How to answer selection criteria with the STAR method
Australian and New Zealand government roles often need evidence against capabilities. Here's a structure that works.
Government roles in Australia and New Zealand frequently ask applicants to address selection criteria or write a one-to-two-page "pitch" against the role's capabilities. Many strong candidates lose out because they describe duties instead of evidence.
The STAR structure
- Situation: one or two sentences of context.
- Task: what you were responsible for.
- Action: what you did, the longest part.
- Result: the outcome, with numbers if possible.
Example
Criterion: Communicates with influence. "When our team introduced a new grants system (S), I was asked to bring 40 regional stakeholders on board (T). I ran six online briefings, wrote a plain-English guide and set up a weekly Q&A (A). Adoption reached 92% within two months and support calls fell by a third (R)."
Tips
- Read the role's capability framework (for example, the APS Integrated Leadership System).
- Use a different example for each criterion.
- Respect word limits exactly.
Chapterwise's Selection-criteria helper builds STAR responses from facts already in your resume and counts words as you go.
General information, not legal or financial advice. Check official sources for current rules. Cover photo generated with Seedream 5.0.
