Should I Apply?

This information provides you, as a potential ONA candidate, with the eligibility requirements for employment with ONA and gives advice on preparing your job application.  You should read this information before submitting your application.

Eligibility requirements
The selection process
Preparing your application
Lodging your application
Late applications
Short-listing
Availability for interview
After the interview
Security Assessment
Offer of employment
Salary rates
Probation

Eligibility Requirements

Employment with ONA is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999.

Australian Citizenship

To be eligible for employment with ONA you must be an Australian citizen.

Health Assessment

If you are new to the Australian Public Service (APS), you will be required to undergo a health assessment, conducted by an appropriate Health for Industry officer or an approved representative. The assessment ascertains your fitness for engagement in the APS and the work you will be doing.

Prior Receipt of Redundancy Benefit

If you have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency or non-APS Commonwealth employer you may not be eligible to apply for employment with ONA. Please refer to the Australian Public Service Commission's Circular 2009/2: Engagement of redundancy benefit recipients.

http://www.apsc.gov.au/circulars/circular092.htm

Security Clearance

An offer of employment is conditional on a successful security assessment of your suitability to hold a Top Secret (positive vetted) (TSPV) clearance. All ONA staff members must obtain and maintain a TSPV security clearance. More information on the security assessment is available under Security Assessment.

Academic/Professional Qualifications

Depending on the level and type of work the position engages in, there may be certain knowledge and experience requirements that can only result from a relevant qualification. Any claims you make for academic and/or professional qualifications must be verifiable by the relevant institution. False claims could lead to rescission of an offer of employment or disciplinary action, including possible termination of employment.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

ONA's selection process is completed in two stages. Stage one is job specific; your skills, experience and abilities are measured against the job requirements. Stage two is the security assessment; which judges your suitability to work in a high-security environment. Both stages must be successfully completed before ONA can make an offer of employment.

Selection for employment in ONA is based on merit, which means that from a field of applications, we need to select the best person for the job. We use a range of tools and techniques, including written applications, interviews, referee reports and, on occasion, work sample tests, to collect the evidence we need to make a merit-based decision.

ONA is committed to workplace diversity and aims to create an environment that values and uses the contribution of people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

STAGE 1

PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION

Advertised vacancies often attract a number of very good quality candidates, so it is in your best interest to prepare an application that demonstrates to the Selection Committee you can fulfil the role.

Your written application is the first step in the selection process. It should provide sufficient relevant information about your work history, experience and education to allow a Selection Committee to decide whether you should be shortlisted for the position. Although it will not solely determine whether you are successful, an application does convey important information about you and about your suitability for the position. It should be an organised, informative paper written with the requirements of the Selection Committee in mind.

Interviews may not be held if the best candidate is readily identifiable from application and referee reports alone. For this reason it is particularly important that your application directly addresses the selection criteria in the context of the duties of the advertised position.

It is a good idea to learn as much as possible about the duties and responsibilities of the role, the work environment and ONA. Information is provided in the selection documentation, and you should speak to the nominated contact officer if you have further questions. This knowledge will enable you to be specific about the relevance of your skills and experience to the duties and responsibilities of the role.

Your statement addressing the selection criteria is the most important part of your application. It is the basis of the selection panel's list of candidates for further consideration. For all jobs in ONA, selection criteria are based on generic capabilities. The selection documentation itemises the capabilities, behaviours and skills ONA is looking for. If any criterion is not addressed, or insufficiently addressed, your application may not receive further consideration.

Under each heading you should explain how your skills, experience, abilities, and personal qualities relate to that criterion and the duties of the role. You should give specific examples of work you have done, describing your contribution to a process and/or an outcome, and how this relates to the criterion you are addressing. Your statement should be comprehensive but succinct; no response should exceed 500 words per criterion.

Your application must include:

• Statement of claims against the selection criteria outlining examples and achievements that demonstrate your claims. The statement can be in narrative and/or dot point form (the response to each criterion should not exceed 500 words);
• A resume or CV including a summary of your work history, beginning with your most recent employment and working background. You should give dates of employment, company names and position titles. Your academic qualifications should be listed, with dates and institution names;
• An Application Summary Sheet
• The names of two referees (one of whom should be your current supervisor) who can provide comments on your work performance and an assessment against the selection criteria. The Selection Committee may seek detailed written or oral comments from referees. Please indicate clearly if you do not wish your referees to be contacted prior to short listing; and
• If required, an example of written work. This could be a publication, a thesis or a report. An example of your written work is generally only required for analytic positions. The requirement for written work will be specified in the advertisement - if it is not mentioned then you do not need to provide it. Examples of written work should be, at maximum, 10 pages - an extract from a larger document is acceptable.

