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In any government job application within Australia, you will be asked to address key selection criteria.  But what is Selection Criteria?

 Selection Criteria is a set of competencies and attributes that the organisation sees as essential to been able to perform the job you are interested in applying for.

When you respond to selection criteria, you will need to describe how you meet each competency or area of expertise in a clear and concise written response.

Selection Criteria vary among employers and jobs. Traditionally, they are statements combining skills, knowledge, experience and personal qualities, e.g.

“Ability to develop and maintain systems and processes for mail distribution and storage of publications and brochures”

“Ability to work under pressure, prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and remain tolerant”

Increasingly, Selection Criteria are based on key capabilities e.g.

Resilience – Perseveres to achieve goals, even in the face of obstacles. Copes with setbacks. Stays calm under pressure. Accepts constructive criticism without becoming defensive.’

Problem Solving – Seeks all relevant facts. Liaises with stakeholders. Analyses issues from different perspectives and draws sound inferences from available data. Identifies and proposes workable solutions.’

No matter how Selection Criteria appear, you respond to them the same way:

1. Read and reread the advertisement, Selection Criteria and Position Description.
2. Print or save the Job Details, Position Description, so you can easily refer to it later.
3.  Highlight key words in the first Selection Criteria and think about what the employer is asking for.
4. List examples of how you meet the Selection Criteria. Describe relevant skills, experience, incidents, training, personal qualities, expertise and things you couldn’t have done without all these.
5.  Review your list and summarise, in 60-120 words, how you demonstrated the Selection Criteria.
6. Repeat the Steps for the remaining Selection Criteria

 

 

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Situation – Where and when did you do it?

Action – What did you do and how did you do it?

Outcome – What was the result of your actions?

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A word of encouragement, this may seem unfamiliar and a bit awkward to begin with, but around 60% of government jobs are filled by people not currently working in government organisations. And doing it this way ensures you’re considered fairly along with all other candidates.

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1. We Generate Rapid Results
If you would rather avoid the pain associated with applying for dozens of jobs, without receiving a single job interview, you may want to hire Australia’s best CV  writers to write your CV and Cover letter.  We lead the resume writing industry, holding the record for producing winning resumes, cover letters, selection criteria and LinkedIn profiles.91% of our clients gain interviews within 2 weeks of receiving their new professional CV. Read reviews on our CV writing services. What’s our secret?

With our proven formula, we are experts in describing your work history, skills and experience in a way that conveys your value. As professional CV writers we have developed our writing style and CV layout – so we know what is working right now.
2. FREE Face to Face Consultations

We know that your CV is a highly personal document, so we welcome clients to our offices located in the SE Suburbs of Melbourne Australia.

Alternatively, if you want to go and sit somewhere private and be able to have a face to face consultation, we offer  FREE Video conferencing calls using SKYPE (search for info@powerresumes.com.au on Skype) or Apple’s Face Time (Face Time us on 0468 333 548 ).   We recommend you get out of your office environment so you get some privacy, we suggest you choose a comfy  park bench or somewhere you can speak freely and openly about your career goals and challenges.
3. Australian Certified CV Writers

You won’t be disappointed in the CV and Cover Letters that we produce.  Since we are 100% owned and operated, we take accountability for results we deliver.   Unlike other CV writing services, we do not outsource any of our writing off shore, and we promise your documents will be written by an Australian Certified CV Writer, with strong experience within your industry.

This is a major distinction, and if you are making enquiries with multiple CV writing services, you may want to clarify what CV writing certifications they have, and who will be writing your CV.
4. 60 Days Membership to our Exclusive Job Search Success Program & Email Coaching Support

Our Vision is to enable your career success. Our service is driven by the belief that every Australian should love their job. Our goal is to see that you secure your dream job easily and without frustration.

To assist our clients, we offer a 60 Days Membership to our Exclusive Job Search Success Program. This program provides access to the latest job search information and our team of experienced and caring Career Consultants will be available with email support.

We are passionate about what we do, and we put our heart and soul into creating your CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and key selection criteria, and do all that we can to ensure they stand out from other applications.
5. Our CV Formats are Approved by Industry Decision Makers

There are thousands of CV Writing Services in Australia to choose from, but to succeed in your application; you want to make sure you are choosing the best professional CV writers.

Some services now involve a graphic designer in putting together your new CV and covering letter. While this may sound like a great idea, it may in fact substantially damage your application. The art work will sabotage the computer data base search engine that organisations use to read the key words off your CV and cover letter. Even using more than one or two small tables In MS Word is not best practice, as it may interfere with the way the computer reads your CV – which means that your CV might not even get past this first hurdle.

Our ongoing research with our contacts across Melbourne indicate the preference for a CV structure.
6. Our Key Selection Criteria Writing Service is Australia’s Highest Quality
We commit time and effort to ensure your application is at our famous ‘Selection Criteria Response Gold Standard’. Our key selection criteria writing service has been honed over the years and our writers are highly skilled in encapsulating how you meet each criterion.
When we write your new selection criteria responses, we make sure that they include strong examples that relate to the jobs that you are targeting. It is challenging to land a government job, so ensuring that you have a strong application that will showcase your experience is a wise investment.

