To answer selection criteria well, take each criterion on its own, pick one real example from your work that proves it, and tell that example in four parts: the situation, your task, the actions you took and the result. The Queensland Government's advice is that responses should show, with relevant examples, that you have the experience, skills and abilities the job needs. Claims without examples are where most responses fall flat.
Below is a repeatable method, a worked example and the checks to run before you submit, for government roles and any employer that asks you to "address the key requirements".
What selection criteria are, and why examples matter
Some jobs, especially government jobs, ask applicants to meet selection criteria. The Queensland Government notes they are also called core or key capabilities. In practice they are the list the employer scores you against.
Panels compare every applicant against the same list. That is also good recruitment practice: the Australian Human Rights Commission advises employers to ask all candidates the same set of questions focused on the skills and abilities the job needs. Your written response is your first score on that list.
A sentence like "I have excellent communication skills" gives the panel nothing to score. A short account of when you explained a difficult change to a team, what you said and how it turned out gives them evidence.
Read the criteria before you write a word
Read the ad and the position description slowly, then break each criterion into its parts. A criterion such as "demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines in a busy office" asks for three things: managing several tasks at once, meeting deadlines, and doing it in an office setting.
Mark the key words. Tahatū, the New Zealand Government careers service, advises updating your CV for each application using information and keywords from the job ad. The same applies here: use the employer's words for the skill, so the panel can see at a glance which criterion you are answering.
Then check the format. Some employers want a document with a heading per criterion, others an online form. If the ad sets a word or page limit, that limit is a rule, not a suggestion. Our job application checklist walks through reading an ad as a to-do list, including any criteria and the closing date.
The STAR method for selection criteria
Tahatū recommends the STAR method, situation, task, action, result, for interview questions about something you have done. It works just as well in writing.
| Part | What to write | How much space |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Where you were working and the challenge or context, in one or two sentences | Short |
| Task | What you were responsible for, and what success would look like | Short |
| Action | The specific steps you took, in order, using "I" rather than "we" | Most of the response |
| Result | What changed because of your actions, plus what you learned or would repeat | Short but concrete |
The action section carries the score. Panels want to see the skill being used, so describe the decisions you made and why. If a team did the work, say what your part was.
Results do not need big numbers, just honest, concrete outcomes. Only use a figure you can back up.
How to answer selection criteria step by step
- List every criterion as a heading. Copy the wording exactly, in the order the employer gives it, so nothing is missed.
- Break each one into its parts. Underline the skill, the setting and any level words such as "demonstrated", "sound" or "high level".
- Brainstorm two or three possible examples. Look across paid work, volunteering and study, then pick the one that covers the most parts.
- Open with a one-line claim. State plainly that you have the capability and where you used it, so the panel knows what the example will prove.
- Write the example in STAR order. Keep the situation and task brief and spend most of your words on your actions.
- Finish with the result and a link back. Close by connecting the result to the new role: how the same skill would help in this job.
- Edit hard. Remove filler, check every claim is true, keep to any limit and read it aloud once.
A worked example: administration role
Say the criterion is "Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines." Here is how a response built on STAR could read for someone who worked as an office administrator:
Claim: I have managed competing priorities and met fixed deadlines as the sole administrator in a busy regional office.
Situation: In my last role, the office manager went on leave during the end of the financial year, when supplier invoices, staff rosters and a records audit were all due in the same fortnight.
Task: I was responsible for keeping invoices and rosters on time while preparing files for the audit, without extra staff.
Action: I listed every task with its due date and who depended on it, then ranked them by deadline and impact. I agreed with the finance team which invoices had to go first, blocked out quiet morning hours for the audit files, and sent a short update to my manager each Friday so any risk was flagged early. When a roster change came in late, I moved a lower-priority filing task to the following week.
Result: Rosters and invoices went out on time, the audit files were ready before the auditor arrived, and the weekly update became the standard way the office tracked busy periods. I would bring the same planning habit to this role, where the ad mentions several teams relying on one administration officer.
Notice what it avoids: no "I am a hard worker", no list of duties, no claim that cannot be checked. If you are applying for roles like these, you can browse current administration jobs with visa sponsorship and practise on a real set of key requirements.
Key selection criteria examples: what panels look for
Criteria vary by role, but a few types come up again and again.
