Here you will learn exactly what you need to look for in a job advertisement, and/or a job and person specification, so that you can tailor your application accordingly. While this might sound very basic, a surprising number of people will have their job applications rejected because they haven’t accurately identified what the employer is looking for in job applicants.

For example, take a look at the information in this nursing job advertisement which appeared on seek.com. It is typical of many job ads in the information it provides. Note where, and how, the all-important selection criteria is specified in the advertisement! Look for key words like – “Do you have”, “The successful candidate will be (or have)..”, “We are looking for someone who….” Etc. What follows is the selection criteria.

The important lesson here ... you must address the selection criteria in your application documents, especially in the areas of your resume such as the profile, key skills summary and possibly the career objective. Summarise these attributes in your cover letter as well. Sometimes you will see a job advertisement, set out in a similar fashion to the above example, which contains an additional instruction……usually at the very end of the advertisement. This instruction might say something like: “Please contact……for more information and to obtain a copy of the job and person specification” Or……”If you wish to apply please obtain a copy of the job and person specification from…..”

The information in this document will, of course, be necessary to your successful application, so you’ll need to get a copy.

Job and Person Specifications

When applying for positions within a government organisation (for example SA Health), in many not for profit organisations, and also for some privately owned health institutions, you will be referred to a document known as the job and person specification.

As the name of the document implies, it contains detailed information about:

• the duties and responsibilities involved in the position being offered – this is the job specification
• the skills, knowledge and experience that is required to successfully perform the role – this information is the person specification.

The person specification is, of course, the selection criteria for the position. The suitability of all applicants will be assessed against these criteria, so you need to address them in your application.

Below is a sample job and person specification. It’s a generic version which appears on SA Health’s website.

Sample job and person specification SA Health Last viewed 8 September 2017

Note: SA Health will publish a job and person specification document which is specific to its TPPP graduate employment program. Make sure you respond only to the information in this document if you are applying. Do not use the sample document above.

Attached to the job and person specification you will also find the instructions for completing your application. As previously mentioned, you must follow these closely. (Note - these are not contained in the above sample.)

Addressing the Selection Criteria in your Application

Again, it is essential that you follow exactly any instructions given for addressing the selection criteria. Organisations differ in how they might want to receive this information from you

For example, you may be required to:

• include your responses in a separate document to be submitted in your application, perhaps entitled 'Response to Selection Criteria'
• include your responses within a cover letter
• submit responses in an online document
• observe word and/or page limits to your responses.

The person specification will usually contain two sections as in the SA Health sample document:

1. Essential minimum requirements.
2. Desirable characteristics.

Essential requirements mean just that – if you don’t have all of these, there is little point in applying.

If you have none, or only some of the desirable attributes, go ahead and apply. As explained in the sample document, these attributes help the employer to further distinguish between applicants who have met the essential criteria.