How to apply

Before you apply for a position, find out as much as possible about the position and the department to gain a broad understanding of what is required and whether you are right for the role.

• Review the role description and any additional documents provided in the advertisement. The role description contains essential information about the role and what information is being sought in your application.
• Check your eligibility for employment to this role. You are eligible to be a public sector employee only if you are:
  • an Australian citizen, or
  • you reside in Australia and have permission, under a law of the Commonwealth, to work in Australia.
    Some roles may be identified which means there is an inherent requirement for the role to be performed by an Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander person due to the nature of the work and/or particular client group. In this case you may be required to provide a cultural reference.
    There may be roles which require a certain level of cultural awareness (i.e. delivering services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients etc.), and it will be important to assess candidates’ cultural capability.
• Check the qualifications, registrations and/or licences requirements:
  • Certain roles within the department may have mandatory qualifications or registration requirements.
  • Where the role needs you to have a driver’s licence, it will be clearly stated in the role description.
• Check any special conditions, there may be some which you have to consider when applying for the role:
  • For some roles, travel throughout Queensland (including regional and remote areas), for a number of days at a time, may be required.
  • Some roles may require work to be undertaken outside normal working hours (e.g. weekend and night time).
• Consider your capabilities to perform the role as outlined in the role description. The Leadership Competencies for Queensland developed by the Public Sector Commission provide you with information on the behaviours and capabilities expected of public sector employees.
• Reach out to the contact person listed in the role description if you have any questions or would like more information regarding the role.

This is your opportunity to tell us who you are, outline your skills and strengths, and tell us about your knowledge and experience relevant to the role you are applying for.

The requirements for your application are contained within the role description. It is important to prepare an application that best represents you and what you can offer. To enable us to assess your suitability, and your ability to perform the requirements of the role, your application should include information as requested in the role description.

Learn more about writing a resume and cover letter

Once you have prepared your application, use the ‘Apply online’ button on the Smart jobs and careers website to submit your application before the closing date. Step by step instructions are available on the Queensland Government website.

If you experience technical difficulties when submitting your application through the Smart jobs, contact before the closing date 13 QGOV (13 74 68), or after the closing please contact the contact officer listed on the role description.

Late applications

You will need to seek approval from the contact person listed in the advertisement and role description to submit your application after the closing date.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw your application:

• before the closing date – online through the Smart jobs and careers website or advise the contact person listed in the role profile
• after the closing date – by advising the contact person listed in the role description

In deciding who the person best suited to a position is, the panel must consider a candidate’s ability to perform the requirements of the position. In doing so, the panel will consider the following attributes of each candidate:

• the way any previous employment was carried out
• a candidate’s potential to make a future contribution to the department, and
• how the appointment would achieve the department’s equity, diversity, respect and inclusion obligations.

Panel members and decision-makers are empowered to evaluate a wider spectrum of candidate qualities to determine their fit for a role. The panel is tasked with considering the role’s responsibilities and the potential contributions of the successful candidate to both the department’s objectives and the organisational culture.

The selection process will start with short-listing, where the panel will assess the information provided in your application. Based on this, we will select applicants to proceed to the next phase of assessment, which could involve a work test, an interview or other selection techniques that enable a sufficiently comprehensive assessment of an applicant’s suitability to fulfil the role.

Pre-employment checks

If the selection panel recommends you for the role, you may be requested to undergo pre-employment screening prior to any offer of employment being made.

• If you have been paid a Voluntary Medical Retirement, Early Retirement, Redundancy, Retrenchment, other Severance Benefit, or Voluntary Separation Package from the Queensland Government within the period covered by the severance benefit, you are required to let the panel know.
• You must disclose any employment you have had as a lobbyist in accordance with the Public Sector Commission Disclosure of previous employment as a lobbyist policy.
• You may be required to provide written consent for a criminal history check prior to being offered employment in accordance with the provisions of chapter 3, part 5 of the Public Sector Act 2022. A criminal record does not automatically exclude employment with us. Criminal history checks are conducted in the strictest confidence.
• Blue card screening will be a required for roles that work with children.
• If you are recommended for appointment and have been previously employed in the Queensland Public Sector, you will be required to disclose any previous serious disciplinary action taken against you.

Referee checks

Referee checks are an important part of our selection process and are used to verify claims made by you in your application and during the interview/assessment phase. They help us to gather further information about your work performance and suitability for the role.

Following the outcome of checks, if it is decided that you are the most suitable applicant/s, we will offer you the role formally. You can discuss your start date and an official appointment letter will be sent to you. All applicants will be advised of the final outcome of their application.

The panel may make a suitability list. This list may be used to make subsequent appointments and fill other recurring, identical or similar role vacancies usually for a period of up to 12 months from the advertising closing date.

All applicants are encouraged to seek feedback about their application or their interview.  Please contact the contact person on the role description or panel chair for feedback.