How to apply

Get the full job description and selection criteria before applying for a Power and Water vacancy.  Current Vacancies

In Power and Water, selection is made in accordance with the merit principle, that is, having regard to your knowledge, skills, and qualifications against the selection criteria, and your potential for future development.

Your application is the first crucial step in showing that you possess superior merit to the other applicants and its function is to bring you to the selection advisory panel's attention.

• What information should it contain?
• Addressing the selection criteria
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume
• How does it work?
• The assessment process
• Selecting the best applicant
• Recruitment contacts

What information should it contain?

Your application should contain: 

• completed cover sheet 
• claims against the selection criteria 
• your curriculum vitae (cv) or resume 
• the name and contact details for at least two referees 

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Addressing the selection criteria

This is where you show and demonstrate specifically how your knowledge, skills and experience make you eligible for the vacancy.

Before applying for the vacancy, you should obtain the full selection criteria by following the links on the vacancy you choose to apply for. The information provided in the job advertisement does not fully detail the selection criteria and is not sufficient to frame an application around.

Your response to the selection criteria can be in its own section (separate from the CV), and be titled ' Claims Against Selection Criteria '. In this section you should: 

• Display your competence or suitability in both essential and desirable selection criteria.
• Provide any information necessary to demonstrate your claims of competence and suitability. Useful information could include examples of tasks undertaken in paid or voluntary employment and these examples should be linked to the relevant selection criteria.

Note: It is not sufficient to state you meet a selection criteria without supporting evidence detailing how you meet it.

To be considered for the vacancy you must: 

• meet all essential selection criteria 
• give sufficient information to demonstrate that you meet all essential criteria.

A guide on how best to write a job application for a PWC Vacancy is provided to assist applicants.

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Curriculum Vitae/ Resume

The cv/resume generally has at least three sections of information: 

Personal Details

Generally this section includes your name and contact details.
 
Education Details

In this section you should include: 

• details of the highest level of education attained (secondary or tertiary), with the name of the institution/s attended, and the dates of attendance; 
• details of apprenticeships, training courses, etc; and 
• details of qualifications. 

Note: It is the applicant's responsibility to have their overseas qualifications assessed by an appropriate organisation such as the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR).

For more information: www.dest.gov.au/audience_segments/for_intern_students.htm

Employment History

In this section you should include details of your employment history, starting with your most recent job and working back.

Employment history should include your employer's name, your dates of employment, your job title (and level if appropriate), and a summary of your duties and responsibilities. You should also include any major achievements in your most recent jobs.
 
Recreation Details

A fourth section listing hobbies and recreational details, is optional, but may help the selection advisory panel by giving some idea of who you are as a person.
Information could include: 

• hobbies and interests
• sports and clubs
• membership of societies and positions held 

You can give too little information in an application, and it is usually better to give more. The information you give however, must be relevant to the vacancy, as irrelevant detail may frustrate the selection advisory panel.

Your cv/resume will probably be anything between two and five pages long.

Note: It is not necessary to include copies of qualifications, certificates for short courses or written references at this stage as these can be presented at a later date if required.

Referees

It is advisable to include the names of at least two referees at the end of your cv/resume. Make sure you provide their full names, addresses, titles and contact details.

In most cases family members or friends would not be suitable. Your current or most recent supervisors are preferable as referees. You should check that the people you choose are willing to be referees for you, and provide them with copies of the job description and selection criteria.

It should be noted that referees may be contacted at the short listing stage. As an applicant you should make a note in your application if this is not appropriate for you, due to confidentiality.

Link to how to write a job application

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How does selection work

In the Northern Territory Public Sector (NTPS), selection is based on the merit principle and as Power and Water Corporation is a Government Owned Corporation, it is subject to the same requirements.

What is merit?

Merit is defined in the Public Sector Employment and Management Act as "the capacity of the person to perform particular duties, having regard to the person's knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience and the potential for future development of the person in employment in the Public Sector."

How is merit assessed?

Merit is determined through a fair and transparent assessment process based on the stated principles of merit, natural justice, human resource management and conduct.

These guiding principles are found in the Public Sector Employment and Management Act, its Regulations and Employment Instructions.

