I think it’s refreshing when you (my community) get to see a breakdown of a hiring process.
Because I find the process is wrapped up in mystery for so many of us, and it’s helpful to understand where you might be going wrong.
So for this hiring session, let’s start with a number breakdown, shall we?
- A grand total of 30 hopefuls threw their hats in the ring.
- A mere 4 got the golden ticket to interview land.
- The challenge? A single scenario-based question to be answered in a 1-page cover letter.
- Judging panel? Three souls. Two from the hiring area and one independent.
Now, government job apps can be a real brain teaser. Some bits of the job ad might as well be in hieroglyphics for anyone outside the government bubble.
I’ve raised the red flag on this, but I make no excuses for you either. There’s always a contact person listed to ring for a chat if you’re scratching your head over it.
So, what tripped up applicants this round? Well, it’s like a rerun of every single job that is ever advertised:
- 25% didn’t bother with the selection criteria; they just slapped together a one-size-fits-all cover letter.
- 20% thought ‘page limit’ was just a suggestion and went overboard.
- 2 hopefuls thought a resume alone would do the trick.
In government, they have to read every application. So the panel ploughed through the essays masquerading as cover letters.
Now, onto the juicy bits:
Apart from following instructions, the general advice is don’t just sprinkle your application with fancy jargon like “pedagogy” or “andragogy” without explaining yourself. Not everyone’s in on your secret language. It’s not a vocab test; clarity is key.
Listing every unit under the sun from your post-grad without linking it to the gig? That’s a hard pass.
Other pet peeves from those tortured panel member included:
- Marathon sentences.
- Text so crammed together, it needed its own social distancing.
- Autobiographies that nobody asked for.
- A surplus of “I believe” and “passionate about” fluff.
- Resumes that read like a dry history lesson.
- Typos from people who shouted: I have “attention to detail” from the rooftops.
Around 40% of the hopefuls served up these comedy of errors.
In a nutshell, it’s always the same things. Follow the instructions and show and tell, not hide and seek.
Evidence over ego, actions over words.
And maybe, just maybe, keep the post-grad unit codes for trivia night.
~Lisa
Your Q&A
Secret Identities and LinkedIn
Hi Lisa,
I have always kept my music separate from my work. I don’t record music under my name and don’t reference it on LinkedIn.
I have had a few music people add me on LinkedIn, and while I’m not a huge user of the platform, I am wondering if there’s any advantage to adding a reference to my music or if that will just turn people off.
I do have an ABN and although I’m not using it as a main source of income, I do intend on doing gigs in future as I’m recording more music this year.
I’m totally happy to keep it quiet if the benefits aren’t worth it.
Kim
Hi Kim,
There are a lot of places you can add music to your profile.
- In your headline
- Nested within the story of your LinkedIn About section
- As a separate position – you can create one in a new section called “organisations“. I’ve done this with several random positions I’ve held that would clutter my employment history if I added them into the main section.
- Publications – for any recorded music or things you want to have on display
The best way to tackle it is to embrace it as part of your brand.
But instead of treating music as a separate entity, look at how it enhances your overall work. It should be part of your story.
Thanks for writing in.
~Lisa