APS Pitch CheckerHow to address selection criteria for South Australian government jobs
Short answer: For South Australian government jobs, address each selection criterion from the role description separately, using its exact wording as a heading in the same order and noting whether it's essential or desirable. Under each, write one or two short paragraphs with a specific example of what you did and the result, unless the ad asks for targeted questions or a cover letter instead.
South Australian government roles are advertised on I Work for SA, and the written application is built around the role description. Depending on the ad, you'll address each selection criterion under its own heading, answer targeted questions in the online form, or show your fit in a cover letter. This guide covers all three, using the official I Work for SA advice and a fictional example.
Read the role description first
Every SA public sector job comes with a role description (also called a role statement or job and person specification). According to the I Work for SA FAQ, it turns what the role needs into the criteria used for selection, and lists any essential qualifications, screening checks, the employment type and the classification.
Look for the person specification part of the role description. It's usually split into essential requirements, which you must meet, and desirable ones, which can separate otherwise similar applicants. These are your selection criteria. The official Addressing selection criteria guide explains that the panel must assess each applicant against them, and that strong applicants are often overlooked because they leave the panel to "read between the lines" of a resume.
Check the ad for which parts to address. Some agencies tell applicants to respond only to specific criteria and not to other sections of the role description, such as key result areas or behavioural indicators.
The three formats you'll see
I Work for SA's recruitment process page says some roles ask you to address each selection criterion, while others ask open-ended or "targeted" questions in the application form. In practice you'll meet:
| The ad asks for | What to write |
|---|---|
| A response to the selection criteria | A separate document with each criterion as a heading and one or two short paragraphs of evidence under each |
| Answers to targeted questions | One focused example per question, typed into the form, within any word or character limit (see our targeted questions guide, which applies here too) |
| A cover letter and resume (often with a page limit) | A letter whose body gives specific examples matched to the role description's key requirements |
If the instructions are unclear, ask the contact person named in the ad. It's a normal question.
Addressing criteria the I Work for SA way
The official guide is specific about layout, and following it makes the panel's scoring easier:
- Use each criterion as a heading, copied exactly from the role description.
- Keep the same order as the role description.
- Note whether each is essential or desirable.
- Write one or two short paragraphs under each heading. The FAQ says this is usually enough.
- Give evidence, don't paraphrase. The FAQ warns against just repeating the role description's words. Use them as key words, then prove them.
Evidence can come from paid work, reports or procedures you've written, research, study, projects, committees and volunteering. Unpaid and community experience counts if it's relevant. Structure each example with STAR (situation, task, action, result), as several SA agency guides suggest, and spend most of your words on what you did.
If you don't meet an essential criterion, think carefully before applying, and never claim experience you don't have. If you meet a desirable one, address it: it can be the tie-breaker.
A fictional example response
The person, organisation and numbers are invented. It's here to show the format, not wording to reuse.
Role: Customer Service Officer, ASO2 (fictional). Criterion: Demonstrated ability to resolve customer enquiries and complaints with tact and sensitivity (Essential).
Demonstrated ability to resolve customer enquiries and complaints with tact and sensitivity (Essential)
In my role as a front-counter officer at a regional council, I handle about 60 enquiries a day, including rates, permits and complaints. Last year a resident came in upset after receiving a second overdue notice for rates he believed he had already paid.
I moved the conversation to a quieter desk, listened without interrupting and summarised his concern back to him so he knew I had understood. I checked the payment system and found his payment had been recorded against an old property number. I explained the error plainly, apologised on behalf of the council and arranged with the rates team to move the payment and waive the late fee the same day. I then emailed him written confirmation and followed up a week later to make sure the next notice was correct.
He thanked me in a feedback form, and I reported the cause to my supervisor, which led to a check of other payments recorded against old property numbers. Twelve more were corrected before notices went out.
This response is 183 words including the heading.
Why it works: the heading copies the criterion and shows it's essential; the situation is two sentences; the actions show both tact (how the conversation was handled) and resolution (fixing the cause); the result covers the customer and the wider fix, with a number.
Cover letter and resume
I Work for SA's cover letter and resume guide suggests:
- Cover letter: usually no more than one page unless the instructions say otherwise. Introduce yourself and the role, then use the ad's key words to give specific examples of how your experience matches the requirements. Don't just repeat your resume.
- Resume: most recent experience first, consistent formatting, a standard 10-12 point font unless specified, page numbers in the footer, and dates in months and years. The guide puts the ideal length for a professional resume at three to four pages, and says the resume should match the detail in your selection criteria response.
When an ad asks for a cover letter with a two-page limit and no separate criteria response, the letter is effectively your statement of claims. Treat the body like criteria responses written as connected paragraphs. Our statement of claims example and template shows the shape.
Common mistakes
- Renaming or merging criteria headings, so the panel has to hunt for your evidence.
- Brief, general answers. The official guide warns these can rule an application out.
- Responding to every section of the role description when the ad asked for specific criteria only.
- Writing "I have excellent communication skills" without an example that proves it.
- Submitting after the closing time. I Work for SA notes that late applications may not be accepted.
Check each response's length and STAR balance in the free checker (set a custom word limit). Applying interstate too? See WA work-related requirements and Victorian key selection criteria.
FAQ
Where are the selection criteria in an SA government job?
In the role description (also called a role statement or job and person specification) attached to the ad on I Work for SA, usually split into essential and desirable requirements.
How long should each SA selection criteria response be?
I Work for SA says one or two paragraphs per criterion is usually enough, unless the ad sets a different limit.
Do I need to address desirable criteria?
You don't have to meet them, but if you do, address them. They can separate applicants who all meet the essential criteria.
Should I send a cover letter for an SA government job?
Follow the ad. I Work for SA's guide suggests a cover letter of usually no more than one page unless the instructions say otherwise.
Free download: state-by-state map and a worked NSW targeted question (PDF)
A 2-page sample from the State Government Application Kit: what each state and territory usually asks applicants to submit, a five-step method for NSW targeted questions, and a fictional worked answer with notes on why it works. No email needed.
Applying in more than one state?
Honest note: the kit covers NSW, Victoria and Queensland in depth. For this state it has shorter notes, so it's most useful if you're also applying in one of those three.
The State Government Application Kit (A$17, made by us) has a 15-page guide covering NSW, Victoria and Queensland in depth plus short notes for SA, WA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT. It includes fictional worked examples, templates for NSW targeted questions, Victorian KSC documents and Queensland short statements, and a spreadsheet workbook with an evidence bank, a question planner with live word and character counts, and a pre-submission check sheet. One-off price, instant download, 14-day refund with no questions asked.
See the State Government Application Kit on WhopAPS + State bundle (A$34)
Also applying for Commonwealth (APS) jobs? The bundle includes both kits for A$34 (A$41 bought separately). It's a writing aid. It can't guarantee an interview or a job, and you don't need it to use the free checker or these guides.
Disclosure: this guide is made by Mint, and we sell the State Government Application Kit and the APS + State bundle mentioned above. It's independent general information, not affiliated with or endorsed by any Australian, state or territory government. It isn't legal, employment or immigration advice; check eligibility and instructions in the job ad. Examples are fictional. Last updated 2026-10-21.