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Create ResumeA government resume package in Australia is not just a resume with a nicer cover letter attached. It is usually a tailored application set that may include a government resume, cover letter, selection criteria responses, statement of claims, pitch, referee details, and sometimes supporting documents. The real purpose is simple: to prove you meet the role requirements with clear, relevant evidence.
This is where many candidates go wrong. They treat government applications like private sector applications, where a strong resume might be enough to get curiosity. In government recruitment, curiosity is not the goal. Evidence is. A selection panel needs to see how your experience matches the job advertisement, capability framework, classification level, and selection criteria. If they have to guess, they usually will not.
A government resume package is a complete set of application documents prepared for an Australian public sector job. Depending on the role, agency, level, and application instructions, it may include:
A tailored government resume
A cover letter
A statement of claims
Selection criteria responses
A short pitch or one-page pitch
Referee details
Supporting documents such as qualifications, licences, certificates, or citizenship evidence where requested
The important word here is tailored. A government resume package should not be a bundle of generic documents that vaguely say you are hardworking, experienced, and passionate about public service. Lovely. So is half the applicant pool.
Private sector hiring often allows more flexibility. A recruiter may scan your resume, see commercial relevance, and call you to explore further. In government hiring, especially in structured recruitment processes, the panel is usually assessing against defined criteria. That means your application must do more of the work upfront.
This does not mean government hiring is always perfectly objective. Let us not pretend selection panels are magical machines of fairness and consistency. They are still human. They still skim. They still compare. They still get tired. But they are also working within a more formal assessment process, which means your application needs to make the evidence easy to find.
The biggest difference is this: private sector applications often ask, “Could this person do the job?” Government applications more often ask, “Has this person demonstrated the required capability clearly enough for us to justify shortlisting them?”
That is a very different standard.
A strong government resume package needs to show:
Relevant experience against the role requirements
Evidence of outcomes, not just responsibilities
Clear examples aligned to selection criteria or capability areas
Awareness of public sector values, governance, accountability, and stakeholder complexity
A proper government resume package connects your experience directly to the role. It shows the panel that you understand what the job requires, that you have done similar work before, and that your examples are pitched at the right level.
When I review government applications, I am not looking for decorative language. I am looking for alignment. Does the resume match the job advertisement? Does the statement of claims answer the actual question? Do the examples show impact? Is the candidate operating at the right level of complexity? Has the applicant understood the difference between being involved in work and being accountable for work?
That last one matters more than candidates realise.
Appropriate language for the classification level
A clean structure that makes assessment easy
Candidates often underestimate the last point. If your application is hard to assess, you are creating work for the panel. That is not noble. That is risky.
The exact documents depend on the application instructions. Always follow the advertisement first. If the job asks for a two-page pitch and resume, do not submit a five-page selection criteria response because you feel inspired. Government applications reward relevance, not enthusiasm with no boundaries.
Your government resume should be targeted to the role, not copied from a private sector version with the word “stakeholder” added twelve times for decoration.
A strong government resume usually includes:
Contact details
Professional summary tailored to the role
Key capabilities or skills aligned to the job advertisement
Employment history with achievement-focused bullet points
Education, qualifications, licences, and certifications
Relevant technical systems, policy areas, compliance knowledge, or frameworks
Referee details if requested
The resume should make your suitability obvious before the panel even reads the pitch or selection criteria. It should not simply list duties. Duties tell me what your job description said. Achievements tell me what you actually did with the responsibility.
Weak Example
Responsible for managing stakeholder relationships and preparing reports.
Good Example
Managed relationships with internal policy, finance, and operations stakeholders to coordinate monthly reporting, resolve data gaps, and deliver executive-ready briefs within tight governance deadlines.
The good version gives context. It tells me who you worked with, what you managed, what problem you solved, and why it mattered. That is the difference between a task and evidence.
A government cover letter is not always required, and when it is required, it should not be a polite summary of your resume. It should position your suitability for the role.
A strong cover letter should:
Address the role and agency directly
Explain your relevant background briefly
Highlight your strongest evidence against the key requirements
Show motivation without sounding performative
Point the reader towards your attached resume or statement of claims
The mistake I see constantly is candidates using the cover letter to say they are “excited to apply” and then spending three paragraphs describing personality traits. That does not move the panel forward.
Your cover letter should answer the silent panel question: “Why should we keep reading?”
A statement of claims is often used in Australian Government and APS applications. It asks you to explain how your skills, experience, and capabilities meet the requirements of the role.
This is not the same as a cover letter. It is more evidence-focused. It should usually be structured around the job requirements, selection criteria, capabilities, or wording in the advertisement.
A strong statement of claims should:
Address the core requirements directly
Use specific examples
Show outcomes and impact
Demonstrate judgement, not just activity
Match the level of responsibility expected in the role
Stay within the word or page limit
A weak statement of claims reads like a career summary. A strong one reads like a short, focused argument for why you meet the role requirements.
