- Am I eligible to apply?
- Does age matter?
- I have a disability - does it matter?
- Do I have to tell Defence about my disability?
- What is merit?
- Do I need qualifications to apply?
- Where are jobs advertised?
- How do I know what level to apply for if I don't currently work in the Australian Public Service?
- Do I need to structure my application in a certain way?
- How long should my answer to each selection criteria be?
- Where can I find information about the job?
- What are the employment conditions?
- What does the recruitment process involve?
- What is an assessment centre?
- What does a security clearance involve?
- What is a character check?
- What does a health assessment involve?
- What is reasonable adjustment?
- What is a merit list?
- Why does the recruitment process take so long?
- What happens after I am told that I am the preferred applicant for a job?
- What is the review process if I am unsuccessful?
- Why can’t I get an interview?
- Why has my email been blocked at the Defence Internet Gateway?
1. Am I eligible to apply?
You are eligible to apply for an APS job @ Defence if you are:
- an Australian Citizen
- willing to undergo a Character Check and Police Records Check
- able to provide appropriate identification documents
- willing to undertake a health assessment.
Top
2. Does age matter?
All APS jobs @ Defence are filled according to a merit based selection process. Apart from the minimum age requirement for employment in each Australian state and territory, age is not a consideration when assessing applicants for employment opportunities.
Top
3. I have a disability - does it matter?
All APS jobs @ Defence are filled according to a merit based selection process. This means selecting the best person for the job. People with disability are encouraged to get in touch with the contact officer should a disability create difficulty with a component of the selection process. The contact officer can then discuss reasonable adjustments that can be made. (Refer to FAQ 18. 'What is reasonable adjustment?')
Top
4. Do I have to tell Defence about my disability?
No, you do not have to tell Defence about your disability. However, Defence encourages disclosure as this helps us to provide assistance that you may need during the selection process, and if you are successful, to do the job. Information regarding disability is treated in strict confidence in accordance with the Privacy Act (1988). You can discuss required assistance with the contact officer, or record this on the Personal Particulars of Applicant form.
Top
5. What is merit?
We recruit staff based on merit, which means that from a field of applicants, we need to select the best person for the job. To do this we compare and weigh-up the skills, experience and abilities of each candidate. We use different tools and techniques, such as written applications, interviews and/or work-sample tests, to collect the evidence we need to make a merit-based decision.
Top
6. Do I need qualifications to apply?
This will depend on the particular job. Most positions in Defence do not require specific qualifications. However, those that do will state them clearly in the job specific Information Pack.
Top
7. Where are jobs advertised?
APS jobs @ Defence are advertised in a number of ways:
- in the electronic Australian Public Service Employment Gazette (all ongoing opportunities)
- through the press
- online job boards
- journals.
The media used will be specific for each job. However, you can always browse vacancies through our website.
Top
8. How do I know what level to apply for if I don't currently work in the Australian Public Service
The levels of APS jobs @ Defence are based on the duties that are required to be performed. Jobs are classified and paid at different levels according to the complexity, responsibility and skills involved. The most common classifications used are as follows:
- APS 1 and 2 - general administrative and service positions, cadetships and trainees
- APS 3 and 4 - general entry level positions and general administrative, technical, project and service positions, and graduate positions
- APS 5 and 6 - senior administrative, technical, project and service positions
- Executive Level 1 and 2 - middle management positions
- Senior Executive Service Band 1, 2 and 3 - senior leadership and management positions.
With this in mind, the best thing to do is read through the information provided for a particular job. The selection criteria and duty statement provide a good indication of the skills and abilities required for the job.
Top
9. Do I need to structure my application in a certain way?
Yes - you will need to demonstrate you meet the selection criteria and are the most suitable person for the job. The STAR model is one way of presenting information against selection criteria. For each criterion think about the following and use these points to form sentences:
Situation - Set the context by describing the circumstance where you used the skills or qualities and gained the experience.
Task - What was your role?
Actions - What did you do and how did you do it?
Results - What did you achieve? What was the end result and how does it relate to the job you are applying for?
Top
10. How long should my answer to each selection criteria be?
Focus on quality not quantity. It is recommended that your statement against each selection criteria should be no longer than one (1) page per selection criteria.
Top
11. Where can I find information about the job?
After reading the selection documentation in the job specific Information Pack, you may phone the contact officer.
Top
12. What are the employment conditions?
You can find these in our Agency agreement, Defence Enterprise Collective Agreement [DECA] 2009.
Top
13. What does the recruitment process involve?
Applications will be individually read and assessed against the selection criteria. Other assessment methods - such as referee reports (testing relevant or specific skills), a structured interview, work simulations, assessment centres, technical tests and aptitude test - may also be conducted. The combination of assessment methods used will be specific to the particular job.
