Ap p lic a nt Guid elines

To be used in conjunction with the latest Role Description Template

Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources

Tha nk you for your interest in a p p lying for a role w ithin the Dep a rtm ent of Environm ent, Wa ter a nd Natural Resources (DEWNR). To help you prepare your application we are happy to provide you with the follow ing inform a tion. We strong ly enc oura g e you to use this inform a tion in c onjunc tion w ith other resources to assist you through the application process.

Before You Start Your Application ....................................................................................................................... 2 Selection Based on Competencies..................................................................................................................... 2 What are competencies? .....................................................................................................................................2 The Role Description ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Group Purpose: .......................................................................................................................................................2 About the Role: .......................................................................................................................................................2 Key Role Outcomes: ...............................................................................................................................................2 Key Relationships / Interactions (Internal and External):...................................................................................3 Competencies: ........................................................................................................................................................3 Qualifications: ..........................................................................................................................................................3 Special Conditions: .................................................................................................................................................3 Important Instructions on Addressing the Competencies: ...............................................................................4 SAR Principle.......................................................................................................................................................... 4 What Your Application Should Contain .............................................................................................................. 5 Submitting Your Application ................................................................................................................................ 5 Applicant Eligibility Criteria.................................................................................................................................. 5 Selecting the Right Person for the Job ................................................................................................................ 5

Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Applicant Guide

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Before You Start Your Application

Obtain and thoroughly read the Role Description. If you ha ve a ny q uestions or w ish to g a in further inform a tion, c onta c t the enq uiries p erson listed on the advertisement. Ac c ess the Dep a rtm ent of Environm ent, Wa ter a nd current values and goals. Na tura l Resourc es w eb site a t Dep a rtm ent of Environm ent, Wa ter & Na tura l Resourc es. Ta ke p a rtic ula r note of DEWNR s

Selection Based on Competencies

All em p loyees a nd p otentia l em p loyees of DEWNR w ho a re a p p lying for roles a t va rious levels a re expected to demonstrate a range of competencies relevant to the level of the role.

What are competencies?

Com p etenc ies a re the und erlying a ttrib utes req uired in a p erson to a c hieve effec tive p erform a nc e in a job. They are the behaviours people need to demonstrate on the job to perform effectively. The DEWNR Competency Framework is based on the five core competencies of the South Australian Executive Service Competency Framework (SAES), that is: 1. Shapes Strategic Thinking and Change 2. Achieves Results 3. Drives Business Excellence 4. Forges Relationships and Engages Others 5. Exemplifies Personal Drive and Professionalism Elem ents a nd Beha vioura l Ind ic a tors c ustom ised b y ind ic a tive c la ssific a tion level ha ve b een

developed in DEWNR aligned with each of the above SAES competencies.

The Role Description

The Role Desc rip tion c om p rises a num b er of sec tions to help you und ersta nd the role a nd therefore a ssess your level of interest in a nd suita b ility for the role. The inform a tion b elow p rovid es a b rief summary of the key sections.

Group Purpose:
This section gives an overview of the vision and scope of the Group (business division) and Branch/Region within which the role is located. This will provide you with an understanding of the broader goals to which the role contributes and the context within which the incumbent will be required to work.

About the Role:

Provid es the fund a m enta l a im of the role, sim ila r to a m ission sta tem ent .

Key Role Outcomes:

Outlines the key outcomes required of the role. This gives you information on what you will be expected to deliver and achieve in the role.

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Key Relationships / Interactions (Internal and External):

Outlines the key interna l a nd externa l rela tionship s you w ill b e req uired to b uild a nd suc c essfully m aintain in order to perform effectively in the role.

Competencies:
The Com p etenc ies sec tion is w ha t you w ill b e a ssessed a g a inst in the short listing p roc ess a nd therefore form s the selec tion c riteria for the role. Com p etenc ies req uired to und erta ke the role a re b roken into Core Com p etenc ies (w hic h a p p ly to Manager and Non Ma na g er roles) a nd Technical / Professiona l Competencies.

