how many separate things you have to show.

One example for each criterion

The Australian Public Service Commission advises responding to each criterion and explaining how you have demonstrated that skill or quality, following any guidance in the information pack. Back the claim with actual, specific examples of what you did, how well you did it and what you achieved. Don't duplicate your CV; the same guidance says to highlight the specific example or achievement that shows you can do the role.

Put it in STAR order

The commission's frequently asked questions page suggests the STAR model when you are having trouble answering selection criteria. The University of Sydney Careers Centre advises putting about 80% of your answer into the Action, describing what you did and how you did it. Western Sydney University Careers suggests one sentence each for Situation, Task and Result and 3-4 sentences for the Action.

What a weak answer looks like

Western Sydney University's guide rates one response 1 out of a possible 4 against the criterion 'Effective communication skills - written and verbal'. The response reads: 'I have good communication skills - written and verbal. Refer to my resume for the detail.' It scores that low because it gives no example.

The same guide says not to write 'as above', not to refer to your resume, and not to leave a criterion blank.

What a stronger answer looks like

Made-up illustration, not a real applicant — the communication criterion, written and verbal, answered with one example:

The team I was in for a final-year unit had to present our findings to a community organisation, and I wrote the handout that went with the talk. I asked teammates to mark anything unclear in my draft and rewrote those sections. I ran a rehearsal so we each knew who spoke when and what we were covering. The handout went out with the presentation, and the organisation asked to share it with its volunteers.

Made-up illustration, time management:

I had a group assignment due in the same week my retail roster changed. I listed what was left, worked out which parts only I could do, and told the group early which days I could not cover. We submitted on time.

Copy the shape rather than the content: one criterion, one example, most of the words on what you did.

Before you send it

Cover the essential and the desirable criteria. The University of Sydney Careers Centre advises addressing both, saying this maximises your chance of being selected for an interview.
Use what you already have. Western Sydney University Careers says graduates should be confident about using examples from university.
Don't pad. The Australian Public Service Commission says long and complicated selection criteria are becoming a thing of the past, so keep the answer on the example.

If you want to hear your examples out loud before an interview, Pip on the mock interview page asks one question at a time, marks your answer out of five and shows a stronger version built from what you said. The mark is one reader's view of your answer, not a prediction of your interview.