Welcome to the 5th part of a 7-part career guide for junior doctors written by Dr Abhijit Pal (PGY2) with Dr Emma McCahon (Clinical Director of Critical Care Program at Children’s Hospital, Westmead, and Clinical Lead of LEAP, a leadership program for junior doctors run by HETI).

How do I address the selection criteria?

Jobs will have a list of selection criteria (can work in teams, can communicate, has knowledge of quality improvement, has leadership skills) that candidates need to address. Sometimes you will do this in your letter of application, on the NSW Health recruitment site you answer each criteria by filling in a text box.

Do not just write “yes”, this is an excellent way to not get an interview, “see CV” also demonstrates that you are not really serious about the job.

Use specific examples for each criteria

Remember the interview questions are all going to be derived from the selection criteria so this is an even better reason to have a long hard think about how you can respond to them.

Write well, clearly and check for spelling mistakes BUT do not make each of your responses more than a few lines as reviewers will be reading dozens and in some cases hundreds of applications.

Do not wait until the last day to submit your application. The NSW Health e-recruit system consistently crashes due to the large volume of applications. Submit it a week early and alter it if necessary.