Application requirements and process
What do I need to do to apply?
You need to apply via the relevant job advertisement for your profession on JobsWA - under 'Agency' select ‘WA Country Health Service’ and search for your profession using the ‘keyword search’.
You will need to submit the following documents and information:
- Information on your residency or visa status
- Information on your COVID-19 vaccination status
- Contact details for two recent professional referees
- A detailed curriculum vitae outlining your education, professional work experience and other key achievements, skills, attributes and/or experience
- A statement addressing the Selection Criteria. The selection criteria can be found on the last page of the job description form.
- Your availability to commence or continue employment at WACHS
- Your preferences for regions you are interested and able to work in
- Evidence of course completion and indicate if you meet the professional registration or membership requirements for your profession in your curriculum vitae and/or selection criteria.
Final year allied health students are able to apply up to two months’ prior to completion of their degree. You should be completing your final placement and/or semester by this point. You will then need to provide evidence of completion of your tertiary qualification and membership/registration to wachsalliedhealthrecruitment@health.wa.gov.au once you have received them.
Do you contact my referees?
Yes, we contact at least two referees as part of the selection process, either via email or telephone.
Please ensure your referees are aware of your application at the time of submission. We will not contact you separately to advise that your referees are being contacted. If you need to update your referees after submitting your application then contact us via wachsalliedhealthrecruitment@health.wa.gov.au
What are selection criteria?
Selection criteria outline the qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge and attributes required to fulfil a role. They usually comprise essential and desirable criteria. At a minimum, the essential criteria must be addressed in a statement (not just your curriculum vitae).
Please read the job advertisement for any other specific information about which essential and/or desirable criteria you need to address and any page limits or formatting requirements.
The selection criteria can be found on the last page of the job description form (JDF). The JDF is included as an attachment on the job advertisement (see example below).
How much do I need to write in the selection criteria?
Some criteria, e.g. qualification and driver’s licence, only require a sentence or two to demonstrate you meet the criteria.
The remaining criteria require a more comprehensive answer of why you meet the criteria, what you have done and outcomes of what was achieved. As a guide, your response to each of these criteria may be half to two thirds of a page long (assuming single spacing).
Use examples with accurate and factual information. Aim to provide at least one example for each criterion asking about your skills, knowledge and experience to demonstrate your competency for the position.
Take into account the specific needs and contexts of the position to ensure your examples are relevant. Outline your understanding and experience as well as how you have demonstrated the skills, attributes and knowledge.
Here are some frameworks that can be used when providing examples in the selection criteria statement:
- Situation, task, action, result.
- Situation, action, outcome.
- What, how, outcome.
- Context, action, result.
Will there be interviews?
The selection process to be appointed to the recruitment pool generally does not include interviews. However, once you are appointed to the pool, a manager may contact you and seek additional information from you as part of considering you for specific roles.
How will I know if I am successful/in the pool and what happens then?
Once your application and referee reports have been assessed, you will receive an email letter from Health Support Services (HSS) advising you if you have been successful or not to the recruitment pool.
If you are successful, your application and details will be made available to designated allied health managers in WACHS. These managers will contact you when a suitable position arises to see if you are interested to take up the position. As mentioned previously, managers may contact you at this point to ask additional questions or seek further information to assess your suitability for the position.
Please note, if you are a final year student/new graduate applying to the pools, you can still be appointed to our recruitment pools if you meet the other requirements. Your appointment will be subject to successful completion of your tertiary qualification in your field and obtaining the necessary registration and/or membership as per the requirements of your profession. You will need to provide us evidence of this once you have received it via email to wachsalliedhealthrecruitment@health.wa.gov.au
Even once you have accepted a position, you can remain in the pool and be considered for an extension of your contract and/or other positions as they arise.
While you are in the pool, it is extremely important that you keep your availability and preferences up-to-date regularly so that you don’t miss out on any opportunities. You will be contacted via email approximately every 2 months to complete a survey to update this information – please ensure you complete the surveys when you receive them.
As a successful applicant to the pool, you will be notified via email about when the pool you are in is ending and provided advice on new pools and how to apply.
When the pool closes, you will need to re-apply to the following pool via the Jobs WA website to have access to opportunities again. You will need to provide an updated curriculum vitae and selection criteria statement each time. It is not possible to transfer your application from one recruitment pool to the next.
Why would I not be successful to the pool?
Decisions will be made in accordance with legislative requirement, including Equal Employment Opportunity and the Public Sector Employment Standard. All decisions are open to review.
If you do not have the necessary qualification and registration or membership for that profession and/or residency and visa requirements to work in Australia, you cannot be considered for the pool or a professional allied health position. More information about qualification and registration requirements can be found here.
If you have not addressed each selection criteria separately and/or there is insufficient information in your application and/or referee report regarding your experience, attributes, skills and knowledge, it will not be possible to determine that you meet each of the essential selection criteria.
How long does it take?
We aim to review and process your application and provide you notification of whether you have been successful within one month of receiving it.
There may be delays for example if we do not receive a response from your referees or if staff are on leave.