Core and Technical / Professional Competencies

Each competencies section is broken down into a table with the following 3 columns: 1) The 5 competencies as per the South Australian Executive Service (SAES) framework. 2) 3) Elem ents w ithin ea c h c om p etenc y Beha vioura l Ind ic a tors NB: a s pa rt of your a pplica tion, you a re required to respond to each Element listed against the competencies. These w ill va ry for ea c h Elem ent d ep end ing on the level of the role for w hic h you a re a p p lying . The Beha vioura l Ind ic a tors d em onstra te the b eha viours/ a c tions req uired to b e p erform ing effec tively a t the level of the role. Therefore, they a re a useful ind ic a tion to you of the typ es of a c tions/ b eha viours tha t the selec tion p a nel w ill b e looking for a p p lic a nts to d em onstra te w ithin ea c h c om p etenc y. NB: the indica tors a re not listed in a ny priority order. 4) Und erp inning the c ore c om p etenc ies, there m a y b e a need for tec hnic a l c om p etenc ies tha t ind ic a te the b a se know led g e a nd / or tec hnic a l skills req uired for a sp ec ific role. If listed , you need to resp ond to the listed tec hnic a l c om p etenc ies in your a p p lic a tion b y p rovid ing a response that demonstrates your knowledge, experience or ability in this competency.

Qualifications:
o o o Provision is m a d e here for listing the q ua lific a tions tha t m a y b e either req uired to suc c essfully perform in the role, or may be desirable. In some case, no qualifications may be listed. Whether the q ua lific a tions a re essentia l or d esira b le w ill b e ind ic a ted in the Role Desc rip tion. Whichever it is, you need to respond by listing the relevant qualifications that you hold. It is recommended that you include proof of qualifications.

Special Conditions:
o Outlines d uties or exp ec ta tions sp ec ific to the role for w hic h you a re a p p lying , e .g . fire m a na g em ent or a ssoc ia ted d uties, overnig ht a b senc es, b eing req uired to fly in a lig ht p la ne or needing to wear a specific uniform.

Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Applicant Guide

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Important Instructions on Addressing the Competencies:

o o You w ill b e a ssessed a g a inst the listed c om p etenc ies in the short listing p roc ess. It is vita l tha t you address the Competencies and, if applicable to the role, also the Qualifications section. In resp ond ing to the Com p etenc ies, you a re req uired to a d d ress the listed Elem ents in Colum n 2 see below. Competency e.g. Shapes Strategic Thinking and Change Element e.g. Thinking and Acting Strategically RESPOND to this component in your application, e.g. how ha ve you acted o o ? Behavioural Indicators e.g. Remains focused on achieving outcomes despite the emergence of unexpected or unplanned pressures DO NOT respond directly to this component in your application it will be explored as part of the interview process should you be successful in the short listing process. Use the indicators as a useful guide to the actions/behaviours the selection panel will be looking for .

NB: Applicants will be judged on their ability to respond briefly. One paragraph for each Element of no more than 100 words is strongly recommended. When resp ond ing to the Elem ents w ithin the c om p etenc ies, w e rec om m end you use the SAR principle (outlined below).

