Selection criteria · updated November 2026

Organisational and administrative skills: how to address it

"Good organisational and administrative skills" is one of the selection criteria the APSC gives as a common example. Here's how to turn it into evidence a panel can score.

What panels look for

Managing competing priorities and deadlines
Systems you set up or improved — trackers, templates, filing
Accuracy and attention to records
Results: time saved, backlog cleared, nothing missed

Answer these four questions

SWhat was the workload or deadline pressure?

TWhat were you responsible for keeping on track?

AWhat system, schedule or process did you use or create?

RWhat did it achieve — backlog, timeliness, accuracy?

Example response (fictional)

As an administration officer supporting a busy regional office, I inherited a backlog of about 120 unprocessed requests with no tracking system. I needed to clear it while keeping up with new work. I set up a shared tracker with due dates and status, triaged the backlog by urgency, and blocked out two hours each morning for the oldest items. Within five weeks the backlog was cleared, and the tracker is still used to report weekly turnaround times to the manager.

Weak vs strong

WeakI am highly organised and detail-oriented and always meet deadlines.

StrongI cleared a backlog of about 120 requests in five weeks by setting up a shared tracker and triaging by urgency, while keeping up with new work.

Write your "organisational and administrative skills" response

The builder is pre-set with this criterion. Add your own STAR example and get a response you can edit and paste.

Build it now → Check my draft — free

Common questions

How do I address "good organisational and administrative skills"?

Give one or two specific examples using STAR: the situation, your task, what you did, and the result. Show it — don't just claim it.

Can I reuse the same example for different criteria?

Sometimes, if it genuinely shows both — but panels prefer a spread of examples. Use your strongest example where it fits best.