These guidelines are for anyone applying for a job at Services Australia, including current and prospective staff. As the AI environment continues to evolve, we may review and adjust these guidelines as needed to make sure they remain relevant, fair and effective. These guidelines will:
- explain how our agency views the use of AI tools when applying for jobs at Services Australia
- outline when and how AI should not be used.
If you choose to use AI
While we understand that AI can support and help you during a recruitment process, we also expect our candidates to participate with integrity and honesty.
Our customers trust our staff to act with integrity, make ethical decisions and behave within the APS Values. To keep that trust, we need to make sure our recruitment processes are fair and merit based. That means we expect you to represent yourself genuinely and truthfully.
When applying for a role with us, you’re expected to meet the following expectations. These guidelines help create a fair, merit based, and transparent recruitment environment that recognises the unique contributions of each candidate.
Be honest
Only include information that genuinely reflects your own skills, experiences and achievements. Use your own knowledge when answering questions in your written applications, skills assessments or interviews.
Be transparent
If you use AI tools, let us know. When asked, you need to tell us how you’ve used AI tools to support or improve your responses during the recruitment process. This helps us understand your approach and keeps the process fair.
Be yourself
We want to know who you are. Show us your own ideas, your skills and your understanding of the role. AI can help you prepare, but during interviews or other skills assessments, you need to speak about your own experiences and demonstrate your skills without AI support.
Be fair
Don’t use AI to try to gain an unfair advantage by presenting an inaccurate view of yourself. This conflicts with the Australian Public Service (APS) merit principle.
Risks of using AI in recruitment
Using AI to support you in recruitment can come with risks, these can include but are not limited to the following.
Misrepresenting yourself
Content generated by AI might not match your skills and experience. This could damage your credibility and may result in your disqualification from the recruitment process.
Skills gaps
AI might hide areas where your skills don’t match the job you’re applying for. These gaps will be revealed during practical assessments or on-the-job performance.
Reliance on AI
If you depend too much on AI, you might struggle to explain your thoughts clearly in interviews or answer questions on the spot.
Loss of personal voice
AI can make your application sound too polished or generic. This may not convey your unique personality, passion, or suitability for the role.
Inaccurate information
AI can sometimes produce incorrect information. It can generate misleading or untrue statements that sound convincing.
Data privacy concerns
Sharing personal information with AI tools can create a privacy risks. Some tools may not protect your personal data. This could lead to potential data breaches or misuse of your personal information.
Using AI responsibly
If you choose to use AI, there are ways you can do this responsibly.
Use AI as a supplement, not a substitute. AI can support you in helping to organise your ideas or improve your writing. It should not replace your own unique contribution and voice. Always critically assess the AI’s suggestions. Don’t just copy and paste what AI tells you to write.
Use AI to prepare, not perform. It’s okay to use AI to help you prepare for an interview or other assessment tasks. However, we expect that you won’t use AI to help you during the interview or assessment itself. You must rely on your own skills for those activities.
Don’t reveal any personal, classified or sensitive information when using AI. Services Australia only uses tools that meet our privacy and security requirements. When using other AI systems, you should assume any prompts or supporting information you enter may become public.
Make sure everything you share is true and based on your own experience. Make sure all the information you present during the recruitment process is truthful and directly reflects your personal skills, experiences, knowledge and ideas. It’s important you are accurate, open and genuine.
We value authenticity and want to understand who you are, your experiences and what you’ll bring to the role and our agency. We want to get to know the real you.
If current Services Australia staff use AI tools for job applications, the information entered needs to be suitable for public release. You must also follow all relevant agency and APS policies throughout the recruitment process.
Giving any false statements during the recruitment process may disqualify you from employment. If you are currently employed by the agency, it may also lead to disciplinary action under the APS Code of Conduct.