Civil Service - EO exams

Bill2

I have an interview next Tuesday for the Westmeath panel and i was placed 16th in county Westmeath.

Not sure if this was asked before but do you start at the bottom of the pay scale for EO regardless of your current salary, reason i ask is that i am currently earning close to the top of the range (46k) and to drop back to 31k will make a huge difference. Thanks..

gary the great

Bill2 wrote: »

I have an interview next Tuesday for the Westmeath panel and i was placed 16th in county Westmeath.

Not sure if this was asked before but do you start at the bottom of the pay scale for EO regardless of your current salary, reason i ask is that i am currently earning close to the top of the range (46k) and to drop back to 31k will make a huge difference. Thanks..

ye you start at the bottom of the scale. Why would drop from a 46k job to a 31k job?

Also its worth noting that the scale increases on Sept 1st - starting salary will be 32,127.

BTW i came 54th overall in Dublin and ive got the job, my department, contracts signed and am just working the notice in my current job

Supercell

gary the great wrote: »

ye you start at the bottom of the scale. Why would drop from a 46k job to a 31k job?

Also its worth noting that the scale increases on Sept 1st - starting salary will be 32,127.

BTW i came 54th overall in Dublin and ive got the job, my department, contracts signed and am just working the notice in my current job

I'm contemplating a bigger drop..a fair bit bigger.
Lot to be said for job security given the way the economy is going.

The_Conductor

If its a technical rather than an administrative post (e.g. EO ICT / EO RO etc) ask about the possible application of "incremental credit" to the starting salary. Its highly unlikely to be granted in the current economic climate- but its worth asking nonetheless.

Bill2

Reason i'm contemplating the drop from 46k to 32k is that my current company (multi-national) is downsizing it's presence in Ireland and my factory is likely to go inside the next 6 months, so as was said above, a lot to be said for job security.

K_P

I rang PAS yesterday to see where they were on various panels. They had contacted people up as far as 204 in Dublin. He didn't go into specifics for other counties. They haven't started on my other choice which is Meath. By the sounds of things they haven't started many other panels. I think Cork, Waterford, Westmeath and Wicklow were the others that have been started.

The guy I spoke to was really friendly so I asked him how quickly the Dublin panel was likely to move. Obviously he couldn't say for definite but he said he hadn't noticed any slow down in requests for EOs from the various departments compared to this time last year.

I'm 236 on Dublin panel so hopefully I'll be called for interview soon!

IrishPhoenix

Anyone know anything about how fast the regional panels are moving?

applicant

I contacted PAS today as was informed that:
Interview Preparation Questionnaires have only been issued for the following five regions to date

DUBLIN – 204
WATERFORD - 47
CORK - 50
WESTMEATH – 52
WICKLOW – 50

They have interviewed 107 for Dublin to date and be interviewing 7 for Wicklow so far but may be sending out more invitations over the coming weeks.

The_Conductor

Of those interviewed- how many succeeded at interview and made the new panels? Interesting info though.

Supercell

K_P wrote: »

I rang PAS yesterday to see where they were on various panels. They had contacted people up as far as 204 in Dublin. He didn't go into specifics for other counties. They haven't started on my other choice which is Meath. By the sounds of things they haven't started many other panels. I think Cork, Waterford, Westmeath and Wicklow were the others that have been started.

The guy I spoke to was really friendly so I asked him how quickly the Dublin panel was likely to move. Obviously he couldn't say for definite but he said he hadn't noticed any slow down in requests for EOs from the various departments compared to this time last year.

I'm 236 on Dublin panel so hopefully I'll be called for interview soon!

Thats interesting, I was 107 in Dublin and haven't been contacted for the non ICT EO role yet, though have my ICT one on Thursday 4th.
Is that normal?

Sean_mac

Hi Supercell,
Is your interview for the EO ICT position the revenue ICT positions that were emailed out 2 weeks ago, or are they working through the EO ICT panel.
It’s just the revenue ICT jobs closing date is the 24th of August and I still haven’t applied. Any info is appreciated.
Thanks

Supercell

Sean_mac wrote: »

Hi Supercell,
Is your interview for the EO ICT position the revenue ICT positions that were emailed out 2 weeks ago, or are they working through the EO ICT panel.
It’s just the revenue ICT jobs closing date is the 24th of August and I still haven’t applied. Any info is appreciated.
Thanks

Not sure, its just down as Wicklow ICT, the interview is Thursday 4th and various forms have to be completed and sent in by 27th.

Sean_mac

OK they must be working there way through the different panels. I just taught the ICT jobs would be advertised and once you were on the ICT panel you could apply for them. I got an email 2 weeks ago from Revenue advertising posts they have in Dublin, but I didn't apply for Dublin. Its all very confusing ....Best of lusk with your interview.

The_Conductor

Sean_mac wrote: »

OK they must be working there way through the different panels. I just taught the ICT jobs would be advertised and once you were on the ICT panel you could apply for them.