If all required documentation is not submitted your application may not be considered.

For additional information on preparing your application and addressing selection criteria refer to the 'Cracking the Code' publication on the Australian Public Service Commission website.

LODGING YOUR APPLICATION

Applications are due by midnight on the closing date. ONA prefers electronic lodgement of applications via email to recruitment@ona.gov.au.

It is important when emailing your application that you quote the job title and your name e.g. Robin Black - Support Officer Position in the subject line so your application can be passed to the relevant person for further consideration and action.

If you do not have email access, applications can be submitted by post to:

Office of National Assessments
Recruitment Officer
Locked Bag 6310
Kingston ACT 2614

You will receive notification via email or post of the successful submission of your application.

LATE APPLICATIONS

If you cannot lodge a full application by the closing date, you may discuss your situation with the Contact Officer. If you are granted an extension, your completed application must arrive at ONA by the agreed date to be considered. An expression of interest is not an application and will not be considered during the shortlisting process. The Selection Committee will not normally seek additional information if an expression of interest has not been followed by a completed application.

SHORTLISTING

We expect to start shortlisting of applicants soon after the closing date for applications. You will be notified of the outcome of the shortlisting process. Ensure you provide accurate contact details as only a reasonable attempt will be made to contact applicants for interviews. The timeframe for shortlisting will depend on the size of the field, and may take several weeks to complete. The Selection Committee will shortlist applicants against the selection criteria and only those applicants who demonstrate the strongest claims will be selected for interview. Applicants not selected for interview will be notified in writing, or via email if residing overseas.

AVAILABILITY FOR INTERVIEW

As an applicant, you will be considered available for interview from the date applications close, unless you advise otherwise. Overseas and interstate applicants will be interviewed by telephone in the first instance. The Selection Committee will give you a minimum of two days notice before your interview. Upon notification of your selection for interview, you should advise the Selection Committee of any special requirements you may have.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

From the interview the Selection Committee will make a further shortlist of applicants to proceed to security assessment. If you are unsuccessful at the interview, you will be notified in writing. Unsuccessful applicants may request feedback regarding their candidacy for the position.

STAGE 2

SECURITY ASSESSMENT

An offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a security assessment for a TSPV clearance. The security assessment evaluates your suitability for work in a high-security environment. It includes a psychological assessment, conducted by a registered psychologist in accordance with relevant legislation and registration board requirements. You will have to complete psychometric tests and attend an in-depth interview. Friends, family and associates will also be interviewed. If your application proceeds to the security assessment stage, ONA's security section will send you a Security Vetting Pack; this must be returned within 30 days. If a TSPV security clearance can not be completed within a reasonable timeframe, your suitability for the position may be reconsidered.

The TSPV security clearance must be maintained while you work for ONA. All staff members' security clearances are reviewed periodically - staff are paid an allowance in recognition of these requirements.

The security assessment process is necessarily more intrusive than you will encounter in most other employment applications and full disclosure of personal and financial information is mandatory. If you feel uncomfortable about having to disclose personal details, and about our expectations regarding disclosure, then please think carefully before applying. The personal information you provide during the process is kept in the strictest confidence. Feedback from the security assessment process is very limited.

OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

No offer of employment will be made until you have successfully completed the security process. The delegate will then take a final decision whether to offer employment. If you do not gain a TSPV clearance then you cannot be offered a position and will receive a letter advising that you were unsuccessful.

ONA's preferred method of employment is one to three year contracts or secondments, which may be extended in certain circumstances. If you are currently an ongoing employee in another Commonwealth Government agency/department tenure options include promotion, ongoing movement at level or temporary transfer.

SALARY RATE

Your salary on engagement will be at the minimum pay level for the advertised role, unless you negotiate a higher salary point (normally within the range prescribed in the ONA Collective Agreement) based on your experience, qualifications, skills and immediate effectiveness.  Refer to the ONA Enterprise Agreement below, for salary rates.

ONA Enterprise Agreement - PDF 348KB

PROBATION

Engagement of new ongoing and non-ongoing APS employees by ONA will be conditional upon the satisfactory completion of a probation period, usually 6 months. During this time your conduct, work performance and security consciousness are assessed to determine whether they meet the standards required by ONA of its employees.

The probation period starts on your first day at work. If your performance and/or behavior does not reach the required standard during your probation, your employment will be terminated.