Selection criteria responses are where many candidates either win or lose the application.
The issue is not that candidates have no experience. Often, they do. The issue is that they explain it badly. They write vague claims such as “I have excellent communication skills” or “I work well under pressure” and assume the panel will believe them because they sound professional.
Panels do not need adjectives. They need proof.
Selection criteria responses should usually include:
A relevant situation
Your specific task or responsibility
The actions you personally took
The result or outcome
Reflection where useful, especially for senior roles
This is where STAR can help, but I want to be clear: STAR is a structure, not a personality transplant. Some candidates follow STAR so mechanically that the response sounds like it was assembled in a government basement with fluorescent lighting and no snacks.
Use STAR to create clarity, but keep the writing natural.
Many Australian Government roles ask for a pitch, often within a strict word or page limit. A pitch is usually a concise response explaining why you are suitable for the role, using evidence against the key requirements.
A good pitch is not a mini autobiography. It should not start from your first job unless your first job involved drafting Cabinet submissions while still learning how to use the office printer.
A strong pitch should:
Open with your strongest relevant positioning
Address the most important role requirements
Use one or two high-quality examples
Show capability at the correct level
Connect your experience to the agency’s needs
Avoid wasting words on generic motivation
The best pitches are selective. They do not try to mention everything. They choose the strongest evidence and make it count.
Candidates often imagine selection panels reading applications slowly, appreciating every sentence, and gently admiring their dedication. I wish. In reality, panels are comparing multiple candidates against role requirements, often under time pressure, while trying to apply a fair assessment process.
They are looking for evidence they can defend.
That means your government resume package needs to answer these questions clearly:
Does this candidate meet the essential requirements?
Have they demonstrated the required capability?
Are their examples relevant to the role?
Are they operating at the right level?
Can we justify shortlisting them based on the written application?
Is there enough evidence to suggest they will perform well in interview?
The phrase “operating at the right level” is critical.
For example, an APS 4 candidate may be expected to deliver tasks, manage competing priorities, and support team outcomes. An APS 6 candidate may be expected to manage complexity, exercise judgement, influence stakeholders, and deliver outcomes with less supervision. An EL 1 candidate may need to show leadership, strategic thinking, risk management, and broader organisational impact.
The same example can look strong or weak depending on the level.
If you are applying for a senior role and your examples only show that you completed assigned tasks, the panel may see you as technically capable but not level-ready. That is one of the most common reasons candidates miss out despite having good experience.
The biggest mistake is treating each document as separate.
Candidates write a resume, then a cover letter, then selection criteria responses, and each document says slightly different things. The resume highlights one set of strengths. The pitch focuses on another. The selection criteria introduce examples that are not supported in the resume. By the end, the application feels scattered.
A strong government resume package works as one argument.
Your resume should provide the evidence base. Your pitch or statement of claims should interpret that evidence against the job. Your selection criteria should provide the strongest examples. Your cover letter should frame the application clearly.
When these documents work together, the panel gets a consistent message: this candidate understands the role, has relevant evidence, and can communicate clearly.
When they do not, the panel gets noise.
And noise is not your friend in a competitive shortlist.
Tailoring does not mean changing a few keywords and hoping the applicant tracking system claps politely. Real tailoring means understanding what the role is actually asking for.
Before writing, read the job advertisement carefully and identify:
The classification level
The key duties
The essential requirements
The capabilities or behaviours being assessed
The agency context
The required technical knowledge
The stakeholder environment
The deliverables or outcomes expected
The application format and word limits
Then ask yourself a harder question: “What would make someone successful in this role after six months?”
That question changes how you write. Instead of simply matching words, you start matching practical expectations.
For example, if a role mentions policy development, stakeholder engagement, and ministerial briefs, the panel is not just looking for someone who has “strong written communication”. They want someone who can work with ambiguity, interpret information, manage competing views, write clearly for senior audiences, and understand governance requirements.
That is what your application needs to show.
You should use language from the job advertisement where it is natural, but do not copy and paste large chunks. Panels can smell that from the next suburb.
Use the advertisement to identify priority areas, then translate your experience into relevant evidence.
Weak Example
I have strong stakeholder engagement skills and excellent communication skills as required in the position description.
Good Example
In my current role, I work with operational teams, policy colleagues, and external providers to clarify requirements, manage competing expectations, and prepare written updates that support timely decision-making.
The good version does not just repeat the phrase. It demonstrates the capability.
Not every example belongs in every application.
For junior or mid-level roles, you may focus on delivery, accuracy, customer service, systems, compliance, teamwork, and prioritisation.
For senior roles, you need stronger evidence of leadership, judgement, risk, influence, change, governance, strategic thinking, and outcomes.