It doesn't work like that.
They interview a set number of people (e.g. for the Open EO Dublin competition, possibly as many as 600 over the course of a number of months) and from those who pass the interview and are eligible for the posts they put on their original application form- they are assigned a new place according to the marks at interview (along with additional marks if they volunteer to also do the scrudu beal as Gaeilge). From this group of people they are automatically assigned to a Department when the Department comes to PAS seeking staff for a particular area.

In the cases of EO ICT or other confined EO competitions- you have to do a seperate interview, and are placed on a seperate panel.

Its entirely possible that from your original application you may be called to 3 or 4 seperate interviews, and from these interviews offered a place on a number of different panels.

S.

Sean_mac

OK I didn't know it worked like that. Did you get the following email about a month ago from PublicJobs? From reading it I got the impression that there was one panel formed for ICT positions, but the way you explained it makes more sense. Thanks for all your help.

I refer to your recent participation in Selection Process held in connection with the EO (ICT) competition.
I am pleased to inform you that on foot of examination of your Supplementary Application Form you have reached the qualifying standard and now will come under consideration for appointment to the position of Executive Officer (ICT) in the Civil Service when and if vacancies arise.
As vacancies arise, you will be contacted with information regarding the next stage(s) of the process. At that time you will also receive, from the Department/Office in question, a job specification and information regarding the location of the post. You may then apply for the vacancy if it is in an area in which you are willing to take up duty. If you apply for a post you will be asked to supply further information to the Department/Office in question. Using the information you have supplied the Department/ Office concerned may then carry out short listing and/or interviews.
Please note you are free to apply for as many vacancies as you wish. However once you have accepted a post you will not receive any more notices regarding vacancies.
If you do not wish to apply for a particular post when it arises please ignore the notice and you will not be considered for that particular position. You will continue to receive notification of available posts until such time as you accept a post in a department or you are informed that the panel will cease.Candidates for any post on offer will be subject to the employing department being satisfied as to qualification for appointment with regard to health, character and eligibility for the position of Executive Officer.
On behalf of the Public Appointments Service I would like to thank you for your application.
Thank you
<admin edit>Please do not include name of any individual without their express permission - thanks</edit>

Supercell

Yep I got that letter too and then another one a couple of weeks ago for the ICT interview.

I really don't understand why I haven't gotten a call for the regular EO role yet though, I've definitely placed higher than some folk that have posted already, if they are different selection process then why haven't I been called for that yet?
I'd far prefer the ICT one though and will wait and see how that turns out before following up the regular EO one.

The_Conductor

Far fewer people have the necessary qualifications to go for the EO ICT competition- so even if you consider that you did really well at the general EO competition- it would not be unusual to be called for the ICT interview long before you'd get a call for the general competition.

Supercell

I feel a real dummy for asking this but i'm a little stumped by the garda vetting form, in particular :-



Specifically the bit "I also hereby acknowledge that this statement may be made available to______________" ..what to fill in the second blank??!!

Also the letter says to bring this form in with me to the interview, but the form must be submitted to the Gardai, will they send it back to me?

tSubh Dearg

Got an email about an interview for the Wicklow panel the other day but I've passed as I've just gotten a new job with a different public body, doing something I enjoy and they give me 27 days holidays.

The_Conductor

tSubh Dearg wrote: »

they give me 27 days holidays.

Where?
I've been an EO for 8 years, and am on 22 days (will get an extra day in another 2 years time).

Lucky you!!!

Lamps

Im starting to have second thoughts about taking the job. People are telling me that DFSA is a crazy dept. to work in and a lot of really weird and strange people working there and that itsproper tough.

A lot of people are saying im mad as a 24 yo straight out of college to go in as an EO in the Civil Service, i think its great though. 32k and job security is good going for a 24 yo, but im being told ill be wasted in there...

Climate Expert

What is the attraction with these jobs. So many people applying for poor pay and lousy holiday allowance in some dead end govt. dept.

Cadet?

The attractions for me are;

1. Job security,
2. Good starting salary for a college graduate,
3. The opportunity for further training and education,
4. Working in a job where the bottom line ain't profits,
5. The opportunity to work in a very wide variety of roles (finance, legal, strategy, policy formulation etc.)

If I ever do get offered an EO position I'll more than likely take it, even though I've already got a job offer which offers a lot more money and has got a much better ring to it than 'civil servant'.

NPMBK

Supercell wrote: »

I feel a real dummy for asking this but i'm a little stumped by the garda vetting form, in particular :-



Specifically the bit "I also hereby acknowledge that this statement may be made available to______________" ..what to fill in the second blank??!!

Also the letter says to bring this form in with me to the interview, but the form must be submitted to the Gardai, will they send it back to me?

The PAS will send the form off to Garda vetting and they'll look you up on Pulse

NPMBK

Climate Expert wrote: »

What is the attraction with these jobs. So many people applying for poor pay and lousy holiday allowance in some dead end govt. dept.

