Strong selection criteria responses show when you used a skill, what you personally did and what happened. A statement such as “I communicate well” does not give a panel much to assess. The examples below demonstrate how to turn a claim into evidence and adapt it to the criterion in your application.
Use STAR to organise your evidence
STAR means Situation, Task, Action and Result. Briefly explain the setting and your responsibility, give most of the detail to your actions, then state an outcome you can support. CAR — Context, Action and Result — is another useful structure. Choose the approach that helps you answer the requirement clearly.
Follow the employer's instructions about headings, word limits and whether responses belong in a separate document, cover letter or online form. There is no fixed number of criteria for every application. For a criterion containing several requirements, make sure your response addresses each relevant part.
Example 1: Written and verbal communication
Criterion: Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly with clients and colleagues.
Illustrative example: The following details are fictional. Use the structure with your own verified experience; do not copy the claims.
In my administration role at a community centre, participants regularly contacted us with questions about a revised booking process. I was responsible for explaining the change and recording unresolved enquiries. I grouped the recurring questions, checked the answers with the coordinator and drafted a short guide in plain language. During calls, I asked participants which step they were completing and talked through that step before checking their understanding. I recorded questions outside the guide for the coordinator to answer. The team adopted the guide for its responses, giving staff a consistent explanation and a clear process for referring exceptions.
What this demonstrates: both written and verbal communication, an audience-specific approach and a supported team outcome.
Example 2: Managing competing priorities
Criterion: Ability to organise work and meet deadlines when priorities change.
While supporting a training team, I was preparing attendance records for a reporting deadline when an urgent venue change affected an upcoming session. I checked the time sensitivity of both tasks with my supervisor, identified the participants who needed immediate notification and agreed a revised order of work. I updated the venue details, sent the approved message and tracked replies so we could follow up anyone who had not confirmed. I then completed the attendance checks using my existing checklist. The session went ahead at the revised venue and I submitted the records within the agreed deadline.
What this demonstrates: a reasoned priority decision, communication and follow-through. It avoids simply saying the applicant works well under pressure.
Example 3: Teamwork
Criterion: Ability to contribute effectively to a team.
During a university group project, our team had separate research sections that used inconsistent definitions. I suggested a short meeting to agree the terms and identify overlaps before we combined the report. I prepared a shared list of definitions, checked my section against it and offered to review the joins between sections. When a teammate could not attend, I sent the agreed actions and confirmed their input before making changes to their work. We submitted a coherent report by the deadline, with each person's contribution retained and the main inconsistencies resolved.
What this demonstrates: a study-based example can provide relevant evidence. It identifies the applicant's contribution without claiming all the team's work.
Example 4: Analytical and problem-solving skills
Criterion: Ability to investigate problems and recommend practical solutions.
In a customer support role, I noticed that several enquiries concerned orders showing different delivery dates in two records. I compared a sample of affected orders, recorded where the dates differed and checked the process with the dispatch coordinator. I found that one record was not updated when a dispatch date changed. I documented the pattern and proposed adding a confirmation step to the handover checklist. After the supervisor approved a trial, I used the revised checklist and reported any remaining mismatches. The team retained the extra check because it made the outstanding updates visible before customer follow-up.
What this demonstrates: investigation, consultation, a proportionate recommendation and a verified process outcome rather than an invented savings figure.
Adapt an example to your own application
- Copy the criterion into your planning notes and identify each requirement.
- Choose a relevant event from work, study or volunteering.
- Write down your responsibility and the actions you personally took.
- Identify the result and how you know it occurred.
- Draft to the requested word limit, keeping the evidence and removing unnecessary scene-setting.
A reusable outline is: “In [setting], I needed to [task]. I [specific actions and reasoning]. This led to [supported result], demonstrating [connection to criterion].” Do not submit someone else's example as your experience.
Check the response before submitting
Answer the actual wording, including whether it asks for knowledge, experience or a demonstrated ability. Avoid confidential names and restricted details. Use numbers only when verified; a clear qualitative outcome is useful evidence too. If you have no direct employment example, select an appropriate study or volunteer example and describe its context honestly.
The University of Melbourne's selection criteria guidance also explains breaking requirements into parts and supporting claims with evidence. Your own employer's application instructions take priority.
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