7. Our LinkedIn Profile Writing Service Entices Organisations to Contact You Directly.

LinkedIn has never been so popular, and with 5 years experience creating exceptional LinkedIn profiles, we are in the top 5% of Australia’s LinkedIn Profile Writers and have the skills necessary to put together a stand out profile.

Why do you need a Professional LinkedIn Profile? Gone are the days that organisations blindly put an advert onto Seek to source candidates for jobs. Recruiters and Hiring Managers are now using LinkedIn to search for the perfect candidate….for a job that may never be advertised anywhere…..
Our LinkedIn writing service assists you to create a strong online brand, and ensures that your profile will be found, using the right keywords and jargon for your industry.

And One Last Bonus ….

Your new CV and cover letter can be easily updated for years to come, making it easy for you amend your documents to target any job you may want to apply for down the track. We do not lock your documents, they are your investment and we do not make them difficult to amend.
So what’s the next step?
Want Us to Take a Look at Your Current CV?

We will ask you a few questions to get an insight into your career goals, and then we will take a look at your CV for some professional feedback.

 

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Professional Resume Writing in an industry that has scene an explosion of growth over the last 2 years.  There are literally thousands of resume writing services that are all vying for your attention, telling you that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to writing an impressive resume and a compelling cover letter.

Like any other industry, there are huge variations in quality from one resume writing service to another.  Think of a resume writing service as a little like buying a new car.  There are the Daihatsu level resume writing services,   then there are the Holden /Toyota / Mazda /Ford range of resume writing services, and then there are the Audi / Mercedes / BMW range of services.  Well, Power Resume Writing Services are best described as in between the mid to high level of resume writing service.  We offer a resume writing service that is affordable, reliable but also has the style and format of an executive or senior professional level of resume.

High Quality Resume Writing Services for an Affordable Rate.

Rather than rolling out useless generic resumes and cover letters, we are dedicated to creating high quality resumes, cover letters and selection criteria. We take the time to ensure your documents are unique and convey your value and experience.

The resumes, cover letters, selection criteria responses and LinkedIn profiles we write highlight your most valuable key strengths, so prospective employers can easily see your skills and the associated benefits in hiring you.

Our specialised QA process is conducted by a fellow Australian Certified Resume Writer and is an integral part of our process, ensuring that your entire document contains the necessary keywords and is written in the most powerful language to help you gain an interview in the fastest possible time.

When you engage our professional resume writing services and selection criteria writing service, you can feel at ease, knowing that we will clearly convey your best achievements and demonstrate the extra effort you have delivered throughout your employment history.

When you contact us, we don’t know your career history, drive and motivation, and neither do the hiring managers who will be looking at your resume. To overcome this, we’ve developed a targeted questionnaire process through which we take the time to get to know you, discovering what you want to do in your next job and identifying your career highlights.

As experienced Career Consultants, we have a process that has proven highly effective in identifying exactly what skills, knowledge and experience we need to focus on in your resume / selection criteria and cover letter, so you look like the ideal candidate.

 

If someone had told you 10 years ago that you’d be researching the internet for Professional Resume Writers in Australia, you’d be hard pressed to believe them right?

It’s amazing how quickly the world of work has been evolving, there are so many new jobs out there these days, and we are so lucky in Australia, as we can fairly much have what ever type of flexible working conditions that we wish….it’s just a matter of finding the right employer within the right industry….we just need to convince the hiring managers (and those recruiters and HR Administrators that we are the best person for the job)

With so much competition for jobs these days, you’ve got to do everything you can to stand out and be seen as a worthwhile candidate.

There are 5 Keys To Consider for Career Success:

1.  the type of job you want

2. the industry and type of company you want to work for,

3. the salary and working conditions that you should ask for,

4. your appearance and performance in the job interview,

5. the state of your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile

 

It is a difficult process for Australian candidates to write and review their own resume, it’s like someone asking us to stand up on a podium and tell a passing crowd how good we are – it’s just not Australian.

With so much talk about the importance of keywords and the use of search engines to shortlist candidates, no wonder so many people who write their own resume are left with no interviews….

It’s hard to know what you need to put into your resume, and how to format it, to make it stand out.   It’s even harder when you’re not sure what hiring managers are looking for in the resumes they read – and how to get passed the dreaded gatekeepers who will decide if the managers will even see your resume (ie. the recruitment agency and / or the HR Administrative Officer).   If you have been having these types of troubles or concerns, you’re on the right track by considering hiring  a professional resume writer.

Professional resume writers know what skills to highlight on your resume to get the attention of a hiring manager. They may be able to pick up on elements of your employment history that are advantageous to your job applications that you weren’t even aware of, because it’s difficult to evaluate yourself from an objective perspective.

But before you shell out your hard earned dollars to a professional resume writer, make sure to ask these questions to ensure you’ve got the right resume writer for the job.

