Resumé and Key Selection Criteria Workshop 2009 - Melbourne, 24th August 2009

Daniel Giddens
Held at RMIT University Swanston Library.

Always popular, the Resumé and Key Section Criteria event attracted over thirty people this year. Three experienced professionals gave three different perspectives on these very important elements of a job application process. These were:  Derek Whitehead, Director, Information Resources and University Copyright Officer, Swinburne University of Technology Library, Trevor Mackay, Branch Manager, Sandringham & Hampton Libraries, Bayside Library Service, and Brad King, Victorian State Manager of The One Umbrella, a specialist recruitment agency for information professionals.

Derek spoke first and gave a good insight into recruitment processes at Universities, sharing with the audience how, just as it can be a time-consuming, stressful and hopefully rewarding process for applicants, this is also the case for those recruiting.  There can be many layers and rules involved in such a process. New people are a risk, a large investment, whose impact might end up being good or bad, so trying to make the right choice isn't easy.  There might be quite a few people who make up a selection panel, although five is common. The amount of information supplied to them from a HR department to assist in their decision making can be quite a lot. Making and receiving applications for positions has become more automated, with many Universities having their own e-recruitment websites and SEEK being a common place to post advertisements. It was interesting that Universities account for about 25% of library employment in Australia.

Research any position you apply for, be able to show/say why you want the job, not just because it is A job, even though you may be happy with any job.  Be realistic about your capabilities when looking at a job advertisement. Don't overstretch yourself. However, if you lack experience, as a new graduate librarian would, use related experience. There are two types of Key Selection Criteria or Key Selection Capabilities - objective and personal - what can you do versus what kind of person are you. When KSC distinguish between criteria as mandatory and desirable, these are very loose, based on the judgement of the selection panel; usually it means mean one is more important than the other. Support all your claims with evidence, using an acronym like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results).

Be aware of the "unstated KSC" too. - the panel is trying to determine your capabilities, but also how you will fit in with their organisation. How you present yourself throughout the process is very important. It is more than your application plus your interview and your referees. Your formatting, spelling and grammar, that initial phone inquiry, your Facebook site, are elements that may also have an impact. In terms of the interview, wear whatever you think the panel will think is nice, arrive early, and take a look around. Help yourself, by collecting as much intelligence as you can, use your networks, find out who is on the panel.

To access Derek's PowerPoint, click here.

Trevor's presentation was entitled '5 Tips To Land An Interview' and can be found here. A handout is also available here.  Before sharing these tips with the audience, he said it was very important to seek out a few different opinions on putting together Resumés and Key Selection Criteria documents.

His first tip related to the appearance and style of your resumé.
This will be your first impression to a selection panel; a judgement will be made quickly on whether to proceed any further with the application. Two or three pages is usually a good length, and 10 or 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font. However, your name and contact details should be bigger.  Be sure to proofread what you have written. Also, customise your resumé for the job you are applying for.  Create your own master document with all the things you have done, and pull from that what you need for a particular application.  Look at the strategic documents of the organisations you are applying for (usually on the Web), consider what you can bring to the job in light of them and use this to help you make your case. Avoid putting hobbies in your resumé; it is nice to know you have a life outside work, but it is not a necessary element.

Tip two was: address the Key Selection Criteria.
Identify the keywords in the job description and use them to help you demonstrate how you are the person the organisation needs. If you don't have relevant experience in the area you're applying for, use experience you have from other occupations, your involvement in charity work, or volunteering, to help you answer the criteria. Or say how you would approach a situation if you cannot think of a good example.

Tip three encouraged the use of action and power words.
Action -analysed, developed, prepared. Power - co-ordinated, managed, led. These are strong words that emphasise that you did these particular things. But don't use "I", "my", or "our" in a resumé. This should be a third person document.

Tip four was about being specific with examples, use quantifiers.
 Trevor's acronym to help applicants address a criterion, or show their achievement of something, similar to Derek's STAR, is PAR - what was the Problem, the Action that you took and the Result. Show the detail. Quantify what you have done.

Tip five was about prioritising content in your resumé.
Include content that is relevant to the position. List your most important, relevant or impressive experience first.

Trevor also showed the audience a recent advertisement for a Children's Librarian at Bayside. He said that the successful applicant was very impressive. She was able to demonstrate in the interview why she was the best person for the job, by sharing how she would run a Children's Storytime session and make improvements as a Children's Librarian. The panel realised that she had actually come into the library as a member of the public, observed a Storytime session and used that experience to her advantage. This strengthens the point that you should seek out ways to get any bit of inside intelligence that you can to help you make the best impression.

Key points Brad made included:

• If you use any acronyms in your application, write them out first and then simplify them. Making assumptions that a selection panel knows what you mean, can create confusion.
• Make your resume specific to the job you are applying for.
• Use a good mix of white space and text.
• Make sure any file you send electronically is able to be accessed easily. If it isn't, it may be to your detriment, as a selector may move on and only come back when they have more time.  .RTF is a universal file type.
• Explain any gaps you have in employment in your resume (e.g. maternity leave).
• Use any relevant experience you have.
• Choose your referees carefully and be sure to ask them first. You can use people such as a former supervisor instead of a current one, if for example this person does not know you well.
• Sometimes a reference for a job may only come in the form of a basic letter of employment including your job title and term of employment. This is better than nothing at all.
• Make sure you use the keywords in the Key Selection Criteria document throughout your application.
• Get another person to proofread your application.
• Research the organisation you are applying for - what do they want and what can you bring to them.

In terms of an interview:

• Tailor your dress sense to the job you're applying for.
• Be early.
• Be specific in the examples you give in response to questions.
• Make eye contact. Initially respond to the person who asks a question.
• Be aware of your ticks and body language.
• Don't ask about salary or benefits at the first interview. These can be easily researched by doing a websearch.
• Realise that just as you may be nervous, your interviewer could be feeling the same.

The ALIA New Graduates Group would like to thank Derek, Trevor and Brad for their insights and time. It was another worthwhile event and I certainly came away with some new tips, which I will use when applying for my next job. The Group is also grateful to Craig Anderson and RMIT University Library for proving the venue and catering.