What are selection criteria and and why are they so important?

Oxford Executive CV Writer
When preparing a CV and cover letter, you must show how you meet the employer’s selection criteria. This must be done in your CV, your cover letter, or sometimes in a separate document. If you do not, your CV may be screened out by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Unsure what selection criteria are? They are the must-haves and desirable qualities an employer is looking for in an ideal candidate.

Different terms for selection criteria

"Selection criteria" are the skills, knowledge, experience and qualities an employer is looking for in a person to fill a particular post. In the UK, there are many other terms for it:

  • Private companies - Often call them job descriptions, role profiles, or “what we are looking for”. They focus on skills, experience, and culture fit.
  • Civil Service and local councils - Use terms like person specification, essential and desirable criteria, or success profiles. You are usually scored against each point.
  • NHS and healthcare - Talk about job descriptions, person specifications, and values. They expect you to show how you meet both the skills and the NHS values.
  • Universities and colleges - Use person specifications or selection criteria. They ask for clear evidence of how you meet each requirement.
  • Charities and voluntary organisations - Call them role profiles or person specifications. They look for skills as well as motivation and values that match their mission.
  • Recruitment agencies - Often list requirements, key skills, must-haves and nice-to-haves. These are just another way of saying selection criteria.

How do I discover the selection criteria for a job?

The employer’s needs are usually set out in the job description or the job advert. Look for the keywords and phrases they use to describe the skills, experience, and qualities they want. These words should appear in your enote or cover letter, your CV, and any other documents you submit. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan applications before a human sees them, so if you leave these words out, your CV is likely to be filtered out and you will not be invited to interview.

How to write stand-alone statements for selection criteria

For some jobs, especially in the public sector, health, education, and not-for-profit fields, you may be asked to prepare a separate document called a "statement addressing the selection criteria". This is different from your CV and cover letter. Each criterion is listed, and you must write a short response under each one, showing how your skills, experience, and achievements prove you meet it. Use examples from past roles to explain what you did, how you did it, and what the result was. Employers score these statements carefully, so giving clear, evidence-based answers is essential if you want to move forward in the process.

Why addressing selection criteria matters more than ever

Employers are flooded with "tap to apply" CVs, so most now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen them. These systems look for clear evidence that you meet the selection criteria. If you do not show this in your CV, cover letter, or statement, your application is likely to be rejected before a person even sees it.

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Up to 70% of CVs are rejected during the ATS screening process. ATS algorithms are designed to swiftly and reliably identify the most qualified candidates for a job, and most cover letters and CVs routinely fail to match the job description, keywords or selection criteria.

Selection criteria for key job types

There are formal and informal requirements for addressing selection criteria. Here are some examples:

Formal requests (employers state the criteria clearly)

  • Public sector (civil service and councils) - Use “essential and desirable criteria”, success profiles, or competencies that must be addressed point by point.
  • NHS and healthcare - Job descriptions and person specifications list skills, experience, and values (such as the NHS values) that must be addressed directly.
  • Education - Schools, colleges, and universities provide person specifications with essential and desirable criteria, often linked to safeguarding and professional standards.
  • Charities and not-for-profits - Often provide role profiles or person specifications with criteria around both skills and values.

Some employers spell out their selection criteria, while others expect you to read between the lines and work it out for yourself:

Criteria you have to deduce (employers do not spell them out)

  • Retail and customer service - Job ads may just mention "good communication" or "flexible hours". Deduce that teamwork, reliability, and handling customers well are key criteria.
  • Administration and office support - Look for repeated phrases like "organised", "IT skills", or "attention to detail" in the advert and reflect them in your CV and enote.
  • Hospitality - Adverts often highlight "working under pressure" or "delivering great service". Deduce that time management, problem solving, and teamwork are the real criteria.
  • Skilled trades and manual work - Ads may list specific tickets or licences, but you should also infer that safety awareness, reliability, and physical fitness are expected.

Whether the criteria are stated clearly or need to be deduced, showing how you meet them is essential if you want your application to pass the ATS and reach a human decision maker.

Resume, Perth, WA, Australia

Elle Bradshaw in a The Daily Telegraph article by Liz Hoggard.

How to respond to selection criteria

To keep your replies to selection criteria short and focused, you may use the STAR approach. Begin with the SITUATION you faced, then explain the TASK you had to complete. Next, describe the ACTION you took. Finally, set out the RESULT, showing what you achieved. This method gives your answers a clear structure and helps you highlight your skills without going off track.

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My passion has always been creative writing and puzzle-solving. This blend of science, data, language, and originality is ideal for advanced job applications: understanding employer needs, matching skills, knowledge, cultural nuances, and experience to those needs, and presenting a compelling proposition.

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Hitting the sweet spot with your CV

Board-level CV Writer

Selection criteria may not be explicitly stated in a job description, but addressing them is crucial if you are to align your application to the employer's needs, requirements, and circumstances.

  1. Your attributes: The first circle represents your (the applicant's) knowledge, achievements, and skills
  2. Job description: The second circle represents the employer's strategic and operational needs in filling the post
  3. The market: The third circle represents the broader trends and challenges facing the employer's industry

This succinctly illustrates why each senior executive CV and its accompanying documentation must be tailored to an employer's requirements, needs, and situation. Venn and the art of the CV (Bradshaw, Edwards 2022).

CV alignment with selection criteria

  • Begin with the employer's needs.

    This vital process entails deeply considering the employer's selection criteria. Understanding their demands allows us to precisely tailor your application to meet their expectations.

  • Your attributes versus their needs.

    We evaluate how your qualities, experience, and achievements align with the employer's selection criteria. This review guides our approach to accentuate your strengths and address or downplay any weaknesses, ensuring your application is best positioned.

  • Starting Your CV

    The groundwork of your application is laid here with the creation of your CV's first draft. Utilising insights from earlier steps, we demonstrate your achievements, skills, and experience in a pitch crafted for the role.

  • CV review and refinement

    Next, we carefully review and enhance your CV, focusing on crafting a narrative that aligns closely with the employer's requirements. Each aspect is examined to ensure optimal alignment and a compelling pitch.

  • Supporting documents and social media.

    We prepare requested supporting materials like cover letters and answers to questions. We also create or fine-tune your social media presence to ensure it reflects a consistent and professional image, further supporting your application.

  • Application submission.

    This final phase is where you submit the carefully curated and error-free application to the potential employer, ensuring it adheres to all specifications. This is designed to maximise your likelihood of being called for an interview.
This approach aims to boost your success in securing interviews by aligning your profile with employer expectations and weaving a persuasive story of your skills and experience.

Aligning your CV

Tailor your CV to the prospective employer's specific needs and demonstrate how your accomplishments align with their requirements. Providing concrete examples with metrics strengthens your case and enhances your chances of securing an interview.

  1. Your attributes: The first circle represents your (the applicant's) knowledge, achievements, and skills
  2. Job description: The second circle represents the employer's strategic and operational needs in filling the post
  3. The market: The third circle represents the broader trends and challenges facing the employer's industry