Senior Positions

Applying for senior positions provides special challenges. The 12 pages devoted to this task include:

• Introduction to senior positions
• Typical Senior Executive Service selection criteria
• Responding to senior selection criteria (Including Leadership, Change management, and many others)
• Senior Australian Government positions
• Interview questions to help in preparing your written responses and for the interview

Résumé’s for senior positions

Here is a brief excerpt from Chapter 5, Senior positions.

Introduction to senior positions

The first move into a senior position is difficult. The responsibilities change from administrative or technical to managing people and large projects. The role has a much broader perspective and is more focused on managing people to do the work rather than doing it yourself.

Senior positions should be held by people who have, in the tradition of the Royal Air Force officer selection, the “right stuff”. They are looking for people who have certain characteristics, including higher-level education, leadership qualities, integrity, who are able to manage people and persuade others, who have a vision, recognise and have the courage to take opportunities, who take risks and achieve results – people who can make a difference. These are wonderful characteristics but demonstrating them sometimes is difficult.

What the panel is looking for is real evidence of your success. Senior staff should be successful people who have made a “difference” to the system in past positions: had an “impact” on the agency in terms of better customer service, improved efficiency, better relationships with other agencies, reduced costs and smoother operation…………….