Top
14. What is an assessment centre?
An assessment centre is a process that evaluates applicant suitability using a variety of assessment techniques. Activities conducted at an assessment centre may include group exercises, aptitude tests, written exercises and interviews.
The outcome of the exercises will provide the assessment panel with additional information on your skills, knowledge and personal qualities relevant to the requirements of the job. The assessment panel will rate each applicant against the selection criteria.
Top
15. What does a security clearance involve?
A security clearance involves pre-employment and background checks. Most Defence jobs require a security clearance because of the type of issues/information dealt with in the job. The timeframe for starting a job may be longer, depending on the level of security clearance that is required for the job.
Top
16. What is a character check?
Defence will seek to verify you are of good character and that you are capable of adhering to the Defence and APS Values through a character clearance. The clearance involves checking police records for unspent criminal convictions and findings, confirming details given in your employment application (including employment history, employment references & educational qualifications).
Top
17. What does a health assessment involve?
A health assessment is a standard condition of engagement to the Australian Public Service in Defence. A health assessment may also be required for existing APS employees who are commencing employment in certain positions within Defence. The health assessment is designed to ensure you are fit to perform the particular duties you will be engaged to perform and to seek medical advice where reasonable adjustment needs to be made for some employees. (Refer to FAQ 18. 'What is reasonable adjustment?')
Top
18. What is reasonable adjustment?
Reasonable adjustment relates to people with disability. The concept reflects the understanding that people with disability can often perform the tasks of a position where adjustments are made to accommodate the effects of their disability. Common types of adjustments include:
- adjustment to the workplace or equipment e.g. screen-reader software;
- adjustment to the hours of work such as part-time or use of flex-time;
- adjustment to work methods such as video-conferencing that may be easier for a person with a mobility impairment; or
- adjustment to the selection processes. For example a person with a learning disability may need more time to consider questions; this can be accommodated by providing the questions prior to the interview.
Top
19. What is a merit list?
A merit list is a list of applicants deemed suitable for a position following a competitive selection exercise. Should the same or a similar position become vacant during the 12 months after the original vacancy was advertised, the merit list may be used to select an applicant to fill the position.
( Refer to 'What is reasonable adjustment?')
Top
20. Why does the recruitment process take so long?
People are selected for APS jobs @ Defence on the basis of merit, which means we look for evidence of your skills, experience, abilities and how well they fit the requirements of the job, compared with other applicants. This comparison may be based on your CV, a written application addressing the selection criteria, and/or an interview. Because of this, the recruitment process may take longer for APS jobs than other jobs.
When applying for an APS job @ Defence, you can ask the contact officer about the anticipated recruitment process timeframe for that particular job.
Top
21. What happens after I am told that I am the preferred applicant for a job?
If you are the preferred applicant for an APS job @ Defence, you will be subject to some engagement/employment conditions, which means you must meet particular requirements to be appointed to the job. These requirements may include some or all of the following:
- being an Australian citizen
- security clearance
- health clearance
- character clearance (including a police records check an previous employer check)
- providing appropriate identification documents
- a period of probation (generally 6 months)
Top
22. What is the review process if I am unsuccessful?
If you are a current APS employee and find that you are unsuccessful for a position within Defence you may request a review of the selection process and outcome. For more information on the APS review process, please refer to the APSC site- Review of Actions and the Review of Actions document available to you for reference.
If you are not a current APS employee we recommend you contact the selection coordinator for post assessment feedback.
Top
23. Why can’t I get an interview?
If you are having difficulty getting an interview, ask yourself:
- am I going for the right job for my skills and abilities?
- am I providing all the required information in my application?
- am I preparing a good application which demonstrates my skills, abilities and experience and how they relate to the requirements of the job?
To improve your application in the future, you can contact the selection co-ordinator for post-assessment feedback.
Top
24. Why has my email been blocked at the Defence Internet Gateway?
Emails over 1.5MB will be blocked from entering the Defence system. If documents such as certificates, references, licences, etc are required they can be brought to an interview. Please do not include them in your application unless they are specifically requested.
Most emailed applications, with all attachments, are under 400KB. If anything that you need to scan produces an excessively large file, please scan again at a lower resolution. You do not need to scan documents (eg Personal Particulars of Applicant form - AA312 Excel; pdf )just to include a signature, as your email constitutes an electronic identifier. Any signatures required can be provided at interview or later.
Top
 Documents on this page have been produced in Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF documents require Acrobat Reader for viewing. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it from the Adobe web site
|
