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

eigrod

Pretty sure the Dublin panel is now exhausted.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

eigrod wrote: »

Pretty sure the Dublin panel is now exhausted.

What does that mean

eigrod

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

What does that mean

They've assigned everyone from the final Dublin batch that were interviewed (batch 3.1). Others may be able to confirm (or otherwise) ?

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Well I was 40th and all I have done is send back my Health and Character form. Haven't been assigned. So i'd be surprised on that basis. But I could be wrong!

CorkBhoy

DieHexe wrote: »

Called PAS - according to the person I spoke to, the open panel has officially been extended until the end of the year.

What's the number for the clearance area? All my contacts to date have been via email so might give them a call.

TaurenDruid

CorkBhoy wrote: »

What's the number for the clearance area? All my contacts to date have been via email so might give them a call.

I believe you can find that information on their website or other useful websites.

CorkBhoy

TaurenDruid wrote: »

I believe you can find that information on their website or other useful websites.

Funny, I actually did try but could not find a specific Clearance area number. Troll on if that's how you get your kicks :rolleyes:

DieHexe

CorkBhoy wrote: »

What's the number for the clearance area? All my contacts to date have been via email so might give them a call.

Hi CorkBhoy, I just rang the main switchboard (01 8587400) asked to speak to somebody about the 2016 AP recruitment process. Let us know the results of your enquiries!

TaurenDruid

CorkBhoy wrote: »

Funny, I actually did try but could not find a specific Clearance area number. Troll on if that's how you get your kicks :rolleyes:

And it never dawned on you to just ring the main switch and ask for Clearance? Sure, delegation is an important AP skill. So is showing initiative...

CorkBhoy

DieHexe wrote: »

Hi CorkBhoy, I just rang the main switchboard (01 8587400) asked to speak to somebody about the 2016 AP recruitment process. Let us know the results of your enquiries!

Cheers.

CorkBhoy

TaurenDruid wrote: »

And it never dawned on you to just ring the main switch and ask for Clearance? Sure, delegation is an important AP skill. So is showing initiative...

:rolleyes:

PCX

TaurenDruid wrote: »

And it never dawned on you to just ring the main switch and ask for Clearance? Sure, delegation is an important AP skill. So is showing initiative...

They did show initiative by asking the question to a group of people likely to know the answer. That's one of the great things about forums.
Wasting the time of people working in PAS is not ideal when you can find out the correct number to call beforehand.

Is it not an AP skill to know there is often more than one way to achieve a successful solution?

DieHexe

PCX wrote: »

They did show initiative by asking the question to a group of people likely to know the answer. That's one of the great things about forums.
Wasting the time of people working in PAS is not ideal when you can find out the correct number to call beforehand.

Is it not an AP skill to know there is often more than one way to achieve a successful solution?

Hear, hear!

TaurenDruid

PCX wrote: »

They did show initiative by asking the question to a group of people likely to know the answer. That's one of the great things about forums.
Wasting the time of people working in PAS is not ideal when you can find out the correct number to call beforehand.

Is it not an AP skill to know there is often more than one way to achieve a successful solution?

Wasn't exactly successful, though?

The question posed elicited the main switch number - available on the PAS website. PAS specifically employ someone to answer the phone and put callers through to the correct section... All the poster did was get someone else to check the website for them. Yay?

Poppy2017

any more assignments or updates from the 2016 panel ????????????????

DieHexe

Poppy2017 wrote: »

any more assignments or updates from the 2016 panel ????????????????

Nothing to report here, unfortunately.

Poppy2017

doesn't appear to be any movement on 2016 regional panels !! Time is running out for us !

sodacake1968

Poppy2017 wrote: »

doesn't appear to be any movement on 2016 regional panels !! Time is running out for us !

Does anyone from revenue have any idea if there are vacancies being created with the reorganisation

Beebeebug

Poppy2017 wrote: »

doesn't appear to be any movement on 2016 regional panels !! Time is running out for us !

Depressingly agree Poppy2017...

relax carry on

Poppy2017 wrote: »

doesn't appear to be any movement on 2016 regional panels !! Time is running out for us !

Only 3 positions filled in my region in 2 years. Assuming 2 from open and 1 from interdepartmental.

It's depressing.

Poppy2017

relax carry on wrote: »

Only 3 positions filled in my region in 2 years. Assuming 2 from open and 1 from interdepartmental.