SAR Principle
o Situation: Identify a rec ent situa tion, setting or p rojec t you w ere involved in tha t show s how you ha ve effec tively a p p lied the elem ent, w hen this oc c urred , w ho w a s involved a nd w ha t role you played. o o o Action: Give b rief d eta ils of w ha t you d id , w hy a nd how . Desc rib e how you resp ond ed to the situation/task, what problems/difficulties you had to address and how you resolved them. Result: Briefly outline w ha t the result w a s. Outline the outc om e a nd / or the feed b a c k you received. The follow ing exa m p le m a y a ssist you in resp onding to the Elem ents w ithin the Core Competencies: Ap p lic a nt for a Level 3 First Line m a na g em ent role a d d ressing the Elem ent: Influenc ing a nd Neg otia ting Others : In m y c urrent role, suc c essfully neg otia ting c ontra c ts w ith sup p liers is c ruc ia l to ensure c ost effec tive d elivery of effic ient servic es to the org a nisa tion. I m a na g e ea c h c ontra c t, w hic h requires day to day negotiation with suppliers around issues as they arise. For exa m p le, there w a s a c onflic t b etw een 2 sec urity g ua rd s on site, w hic h I ha d to d isc uss w ith the sup p lier. The outc om e w a s a num b er of c ha ng es to op era ting p ra c tic es tha t ensured m inim a l im p a c t to their servic e d elivery to the b usiness a nd a n outc om e tha t w a s rea d ily accepted by the 2 contractors so conflict has not occurred since. o In responding to the Technica l / Professiona l Competencies, you need to p rovid e a resp onse tha t d em onstra tes your know led g e/ exp erienc e or a b ility a s req uired . For exa m p le, if the tec hnic a l c om p etenc y is listed a s An und ersta nd ing of the p rinc ip les of the Oc c up a tiona l Hea lth, Sa fety a nd Welfa re leg isla tion then your response might look something like this: During m y 15 yea rs of em p loym ent I ha ve g a ined a c lea r und ersta nd ing of the p rinc ip les of OHS&W. I understand and respect that the key principle is to ensure all employees are safe from injury a nd risks to hea lth a nd w elfa re w hile a t w ork a nd it foc uses on the integ ra tion of hea lth and safety through all organisational structures. I und ersta nd tha t I ha ve a d uty of c a re to m y em p loyer a nd to other em p loyees und er OHS&W legislation in the discharge of my duties, including identifying and reporting workplace hazards or
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w ithin the Com p etenc y

Forg es Rela tionship s a nd Eng a g es

risks. In one of m y ea rly roles a s a Projec t Offic er a t New la nd , I c o-ord ina ted the OHS&W Risk Assessment for my work unit, in liaison with the OHS&W Branch.

What Your Application Should Contain

Your application should include the following 3 elements: 1) Cover Letter exp ressing your interest in the role (sp ec ify the role a nd a ny referenc e num b er) a nd inc lud ing a w ritten resp onse to ea c h ELEMENT w ithin the Core Com p etenc ies a nd , if a p p lic a b le, a w ritten resp onse to the sec tions on Tec hnic a l / Professiona l Com p etenc ies a nd Qua lific a tions. NB: It is expected that the above will be no more than 3 pages. 2) A Brief Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume, including a list of at least 3 referees (at least 2 should be w ork rela ted referees w here p ossib le , if you ha ve just left sc hool or university a n a c a d em ic referee may be appropriate) 3) If you a re not c urrently em p loyed w ithin the South Austra lia n p ub lic sec tor, applicants a re required to c om p lete a n Em p loym ent Dec la ra tion a nd b e sub m itted a s p a rt of your a p p lic a tion. The Employment Declaration form is available at the following website: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/Work_With_Us/Working_at_DEWNR/Vacancies

Submitting Your Application

o o Where p ossib le w e a sk tha t your a p p lic a tion b e sub m itted b y e-m a il to: DEWNRjobs@sa.gov.au. Please check the vacancy advertisement for further details. If you d o not ha ve a c c ess to e-m a il p lea se forw a rd two c op ies of your a p p lic a tion, m a rked Confidential, to: Recruitment and Selection Team, People, Capability and Culture, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide SA 5001. o Closing time is g enera lly listed in the a d vertisem ent a nd is usua lly b y 5p m on the c losing d a te. Check the advertisement carefully.

Applicant Eligibility Criteria

If you a re a p p lying for a n ongoing va ca ncy you m ust b e a n Austra lia n Citizen or ha ve a Perm a nent Resid ent Visa . If you a re a p p lying for a contra ct va ca ncy then you m ust b e a n Austra lia n Citizen o r ha ve a Perm a nent Resid ent Visa or ha ve a n Austra lia n Wo rk Visa w hic h a llow s you to w ork in Australia for the period of the employment contract.

Selecting the Right Person for the Job

Your application for the role will help us to decide whether to discuss and/or assess your capability to do the job further. If your application indicates that you are able to meet the Competencies section in the Role Desc rip tion, w e m a y invite you to a ttend further selec tion p roc esses. If you a re invited to a ttend further selec tion p roc esses you w ill b e inform ed of the a p p roa c h b eing used to a ssess your competencies.

Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources Applicant Guide

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