Employment Application Advice

Thank you for the interest you have shown in a vacancy at the Australian War Memorial. We have compiled the following information to assist you with your application. Please read carefully.

Employment conditions are in accordance with the Memorial's Certified Agreement. To be eligible for non-ongoing or ongoing employment, applicants should be an Australian citizen or have Australian Citizenship. However, in exceptional circumstances, applicants who have permanent residence status may be offered probationary employment pending the granting of citizenship. If you require further details regarding your eligibility to apply please contact our Recruitment Officer on (02) 6243 4568.

The Memorial is committed to employment equity. Our selection process aims to ensure that selections for engagement, promotion or movement are fair and equitable and are made without discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, ethnicity, or disability. For more information:

Applicants should note that the selection exercise for this vacancy may be based solely on applications and referee reports. Interviews may not be conducted. Therefore applications should address the selection criteria, and include a curriculum vitae, the names of two professional referees and a contact number.

Questions about the job

Should you have any questions about the job or the functional area in which it is located, please ask the Contact Officer who has been nominated in the advertisement.

Qualification requirements

The Director has set minimum qualification requirements for some jobs. These are shown on the qualifications schedule. Should you have any questions about qualification requirements please ask the Contact Officer nominated in the advertisement.

Preparing your application

It is important for all prospective applicants to read the Duty Statement and Selection Criteria carefully before starting to write an application. Also talk with the contact officer, ask question about the job and what other sources of information are available, eg annual reports, policy statements, procedures, etc before you proceed. For more information about the Australian War Memorial you are invited to visit our website www.awm.gov.au. Having done this, read the Selection Criteria again and ask yourself, 'Can I satisfy each essential criterion at the required level?' If the answer is yes, you should proceed with writing your application.

Writing your application

Applications should be either typed or neatly handwritten and include the following, to enable the Selection Advisory Committee to have sufficient information to assess your claims.

  • Application form (issued with this package)
  • Statement addressing the Selection Criteria
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) detailing personal details and work history
  • Referees' reports (optional).

The statement addressing the selection criteria is the most important part of the application, as the information provided will be used to shortlist applicants for interview/further assessment.

The following points will assist you with this statement.

  • Use the selection criterion as a heading.
  • Provide an outline of your experience/abilities/skills in respect of each criterion
  • It is not sufficient to make 'claims' - you need to demonstrate clearly that you satisfy the criterion to the level required. Use examples of achievements which can be verified by a referee.
  • Only include relevant information, outlining your achievements against that particular criterion.
  • Be concise.

Your Curriculum Vitae should comprise a resume of personal particulars and an outline of your work history. The following is a suggested format.

  • Full name and address
  • Telephone Number - contact number during business hours
  • Educational Qualifications - majors, date and institution where obtained or expected date of completion.
  • Referee details - Name and contact number during business hours
  • Employment History - Include dates, names of employers, positions occupied, work area (Section/Branch etc) and a brief outline of the duties undertaken. The details should be in reverse chronological order, starting with your present position and working backwards. Be concise and only give relevant information about major responsibilities. It is not necessary to mention in detail jobs which were held for short periods unless the experience is relevant to the advertised position. However, please don't leave any unexplained gaps in your work history.

Referee Reports

Supplying written referee reports with your application is optional. However, it is vital that two referees be detailed (with appropriate contact numbers) on your Curriculum Vitae.

Ideally one of the referees should be the applicant's immediate supervisor. Referees must comment on the applicant's claim/s against each selection criterion and may also make general comments about the applicant's suitability for the advertised vacancy on the forms for referees provided in this package. Referees must discuss the content of any report with the applicant. Both the referee and applicant are required to sign the report.

The Selection Advisory Committee is aware that it is not always possible for applicants employed in the private sector or outside this organisation to submit a referee's report from their current supervisor with their application. However, any documentation supporting the applicant's claims which may assist in the shortlisting process should be submitted. Please note that nominated referees will be contacted before an offer can be made. If you have been shortlisted for interview or further assessment and you have not nominated your immediate supervisor's you may be asked to provide details as to why. Please note the selection panel can seek comments from your immediate supervisor/s in order to assess your claims.

Submitting the Application

Please provide one copy of your application.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your application reaches this Office at the address detailed below by 4.51 pm on the closing date specified in the advertisement. Written "Expressions of Interest" are to be sent directly to the Recruitment Officer. However, it is the responsibility of the contact officer to decide whether they will accept a late application and any equiries in this regard should be directed to that person.

Applications will not be acknowledged. If you require information regarding receipt of your application, you can contact the Recruitment Officer on (02) 6243 4568.

For information regarding the position please contact the Contact Officer listed in the advertisement.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted regarding the next phase in the selection process. To those applicants who are not shortlisted, we extend our thanks for considering the Memorial as a potential employer. Email applications are to be in Microsoft Word format, contain no special formatting and have only one Attachment. Please submit these to employment@awm.gov.au

The Australian War Memorial is an Equal Opportunity Employer