Posted on December 23, 2020 by Archan Trivedi
KSC documents the skills, attributes, qualifications, and knowledge that the prospective employer has defined as being essential for satisfying the requirements of the job. KSC is basically a document that will allow the recruiter to make a fair and accurate assessment of capabilities of the applicant to understand and fulfil the pivotal duties of the job position. KSC are a list of essentials that an applicant must fulfil to be eligible for the job position. Recruitment or selection through Key Selection Criteria process is majorly followed and practised in Australia. The selection panel utilizes the data, to evaluate how well an applicant meets the key selection criteria.
Not just the employers, but the applicants are also benefitted by the KSC process as it provides them a better understanding of what the job actually requires and accordingly, they will be able to assess their own capabilities against the requirements of the job. Including KSC in the job application process helps the selection panel in assessing all applicants fairly and consistently. Describing effectively how one meets the KSC will increase one’s chances of getting selected in the selection process. But, if one fails to submit strong key selection criteria responses, one might not get called for an interview.
While applying for jobs in Australia, you might think that the job application process merely comprises of relenting an updated CV/resume followed by a cover letter. Although, some job applications will require you to carry out a third step, i.e., responding to the key selection criteria. While KSC are usually associated with government job applications, they are also commonly used by larger organizations.
Some tips to address KSC effectively
- Exhibit capability by providing relevant and specific evidence of how you meet the key selection criteria.
- Understand exactly what is being requested and brainstorm key words and ideas accordingly and keep your KSC succinct and brief.
- Stick to the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) methodology as it is considered an essential tool for answering critical elements of KSC.
- State your claim and support it with an indicator of result or success wherever possible.
- Be critical while reviewing or proof-reading your KSC application.
Key selection criteria show how well you meet the job criteria by writing convincing statements in your job application. The job description or duties will help you understand what is required in terms of qualifications, experience, skills, and knowledge. To be in with a realistic chance of obtaining an interview, one must meet at least 80% of the selection criteria requirements. So, if you do not think that you will meet the minimum requirements for KSC, it is recommended not to apply in such situations as your responses to the selection criteria will be crucial to whether the employer grants you an interview or not.
Addressing the KSC successfully is quite an intense and structured process as its main purpose it to determine whether you are a good fit to the requirements of the position. Writing a KSC can be really difficult, certainly even harder than a resume, and that is not easy itself. The key selection criteria have been added to the job application process for a reason, so do not ignore them. You must consider giving the KSC as much as weight as your CV/resume. While it is an additional work in your application process, submitting a high-quality response to the selection criteria plays a notable role in positioning you as a qualified candidate.