- Communication: a time you explained something complex or handled a difficult conversation.
- Teamwork: a project where you supported colleagues, shared work fairly or resolved a disagreement.
- Customer or client focus: a complaint you resolved, or a process you changed because customers kept struggling with it.
- Problem solving: a fault, error or delay you investigated and fixed, and how you stopped it happening again.
- Technical skill: the systems, tools or equipment you used, at what level, and a task that shows that level.
- Integrity and safety: a time you followed a procedure under pressure, reported an issue or protected private information.
If you are applying from overseas, your examples are just as valid. Name the type of organisation and the setting clearly, so a panel unfamiliar with your country can follow the story without knowing the employer.
Where your responses fit with your CV and cover letter
Criteria responses do not replace your other documents. Your CV gives the timeline, the cover letter makes the case in one page, and the criteria responses provide the evidence.
Make sure the jobs you mention in your examples appear on your CV with matching dates and titles. If your CV needs work first, our guide on how to write a CV for Australia and New Zealand covers length and layout, and Build AI CV can help you put together a tailored draft that you then check line by line. For the letter itself, see how to write a cover letter that gets read.
Remember that what you write may be tested later. The Australian Human Rights Commission advises employers to contact referees after the interview to ask about your suitability against the selection criteria. Choose referees who saw the work in your examples, and brief them using our guide to job references in Australia.
Common mistakes
- Claims without evidence. Listing qualities ("motivated, reliable, detail-focused") without an example gives the panel nothing to score.
- Describing duties, not actions. "I was responsible for rosters" is a job description. Say what you actually did on a specific occasion.
- Answering half the criterion. If it asks for priorities and deadlines, an example about deadlines alone scores lower.
- "We" all the way through. The panel is hiring you, so make your own part clear.
- Ignoring the limit or format. Breaking the rules can count against you before anyone reads the content.
- Stretching the truth. JobFinder's Terms of Use say everything you give employers must be true, accurate and genuine, and false work histories lead to disqualification.
- Copying AI text unchanged. Tahatū warns that recruiters can often spot AI-generated documents and that AI output must be checked for errors and exaggerated claims.
From paper to interview
A shortlist usually means an interview built around the same capabilities. Keep a copy of your responses and turn each example into a spoken answer. The Queensland Government advises keeping interview answers to around 2 minutes each and avoiding plain yes or no replies, which suits one well-told STAR example per question.
Prepare a second example for each criterion, so you are not repeating your written answer word for word if the panel has read it. Our job interview tips for Australia and New Zealand cover timing, questions to ask and following up. When you apply on JobFinder, each listing spells out its own requirements, so read them before you hit apply.
Frequently asked questions
What are selection criteria in a job application?
Selection criteria are the skills, knowledge and experience an employer lists as essential or desirable for a role. The Queensland Government notes they are also called core or key capabilities, and they appear most often in government jobs. Your written response shows, with examples, that you meet each one.
How long should each selection criteria response be?
Follow the limit in the ad or the application pack first, because it overrides any general advice. If no limit is given, aim for one strong example per criterion, told in a short paragraph or two, and cut anything that does not prove the criterion.
Can I use the same example for more than one criterion?
You can, but only if you tell it from a different angle each time and the second criterion is clearly the point. Using one story for every criterion suggests you have only one piece of relevant experience, so spread your examples across different jobs where you can.
Is the STAR method only for interviews?
No. Tahatū recommends STAR (situation, task, action, result) for interview questions about something you have done, and the same structure works on paper. Writing your criteria responses in STAR also prepares you for the interview, where panels often ask about the same capabilities.
Can I use AI to write my selection criteria responses?
You can use a tool to help organise your thoughts, but the examples must be yours and true. Tahatū warns that recruiters can often spot AI-generated application documents and that AI results must be checked for errors and exaggerated claims.
What if I do not meet one of the criteria?
Be honest. Show the closest related experience you have and what you did to build the skill, without stretching the truth. Every claim may be checked with your referees, and false claims can end an application.
Key takeaways
- Treat each criterion as a question to answer with one real example.
- Use STAR: keep situation and task short and spend most of your words on your actions.
- Use the employer's wording and keep to any word, page or format rules.
- Every claim must be true and match your CV, because referees may be asked about it.
- Reuse your written examples as two-minute interview answers.
