This casual gig at James Cook University puts you right in the middle of picking the next group of doctors who will serve northern Australia.

The role runs on your schedule. You handle admin for medicine selection interviews across multiple rounds each year. Peak demand hits August through November plus early January, when hundreds of applicants from across the country and overseas need schedules locked in, emails answered, and panels kept on track.

You coordinate interview times for applicants and interviewers. You watch shared inboxes and fire back replies the same day. You build schedules, prep documents, and keep databases current. When sessions run you stay on top of progress and fix small problems before they grow. Every record stays accurate and private.

JCU’s College of Medicine and Dentistry runs these interviews to find students likely to stay and practise in regional and rural areas. The support work you do keeps the whole process smooth for applicants, academic staff and community interviewers.

Most people who apply for casual university roles send the same resume and letter they used last month. That approach gets ignored. The ad lists exact duties and the exact skills they want. Match your examples to those duties line by line.

Five steps that actually get you shortlisted

1. Read the full ad twice and note every duty and every required skill.
2. Re-write your resume bullets so each one shows you have done that exact task or a close match.
3. Write a one-page cover letter that opens with the role title and then gives one concrete example for the top three duties.
4. Save the files as PDF with clear names: YourName_Resume.pdf and YourName_CoverLetter.pdf.
5. Submit through the JCU portal before the 26 July close and keep the confirmation email.

Flexibility matters here. The job expects you to handle extra hours during the busy windows without drama. If you already juggle multiple deadlines in admin or events work, say so in the letter with a short example.

Attention to detail is non-negotiable. One wrong name or date on an interview schedule and an applicant flies across the country for nothing. Your cover letter should prove you catch those mistakes before anyone else does.

Previous experience running interviews or large scheduling projects helps, but it is not required. Solid general admin work plus the ability to learn new platforms fast will carry you through. The team trains you on their systems once you start.

Townsville locals already know the rhythm of the academic year. If you live nearby you can slot the extra hours around other commitments more easily than someone who has to travel in. The ad does not require you to be on campus every day, but peak periods reward people who can be available on short notice.

Contact person Andrea Muller sits in the College of Medicine and Dentistry. Questions about the actual day-to-day go straight to her on 4781 3424 or andrea.muller@jcu.edu.au. Use that channel if something in the ad is unclear before you apply.

The university runs several interview rounds spread across the year, not just one big block. That means the casual hours stay available even outside the main November-January window. Steady work without the full-time commitment is exactly what many experienced administrators want right now.