NEW 2016 Open and Interdepartmental Assistant Principal in Civil Service competition.

Past30Now

Found this thread yesterday, and seriously wish I'd found it before Christmas. Some great advice provided for all stages. Finished mid 40's on the open panel in stage 2, sat the interview early last week and am waiting patiently (not so!) for an email from PAS.

As an outsider, I found the competency based interview difficult.

Is the next stage an email to say you were successful/unsuccessful and if successful, a number on the list?

dee75

Past30Now wrote: »

Found this thread yesterday, and seriously wish I'd found it before Christmas. Some great advice provided for all stages. Finished mid 40's on the open panel in stage 2, sat the interview early last week and am waiting patiently (not so!) for an email from PAS.

As an outsider, I found the competency based interview difficult.

Is the next stage an email to say you were successful/unsuccessful and if successful, a number on the list?

I'm with you on that. I'm an "outsider" too and in top 10 on the open panel which I was delighted with but jaysus the interview knocked all hope out of me!

(But can't help wishing and hoping I've pulled a miracle out of the bag!!!! Ah the eternal optimism of it.

As someone once said "an optimist is someone who goes after Moby Dick in a rowboat and brings the tartar sauce with him/her'. And I'm going fishing for this job!

GorSin

dee75 wrote: »

I'm with you on that. I'm an "outsider" too and in top 10 on the open panel which I was delighted with but jaysus the interview knocked all hope out of me!

(But can't help wishing and hoping I've pulled a miracle out of the bag!!!! Ah the eternal optimism of it.

As someone once said "an optimist is someone who goes after Moby Dick in a rowboat and brings the tartar sauce with him/her'. And I'm going fishing for this job!

LOL. I know how you feel. I'm in the public service but not civil service. I came 13 in the Open and was feeling confident before the interview. That quickly wiped the smile off my face.

Winterspring

Past30Now wrote: »

Found this thread yesterday, and seriously wish I'd found it before Christmas. Some great advice provided for all stages. Finished mid 40's on the open panel in stage 2, sat the interview early last week and am waiting patiently (not so!) for an email from PAS.

As an outsider, I found the competency based interview difficult.

Is the next stage an email to say you were successful/unsuccessful and if successful, a number on the list?

Yes usually it is an email to say you were successful or not and if successful your rank on the panel

quad_red

This may have been asked before but do they look at your written references (if you provided them) as part of the consideration process?

I say this because there was one project I worked on that I used in my interview. One of the panel members kept on coming back to it, seemingly questioning it. One of my written references very specifically mentioned this so it would have been nice for it to have been considered as well.

Winterspring

quad_red wrote: »

This may have been asked before but do they look at your written references (if you provided them) as part of the consideration process?

I say this because there was one project I worked on that I used in my interview. One of the panel members kept on coming back to it, seemingly questioning it. One of my written references very specifically mentioned this so it would have been nice for it to have been considered as well.

I don't think they refer to the references but I could be wrong. I would imagine they were questioning you just to challenge you to see how you would react

Past30Now

Results are out!!

luckyboy

Heard a friend's result. Panel size is definitely in the 80s if not bigger. Best of luck guys!

Past30Now

Past30Now wrote: »

Results are out!!

Went well for me. Placed slightly over 100 on list.
Best of luck all.

quad_red

Well done Past30Now. That's awesome.

timaru89

Nothing yet.

quad_red

Nothing yet here either.

Just want this over with now

gics

Made the panel. Delighted. Now the waiting for locations

tea and coffee

Looks like they sent all the "positive " ones out first and PFOs to follow?

ZolaGood

gics wrote: »

Made the panel. Delighted. Now the waiting for locations

Me too -only open results too will interD be different placing I wonder and when will location placings issue?? Delighted though after my previous disaster -good luck everyone waiting

GorSin

I made the panel too. I'm really pleased. In a rural location so I'm not sure how that will fare out for me.

quad_red

tea and coffee wrote: »

Looks like they sent all the "positive " ones out first and PFOs to follow?

Looks like it. All the successful applications are out. Was going to call them but I got a text from a mate in Waterford. He called them and they said they were working on issuing all the 'remaining responses' for the competition today or tomorrow.

salomon

Holy sh1t. I made the panel, I'm over 100 but wasn't expecting to make it

Redderneck

Herself made panel. She wasn't expecting it as an outsider and she's delighted. Same boat as GorSin above - rural location so had ticked the county & Dublin in terms of preferences and now is kacking it in case she gets the nod for Dublin. That'd involve major changes for us all.

No pleasing some! Good luck to those still waiting folks.

This thread has been invaluable; especially for outside candidates. Credit to all who post here. The ol' interweb has it's plus points...

quad_red

Anyone get a PFO yet?

GorSin

Thought I posted earlier but can't see it now- so apologies if it comes up twice.

I passed too- I came slightly over 100.

I cannot believe it. I'm in a rural county so I'm not sure how it will pan out for me.

TaurenDruid

Nothing in my inbox yet so I'm assuming it's PFO, but no confirmation yet. Bugger. Looks like the "easy"/unchallenging interview was a bad sign.

Congrats to those who made it!

Veledan22

quad_red wrote: »

Anyone get a PFO yet?

