Careers, Volunteers & Consumer Advisors

Application Guide

Sign up to People Plus

To apply for a role at Barwon Health it is a requirement that you register and apply through our online system.

Click here to download the People Plus Candidate Quick Reference Guide.

If you have any issues applying online or require assistance email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Key Selection Criteria

The key selection criterion (KSC) is designed to match the skills of an applicant to what is required for a position. It is used by employers to ensure that we assess each applicant in a way that is both fair and consistent.

It is important that before you consider applying for a position, you read the Key Selection Criteria provided in the position description. In all Barwon Health advertisements, you'll find the Position Description at the very bottom of the live advertisement. Under the closing date, there will be a file that you can open with the position description labelled next to it. Once opening the file you can find the Key Selection criteria on the very last page. On this page, you will see ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’ with a list of dot points associated with each heading. Please only apply for a position if you fit what is ‘essential’ otherwise your application will be culled when processing. Desirable criteria is advantageous, however not critical to the role. If you have any queries about whether you fit the Key Selection Criteria ensure that you contact the hiring manager, you are able to find their contact details on the live advertisement above the closing date.

Answering the Key Selection Criteria

When applying for a position you will go through a step-by-step process online, you will be unable to move to the next page until completing what is required on the page that you are currently on. Only after you upload your resume and cover letter will you move to the next page where you are required to either tick or answer the Key Selection Criteria that is provided. Unlike other companies, Barwon Health’s format provides a set of questions or statements that require you to answer in a format that is either ‘free text’ providing you a space that you can write in, answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and being provided with free text, or clicking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and not being provided with any text to answer. In many situations, the hiring manager may only have a ‘yes’ ‘no’ format that does not require you to answer anything.

How to answer if free text is provided?

Brainstorm what the question or statement is asking or advising you to write about and then answer in a way that is clear, concise and honest. In instances where the Key Selection Criteria is asking you a behavioural question, answer in a STAR format (situation, task, action, response). Start with the background of the situation, follow with what was required of you, then answer with what you did or how you did it, and complete this with the outcome of your actions. There is a limited amount of character space so please ensure your answer is not cut off.

Documents to be uploaded

• Updated resume and cover letter, specific for the role you are applying for.
• Evidence that you have received your influenza vaccination if you are employed in a role that is identified as category A or B. If you are unsure what category the role is that you have applied for refer to the position description or contact the hiring manager listed on the job advertisement.
• Two referee names and contact details. These details need to be from a manager that you have directly reported to in your current or previous employment.

Confirmation email

Once you complete your application and submit it to the job request, you will receive a confirmation email to the email address you registered with. If you have not received a confirmation email and are uncertain as to whether it has been submitted please contact the Talent Acquisition team on (03) 4215 0520

Pre-employment requirements - Be ready to work at Barwon Health

To apply for a job at Barwon Health you will need to upload a number of important documents and evidence for specific employment requirements. It is a good idea to start to collect and update these before you apply for a position with us. This will make for a simple and quick application process.

When submitting your application, you will need to provide the following documents and evidence:

• Updated resume and cover letter, specific for the role you are applying for.
• Evidence that you have had your Influenza vaccination if you are employed in a role that is identified as category A or B. If you are unsure what category the role is that you have applied for refer to the position description or contact the hiring manager listed on the job advertisement.
• Two referee names and contact details. These details need to be from a manager that you have directly reported to in your current or previous employment.

Acceptable evidence is restricted to any of the following:

• Immunisation history statement (Please log in to my.gov.au for instructions) This Identifies COVID – 19 and influenza vaccination evidence.

Other evidence required at application stage

• Visa status and evidence
• APHRA Registration number (If applicable)
• Working With Children Check (If applicable)
• NDIS Check (If applicable)
• Academic Transcript (If applicable)

Barwon Health will run their own police checks for all staff upon appointment so you do not need to provide this if you have one. This will be further detailed in your New Starter Pack if you made successful in a position at Barwon Health.

Interview Process

The Barwon Health Interview process is broken into four sections: motivational questions, values-based questions, technical questions and behavioural questions.

Motivational questions

Motivational questions are designed to assess suitability for the core nature of the tasks and working environment of the role. The questions asked are designed to see how motivated you are to perform the role.  

