Where jobs are listed, and what to send
NSW Public Service agencies must advertise jobs that are open to the public on I work for NSW. That rule is in the Recruitment and Selection Guide from the Public Service Commissioner.
The application form collects your details, work history, education and referees. A separate resume file isn't compulsory.
The ad may also ask for one or both of these:
- a cover letter of 1 to 2 pages at most, on why you want the role and what you've achieved
- a short statement answering one or two targeted questions
Always do what the ad asks. If it gives a word limit, keep to it.
The Capability Framework
The NSW Public Sector Capability Framework has 20 capabilities in 5 groups:
- Personal attributes: display resilience and courage, act with integrity, manage self, value diversity and inclusion
- Relationships: communicate effectively, commit to customer service, work collaboratively, influence and negotiate
- Results: deliver results, plan and prioritise, think and solve problems, demonstrate accountability
- Business enablers: finance, technology, procurement and contract management, project management
- People management: manage and develop people, inspire direction and purpose, optimise business outcomes, manage reform and change
Each has five levels: Foundational, Intermediate, Adept, Advanced and Highly Advanced. The levels don't match pay grades. People management applies only to roles that manage staff.
The role description lists the role's focus capabilities, with behavioural indicators for each. Prepare your answers for those, using the indicators' own words.
Answering targeted questions
A targeted question asks for an example of how you showed a focus capability. It often starts "Give an example of a situation where…" or "Describe a scenario…".
Here is a targeted question from the NSW guide, for the capability Commit to customer service:
“Give an example of a time when you identified an opportunity to improve customer delivery using data or information. What was the situation? How did you deal with it? What was the outcome?”
Answer in STAR order: Situation, Task, Action, Result. The guide also mentions SAO: Situation, Action, Outcome.
How you'll be assessed
The Government Sector Employment Act 2013 requires hiring on merit. When candidates are compared for a role, the guide lists these steps:
- screening for the role's essential requirements
- a review of your application and resume
- at least 3 capability-based assessments, one of which is an interview
- referee checks, at least for the preferred candidate
Your written answers and your referees don't count as one of the 3 assessments. The guide's examples include a cognitive ability test, a group activity, a work sample and an interview.
Talent pools
If you meet the standard but aren't chosen, you may be put in a talent pool. You can stay in it for up to 18 months after the assessment.
Visas and checks
Every NSW Public Service job has citizenship or residency rules, and these are checked before you start. Any visa must be current and allow you to work in Australia.
If you hold a temporary visa and are offered ongoing work, the offer will usually come with conditions.
Some roles also need checks, such as a criminal record check or a working with children check. Others need a licence, a qualification or a health assessment.
An answer to a targeted question
Here is a made-up answer, in STAR form, to the NSW guide's targeted question above.
Made-up example
Lena, applying for a customer service role at Adept level
Question
Situation
Task
Action
- I pulled three months of booking data and found most missed visits were booked over a week ahead.
- I asked 20 patients who had missed a visit what would have helped.
- Most wanted a reminder, so I proposed a text message two days before each visit.
- I wrote the message with the practice manager and tested it for a month.
- I shared the results with the team each week.
Result
It answers all three parts of the question: the situation, how it was dealt with, and the outcome. It also uses data, as the question asks.
Questions
Do I need to attach a resume?
Not always. The NSW guide says a separate resume file isn't compulsory, as the form collects your work history, education and referees. Do what the ad asks.
What are focus capabilities?
They are the key capabilities for the role, listed in the role description. Your answers and interview should show those, at the level the role needs.
How long does a talent pool last?
Up to 18 months after the assessment that put you in it.
Can I apply on a temporary visa?
Your visa must be current and let you work in Australia. If you're offered ongoing work on a temporary visa, the offer will usually have conditions.
Sources
Written by Seal the Offer from these pages, last checked on . Rules change, so check the employer's own page and the job ad before you apply.
- Recruitment and Selection Guide 2025 (PDF) · NSW Public Service Commissioner
- About recruitment legal requirements · NSW Government
- Factsheet for the revised NSW Public Sector Capability Framework · NSW Government
- The NSW Public Sector Capability Framework, version 3 (PDF) · NSW Public Service Commissioner
- Capability Application Tool · NSW Government