Well, if they get one more promotion after EO, they'll be a HEO (which I am). It's 27 days leave a year, plus 2 privilege days and the possibility to work up another 18 through flexi. That's 47 days off. Not too lousy!

gary the great

The holidays are better than your average job in the private sector. Most jobs have 20 days holidays, EO's get 21 days plus the 2 priv days. Add a potential of 12 flexis onto that and thats a potentail of 35 days off which is far far better than any private job.

other reasons im joining:
- Job security
- Great pension
- better work/life balance
- Decent salary for a graduate with a raise every year

Ginkgo

smccarrick wrote: »

Far fewer people have the necessary qualifications to go for the EO ICT competition- so even if you consider that you did really well at the general EO competition- it would not be unusual to be called for the ICT interview long before you'd get a call for the general competition.

Hi

I had more or less decided not to apply for the web dev roles as although I have worked as a web app developer for several years all my experience is in .net and the preference is for java so didn't think I'd have any chance.
Also, they seem to be looking for people that can program as well as do visual design. I'm a developer (programmer) not a designer. Would it be a waste of time to apply? Is cross language training considered?

Thanks

The_Conductor

Ginkgo wrote: »

Hi

I had more or less decided not to apply for the web dev roles as although I have worked as a web app developer for several years all my experience is in .net and the preference is for java so didn't think I'd have any chance.
Also, they seem to be looking for people that can program as well as do visual design. I'm a developer (programmer) not a designer. Would it be a waste of time to apply? Is cross language training considered?

Thanks

In most cases- while an expertise in the prevailing technology (Java in this case) is a distinct advantage- being proficient in other languages will in no way rule you out- and often may in fact be viewed very favourably- as most Departments have shocking numbers of legacy systems based on all sorts of technologies. Its great if you can hit the ground running- but unusual, and not expected. Training, both external but also internal, is normally fully provided. Some Departments such as Social Welfare and Agriculture, are acknowledged to have exemplary expertise and run their own IT training units- which will be supplemented with external courses as required (some other government departments have to rely on external expertise to a much larger extent).

S.

Bill2

Had my interview and junior management exercise yesterday, went fine, Interview was very structured, stuck to the items on the interview questionaire and didn't deviate at all, i had extra examples ready but wasn't asked for them. Seemed to go well but impossible to predict. Told we would hear within the next couple of weeks, am i right in assuming that if i'm successful i go on a panel for EO jobs that departments pick from when the need arises. How long does this panel last and are depts still hiring in this current environment. Last question, if you are offered a position can you defer or reject it and still stay on the panel.?? Thanks..

The_Conductor

Bill2 wrote: »

Told we would hear within the next couple of weeks, am i right in assuming that if i'm successful i go on a panel for EO jobs that departments pick from when the need arises.

Yes- you are allocated marks for each of the competencies at the interview and for the junior management exercise. If successful- you are allocated a position on the panel in order of merit. Departments are obliged to request staff from the Public Appointment Service- as staff are requested and your position in the order of merit reached- you will receive a letter from the PAS advising you to report to Personnel Officer X in Department Y at such and such a date and time. The Departments do not get to pick and choose from the panel- people are allocated purely on the basis of their order of merit, and the order in which requests for new staff come in.

Bill2 wrote: »

How long does this panel last and are depts still hiring in this current environment.

Typically a panel has a defined lifespan- normally either 1 year or 2 years- and depending on the nature of the panel can have hundreds of people sitting on it. When the defined period of time ends- the panel lapses and a new competition is held. Irrespective of your position on the old panel- its a fresh competition and you would have to apply for the new competition if you still wished to be considered for a post.

Departments are still hiring yes- but on a massively reduced scale, and focusing on areas where there are very obvious staff shortages. In a lot of cases this might mean local offices, or for decentralised locations (some of the larger decentralisations (eg. Portlaoise, Dundalk etc) that already have sizeable presences in their final locations are still anticipated to go ahead- though this is obviously subject to change with little or no notice.

Departments are obliged to reduce their wage bill by 3%- when you factor in annual increments, and general round pay rises- a total reduction in headcount of just over 10% results (ontop of the earlier government decision to reduce headcount in certain state bodies and government departments, before the economic downturn really began to bite). Aka- there will be recruitment- but it will be limited and targetted in very specific areas.

Bill2 wrote: »

Last question, if you are offered a position can you defer or reject it and still stay on the panel.?? Thanks..

You can reject any offers to your hearts content- it will automatically be offered to the next person on the list. There is no guarantee that something better will come along- perhaps there will, perhaps there won't. In the current climate it makes sense to think long and hard before rejecting anything. You can always request a transfer out of your assigned home department after 2 years anyhow (transfer requests are not normally considered for the first 2 years). Re: Deferring an offer- Departments come to PAS when they need staff- not anticipating a staff need down the road. They will normally let you work out notice and perhaps take a week or two of a break (depends on the personnel officer)- but deferring a position is not normally possible.

Its not a good idea to assume that your preferred choice will come up (at all)- and a very bad idea to try to double guess staff requests etc- inevitably you'll get caught out.

Best of luck re: the interview results- and good luck with whatever choice you make.