Values-based questions

Values-based questions help our hiring managers recruit staff who have the right attitudes and values for the job. One or two questions will be asked around one or all of the Barwon Health values: respect, compassion, commitment, accountability and innovation. This is designed around Barwon Health’s Strategic direction Pillar:  “Our People at their best” requiring all people joining our workforce to fit our values and demonstrate “Living the values in every action and interaction.”

Technical questions

Technical questions are questions that are specific to the role you have applied for. These questions usually require an answer that is experienced with understanding of the responsibilities of the role. In some instances, the technical question will be a case study, a specific situation or operation of equipment.

Behavioural questions

A behavioural-based question is a technique used by the interviewer to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position by how they describe past behaviour.

Barwon Health wishes to retrieve and retain the best talent with employees whose values align with our own. The best way we can find the perfect candidate who represents these values is to ask questions based on the premise that your past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. You will be asked 4 x behavioural questions based on our leadership capability Framework. Please look at the position description for the role to see what behaviours and capabilities are required.

In order to answer in the correct structure you will need to answer these questions using the STAR model (as below).

Why do we use behavioural questions in our interviews?

• Candidate provides evidence of performance and capabilities.
• Removes gut feel from the interview and selection process
• Best predictor of future behaviour or performance
• Highlights what candidates have done and can do rather than what they say they can do

What we look for

• Someone that demonstrates our values: Respect, Compassion, Commitment, Accountability and Innovation
• Having a keen interest in developing yourself as a professional – Barwon Health places a large emphasis on training and providing the best professional development opportunities for our staff. For more information about professional development opportunities please see our current vacancies
• Communication skills – Within a busy health care service that is often high pressure it is essential that our staff are equipped with exceptional verbal and written communication skills to be in the position to care for our patients
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team or the ability to work well within a team – Barwon Health staff work closely together to provide an exceptional patient journey. Everything we do centres around our patients.

New starter appointment forms – required once successful in a position

If successful for a role at Barwon Health you will need to complete a number of New Starter forms so it is a good idea to start to collect this information as it is relevant to your onboarding process. These forms will be emailed to you along with your letter of offer once you have been made successful in your New Starter Pack.

The list of forms includes the following:

• Employee Data Form: Includes Personal Details, Emergency Contact, Citizenship and Professional Registration confirmation that is uploaded to Barwon Health’s Payroll System.
• Bank Details Form
• Superannuation Guarantee Contribution: Please review your relevant Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for Superannuation options. Barwon Health’s nominated superannuation funds are Aware Super or HESTA.
• Fit2Work Police Check Paperwork: Barwon Health run our own Police Checks for all New Employees and this is required to be completed before your commencement date. This document includes a Police and Residency Statutory Declaration form that needs to be witnessed by a person authorised under section 30(2) of the Oaths and Affirmation 2018. Specific Identification documents (ID) are also required to be submitted in order to run the police check such as a Drivers Licence or Medicare Card. The required ID documents will be listed on the Police Check paperwork.
• ID documents to confirm Citizenship: This includes a Passport, Birth Certificate or Australian Citizenship Certificate to confirm work rights in Australia.
• Higher Qualification Application Form: Relevant to post-graduate studies and your relevant profession. This form is required to be filled out and signed by your hiring Manager with evidence of your finalised qualification.
• Vaccination Record and Immunity Status Form: You will need an appointment with your GP to complete a blood test for immunity, and possibly booster shots. 

Once you receive your new starter pack and complete your forms you will need to call People and Culture and make an appointment to bring in your paperwork as detailed in your New Starter Pack.

You will also need to make an appointment to get your photo taken for your staff ID badge.

Your manager will be in touch with you to confirm your commencement date, parking and directions on your first day and will put an onboarding plan together for you.

If you require any more clarification on these topics please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are there non-clinical roles advertised at Barwon Health?

Our list of job positions is dynamic with a wide range of opportunities in diverse areas including Acute, Mental Health, Aged Care, Administration and Support Services. Barwon Health is the largest regional healthcare service with an array of clinical positions however we also have various non-clinical positions that are constantly being advertised.

We have administration casual pools; we have a finance, IT, bio-med, marketing, payroll and workforce department with a variety of important roles. We have drivers, cooks, cleaners, and librarians.

