If you have been applying for jobs for some time, you will be familiar with Selection Criteria such as ‘Ability to work in a teams’, ‘well developed communication skills’ and ‘Experience providing exceptional client service’.  It can now be a bit daunting to find some government departments asking you to write about ‘capabilities’ such as:

• Shapes (or Supports) Strategic Thinking
• Achieves Results
• Cultivates (or Supports) Productive Working Relationships
• Exemplifies (Displays) Personal Drive and Integrity
• Communicates with Influence

You can find out more about these capabilities at government web sites, which describe at each public sector level what is expected for each of the five capabilities.

The techniques for applying for jobs using these five capabilities are the same as ‘addressing selection criteria’.  You still need to present examples against each of these capabilities and show that you have what it takes to do the advertised role.  For example, for the capability ‘Displays Personal Drive and Integrity’, selection committees will be looking at your application to see evidence of such things as:

Have you:

• Enthusiastically attended or organised training in relation to Values, Code of Conduct, and Ethics, Respectful (harassment-free and non-discriminatory) Workplaces, Fraud or Conflict of Interest?
• Taken on roles to show your commitment to quality workplaces (e.g. harassment contact officer)?
• Identified something that needed to be improved in your team and then went and did something about it?
• Been given a difficult job (lack of staff, tight deadlines, technology problems…..), but stuck at it and achieved a good result?

Many of the examples that you previously used for ‘team work’ and ‘client service’ are likely to show your capability to ‘Support Productive Working Relationships’.