No, just waiting for it to come through.

Congratulations to everyone who made the panel!

tea and coffee

Nothing either and I don't expect to make the panel.
Congrats to all who made it- I recognise some "faces" from the recent HEO, so well done!!!

salomon

salomon wrote: »

Holy sh1t. I made the panel, I'm over 100 but wasn't expecting to make it

Just got inter D result, up to 70s

luckyboy

There appear to be 31 outside candidates in the top 80 or so from what I can gather ...

tea and coffee

It's slightly depressing to think I didn't get onto a panel of over 100 in the InterD when they only interviewed the top 128!!

quad_red

tea and coffee wrote: »

It's slightly depressing to think I didn't get onto a panel of over 100 in the InterD when they only interviewed the top 128!!

To be fair, it's hard to know with interviews and it's not just any open field of random clowns. You can't control the additional experience or expertise those you were competing against may have had.

The most depressing thing about today is being Schrödinger's applicant. Simultaneously still in the game but clearly mid PFO.

The Slow One

Low 100's for the open comp tea and coffee. Don't think the InderD Comp got that high according to salomon

tea and coffee

The Slow One wrote: »

Low 100's for the open comp tea and coffee. Don't think the InderD Comp got that high according to salomon

Not quite as depressing but almost. Makes it slightly over the 50% of candidates got through, much like the previous ap comp

Veledan22

PFOs are out

tea and coffee

Got the results. Failed on 2 competencies , being 6 points below the pass mark on both. Well above on 2... If only you could pass by compensation!

timaru89

Failed on leadership

DeirdreDee

Anyone put Sligo as their preference?

quad_red

tea and coffee wrote: »

Got the results. Failed on 2 competencies , being 6 points below the pass mark on both. Well above on 2... If only you could pass by compensation!

Same here.

Knew I performed poorly but it's disappointing all the same. C'est la vie!

dee75

Got my result.

Over the bloody moon! Passed. I'm mid 80's in open panel.

I have two Leinster locations (not Dublin) so who knows where I am on the individual regional panel and there may never be a job for either county.

But I'm still so delighted and relieved.

The breakdown of marks for each competency was interesting. I got the lowest mark in what I thought was my strongest one! Just shows you never know.

Veledan22

timaru89 wrote: »

Failed on leadership

Same here

William72

Well done to everyone, those who got through and those who got this far!
I had assumed there was only 1 panel - am I to understand now that there is a panel for interD and a separate one for Open? Thanks again for all the advice on here - for those of us externals its been invaluable to get the inside track!

TaurenDruid

tea and coffee wrote: »

Got the results. Failed on 2 competencies , being 6 points below the pass mark on both. Well above on 2... If only you could pass by compensation!

Same here. Ironically, failed on my best two competencies from when I passed the interview last time around but failed the eTray.

timaru89

Hope there's an internal comp soon. Best chance for an AO.

dee75

timaru89 wrote: »

Failed on leadership

That was my lowest mark (48) and I would have considered it my strongest competency.

I wonder what panel you had and if there is a consistency in marking leadership very hard?

dee75

And just to echo other external posters - thank you very much for all the guidance and advice on this thread. There are some very decent folk here.

tea and coffee

dee75 wrote: »

That was my lowest mark (48) and I would have considered it my strongest competency.

I wonder what panel you had and if there is a consistency in marking leadership very hard?

It was indicated to me that for a more junior staff member, like me, it would be more difficult to show leadership and this would be the most challenging competency to pass. (It was one of the ones I failed)

salomon

Panel til 31st Oct 2018??

I'm still flabbergasted by this, on the downside I really like where I landed as HEO. Fingers crossed I can stay.

Congrats to all successful applicants and commiserations to those who didn't make it

tbukela

Delighted to get on both panels, low 100s and 60s respectively. So must be 30 odd external candidates in top 100 open.
Does anyone know how far down the order of merit got offers in the last competition? Also is it likely we'll get a breakdown of result per location?
Hard luck to anyone who didn't get placed, it was the most bizarre Public sector interview I ever did.

luckyboy

dee75 wrote: »

That was my lowest mark (48) and I would have considered it my strongest competency.

I wonder what panel you had and if there is a consistency in marking leadership very hard?

My buddy got 50 for leadership - her lowest mark as well. I'd say it was marked hard across the board ...

spitonmedickie

Hey guys just want to say thanks for the insights also. As an external candidate the perspectives were invaluable.

Like some other posters though I'm confused about how places are allocated - I'm low 30s on the order of merit. I've seen stuff about the "sequencing" of how AP vacancies are filled. Is there one big panel that is organised/divided that way or do they go to the open panel for one vancancy, the inter departmental for the next, then back to open?

Does anyone know how far down the last panel they got? Have seen some threads suggesting this one won't move as fast as most AP vacancies were filled in the last campaign. I'm down for Dublin and Cork.

GorSin

Leadership was my lowest mark also- 56. I thought the questioning on it was very tough.

duffer247

Sub 40 on Open competition, very pleased. Well done to all that got through or got this far.
Thanks for all the pointers and insights very valuable

DeirdreDee

50 in leadership. I got 80 in December in the last competition...