Organisation: Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Job Title: Recruitment Officer
Word Limit: 300 words per criterion
Location: Canberra
With consideration to the position description, please demonstrate what you bring to the position in relation to achieving results. This is about your commitment to working towards the delivery of outcomes and your ability to develop innovative ways of contributing to ASIO’s organizational needs and marshalling expertise.
Throughout my career I have worked hard to achieve results by making the best use of the resources that are available. This can include my own skill set, the capabilities of other staff, the systems and procedures in place to support the business, and the contribution of various internal and external stakeholders. As a Manager for Supre I supervised 11 staff, organising their rosters, providing training, and mentoring and coordinating their duties to ensure the highest level of service and efficiency. To achieve this I developed an excellent understanding of the skills and task preferences of every staff member. I kept notes of this and during busy periods (or when we had specific targets to meet) I would use this information to match person to duty, often undertaking the least popular tasks myself to keep staff engaged and motivated. In quieter times I then worked with staff to help them expand and enhance their skills in other areas. I also created an ‘Ideas Board’ to systematically collate staff feedback, ideas and suggestions that we then workshopped together to determine if and how we could implement these changes.
I also liaised with various stakeholders to achieve excellent organisational outcomes. On one occasion at Supre a massive volume of pants were delivered and the store didn’t have the room to store them in the long term. I initially consulted with management to determine if I could offer specific deals to sell the product. With this approval I then got a range of flyers printed and distributed promoting the deal, created a large front of store banner, placed the information on the website, and liaised with centre management to advertise the deal over the internal speaker system. My store generated the highest level of sales for this item of clothing across the country.
With consideration to the position description, please demonstrate what you bring to the position in relation to productive working relationships. This encapsulates teamwork, respect for your colleagues, nurturing internal and external working relationships, facilitating cooperation and partnership and valuing individual differences, diversity, guiding and mentoring people.
I have consistently demonstrated the ability to develop collaborative and productive working relationships and partnerships with clients, colleagues, and other relevant stakeholders. In relation to colleagues, I always listen to team members, share information with them, and treat them with respect and courtesy. I value different views and perspectives, and utilise those differences for the benefit of the team. For example, as mentioned above, while working as a Manager for Supre I created an ‘Ideas Board’ which gave staff the opportunity to put forward their suggestions on how we could improve the workplace and enhance our services. Every fortnight we went through the ideas as a group, determining which were the most important, coming up with agreed goals, and deciding how we could implement them. This process allowed staff to feel valued and listened to and it gave me the opportunity to see what they considered important issues. This type of collective decision making, also actively engaged staff in the process of continuously striving to improve productivity and service in the workplace. A strong indicator of the success of this process and the dedication of the staff was that they attended these meetings during their free time.
With regard to other working relationships, I focused on developing collaborative relationships with internal management, staff within the Loss Prevention Office, centre management staff and security personnel. This was to ensure that I adopted an integrated approach to managing store issues such as staffing requirements, promotions, security and theft. I also have exceptional client service skills with a strong commitment to establishing mutually beneficial relationships with all customers. Even in difficult and challenging situations (such as dealing with shoplifters and sometimes their parents) I strived to establish a professional relationship where the focus was on addressing and resolving the issue.
With consideration to the position description, please demonstrate what you bring to the position in relation to your personal drive and integrity. This is about pushing yourself to achieve your work goals whilst maintaining the integrity that is expected of us all. Integrity emphasis the importance of ethical behavior in the workplace and the application of merit principal in decision making. It is also how you engage with risk and show personal courage and resilience.
I have a proven record in behaving professionally, and maintaining the highest level possible with regard to ethical standards and integrity. In various roles I have had access to, and was responsible for, a range of private information on clients and staff members. I always showed the highest respect for the confidentiality of this information, and saw myself as being personally accountable for ensuring the privacy of clients and staff. My strong integrity is demonstrated by the high levels of personal responsibility I have been given in various positions in relation to cash handling, financial reconciliation, managing theft and ensuring the security of the premises after closing.
I also have a proven commitment to pursuing work goals while maintaining the highest levels of professionalism in the workplace. In the workplace I have demonstrated a strong personal drive, resilience and willingness to engage with risk to drive tasks through to completion. For example, as part of the ‘Ideas Board’ process, my team developed the idea of in-store customer feedback. To implement this we created a feedback wall where customers could provide feedback on sticky notes and place these on the wall. Previously feedback went straight to head-office and we were not given a chance to review its content. As part of this new process we could evaluate our customer’s feedback, identify good practice and honestly look for opportunities to improve service. Initially the idea was rejected, but because I felt that this was an improved feedback system, that had significant business benefits, I continued to advocate the idea. I consulted extensively with the Area Manager, highlighting the benefits of the idea and emphasising our commitment to dealing honestly with all feedback. Eventually the idea was approved and many other stores within the company adopted the idea following our successful implementation.
With consideration to the position description, please demonstrate what you bring to the position in relation to communicating with influence. This emphasizes the importance of excellence in communication, both written and oral with all your internal and external stakeholders, colleagues and clients. The ability to negotiate persuasively and listen, understand and adapt to the audience.
I have excellent communication skills, with a proven record in consulting with a diverse range of stakeholders. While working in the retail industry and in an office environment, I communicated regularly with a range of clients and stakeholders, such as customers, colleagues, internal management and divisions, centre management, security and police. Regardless of the customer or the situation, I always provided information in a clear and concise manner, tailoring my language and presentation to suit my audience. I have dealt with people in a number of difficult circumstances, including customers found shoplifting, their parents (if they are underage), and disgruntled clients. On occasion I have been confronted with abusive language and behaviour directed at either myself or another staff member. In these circumstances I remained calm and courteous and focused on resolving the problem and supporting my team.
Working as a Manager I was required to coordinate staff, train them and manage their performance. It was important that I conveyed information and advice in a clear and succinct manner, ensuring that staff understood the key information. I have excellent presentation skills, with the ability to deliver training and guidance in a confident and engaging manner. I also have well-developed negotiation skills. While working with Supre I negotiated with management to increase the staff budget by demonstrating that the large size of my store made it difficult to minimise stock theft. In return for this I guaranteed a decrease in loss and an increase in productivity.
In several positions, and as part of my current Bachelor of Commerce studies, I have been required to produce a high level of written documentation. I also have responded to emails, completed a wide variety of detailed workplace forms, developed promotional flyers and web information, and compiled a monthly report on store performance.
