Your application should be in three parts: 

1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Responses to selection criteria

Make each part of your application as visually attractive as possible, no tiny fonts, lots of white space.

Your resume should include: 

• Name
• Address
• Contact details
• Chronological (starting from most recent) history of employment including a brief outline of your duties in each position and a statement of any special achievements whilst in the position)
• Qualifications  (a list is adequate – you can produce proof when requested)
• Additional relevant skills (perhaps these were obtained through some volunteer work or hobby which does not show up in your employment summary)
• Contact details for referees or an offer to supply them

You should make sure your resume covers all the requirements of the position which are listed in the position description.  Your resume should NOT include reference to gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, religion or political persuasion, unless it is requested specifically as a requirement for the position with the relevant reference for exemption under Equal Opportunity legislation.

Your resume might also include:

• a skills summary
• a statement about your career goals

If either of these is included, make sure they are relevant to the position for which you are making application. 

You could write a whole book on how to do this, in fact several have been written and you may decide to invest in one for future applications. Generally, it is a good idea to use each selection criteria as a heading followed by a dot-pointed list highlighting how you meet that specific criterion. Making a claim that you know something or have done something is inadequate. Take note of the keyword in the criteria – demonstrated is one which is frequently used and to address this you need to demonstrate how you meet the criteria. Show or show understanding suggests you should give examples of how you know what this criteria means. 

Your whole application is an opportunity to sell yourself and convince the employer that you are the right person for the job. Presentation counts! Content counts! Honesty counts! Remember if you are not successful this time, perhaps it was not the right position for you, no matter how much you wanted the job.  You can move on by examining your application for the improvements you can make for the next time.