This is where candidates often accidentally undersell themselves. They use examples that are too small because they are easy to explain. The panel then assumes their experience is also small.
Pick examples that show the level of responsibility you want to be assessed at.
You do not always need full resume examples to understand what a strong package looks like. What matters is the pattern.
A weak government resume package usually looks like this:
Generic resume used for every job
Cover letter focused on enthusiasm rather than evidence
Selection criteria responses full of claims but light on examples
No clear connection to the classification level
Responsibilities listed without outcomes
Too much detail in low-value areas
Important evidence buried deep in long paragraphs
Repeated phrases such as “excellent communication skills” without proof
This type of application may look professional at first glance, but it gives the panel very little to assess. It asks the reader to infer suitability.
That is a dangerous strategy.
A strong government resume package usually looks like this:
Resume tailored to the role and agency context
Summary that immediately positions relevant experience
Bullet points focused on outcomes and capability
Pitch or statement of claims aligned to the job requirements
Selection criteria responses using clear examples
Evidence pitched at the correct level
No wasted space on generic career language
Consistent message across all documents
This type of application makes shortlisting easier. That is the point. Your job is not to impress the panel with how much you have done. Your job is to help them see why your experience fits this role.
There is no single perfect length because every role has different instructions. The rule is simple: follow the advertisement exactly.
If the agency asks for a two-page resume, provide a two-page resume. If it asks for a 500-word pitch, do not submit 900 words because your career story has emotional depth. The panel is not assessing your ability to ignore instructions with confidence.
As a general guide:
A government resume is often two to four pages depending on the role level and instructions
A cover letter is usually one page unless otherwise requested
A pitch may be one page or a set word limit
Selection criteria responses may vary by agency and role
A statement of claims often has a strict word or page limit
The more senior the role, the more strategic the evidence needs to be. That does not always mean longer. It means sharper.
Senior candidates often make the mistake of writing too much because they have more experience. But length is not authority. Selection panels are not looking for your career archive. They are looking for relevant evidence.
Applicant tracking systems are used across many recruitment processes, including public sector hiring. But candidates often misunderstand their role.
An ATS is not a mysterious robot sitting there rejecting every resume that does not contain the exact phrase “highly developed interpersonal skills”. In many government processes, the bigger issue is not the ATS. It is whether the human panel can quickly see evidence against the selection requirements.
That said, your documents still need to be ATS-friendly.
Use:
Clear headings
Standard section labels
Simple formatting
Relevant keywords from the job advertisement
Plain fonts
Word or PDF format only where accepted
No graphics, columns, icons, tables, or overly designed layouts unless specifically suitable
Avoid:
Image-based resumes
Overdesigned templates
Hidden text
Keyword stuffing
Vague skills lists with no evidence
Creative formatting that makes parsing difficult
The safest government resume package is clean, structured, and easy to read. It should look like it belongs in a professional recruitment process, not like it is trying to win a design award in Canva.
Selection criteria responses should be specific, evidence-based, and relevant to the role. The panel is not looking for a motivational speech. They are looking for proof.
A strong response usually includes:
A brief context
Your role in the situation
The challenge, requirement, or problem
The action you took
The outcome
Why the example matters for the role
STAR is useful, but many candidates misuse it. They spend too long on the situation and not enough on the action or result.
The panel does not need a documentary. They need to know what you did.
A common weak structure looks like this:
Too much background
Vague task
Team actions instead of personal actions
Weak or missing result
No link back to the role
A stronger structure gives more weight to action and outcome. The action section is where your capability lives. That is where the panel sees your judgement, communication, technical skill, leadership, or problem-solving.
Candidates often hide behind “we” because they want to sound collaborative. Collaboration is good. But selection panels still need to know what you personally contributed.
There is a big difference between:
Weak Example
We implemented a new reporting process and improved turnaround times.
Good Example
I mapped the reporting delays, consulted team leads to identify approval bottlenecks, redesigned the reporting tracker, and introduced a weekly follow-up process that reduced late submissions.
The good version still shows teamwork, but it makes your contribution clear.
That matters because panels cannot assess a ghost.
Government resume packages are not identical across every public sector area. The principles are similar, but the emphasis can differ.
APS roles often require strong alignment to classification level, agency priorities, policy or program context, and capability expectations. For APS applications, your package should make it clear that you understand accountability, public value, governance, and stakeholder complexity.
For APS 5 and APS 6 roles, I often look for evidence that the candidate can manage competing priorities, communicate with judgement, support or lead delivery, and operate with appropriate independence.
For EL roles, the evidence needs to move beyond task delivery. You need to show leadership, decision-making, strategic contribution, risk awareness, and influence.
State government applications often place strong emphasis on key selection criteria, capability frameworks, service delivery, compliance, policy implementation, stakeholder engagement, and community outcomes.
