NSW Government Talent Pool Expert Advice

If you are looking at NSW Government roles, you will have come across government talent pools mentioned in the recruitment ad.

Before you apply for a position in a government talent pool, read below to understand exactly what these are—including two very different types of government talent pools.

When you’re ready to apply, check out these real cover letter examples and free public sector template to help you structure a government cover letter.

What is a government talent pool?

A talent pool in the NSW government is a term used to refer to a list of candidates for government roles who have been assessed as suitable for that role.

The same concept exists in the Australian Public Sector (APS) and other state governments. The APS refers to gvoernment talent pools as merit lists, but they operate in a very similar way.

If a hiring manager in the NSW public sector has a vacant position that needs to be filled, they can review the talent pool for that position and grade, and try to fill the role by offering it to someone on the list. This makes it quicker and easier for the hiring manager, as they don’t need to conduct a full government recruitment process to fill the position.

Why don’t they need to do a full recruitment? Let me tell you how to get into the talent pool.

How to get into a government talent pool

To get into a NSW government talent pool, you need to apply for a government position and be deemed capable of performing the role. This will include writing a cover letter, updating your resume, and completing an interview and any assessments. You can click here to read the full guide I’ve previously published on the government recruitment process.

Once you’ve completed the process, you’ll be assessed against the requirements of the role.

If you’re deemed capable of performing the role, you’ll get one of the following outcomes:

1. You might be offered a role. This means you were the preferred candidate and you’ve been immediately matched to a vacancy. Congratulations!
2. You might be told you were unsuccessful. This means you weren’t able to demonstrate that you can meet the role requirements. Make sure you get feedback from the hiring team so you can improve your application and interview for next time.
3. You might be placed in a talent pool. Is that success or a decline? It means you were deemed suitable for the role, but there is currently no role to offer you.

This can happen for a range of reasons. Let me first talk through the two very different types of recruitment that occur, and how they impact talent pools.

Individual Recruitment

In a situation where there’s a small team or a single position with a vacancy, a hiring manager needs to fill that government role by finding one person. For example, this manager role with the NSW Police is just one role that needs to be filled.

In these situations, there’s normally only one vacancy, and the single preferred candidate will be offered the role.

You can still end up in a government talent pool from this type of recruitment. If you are deemed capable of performing the role but aren’t the preferred candidate, you’ll likely be placed in a public sector talent pool.

Once in that talent pool, you’ll need to do some work to get a job offer. You’re going to be in the talent pool for 18 months. If the person conducting the recruitment has another vacancy in their team—or if the preferred candidate declines the offer—you might be offered the role.

It’s less likely to get pulled out of the talent pool from these individual recruitments, as you’re usually waiting for a vacancy in a much smaller team. However, you can still be considered for roles across the public sector. In practice, this doesn’t happen often, but there are things you can do to improve the likelihood it will. For example, you can build relationships with managers of teams you’re interested in and let them know you’re in the talent pool at a particular grade. If they have a vacancy at that grade, they can avoid the full recruitment process and place you in the role.

You can read this article for more ways to turn your talent pool placement into a job offer.

Talent Pool Recruitment

Another, completely different, way to get into a government talent pool is through a ‘talent pool recruitment.’ These are recruitment drives specifically looking for multiple candidates to fill multiple vacancies—either immediately or in the near future.

This form of recruitment often occurs in large teams (such as communications officers or call takers) or where there are multiple versions of the same role across the state.

In a bulk recruitment like this, the agency wants a supply of suitable candidates to fill multiple roles over the next 18 months. This is usually due to a large number of roles and the need to reduce the time any position remains vacant when staff leave or get promoted.

I always highlight these opportunities as a great chance to get into the public sector. For example:

• Senior Project Officer Talent Pool
• Casual Communications Officer Talent Pool
• Court Process Officer Talent Pool
• NSW RFS Talent Pool

The key differences to note for different government talent pools

A recruitment for one specific vacancy can be more competitive—you’re applying for a single position. If you’re deemed suitable but aren’t the preferred candidate, you may be placed in the government talent pool for that role. Getting out of this talent pool and into a job typically happens in two ways:

1. The position holder for the role you applied for is no longer in the role (resigned, declined the offer, promoted, etc.). If this happens soon after your recruitment, the hiring manager will remember you and may offer you the role to avoid doing another recruitment.
2. A similar role becomes vacant, and the manager for that role knows you’re in the talent pool.

It’s important to note that if you’re in a talent pool for any position, there’s no requirement for that talent pool to be used. Managers may still choose to advertise new vacancies even if they know you’re in the talent pool. They might want to add further candidates to the pool or see if others apply at a different time of year.

If you see a role advertised that you’re in the talent pool for, reach out to the contact person. Let them know you’re in the talent pool for this role and you’re happy to meet and discuss it if they want to save themselves a full recruitment. They might decline, but when you apply (and you should), they’ll keep in mind that you’ve already been deemed suitable.

You should also know there isn’t a great system for government talent pool lists to be shared widely, even in small agencies. If you applied for a position in Sydney and a similar position becomes vacant in regional NSW, it’s likely a different manager who doesn’t necessarily look at your talent pool list.

So how do managers find out you’re in the talent pool? You tell them! Once you’re in, it’s time to get that info out there and try to turn it into a job offer.

Which one should I apply for?

Both types of government talent pools are great if they’re for the job you want. If you’re trying to get into a particular agency or type of role, apply when it’s advertised—whether it’s a single vacancy or a talent pool recruitment.

Remember, talent pools can always be created as a result of any recruitment action. If there are more suitable candidates than roles, strong candidates will be placed in a talent pool. If the first-place candidate declines the offer because they found another job, the hiring manager can go straight to the talent pool.

When you’re placed in a government talent pool following recruitment for a single position, there are fewer vacancies likely to arise. So it can be a less common way to get into the public sector.

If you apply for a specific public sector talent pool recruitment, the hiring manager usually has a clear strategy to fill current and future vacancies. At the time you apply, there are often multiple roles, which improves your chances. It’s also more likely there will be similar roles becoming vacant in large teams or in roles that exist across multiple teams (like executive assistants or project officers).

Because there’s been a deliberate attempt to create a government talent pool, it’s far more likely to be used. However, remember there’s no absolute requirement for a talent pool to be used when the same role becomes vacant. Still, managers of larger teams normally do rely on it up to 18 months after the recruitment round. Many of these bulk recruitments happen annually, so you might have one chance each year to apply for the talent pool, with offers made throughout the year.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a chance to get into the public sector and start a career, take a close look at any ‘talent pool’ recruitment opportunities. Applying once for multiple current and future vacancies is a great way to improve your odds of landing a government job. Once you’re in that role, learn to do it well and start applying for higher positions using your government experience and network.

If you need help applying, you can:

• Read all these example cover letters
• Use this free cover letter template
• Get your cover letter professionally reviewed

Are you already in a talent pool? If so, well done! This isn’t just a consolation prize—you can actually get a job offer from it. Read all my tips on how to turn your talent pool placement into a job offer.