Many APS departments are moving away from lengthy selection criteria applications and towards shorter-style applications. Candidates are often being asked to provide a 500 word statement of claims as part of their application, taking into account the relevant ILS competencies and Work Level Standards. Below, we provide guidance on how to reference these documents for an APS6 role (on a practical level), and provide a comprehensive 500 word statement of claims example for an APS6 Team Leader.

Applying the ILS & Work Level Standards to APS6 Applications (in Practice!)

As with any APS application, as well as the role profile and organisational context, you’ll also need to take into account the APS Work Level Standards and Integrated Leadership System.

As you’ll be aware, these are lengthy and complex documents. You may be wondering, just how do you do reference these frameworks in your application, on a practical level?

At the APS6 level, there are several distinguishing aspects you’ll need to demonstrate that set you apart from APS5 level and below.

How to Demonstrate APS6 ILS Capabilities In Your Application

From the ILS, you should demonstrate, through your examples, these capabilities:

Supports Strategic Direction

• You not just understand and communicate, but actively promote organisational decisions to others
• You initiate development of team goals, and anticipating factors that may impact on them
• You proactively seek out and gather different viewpoints and ways of doing things

Achieves Results

• You share information with others and support them to adapt
• You adjust plans as needed when issues arise

Supports Productive Working Relationships

• You proactively anticipate stakeholder needs and offer assistance to others
• You deal with under-performance in your team promptly

Displays Personal Drive and Integrity

• You challenge issues constructively
• You self-evaluate performance and identify ways to improve

Communicates with Influence

• You anticipate stakeholder concern and present persuasive counter-arguments

How to Demonstrate APS6 Work Level Standards In Your Application

From the Work Level Standards, you should demonstrate, through your examples, your ability to:

• Provide specialist advice in a specialist area
• Propose and facilitate innovation and change in the workplace
• Demonstrate in-depth understanding of relevant legislation and policy
• Develop and support complex relationships with stakeholders
• Represent the agency at community and cross-agency levels

APS Application Guide – 2024

APS6 Team Leader Application Example

Take this 500 word statement of claims example for an APS6 Team Leader. It asks for you to address: “how your skills, knowledge and experience match the position description, what you will do and our ideal candidate information” – all within 500 words!

Let’s review each of these aspects (we’ve highlighted relevant keywords).

Position Description/ Role

The Team Leader, Engagement and Support demonstrates leadership, organisational management abilities, sound judgement, flexibility to operate in a variable environment, and high-quality communication skills.

Reporting to the Assistant Director, you will be required to work with limited direction and undertake functions to support the State Manager as senior leader on site and with strategic internal and external engagement.

The Team Leader is a key role that will require you to operate collaboratively to achieve broader outcomes as part of a small team.

Working collaboratively with Engagement and Support teams in each State and Territory Office, you will work with your peer Team Leader to have direct oversight of a small corporate support team that ensures a consistent service offer to staff.

What You Will Do

• work with the Assistant Director and State Manager to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including state, territory and local governments, peak bodies, sectors, commonwealth agencies and departmental policy areas
• contribute to the analysis of intelligence and trends across the state or territory relevant to the community services portfolio to inform policy and delivery areas
• contribute to the coordination and engagement with a defined policy division within the department
• undertake a range of reporting requirements, including research, data collection, collation of information, data analysis and presentation
• support ministerial requests through recording and tracking all correspondence and briefings to ensure quality, timely advice and written material
• prepare and coordinate complex and sensitive materials including correspondence, briefing materials, reports, ministerial events/visits packages to ensure documents are complete, accurate, timely and consistent
• provide secretariat support to the State Manager’s involvement in meetings, events and visits, including coordinating quality and timely advice, drafting agendas and other written materials, and minute-taking
• oversee functions to support the State Manager as senior leader on site to ensure a safe, connected, and united office including aspects such as development of office wide communication, analysis of office usage, work health safety, business continuity and corporate support functions
• lead, develop and mentor your direct reports to achieve required outcomes

Our Ideal Candidate

• develops and maintains effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• engages and collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to identify opportunities, achieve outcomes, and facilitate cooperation
• displays high level attention to detail and ability to manage multiple and competing
  priorities, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement
• undertakes research, interprets complex information and provides advice
• understands the strategic direction for the work area and develops work plans accordingly, using relevant legislation and policy frameworks as a guide
• demonstrates strong communication skills and the ability to tailor communication style and language according to the audience’s level of knowledge, skill, and experience
• demonstrates commitment to self-development and capitalises on opportunities to extend skills and knowledge; accepts challenging new opportunities
• builds capability in a team environment through coaching others, providing performance feedback, conflict resolution and encouraging career development.

In the old days of selection criteria writing, you would have been expected to be provide an example in the STAR format for each criteria.

It would be impossible to address each of these aspects within 500 words! So, you need to be strategic about what areas you want to focus on. We suggest identifying three or so main skills and coming up with examples for those. You should ideally be able to address other points in the position description within those examples.

Including specific wording from the criteria at the start of your paragraphs (and throughout) will help the panel understand how your examples link back to what they require.

In this case, the three main skills/experience they are looking for could be considered to be:

Leadership: The role requires demonstrating leadership qualities to lead a small team effectively and achieve broader outcomes collaboratively. This includes the ability to mentor, develop, and lead direct reports.

Stakeholder Engagement: The role involves building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally. This requires effective communication skills, the ability to collaborate and engage with various stakeholders, and the capacity to tailor communication according to the audience.

Analytical Skills: The role includes tasks such as analysing intelligence and trends, contributing to policy development, and undertaking reporting requirements. This requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and the ability to interpret complex information to inform decision-making and policy development.

Formatting Your 500 Word Statement of Claims

First paragraph (50-100 words or 5-10% of the word count): Explain why you are interested in this role and highlight how you believe you can make a meaningful contribution based on your understanding of the role

Middle paragraphs: Provide examples relevant to the role, in the STAR format.

Final paragraph (50-100 words, or 5-10% of word count): Include a few sentences concluding the application, emphasising how you plan to make a strategic contribution (based on your understanding of relevant issues).

APS6 500 Word Statement of Claims Example

I am an experienced team leader with eight years of experience in the public sector, specialising in leading small teams and fostering collaborative relationships. I am particularly drawn to the opportunity to work collaboratively across state and territory offices, while also contributing to the professional growth of a team.

As a Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Community Services, I led a collaborative project between state agencies and community organisations to develop a comprehensive policy recommendation report, aligned with relevant legislation and departmental policies, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the housing target under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (Target 9a). I needed to ensure our communication was clear and persuasive to various audiences.

I implemented innovative communication strategies such as interactive stakeholder workshops, regular virtual town hall meetings, and a dedicated online collaboration platform for real-time updates and feedback. This enabled me to proactively gather valuable insights into the needs of different stakeholders, which I used to inform our policy recommendations. I also led analysis of data trends and community feedback to identify key issues and opportunities.

Some stakeholders were initially resistant to the new collaboration initiatives, which I recognised as being due to fear that increased coordination might dilute their autonomy and impact established service delivery methods. To address these concerns, I facilitated open discussions where stakeholders could voice apprehensions. I clearly explained the benefits of enhanced collaboration, such as more efficient resource utilisation.

Our team successfully built strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders, leading to the development of a comprehensive policy recommendation report that was well-received by the department and implemented as part of our strategic plan.

As Team Leader at the Department of Health, I led a small team responsible for implementing a new training curriculum for mental health professionals focused on crisis intervention techniques. I developed and communicated a detailed work plan that aligned with our strategic goals, using relevant legislation and policy frameworks as a guide.

During the project, I noticed a team member, responsible for coordinating the training logistics, was underperforming due to a lack of experience with the new digital training platform. This resulted in scheduling delays and incomplete participant records, which threatened our ability to meet deadlines and stakeholder expectations. I facilitated additional training on the digital platform and implemented a system for regular performance evaluations and feedback, which allowed me to provide constructive guidance.

As a result of these efforts, the training program was implemented successfully, with a 20% increase in training program completion rates compared to a previous roll-out.

My proven track record in stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, and team leadership aligns well with the requirements of the APS6 Team Leader, Engagement and Support role. My priority would be to enhance strategic engagement by fostering strong relationships with key stakeholders (both internal and external), through implementing proven communication strategies. I aim to ensure transparent and consistent communication, address stakeholder concerns promptly, and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

We hope this 500 word statement of claims example has been useful. As with any selection criteria writing, there’s a lot to take into consideration before preparing your statement. As always, we are on hand to assist with your selection criteria and application. Contact us for a quote.