When you first start working with Team 3Thirty to apply for government roles, the first thing we ask for is examples needed to write your application.
To determine what examples we need, we analyse all available candidate information, including the job ad, role description and candidate information packs.
When we ask for these examples, we are often asked “I thought my application needed to address the Focus Capabilities?”
The short answer is usually no, but here is why.
The hiring manager assesses you against the Focus Capabilities by how well you complete the entire recruitment process, not by whether you explicitly write to them in your application.
At the application stage, you need to address the specific skills and experience this hiring manager is looking for.
Our rule at Team 3Thirty to determine what to write.
If there is clear instruction in the job ad, we follow it.
That includes sections like:
- About you
- Ideal candidate
- Skills and experience required
- Any specific questions or instructions
We know the NSW Focus Capabilities extremely well, and we always write with them in mind. But our first responsibility is to respond to what the hiring manager has actually asked for.
That is why we request examples that directly match the job ad.
If there isn’t anything in the job ad that states exactly what skills and experience are needed, we will write to focus capabilities. This is by far the minority of cases.
Why the job ad matters more than Focus Capabilities
The role description, and even more so the Focus Capabilities, are relatively fixed. The capability framework exists to help NSW Government compare thousands of roles consistently, determine pay grades and attempt to have consistent performance relative to the responsibilities across agencies.
Hiring managers do not choose the Focus Capabilities.
They do write the job ad.
Some hiring managers are very experienced and detailed. Some are newer and aren’t sure how to properly structure the job ad. But every hiring manager uses the job ad to describe what they need in their team, right now.
Because hiring managers have a lot of influence over the job ad, and very little influence over the role description, your written application should always focus on the job ad first.
What hiring managers actually shortlist on
Sections like “About you,” “Ideal candidate,” and “Skills and experience required” are the clearest window into what the hiring manager wants to see.
This is what they read first.
This is what they compare across candidates.
If your application nails what they asked for, you leave them almost no choice but to offer you an interview.
The role description is useful for context. But in practice, around 90 percent of shortlisting decisions are based on how well candidates respond to the job ad itself.
Where the Focus Capabilities fit in
Focus Capabilities absolutely matter. They inform the final recruitment report.
However, they are always applied through the lens of the specific role being recruited.
The same set of Focus Capabilities applies across thousands of public sector roles. Because they are intentionally broad, most hiring managers develop their own preferences for how those capabilities show up in their role.
This is why we focus on the job ad when writing your application. The Focus Capabilities are assessed in context, not in isolation.
How this plays out across the recruitment process
Most recruitment processes follow a similar structure:
- Written application: Tailored to the job ad requirements. Often only loosely aligned, or not explicitly aligned, to Focus Capabilities.
- Interview: Questions aligned to Focus Capabilities more directly, usually framed in the context of the role.
- Additional assessments: Role plays, written tasks, or scenarios. When designed well, these are strong indicators of performance. These will be aligned to one or more capability.
What this means for your application
When we ask you for examples related to the job ad, or when you review your completed application and notice it does not explicitly reference Focus Capabilities, this is intentional.
We are:
- Writing to what the hiring manager has asked for
- Structuring your examples so they align with the Capability Framework
- Positioning you strongly for shortlisting, interview, and the final report
You do not need to force Focus Capability language into your application unless the job ad explicitly asks for it.
If you meet the job ad requirements well, the Focus Capabilities will be evidenced naturally throughout the recruitment process.
That is how hiring managers actually assess candidates, and that is why we write the way we do.
Does this approach actually work?
Yes. We have clear proof that it does.
This is the approach we use for every application we write (over 100 each month). Our candidates follow this process consistently, and they land interviews using this exact method.
We do not guess, and we do not take shortcuts. This process is based on how NSW Government recruitment actually works in practice, not how it looks on paper. This is based on years of experience working in government and assessing literally thousands of applications for government jobs.
By prioritising the job ad, structuring examples with the Capability Framework in mind, and aligning everything to the role being hired, we maximise shortlisting outcomes. That is why this approach is repeatable, reliable, and effective.
If we saw better results writing directly to the Focus Capabilities instead, we would do that. The reason we do not is simple. This works.
