What the applicant tells us
“I helped improve our urgent maintenance process. We had meetings, made a flowchart and trialled something in Townsville. I think the backlog improved.”
At first glance, there isn’t much there.
Australian government and public-sector application writing
Your experience.
A stronger application.
We help you choose relevant examples, explain your contribution and turn your experience into a clear response to the role’s published requirements—with tailored pitches, selection criteria and résumés.
Send us the advertisement. We’ll check what the employer requires and which service fits your application.
See how ordinary experience becomes stronger evidence →Fixed-price packages from $179 AUD. Prices are in Australian dollars and include GST. We check your role, deadline and our availability before you pay.
Save $20 on your application package with code SAVE20. Ends 14 October 2026.
See what we mean by “turn experience into evidence.”
Same experience. Stronger evidence.
Illustrative fictional example — created to demonstrate our approach. Not a client application or recruitment outcome.
The role
A fictional Queensland Government AO6 applicant needs to demonstrate judgement, stakeholder management, prioritisation and delivery of service improvements.
What we uncover
Focused questions establish that the applicant reviewed 12 weeks of operational data, identified where urgent jobs were delayed, developed priority and escalation processes, responded to supervisors’ objections, refined the proposal and coordinated a pilot involving staff she did not manage.
What that becomes
“I mapped the process from the initial customer call through to job closure and identified where responsibility could become unclear. I drafted three priority definitions, proposed a shared handover register and recommended an escalation process. When supervisors raised concerns about duplicated administration, I tested their concerns against the proposed process and reduced the register from nine fields to five. I then coordinated the pilot and reported its progress.”
We haven’t invented a better candidate.
We’ve identified what was already there, clarified the applicant’s personal contribution and presented the evidence against what the role actually requires.
Clear fixed prices
Choose the support the role requires.
The employer’s advertisement determines the appropriate service. Every enquiry is checked against the actual questions, criteria, page limits and document requirements before payment. Prices are in Australian dollars and include GST.
Application Pitch
$179
For a tailored cover letter, pitch or short statement requested by the employer.
- Review of the role and published application instructions
- Focused questions to clarify relevant experience
- One tailored cover letter, pitch or short statement
- One consolidated revision and Word/PDF delivery
Government Application
$279
For a tailored cover letter plus selection criteria, targeted questions or a combined written response.
- Review of the role, criteria and published instructions
- Focused questions to draw out useful evidence
- Tailored cover letter plus the required selection-criteria or written response
- One consolidated revision and Word/PDF delivery
Complete Application
$349
For the Government Application components plus tailoring of your existing résumé.
- Everything in Government Application
- Your existing résumé tailored to the same role
- Consistent emphasis across all application documents
- One consolidated revision and Word/PDF delivery
Résumé tailoring means adapting your existing résumé to the role. A résumé created from scratch, additional documents or requirements outside the package scope are discussed and quoted before you proceed.
Priority service: +$79 for an accepted Application Pitch or Government Application first draft within 24 hours of complete intake, subject to capacity. Priority Complete Applications are quoted separately. If your deadline is urgent, flag it when you send the role. Priority pricing is in Australian dollars and includes GST.
Not sure which package you need?
Tell us what the job advertisement asks for.
Choose the closest option below, or ask us to check the advertisement for you. A required résumé does not mean you need to pay for résumé tailoring if your current document is already suitable.
What you are paying for
More than grammar and polished wording.
You supply truthful facts.
Share your experience, responsibilities, decisions and results. They can begin as rough notes.
We analyse the requirements.
We review the employer’s instructions, ask focused questions and identify the most relevant evidence.
We build the response.
We select and organise examples, draft to the agreed requirements and check attribution and consistency.
You confirm it represents you.
You check every fact and provide consolidated feedback before the final documents are supplied.
How it works
A clear path from advertisement to application.
Send us the role
Share the advertisement or role documents, deadline and basic contact details.
We check the requirements
We confirm the suitable service, total price, availability and expected delivery date before you proceed.
You decide to proceed
Payment and the additional information needed are requested only after scope is confirmed.
We prepare the application
Focused questions help us develop the evidence and draft the agreed documents.
You check the draft
Confirm accuracy and send one consolidated set of feedback.
You receive the final files
Complete your final check and submit through the employer’s system.
About Shortlist Advantage
Professional analysis applied to your application.
Shortlist Advantage is built around professional analytical and persuasive writing. The work involves identifying relevant facts, assessing evidence, working within formal requirements and presenting complex information clearly and accurately. We bring that same disciplined approach to government applications: understanding what the role requires, identifying the strongest evidence from your experience and presenting it in a clear, credible application.
Every application is reviewed for relevance, clarity, factual consistency and alignment with the employer’s published instructions. We do not invent qualifications, responsibilities, achievements or results.
Our standards
Clear claims you can stand behind.
- Australian English and a public-sector focus
- Examples organised around the agreed requirements
- Individual contribution kept distinct from team results
- No invented qualifications, responsibilities or outcomes
Your application should reflect your actual experience and use claims you can comfortably explain and support.
Before you start
Questions about the service.
I do not know which package I need.
Send the advertisement or role documents and choose “I’m not sure”. We will check what the employer requires and confirm the appropriate service before payment.
Are rough notes enough to begin?
Yes. The initial role check does not require polished evidence examples. If you proceed, focused questions are used to collect the detail needed for the agreed application.
Can you help if I have not worked in government?
Relevant evidence can come from private-sector, community or other experience. We can help present transferable experience against the published requirements, but you still need to meet any mandatory eligibility, qualification or experience requirements.
Do I need résumé tailoring?
Only if your existing résumé needs to be adapted to the role and you want that work included. Supplying a résumé as part of the employer’s application process does not automatically mean it needs to be rewritten.
What does the revision include?
Each package includes one consolidated round of feedback on the agreed documents for the same role. A different role or substantial change in scope is discussed separately.
When do I pay?
No payment is taken to check the role. We check your role, deadline and our availability before you pay. If we can assist, we’ll confirm the service, total price and expected delivery date before you proceed. You decide whether to proceed before a Stripe invoice is issued.
Can you guarantee an interview or submit for me?
No. Hiring decisions belong to the employer. You complete the final factual check, make any required declarations and submit through your own account.
How is my information handled?
Only provide information you are authorised to share. Names, case numbers and unnecessary identifying details can be removed from examples. See the privacy notice for the actual service providers and handling arrangements.
Ready when you are
Make your next application a stronger reflection of your experience.
Send us the role and we’ll check what application support you need. We’ll confirm the service, total price and expected delivery date before you proceed.