Civil Service - EO exams

The_Conductor

gary the great wrote: »

Did EO's get the Spet 1st increase? Or is there soemthing going on and there not going to get it?

EOs did get the Sept 1st increase.
In certain bodies (such as the Prison Service) there was talk of deferring it, until some industrial relations issues were resolved (there were two wildcat strikes over the summer), but it was paid in the government departments.

joe316

Not quite EO related but got through to the AO ICT interviews only to be told that they are going to be held on the day that I am flying back from the states. Begged them to change it to even a day later but they wouldnt budge. Absolutely gutted to get that far only to miss it now. I booked the holiday before the AO process even started so had no idea of the timescale.

Rang local TD, he hasnt gotten back to me yet. Dont know what to do, not looking for favours off him (I wouldnt take the job if I thought that was the case) but would like the opportunity to prove that im capable of doing the job.

is there a gutted smilie???

The_Conductor

joe316 wrote: »

Not quite EO related but got through to the AO ICT interviews only to be told that they are going to be held on the day that I am flying back from the states. Begged them to change it to even a day later but they wouldnt budge. Absolutely gutted to get that far only to miss it now. I booked the holiday before the AO process even started so had no idea of the timescale.

Rang local TD, he hasnt gotten back to me yet. Dont know what to do, not looking for favours off him (I wouldnt take the job if I thought that was the case) but would like the opportunity to prove that im capable of doing the job.

is there a gutted smilie???

To be honest- getting a TD involved in the matter will not work in your favour. The whole purpose of the Public Appointment Service was to remove politics, political influence and the possibility for canvassing on behalf of candidates from the equation.

If you ring the graduate recruitment unit and plead with them, its possible that they may be in a position to ask another candidate to swap with you (if they have candidates being interviewed at a later date- its quite possible that they may not).

Best wishes,

S.

joe316

I begged them but the panel meets from the 6th to th 9th, ringing the TD was my last resort I didnt know who else to call. I dont expect them to do anything. Surely there has to be some lee-way what if god forbid someone had died close to a candidate before the interview?

Im sorta looking for a miracle here, doubt it'll happen tho

BurnsCarpenter

joe316 wrote: »

I begged them but the panel meets from the 6th to th 9th, ringing the TD was my last resort I didnt know who else to call. I dont expect them to do anything. Surely there has to be some lee-way what if god forbid someone had died close to a candidate before the interview?

Im sorta looking for a miracle here, doubt it'll happen tho

Why can't you change your flight?
My EO interview was scheduled for the day I was flying out on holidays. They weren't able to move it so I pushed the flights back 2 days.

madrabui

Can anyone go through the format of the EO interview for me? Is there always a letter writing exercise? I was called for interview, but they had no detail of the format. They said they would be sending out a letter.

Also, has anyone done the Irish competency test?

The_Conductor

madrabui wrote: »

Can anyone go through the format of the EO interview for me? Is there always a letter writing exercise? I was called for interview, but they had no detail of the format. They said they would be sending out a letter.

Also, has anyone done the Irish competency test?

Yes- you have to write a letter. You're given some information- it could be regarding a person's application for a grant, and you have to specify why it fails to comply with the terms of the specific scheme they are seeking the grant under (something along these lines).

Regarding the Irish competency interview- its sitting down with two interviewers in a room and chatting in Irish. Its a general conversation- who are you, where are you from, what interview are you doing today, what is your job at the moment, why did you consider going for the job you're being interviewed for, have you any experience in particular areas. If it dries up it may go onto to topical items in the news- it really depends though. Its an assessment of your ability to hold a conversation in Irish, full stop. No tricks involved. You can either speak Irish or you can't.

S.

madrabui

Thank you!

dave13

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has been to an EO ICT interview yet? I'm just enquiring about the format as I assume its different to the general EO interview?

The_Conductor

Ares wrote: »

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has been to an EO ICT interview yet? I'm just enquiring about the format as I assume its different to the general EO interview?

Along with the competencies you will have filled out in your supplementary application form, there will be an officer present (probably HEO or AP Systems Analyst) who will quiz you on your technical experiences todate. You will be asked probing questions (more to try to get to the bottom of how competent you are from an IT perspective than to catch you out). Other than that- its the same as the EO

dave13

Thanks for that. Is there still a letter-writing exercise or is this just for EO's?

The_Conductor

Ares wrote: »

Thanks for that. Is there still a letter-writing exercise or is this just for EO's?

They do it in different ways- sometimes you have to do an entirely different exercise (based on logical thinking- looking at similarities in data sets and pathways for getting a predetermined solution). It really depends- they do vary this a bit......

jamella

hi there,

i'm a long time lurker on this thread. i was just wondering if anybody who is on the cork panel has been called. i have been told i am 9th on the panel but that there is just one vacancy. i was also wondering if anyone who is in the know about these things would fancy taking a guess on my chances of getting appointed. thanks

The_Conductor

jamella wrote: »

hi there,

i'm a long time lurker on this thread. i was just wondering if anybody who is on the cork panel has been called. i have been told i am 9th on the panel but that there is just one vacancy. i was also wondering if anyone who is in the know about these things would fancy taking a guess on my chances of getting appointed. thanks

There is 1 place- at the moment......
Its entirely possible that further positions may become available later in time- but keep in mind the government finances, and the defacto embargo on recruitment. It could well be months, a year or even 2 years, before they recruit as far as no. 9. Its impossible to tell...... Its not worth sitting down and trying to reason how long it'll take- there is absolutely no way to tell. Normally the panels have a finite lifespan (normally 2 years- but they sometimes get extended)- its possible that this may happen with the current economic conditions the way they are......