The strongest applications connect practical delivery with the department’s operating environment. For example, a project officer applying to a health department should not only say they manage projects. They should show experience with timelines, governance, sensitive stakeholders, reporting, risk, and service impact.
Local government roles can be very practical and community-facing. Applications may need to show customer service, compliance, planning, administration, community engagement, asset management, regulatory knowledge, or operational delivery.
The mistake candidates make with local government applications is either going too corporate or too casual. Local government often needs people who can deal with real community issues, manage process, communicate clearly, and stay calm when residents are not exactly sending love letters.
Your package should show practical judgement, service orientation, and reliability.
Most failed applications do not fail because the candidate is useless. They fail because the application does not make the case clearly enough.
A generic resume forces the panel to connect the dots. Do not make them do that. They have other applicants who have done the work for them.
Responsibilities show what you were supposed to do. Achievements show what you actually delivered.
Replace passive duty statements with evidence of action, scope, complexity, and outcome.
This is one of the biggest issues. Candidates apply for higher-level roles but use examples that show lower-level work.
If the role requires leadership, do not only show participation. If it requires strategic judgement, do not only show administration. If it requires stakeholder influence, do not only show that you attended meetings.
Words like “stakeholder engagement”, “governance”, “collaboration”, and “service delivery” are useful only when backed by evidence.
Without examples, they become wallpaper.
Government applications do not need to be fluffy, but they do need to be readable. Long paragraphs with buried evidence make assessment harder.
Use clear structure. Keep examples focused. Make the result visible.
If the application asks for a 500-word statement explaining how your skills and experience meet the role requirements, answer that. Do not write a general cover letter. Do not provide a biography. Do not attach a selection criteria essay unless asked.
Following instructions is part of the assessment, whether anyone says it out loud or not.
A strong package stands out because it is clear, relevant, and easy to assess. It does not rely on buzzwords. It does not beg for attention. It calmly proves suitability.
The best government applications usually have these qualities:
They open with a strong, relevant positioning statement
They mirror the role priorities without copying the advertisement
They use specific examples with measurable or observable outcomes
They show judgement and accountability
They are pitched at the right classification level
They connect technical skills with practical delivery
They demonstrate communication through the quality of the writing itself
They remove anything that does not support the application
That last point is underrated. Good application writing is not only about what you include. It is about what you cut.
If a detail does not help the panel assess your suitability, it may not belong.
You may not need professional help if you understand the role, can write clearly, and know how to structure evidence. Some candidates can absolutely prepare strong applications themselves.
But help can be useful when:
You are applying for a competitive APS, state, or local government role
You are moving from private sector into government
You are applying at a higher classification level
You struggle to write selection criteria responses
You have strong experience but poor application structure
You keep getting rejected before interview
You are unsure how to pitch your examples at the right level
The application requires a statement of claims or detailed criteria response
The key is not to outsource your brain. A good government resume package should still sound like you and accurately reflect your experience. The value of support is in selecting the right evidence, structuring it properly, and making sure your application matches how panels assess candidates.
Be wary of anyone who writes generic, inflated, robotic content. Government panels read a lot of applications. They can usually tell when a response has been padded with impressive-sounding nothing.
Before you write, use this framework.
Do not just read the duties. Identify what the role is really testing.
Ask:
What capabilities appear most important?
What problems is this role likely expected to solve?
What level of independence is implied?
What stakeholders will this person deal with?
What evidence would make a panel confident?
Select examples that prove the role requirements. Do not choose examples only because they are recent or easy to explain.
Strong examples usually show:
Complexity
Judgement
Ownership
Stakeholder impact
Problem-solving
Measurable or visible outcomes
Relevance to the agency or role
Your resume, cover letter, pitch, and selection criteria should reinforce the same message.
If your pitch says stakeholder engagement is your strength, your resume should show stakeholder engagement achievements. If your selection criteria mention project delivery, your resume should include project outcomes.
Consistency builds credibility.
Once drafted, remove:
Generic claims
Repeated points
Long background explanations
Unnecessary career history
Weak examples
Unclear results
Anything not connected to the role
The final package should feel intentional. Not big. Not loud. Intentional.
A government resume package in Australia is not about sounding impressive. It is about making your suitability easy to assess.
The strongest applications are clear, structured, evidence-based, and aligned to the role. They show what you have done, how you think, how you operate, and why your experience fits the level being advertised.
The weakest applications usually ask the panel to assume too much. They rely on generic language, recycled resumes, vague claims, and examples that do not match the role level.
If you want a government application to work, write it like the panel has limited time, strict criteria, and several decent candidates in front of them. Because they probably do.
Make the evidence obvious. Make the relevance clear. Make the decision easier.
That is what a strong government resume package actually does.
Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.
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