What is a ‘Selection Criteria’? By Matthew Coppola

Selection Criteria are a series of statements that refer to the credentials, knowledge, abilities, talents and understanding that are essential in a particular occupation. When requested to reply to Selection Criteria, you are being probed to explain and describe exactly how you meet the requirements of the position and in making your reply, providing specific and concrete examples to back up your claim.

The type of answers a respondent would compose for Selection Criteria definitely will be influenced by the nature of the position to which they are applying for. Most employers might have varied and different questions that they want answers to or specific replies for different statements. More and more employers today are asking for a Selection Criteria to be responded to as they try and cut down on the number of job applicants applying for work. Selection Criteria used to be typical with Government and Community/Health Services roles but now that is not the case as employers from all kinds of industries and professions are opting for this method of looking for staff.

Every Selection Criteria is different and so is how employers will view and read your answers to each criterion. Some may wish to just focus on your skills or education; others will be more concerned about your experience. You may be asked to make an answer according to different work situations both past and present. They may ask (either in a question or statement capacity) if you have experience operating a specific type of machinery or knowledge of a programming language. It may not even be regarding skills/qualifications but rather on your attributes, qualities and characteristics. The statement or question can be complicated or very simple like “Excellent communication skills both written and oral”.

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Author: Matthew Coppola, Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions