Gladstone Regional Council accepts online applications only through its recruitment portal. The following tips and advice is provided to help guide you through the application process.
Position description
Every position advertised with Council has a position description. Please take time to read the position description to determine if you meet the criteria and are eligible to apply and hold all the essential requirements for the role.
The position description will help you understand the:
Position purpose
The key responsibilities of the position
The essential requirements for the role
Councils performance standards and expectations.
Cover letter
Council do not require an application cover letter as our online application process gathers the information we require to assess your suitability.
Resume
You will require a resume to apply for all Council positions. Please ensure it is formatted in a Microsoft Word or PDF document and is smaller than 5MB. Have your resume saved on your computer ready to upload/attach, so it is available when you want to submit your online job application.
Job specific questions
The job specific questions will be available once you have logged into our online recruitment portal. Answers to these questions form the basis of our shortlisting process. When answering the job specific questions, it is important that you provide real-life examples to demonstrate the skills, experience and knowledge that is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Provide one page explaining your desired skill or experience
Putting "see resume" when answering the job specific questions may disadvantage you
It is important to take the time to read the position specific questions and make sure that you are addressing the questions correctly and thoroughly. This is the section where you can provide relevant and specific information that relates back to your qualifications, skills and experience
We recommend using the STAR formula when addressing the position specific questions (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Check there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in your responses
Reread your response to ensure that it makes sense and you are answering the question correctly
We encourage you to ask a friend or job service network provider to look over your responses to the position specific questions
You may wish to prepare your responses in a Word document to save and edit them over time. You can then copy and paste your answers from Word into the Job specific fields in the online job application
Know the purpose of your resume - The objective of your resume is to secure an interview, and the interview will land you the job
Back up your qualities and strengths - Instead of creating a long elaborate list with all your qualities and strengths, try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up
Proofread it - One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or get someone else to proofread it for you
Use bullet points - Avoid using long paragraphs of text. Use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives
Put the most important information first - Most of the time your recent work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When recounting your experience and skillset, list the most important ones first
Attention to the typography - Ensure that your fonts are big enough - the smallest you should go is 11 points. Remember, the continuous use of capital letters imply you are yelling, so avoid overusing them. Your goal is to communicate a message as concisely as possible
Explain the benefits of your skills - By stating you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you explain how it will benefit the company or organisation, and connect it to work related results, then you will be demonstrating the benefits
Achievements instead of responsibilities - Resumes that include a long list of “responsibilities included…” you may as well insert your previous positions descriptions. This is not an efficient way to sell yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, outline your professional achievements
No Photos - Unless you are applying for a job where the physical traits are very important (e.g., modelling, acting and so on), and unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your photo to the resume
One resume per employer - The most common mistake made is to create a standard resume and submit it to all the jobs. Sure, it may save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Modify your resume for individual employers
Analyse job ads - Analyse the job advertisement that you will be applying for, but also the position description and the job specific application. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the information should be presented
Get someone else to review your resume - Even though you may think that your resume is looking great, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion. We generally become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so someone else with a fresh set of eyes, will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions
Lists all your positions - If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it would be a good idea to outline the different positions and roles you had during this time. You would have developed different skillsets with each role
Be careful with sample resume templates - There are numerous websites which offer free resume templates. Whilst these can assist you to get an idea of what you are looking for, ensure that you are completing all fields so that 'template' or 'insert name here' doesn't appear on your resume
Use action verbs - Common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are essentially verbs, that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience and achievements are