1. Can you show me examples of your work?

Any resume writer with experience should be able to provide several examples of past work. Ask for examples not found on their website so you get an idea of their true writing capacity.

2. Do you have experience writing resumes in my industry?

This isn’t a necessity for all industries, but may be relevant for highly technical positions or exclusive business sectors. It might be worth paying more for a resume by working with someone who has the relevant industry experience, knows what employers in your industry will want to see and can use the industry keywords appropriately.

3. What are the three biggest issues you see with my resume?

A good resume writer should be able to immediately see areas that could stand to be improved and have a few good suggestions. This will indicate to you their skill level and that they are actually trained in this profession.

4. Can you also rewrite my LinkedIn profile?

This may or may not be part of their overall service, but having an in-depth knowledge of your professional history should enable a resume writer to construct you a LinkedIn profile with ease. Having a LinkedIn profile that accurately portrays who you are professionally may help you more than your resume, since many recruiters are now using the online world to investigate and even find potential employees.

5. What is the price?

Avoid those professional resume writers that charge a shockingly low fee. Those businesses that are ready to provide you with a fee upfront with no knowledge of the current standard of your document and to what level you need to take your application will be the type to deliver the generic, run of the mill resume that will not illustrate how you are the best applicant for the job.

So Is Hiring a Professional Resume Writer Right for You?

 

 

Some people feel like you should create your own resume, because it’s such a personal document and others consider that this is a skill that is fairly basic, and anybody searching for employment should be able to put together a decent application. However, although a resume is about you, it is a professional document and most people lack the ability and clarity to write about themselves objectively and in a professional sense.

Should you be able to write a 3 page document on your employment history yourself?

Well consider that resume writing is a profession, people undergo complex training to be able to present information in the most concise, compelling and appropriate way in which to interest recruiters.

This ability is clearly not one that everyone has, nor should they be expected to. In addition, you may be able to put together an adequate document, but hundreds of people will be applying for the same positions as you, and you can guarantee a percentage of those people will have professional resumes, putting them ahead of the pack in terms of selection.

It is important to stand out from the crowd and create the best first impression possible.

 

Please Contact Us by email on  info@powerresumes.com.au to find out more, or fill out the online form below and we’ll be intouch within 30 minutes.

 

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If you’re job searching in today’s market and finding it tough, you can rest assure that you are not alone. Whatever your level and experience, you need to think outside the ‘Seek box’ when job hinting. Here’s some ideas for how you can increase the potential of finding that job that’s right for you.

LinkedIn

First and foremost, connect to LinkedIn. This social networking site is great for making valuable connections, learning about industry changes and finding out about employment opportunities. Develop yourself a profile and get connecting, but remember, this is a completely professional space and therefore, think carefully and what you upload or write, making sure that is displays you in the best light possible.

Facebook

Whilst you need to be careful to keep your privacy settings tight in your Facebook profile of you are utilising this social network for contact with friends and family, it is another arena in which jobs are advertised and where you can take your jobs search to the next level. Particularly for those in the mining industry

Join Professional Organisations

This is a good way to meet people who have shared professional interests and goals. When you are a member you will usually get access to a membership list, meaning you want make contact through social networking with new contacts. Most organizations also run regional or national meetings and conferences, which leads to the next technique for building your network of contacts.

 

 

The job industry is undeniably tough around the world, and none so much as Australia which has climbed to an unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent in 2013.

With so much fierce competition, those looking to move from other nations and seek employment in Australia are at a decided disadvantage due to their lack of local experience and other cultural factors.

However, there are some steps you can take to improve your chances of landing a position in Australia. Follow some of the suggestions below to get your foot in the door.

Use Contacts

Know anyone in Australia? Use these contacts to correspond with business people, regardless of industry, to get a feel of the business environment. You never know who you may become connected to. Furthering on this idea, utilise LinkedIn to broaden your network and memberships to Australian based organisations. You will also have access to enhanced job searching abilities, as part of the jobs link access on this networking site.

Do You Research

Use the internet to find out about key trade and professional organisations for your industry and get a feel for the sort of salary and working conditions you can expect with your skills, qualifications and experience. Find out which recruitment companies specialise in your field and make contact with recruiters. A good place to start is the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association’s Member Index, which lists recruiters by industry area and location.

Sort your references

Get your testimonials and references sorted in advance. Australian employers highly value referee checks as a way to differentiate between final candidates, so this is essential to your job hunt. Where possible, it is advantageous to have Australian referees.

Don’t be Afraid of Temping

A key issue for foreigners looking for a position in Australia is their lack of local experience and therefore, the perception of a diminished ability to perform in the Australian environment. Whilst this is both unfair and often to the detriment of Australian workplaces, it is an attitude that you simply must work around. Therefore, if you are battling with this road block, sign up with a temp agency. They are often less demanding of local experience when finding people for short assignments, and this way you can build your Australian experience and possibly gain long term opportunities once you become integrated into Australian businesses.