The assessment process is chosen to suit the circumstances of the vacancy and the business environment in which it operates and, in most cases, is carried out by a "selection advisory panel".

The panel is responsible for making a balanced judgment on the relative merit of the applicants in respect of the selection criteria established for the position and to convey its recommendations to the delegated officer.

The merit assessment process generally includes the following steps:

The Application

Applicants, taking into account the responsibilities of the job, provide written evidence of their qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience which demonstrates their claims against the selection criteria contained in the job description.

Assessment Process

The selection advisory panel considers applications and obtains as much other information about applicants as they require, to make an informed assessment.

Selecting the Best Applicant

When the panel has gathered sufficient information, they evaluate the evidence to determine whom, in their judgment, has established the greatest capacity to do the job.

The Selection Advisory Panel

A panel is usually made up of three people and the majority of panel members will normally be Power and Water employees. The make up of the panel will vary depending on the assessment process.

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The assessment process

Shortlisting

Shortlisting is a sorting process the panel undertakes to identify those applicants who meet at minimum the essential selection criteria and can be considered for further assessment. This process is a systematic assessment of the strengths of the applicant's claims against the selection criteria.

Before a panel can proceed, internal Northern Territory Public Service redeployees (employees who have been declared surplus to the requirements of an agency) must be given prior consideration for the vacancy at the shortlisting stage.

Redeployees are assessed for their ability to do the job with a reasonable period of training.

Assessment Methods

In collecting information to explore the capacity of applicants to do the job, the panel may use one or more of the following assessment methods:

The interview - The interview allows the panel to explore the applicant's claims against the selection criteria in order to obtain further information to consider in their assessment. The panel will ask questions related to job requirements and selection criteria, fully explore answers and allow for questions from the applicant.

Usually interviews are structured and interactive, consisting of a series of predetermined questions and should centre on issues related to the selection criteria and the demands of the job.

The interview could also be used to allow the applicant the opportunity to explain and expand on the information provided in their application.

An interview is only one method of assessment that may form part of the total assessment process.

Case studies - the applicants are given a certain amount of time to prepare a verbal or written response to a particular hypothetical situation relevant to the job.

Role-plays - the applicants are invited to participate in a role play exercise relevant to the job.

Samples of work and presentations - where relevant to the job requirements, the panel may ask applicants to provide examples of past work or make a presentation to the panel.

Aptitude tests - are designed to measure ability or capacity to learn by identifying a person's area of talent or suitability for certain types of work. Examples include tests for numerical ability, speed and accuracy, clerical ability and mechanical aptitude.

Achievement tests - aim to measure what has already been learned. The test can consist of a written or oral examination or a simulated "on-the-job" exercise. Achievement tests are suitable where specific skills are used in the job and it is relatively easy to measure them.

Personality and temperament tests - tend to be used at more senior levels and aim to identify personality traits such as emotional adjustment, assertiveness, etc. Trained psychologists administer these tests.

Contacting referees - is undertaken to obtain further information about an applicant's work performance, and to explore and verify information regarding an applicant's claims. It is usual for a panel to contact one or more referees for each shortlisted applicant.

The panel may contact referees nominated by the applicant and other persons who the panel considers can provide relevant comment (non-nominated referees). Referee comments can be provided to the applicant and based on the principles of natural justice. Aapplicants will be given the opportunity to respond to unfavorable comments made by a non-nominated referee. The applicant's response will be taken into consideration when determining the merit of the referee's comments.

Pre-employment medical - is undertaken for roles that require a minimum physical level and examinations are based on the specific requirement of each role.

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Selecting the best applicant

Having gathered sufficient evidence through the assessment process, the panel makes a systematic and objective evaluation of all relevant information. The evidence before the panel can include written applications; information obtained through interviews and/or other assessment methods, referee reports and applicant response to unfavorable comment.

If a number of applicants meet all the essential criteria, the panel's role is to select the applicant who best meets the criteria. To do this the panel will make a comparative assessment of all applicants.

When the evaluation is completed, the panel makes a recommendation to the Chief Executive Officer or delegated officer in their agency.

Recruitment Contacts

Call: 1800 245 092
Email: jobs@powerwater.com.au

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