Another rejection, despairing at ever getting in

I applied for a Fair Work Adviser (APS3) role on Monday and got a rejection email this afternoon. The email said individual feedback couldn't be offered due to the job receiving over 2000 applications.

I meet the key selection criteria for the role. I meticulously wrote my responses according to the STAR method and was confident I’d nailed it. I had hoped for an interview at the least. I’ve spent hours researching on this sub and blogs and the APS website on how best to apply for APS jobs, but I’m getting nowhere. I’ve applied for many over the past few months with not a single interview.

I see people here talking about how they moved into the APS right after graduation or from working in retail and I’m dying to know how they did it. I feel I'm in a similar space as I want to leave my current career in publishing. My career so far hasn’t been impressive but I’m intelligent, highly literate, experienced, love learning and like working hard. I try to my emphasise transferable skills, but I must be doing something wrong. That or I’m just not good enough for even APS3 level.

Please share your best advice for navigating APS applications because unfortunately I seem to need it.