Help and Advice

Read the job application carefully. There will often be details about any or all of the following:

• Role title
• Important criteria (look for bullet points)
• Location
• Salary range
• Main responsibilities of the role
• Qualifications and skills required
• Contact person, phone number, reference or position number for role
• Whether it is necessary to address selection criteria in a covering letter or separate attachment to your resume (most common in Education and Government roles).

You will need to show that you can meet most, if not all, important requirements for the role when you submit your resume.

Research has shown that interviewers can spend as little as 20 seconds reviewing your resume, so it’s important to get it right the first time.

A resume (also known as curriculum vitae or CV) is not designed to tell your life story or detail everything you have ever done in your career. Its purpose is to interest the reader enough to invite you in for a meeting or an interview. It should be a 2-4 page document that covers:

• A summary of what you can offer a prospective employer
• Positions held, when and where, listing most recent first
• Responsibilities you held in those roles
• Your achievements in each role
• Education and training
• Knowledge and skills
• Personal contact details, including a current email address and mobile number that you are happy to be contacted on

Remember a good resume is about you and your achievements. Be honest, but be prepared to sell yourself.

So you’ve found a job you’d like to apply for. Your application should be targeted to give you the best chance of getting an interview.

Typically, we request you to provide the following information with your application:

• An up-to-date resume (can be tailored to the particular job you are applying for)
• Covering letter (can be written as a general introduction or answering specific selection criteria, particularly for roles in Education and Government)
• Completing the online information requested when you click the ‘Apply Now’ button

The Interchange Bench operates with strict compliance to Privacy Laws when dealing with personal information. The consultant who receives your application has a duty of care to make sure that your personal details are secure and that nothing leaves our office without your express permission. For more details, please read our Privacy Policy.

Once you have applied for a role, a number of processes can be set in place.

1. We receive your application (along with any others submitted for the role)
2. We review all applications received to find the candidates that most closely match the role’s criteria
3. We notify you by email or phone whether we are able to progress your application.

If we are able to progress you to the next stage, we will call you to talk through your application. At this stage, we may request you attend an interview with us. This gives us the best possible chance to assess your suitability for the role.

Once all suitable candidates are interviewed by us, we submit a shortlist to our client. The client will advise us which candidates they’d like to interview themselves.

We notify you of your progress at this point and whether you are required to attend a further interview with the client. We set up the interview for you and give you instructions on when and where and with whom you are meeting.

After all candidates are interviewed by our client, an offer will be made to the successful one. We will advise you as to whether you have been successful or not and provide any feedback our client may have provided to us.

If you have not been successful, we will continue to bring opportunities to your attention as and when they become available.

When you are attending an interview with us, there are a number of points to keep in mind. You are presenting yourself and your credentials, so we will be looking at:

• How you respond to questions about your career to date – we will refer to your resume and ask you to give additional information about your performance, your responsibilities and how you’ve met different challenges in your working life
• What questions you may have about the specific role you are applying for – you may wish to note these down and bring them to your interview
• Your career and salary expectations
• How appropriately you dress – we represent your potential employer, so imagine you are seeing them

Please allow an hour to attend the interview and complete any necessary paperwork.

Arriving 5-10 minutes early gives you a chance to catch your breath and steady your nerves. Our Contact Us section has interactive maps to help you find the best way to get to our offices, whether by public transport, car or on foot.

We know interviews are stressful, and will try to make you feel at ease. We understand how important career moves are and want you to feel you have the chance to present yourself in the best possible way.