A guide for UWA professional staff

Claire Webb
Organisational & Staff Development Services

© Revised 2008  (First published 1996)

Contents

Section 1: Introduction

• Who the Guide is for

• Why it Has Been Produced

• Selection Process for General Staff at UWA

Section 2: Deciding to Apply

• Deciding What You Want From a Job

  Exercise 1: What are your overall goals and needs?

  Exercise 2: What are your skills?

  Exercise 3: What are your current work values?

• Finding Out What Jobs are Available at UWA

  • Advertised positions

  • Unadvertised positions

• Finding Out More About the Job

  • Position Description

  • Selection criteria

  • Additional sources of information

• Deciding if the Job Meets Your Needs

• Further Reading

Section 3: The Written Application

• Introduction

  • Why is a written application important?

  • What is included in a written application?

  • 'Action verbs' for describing skills and competencies

• The Application Form

• The Covering Letter

  • Purpose

  • What should it include?

  • Should it be typed or handwritten?

  • Use of positive tone

  • Examples

• The Résumé

  • What is a résumé or curriculum vitae?

  • What should the résumé include?

  • Making it easy for the selection panel

  • Suggested layout

• Other Documents

  • Written references

  • Work samples

  • Qualifications

• Addressing Selection Criteria

  • What are selection criteria and why are they used?

  • Examples of selection criteria

  • Why selection criteria should be addressed

  • How to address selection criteria

  • Providing additional information

  • Example

• Quality of the Written Application
• Further Reading

Section 4: The Interview

• Purpose of the Interview
• The Selection Panel
• Format of the Interview
• Interview Questions

  • Questions the selection panel may ask you

  • Questions you may want to ask

• Preparation for the Interview
• What to Take With You
• How to Create a Good Impression at the Interview

  • First impressions

  • Body language

  • Answering questions

  • Handling difficult or inappropriate questions

  • Asking questions

  • Positive attitude

  • Last impressions

• Other Ways of Assessing Your Suitability for the Job
• After the Interview
• Further Reading

Section 5: Coping with Rejection

• How to Find Out Why You Didn't Get the Job

• Possible Reasons for Missing Out

- At the written application stage

- At the interview stage

• Dealing with Rejection

Section 6: Where to go for Extra Help

• Help from Organisational and Staff Development Services

• Books and Other Resources

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people from the University for their suggestions, encouragement and proofreading skills: Barbara Black, David Hayles, Rob Mattaboni, and Ni Norton. My thanks also go to Paddi Brown, staff development consultant, for her initial ideas.