How difficult is it to gain a position in administration at Barwon Health?

We need our administrators to keep a seamless process in our healthcare system and we employ many administrators; however, we also have an influx of administrators applying for positions. Therefore applying to be in an administration role can be competitive and at times frustrating for the applicant.

How do you stand out when applying for a medical administration role?

• Experience – specifically in the medical field
• Having a certificate in Medical Administration. This can be obtained through The Gordon.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products
• Be confident, competent and able to liaise with an array of hospital management, staff and external authorities

Is it worth taking a temporary or casual position, even though I wanted permanent full-time hours?

Of course, experience is fantastic, especially at a diverse and busy hospital, aged care facility or our many community health centres. Once you have entered Barwon Health’s workforce you are then able to apply for internal positions as well as external ones. This gives our workforce a greater opportunity to be promoted and for us as an organisation to retain our talent.

What will give me the best opportunity to work at Barwon Health?

Sign up for job alerts.

How else can I get noticed?

Get noticed on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has become a social media platform for professional branding, connecting with peers and mentors and attracting top talent. With over 560 million members worldwide it is a central hub for many job postings. Utilised in many different ways LinkedIn provides businesses an opportunity to share jobs, articles and testimonials and allows users opportunities for work, enhance their working reputation, connect with recruiters and follow company pages over the LinkedIn platform.

Barwon Health uses LinkedIn as a tool to attract and recruit the best talent on the platform. It is crucial that as a LinkedIn user you ensure that you can get noticed. Follow the below steps to ensure that your profile reaches us and grabs our attention to In-mail you about roles that would suit you best:

1. Professional photo – It’s crucial to your profile that you upload a profile photo as recruiters will more likely in-mail someone with a photo than someone without it. Upload a recent, high-quality headshot of yourself. Choose a background that isn’t distracting and make sure your face takes up at least 60% of the frame. If your clothes shows in the photo it should be professional, wear only what you would wear to an interview.
2. Sell yourself – Use LinkedIn to your advantage and share with us the experiences, qualifications and passion you have by filling out all sections of your profile.
3. Use keywords – In order for our recruitment team to find you, you need to have the correct keywords of your role title and duties within your headline and summary. The words are picked up by LinkedIn’s search algorithm and this allows us to find you when we search for a role.
4. Keep updated – Ensure that with new roles, new qualifications and new career drives you continually update your profile. You want to attract recruiters for the roles that you are interested in and have experience for.
5. Show passion – Engage us with relevant and useful content that inspires you. Connect with us through our Barwon Health LinkedIn webpage to follow us for the latest updates, job opportunities and staff testimonials. To do this: click here

Vaccination Record and Immunity Status

All employee’s working within healthcare share a responsibility to protect vulnerable consumers, themselves and the community. All new staff to Barwon Health, including agency staff, are responsible for ensuring that they are compliant with the Barwon Health Staff Immunisation Policy before they commence employment.

The Policy will be in accordance with the Federal Department of Health Immunisation for health care workers guideline, The Australian Immunisation Handbook guideline, and, where appropriate, as outlined by the relevant regulatory bodies, legislation and will, where necessary, address specific risks at Barwon Health.

Applicants either internal or external who wish to apply for positions will need to provide vaccination records as proof that they have met the stipulated vaccination requirements prior to being offered any position. This includes uploading this evidence as part of the online job application process.

Before starting work at Barwon Health you will need to make an appointment with your General Practitioner to have a blood test to provide evidence of immunity. Your GP will need to complete the Barwon Health Vaccination Record and Immunity Status form that is supplied to candidates once successful in a position. The blood test results may indicate that your GP needs to give you booster doses. If you already have the evidence listed on the form you do not need to see your GP and can just provide evidence.

When submitting your application, you will need to provide the following documents and evidence:

• Updated resume and cover letter, specific for the role you are applying for.
• Evidence that you have had your Influenza vaccination if you are employed in a role that is identified as category A or B. If you are unsure what category the role is that you have applied for refer to the position description or contact the hiring manager listed on the job advertisement.
• Two referee names and contact details. These details need to be from a manager that you have directly reported to in your current or previous employment.
• Barwon Health Vaccination Record and Immunity Status Form