Answer capsule: To address APS selection criteria, treat each criterion as a question about a capability and answer it with evidence. Read the criteria closely, pick examples that show you performing at the role's level, and structure each one with STAR so the panel can see your individual contribution and the result. Whether the role asks for a single integrated pitch or separate responses to each criterion, the task is the same: prove each capability with a concrete, recent, role-level example, and connect every paragraph back to the criterion it answers.
What are selection criteria really asking for?
Selection criteria are the capabilities the panel will assess you against. Behind the formal wording, each criterion is a question: can you show you have done this, well, at roughly the level this role works at? A criterion such as "communicates with influence" is not asking whether you can write an email. It is asking for evidence that you have shaped an outcome through how you communicated.
Before you write anything, break each criterion into the specific behaviours it implies, then ask which of your experiences prove those behaviours. This reading step is what separates a response that scores well from one that restates the criterion back to the panel in different words.
Integrated pitch or criterion by criterion?
APS applications increasingly ask for a single pitch, sometimes called a statement of claims or a one-page pitch, rather than a separate paragraph for every criterion. The format changes, but the underlying job does not. In an integrated pitch you still have to cover each capability; you just weave the evidence into a continuous argument instead of labelling each section with a criterion.
Read the applicant information pack to confirm which format the role wants and how long the response should be. If it asks for an integrated pitch capped at 500 to 1000 words, you cannot give every criterion equal space, so choose examples that prove more than one capability at once. If it asks for a response to each criterion, keep each answer self-contained and clearly evidenced.
How do you choose the right evidence?
Strong evidence has three qualities:
- It is relevant. The example clearly demonstrates the capability the criterion is testing, not a loosely related achievement.
- It is at level. The scope, judgement, and independence in the example match the role's classification. Evidence pitched below the role level is a common reason capable applicants are screened out. Use the APS Work Level Standards to check what "at level" means for the classification you are applying for.
- It is recent and real. Panels probe for specifics, so choose examples you can describe in detail and, at interview, defend.
One well-chosen example that proves several capabilities is worth more than three thin ones. When you are short on space, this is the lever that matters most.
How should you structure each example?
Use STAR so every example is easy to assess:
Give one or two sentences of context. Include enough for the panel to understand the setting, but no more.
Explain what you specifically had to achieve and why it mattered.
Make this the longest part. Walk through the decisions and steps you personally took. Use "I", not "we", so your contribution is unmistakable.
State the outcome, quantify it where you can, and connect it back to the capability the criterion is testing.
The Action section is where panels look hardest because it shows your judgement. If your example is mostly Situation and Result with a thin Action, rebalance it. For a deeper walkthrough, read How to Write Strong STAR Examples for APS Criteria.
How do you make the response easy to assess?
Map every paragraph back to a criterion. After drafting, read each paragraph and name the criterion it addresses. If you cannot name one, the paragraph is not earning its place, so cut it or re-anchor it. Panels work through many applications against the same criteria, so a response that signals clearly which capability each example proves is easier to assess.
Write in plain, active language and align your wording to the capability framework the role uses. You are not trying to sound impressive; you are trying to make it effortless for the panel to identify the evidence for each criterion.
What should you do before submitting?
Use this final check:
Confirm every advertised criterion is supported by evidence somewhere in your response.
Check that the scope, judgement, and impact in each example match the role's APS classification.
Replace vague team language with the specific decisions and actions you personally took.
Remove anything that does not help prove an advertised capability or explain a relevant result.
If you want help turning the criteria into a structured response, APSPitchPro guides you through choosing evidence and building each STAR example against the specific criteria of the role. You can start by writing your APS pitch.
FAQ
Do I still address every criterion in an integrated pitch?
Yes. An integrated pitch reads as one argument, but it still has to provide evidence for each capability the role assesses. The difference is presentation: you weave the criteria together rather than labelling separate sections, and you choose examples that cover more than one criterion where possible.
How long should a selection criteria response be?
Follow the job advertisement and applicant information pack. Integrated pitches are commonly capped at 500 to 1000 words or one to two pages. Where each criterion is answered separately, there is often a word limit per criterion. Staying within the limit is part of what the panel expects.
What is the most common mistake when addressing criteria?
Describing what the team did rather than what you personally did, and pitching evidence below the role's level. Panels assess your individual capability at the advertised classification, so every example should show your own decisions at the right level of scope and judgement.