Information for Applicants
The National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia employs some 500 staff who specialise in a wide variety of functions ranging from information management through to marketing and system development.
The Library serves the Australian people through the maintenance and development of a comprehensive reference collection and a rich collection of material related to Australians and Australia. The Library collects a wide range of research materials and includes more than five million items ranging from traditional books and journals to more than 40,000 paintings, drawings and prints, more than 9,000 metres of manuscripts, 550,000 photographs, hundreds of thousands of maps, aerial photographs and music scores and more than 50,000 oral history recordings.
Our key challenge over the next decade is to harness the benefits of new technologies to provide the Australian community with greater access to our own extraordinary collection and the information resources of the world.
The Library recognises the important contributions its staff make towards meeting its challenges and offers a satisfying and rewarding work environment. Library staff enjoy competitive salary rates, training and development opportunities and a range of flexible employment conditions that help staff combine work and family responsibilities. Further details on our conditions of employment can be found at: http://www.nla.gov.au/nla/agreement/
How to apply
To apply for a position in the National Library of Australia, your application should include the following:
- Application Cover Sheet http://www.nla.gov.au/jobs/personal_details.doc
- A statement addressing the selection criteria which provides examples of your relevant skills, capabilities, experience and qualifications to demonstrate how you meet each criterion;
- Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume which includes your personal particulars, employment history and relevant qualifications, and
- The names, contact details, classification and nature of your working relationship of at least two referees, one of these preferably being your current supervisor. A referee should be able to provide comments on your work performance against each selection criterion.
Please note that if you are going to be absent from work and/or home at any time within one month of the closing date for applications, you should note this on your application, and provide alternative contact details.
Selection Criteria -The statement addressing the selection criteria is the most important part of your application as the information will be used to shortlist applicants. Use each selection criterion as a heading and provide specific examples of past experience and behaviours that demonstrate the extent to which you meet each criterion.
Information on workplace diversity, occupational health and safety, and industrial democracy may be found at the following links:
- Workplace Diversity/Australian Public Service Commission: http://www.apsc.gov.au/employmentpolicy/workplacediversity.htm
- Occupational Health & Safety/Comcare: http://www.comcare.gov.au/safety
- Industrial Democracy: http://www.nla.gov.au/jobs/Industrialdem.doc
Curriculum Vitae - Your Curriculum Vitae (or resume) should comprise a summary of personal particulars and an outline of your work history. The following is a suggested format:
- Full name and address.
- Telephone numbers (contact numbers during business hours, at home and/or mobile if applicable).
- Educational qualifications (title, date and institution where obtained or expected date of completion).
- Employment history. Include dates, name of employer, position occupied, work area and a brief outline of the duties undertaken. The details should be in reverse chronological order, starting with your present position. Be concise and only give relevant information about major responsibilities. It is not necessary to mention in detail jobs that were held for short periods unless the experience is relevant to the advertised position, however please don’t leave any unexplained gaps in your work history.
- Name, address, classification, contact number and working relationship (eg current supervisor) of nominated referees.
You can find further information and assistance on applying for jobs in the Australia Public Service at: http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications07/crackingthecodefactsheet5.htm
Conditions of Engagement
Australian Citizenship – is a requirement for engagement as an ongoing (permanent) or a non-ongoing (temporary) employee in the National Library of Australia.
Redundancy Benefit – if you have received a voluntary redundancy benefit from an APS Agency or non-APS Commonwealth employer and 12 months has not passed since that employment ended, you are not eligible for ongoing or non-ongoing employment in the National Library of Australia.
Probation – a probationary period of 3 months applies to successful applicants on engagement.
Health Clearance – a successful applicant who is new to the Australian Public Service (APS) is required to undergo a medical examination to determine health and medical fitness for engagement as an ongoing employee in the National Library of Australia.
Identity, Character and Security Checks – successful applicants will be required to produce confirmation of their identity – eg., Birth Certificate, and other relevant documents; and a security clearance will need to be obtained if you are engaged in a designated security assessed position. All employees will be required to consent to a police check.
Code of Conduct – successful applicants are required to familiarise themselves with and abide by the APS Code of Conduct and Values. http://www.apsc.gov.au/conduct/index.html
Qualifications
If you list any formal qualifications on your application, please note that you may be required to provide the original qualifications or transcripts at any time during the selection process. If you are the successful applicant, either on promotion, transfer or engagement, you will be required to provide the original qualifications and transcripts before commencement.
Referees
Written referee reports are not required with your application unless specifically requested in the advertisement. If you are selected for further assessment (eg, interview), you may be asked to provide referee reports at that time, however, the Selection Committee may seek verbal referee reports from your referees after the interview. Remember – a good referee is someone who is familiar with your skills and abilities, and who is able to comment on your claims against all the selection criteria, and is able to give examples from their own observations.
Privacy
The National Library of Australia is bound by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988. Section 14 of the Privacy Act 1988 contains the Information Privacy Principles (IPPSs), which describe the rules for handling personal information. The personal information is collected by the National Library of Australia for the management and recruitment purposes as required by the Public Service Act 1999. The National Library of Australia will not disclose the information without your consent except where authorised or required by law. Non-identifying information may be used for statistical purposes.
Submitting your application
Your application should be submitted by midnight on the closing date to: recruit@nla.gov.au
All attachments should be either a word or a pdf document. The subject heading of your email should show: your Name, the Position Reference Number, and Title of the position applied for.
If you are unable to send your application by email, you may send your application in triplicate to arrive no later than the closing date, to the following address. Please ensure that you include the completed Application Cover Sheet with each copy of your application.
Recruitment Officer,
National Library of Australia
Parkes Place
PARKES ACT 2600.
Please note that applications are not acknowledged on receipt.
Availability for interview
You should be available for an interview from the advertised closing date. A minimum of two days notice for an interview will normally be given to short-listed applicants.
After the interview
All applicants will receive acknowledgement of their application and/or interview when the selection has been finalised. Feedback from the Contact Officer will be available at this time.
Enquiries
All enquiries regarding the duties and the progress of your application should, in the first instance, be directed to the Contact Officer as shown in the advertisement.
Enquiries regarding recruitment matters should be directed to the National Library of Australia, Human Resources - Recruitment on (02) 6262 1208 or by email: recruit@nla.gov.au