Vanbis

Just curious, i did the interview and received a letter a couple of months back that i was successful and was happy, but now i am wondering how long it could be before they call with a position available. I have heard that over 250 staff on probation could be let go because of the current recession in the country . I applied for a clerical role in dublin. I'm really just wondering if anyone was else received a letter and heard anything to date?

strangeloop

I think they are still recruiting eo's. Anyone recently called for eo interview?

gary the great

Vanbis wrote: »

Just curious, i did the interview and received a letter a couple of months back that i was successful and was happy, but now i am wondering how long it could be before they call with a position available. I have heard that over 250 staff on probation could be let go because of the current recession in the country . I applied for a clerical role in dublin. I'm really just wondering if anyone was else received a letter and heard anything to date?

Is this true? WHo told you that they might let people on probation go? I wonder would it also apply to local offices. I thought they had to stick to the template.

The_Conductor

gary the great wrote: »

I thought they had to stick to the template.

What template?

channelsurfer

you probably mean temporary clerical staff. staff on probabation ie permanent staff will not be let go unless they mess up or are deemed to have failed their probabation. thats my experience and I am in the civil service 6 years. the probation lasts 1 year but probation only applies to staff that have been hired as permanent staff.

channelsurfer

you probably mean temporary clerical staff. staff on probabation ie permanent staff will not be let go unless they mess up or are deemed to have failed their probabation. thats my experience and I am in the civil service 6 years. the probation lasts 1 year but probation only applies to staff that have been hired as permanent staff unestablished for a year. they then become establised after the year.

gary the great

smccarrick wrote: »

What template?

each office has a staff template that they follow....

Vanbis

channelsurfer wrote: »

you probably mean temporary clerical staff. staff on probabation ie permanent staff will not be let go unless they mess up or are deemed to have failed their probabation. thats my experience and I am in the civil service 6 years. the probation lasts 1 year but probation only applies to staff that have been hired as permanent staff unestablished for a year. they then become establised after the year.

Channelsufer, any ideas how long id be probably waiting?

channelsurfer

depends on the region. I know its a lot slower than this time last year but dont know any specifics. If you are on the open panel then it depends on the vacancies they have.

The_Conductor

gary the great wrote: »

each office has a staff template that they follow....

Sorry- what do you mean?
There are standard rules and procedures across the civil service, mostly set down and governed by Department of Finance Sanction (as per the Personnel Code). It is not up to each office to implement their own staff templates/rules.

gary the great

smccarrick wrote: »

Sorry- what do you mean?
There are standard rules and procedures across the civil service, mostly set down and governed by Department of Finance Sanction (as per the Personnel Code). It is not up to each office to implement their own staff templates/rules.

Ye I know, the template is passed down from personnel which i presume comes from the Dept of Finance. It basically a sheet of paper that takes a look at all the work that has to be done, how long it takes to do etc and then comes up with the required number of staff for each office ie 35 co's, 8 So's, 3 Eo's or whatever.
Im currently working on our one in my LO and trying to get some staff

The_Conductor

gary the great wrote: »

Ye I know, the template is passed down from personnel which i presume comes from the Dept of Finance. It basically a sheet of paper that takes a look at all the work that has to be done, how long it takes to do etc and then comes up with the required number of staff for each office ie 35 co's, 8 So's, 3 Eo's or whatever.
Im currently working on our one in my LO and trying to get some staff

Ahh.... I see.
There is an overall headcount from the Department of Finance- which is also consulted when recruiting (what portion are internal versus external etc). Totally aside from the current mess- there was already a decision to reduce numbers in some Departments which was underway (particularly those Departments, where massive changes have occurred). The problem with this is the state bodies under the auspices of the different departments count towards the overall headcounts- so a little bit of optimistic recruiting in an agency can have very bad negative reprecussions elsewhere......
Good luck trying to get staff, the big problem currently is the reduction in the Pay element of the Department's estimates (aside from the non-pay reductions). New people are like gold dust.

Charlie

This probably seems like a really dim question, but when is the next round of applications for the EO position (or is it a rolling basis). I've had a look on publicjobs.ie but there is no mention of applying now.

The_Conductor

charlie mchugh wrote: »

This probably seems like a really dim question, but when is the next round of applications for the EO position (or is it a rolling basis). I've had a look on publicjobs.ie but there is no mention of applying now.

Panels normally have a 2 year lifespan- so it wouldn't be normal for there to be another competition for a while (irrespective of the current situation), but check back regularly. If you fill out the notification thingy its helpful (but not entirely reliable).

gazzer

I reckon that with Decentralisation all but dead in the water the only EO positions getting filled will be in Dublin. Can see any decentralised locations getting any new EO's

Mrbrianmolko

Out of curiosity what age are the other EO's here? Im 24 and I think i must be the youngest EO out there?

All the oul ones in my office hate me for it, they think that one of them (who have all been there since the year dot) should of got the promotion instead of a young lad like me coming in from the outside, but thats life!!

Im winning them round though!!