Most selection criteria fail for the same reason: the candidate answers the question instead of making the case. A panel scoring against a capability framework is not looking for a description of what you did. They are looking for evidence, structured the way the framework expects to read it, that you operate at the level the role requires.
Selection criteria, capability statements, pitches and statements of claims are the documents that decide whether you reach the interview. At executive and senior-government level they are also the hardest to write well, because the standard is no longer "did this happen" but "does this demonstrate the capability at the required work level".
I write your selection criteria personally, after a conversation about the role and the examples behind your career. I do not work from a bank of pre-written responses. Every criterion is built from your own evidence, structured with the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), and calibrated to the exact framework the role is assessed against.
Thirty years of writing government and executive applications has taught me which examples land with a panel and which read as filler. The work is matching your real achievements to the capability being tested, in the language the framework uses, so the panel can score you quickly and clearly.
Monique Thompson, Director
Selection criteria are only persuasive when they speak the assessor's language. I write to the framework behind the role you are applying for, including:
You have a specific role and closing date. Send the role description, the capability framework and the criteria with your enquiry. The earlier we start, the more room there is to get the examples right.
You are applying across jurisdictions. The same achievement has to be reframed for an APS panel and a state-government panel. I write each version to the framework it will be scored against.
You are addressing a one-page pitch or statement of claims. The shorter formats are often harder than full criteria, because every sentence has to carry evidence. They are written the same way: from your examples, to the framework.
Merit-based recruitment means the written application is scored before anyone meets you. A strong résumé will not rescue weak criteria, because the criteria are often assessed first and used to shortlist. The candidates who reach interview are the ones whose written evidence maps cleanly onto the capability the panel is required to assess.
Selection criteria can be written on their own or as part of a complete application. View the full range of packages, or get in touch with Monique with your role description for a recommendation.