It's depressing.

I moved well for both my counties but so few vacancies outside of Dublin ! I'm No 1 for a number of months for one of my counties, just nothing happening !!!

DieHexe

Poppy2017 wrote: »

I moved well for both my counties but so few vacancies outside of Dublin ! I'm No 1 for a number of months for one of my counties, just nothing happening !!!

Same here, Poppy2017 - no movement at all on my county since I got a place on the panel. Very frustrating!

Clonmel1000

DieHexe wrote: »

Same here, Poppy2017 - no movement at all on my county since I got a place on the panel. Very frustrating!

It’s hard to imagine anything happening between now and year end.

eigrod

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Well I was 40th and all I have done is send back my Health and Character form. Haven't been assigned. So i'd be surprised on that basis. But I could be wrong!

Did you get assigned yet?

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

eigrod wrote: »

Did you get assigned yet?

As it happens, I just got my notice of assignment yesterday (Wednesday) from PAS. Just have to wait to hear from my new Department about a start date.

DieHexe

Any updates?

Poppy2017

not a thing !!!!

Are there may people out there left on regional panels ? I'd say Dublin people are all sorted !

Clonmel1000

Poppy2017 wrote: »

not a thing !!!!

Are there may people out there left on regional panels ? I'd say Dublin people are all sorted !

I’d say our chance is gone unfortunately

relax carry on

Clonmel1000 wrote: »

I’d say our chance is gone unfortunately

Yeah. Not a hope this late. What a let down. Never been on a panel that has expired before.

DieHexe

Out of curiosity, have all interdepartmental panels been exhausted?

sodacake1968

No they're not.
This is my third time on a panel that has exhausted and I'm next.
Soul destroying

DieHexe wrote: »

Out of curiosity, have all interdepartmental panels been exhausted?

DieHexe

sodacake1968 wrote: »

No they're not.
This is my third time on a panel that has exhausted and I'm next.
Soul destroying

Sorry to hear that, Sodacake.

bobbysands81

...and that’s the end of that.

Game over.

gazzer

Sorry for being a downer but for the people who were lucky enough to get an AP position how are you finding it after a few months. I started off great and enthusiastic but some family and personal issues meant I had to take two week long periods of week off. My boss has come down hard on me over this and has told me that I am not at the stage I should be to be an AP. Every day there is something that I havnt done right or that he feels I havnt done right. It has gotten to the stage where I dread coming into work. I got a scathing end of year review and my work confidance has shot to an all time low. I used to love working and would take on any challenges that came my way but Im strongly considering reverting to my old grade. Only problem is I will be stock in Dublin (came from a regional office) but on a lower salary if I do that. I was worried about work all over Christmas and coming in today my stomach was churning. I cant concentrate in work and Im afraid I am going to make major mess ups. While my HR have been understanding and listened to what I say there is not much they can do as I am still in a probationaly period. Im 24 years in the Civil Service and this is the first time I have felt this way. I am literally getting up, going to work, stressed all day and by the time I get home in the even I am so tired I just go straight to bed.

I was just wondering if anybody else is finding it hard to cope with the job and if so what you have done about it?

Thanks.

sheepstealer

Hi Gazzer

I am in flux as well. I moved from being an expert in old office to a dept which deals heavily with policy and started in an area where I basically spent the first few weeks googling terms all day to know what the hell I was putting in a brief to Minister.

I failed my first 3 month probation report but hopefully will pass this one. I got a pip to help me. I have no team and my PO has been out for 2 months but I hope I kept the show on the road.

It’s causing my anxiousness and I am 19 years in the service. I just feel like I am a constant disappointment to my boss and also first time in a long time I have no real relationship with my manager which adds to it.

I suppose it’s hard as CO/EO/HEO i cruised through probation with no worries at all. It’s on my mind and I am irritable at home. I am about to become a dad any day and the extra money has been a godsend if honest. Also worried over taking my two weeks paternity leave.

I commend you for a very honest post and I am sure others are in a similar position.

bobbysands81

For anyone in the Civil Service who is struggling in any way (either in work or personal life) then why not contact the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service who are highly trained to deal with these issues.

Their website is here - www.cseas.per.gov.ie

gazzer

sheepstealer wrote: »

Hi Gazzer

I am in flux as well. I moved from being an expert in old office to a dept which deals heavily with policy and started in an area where I basically spent the first few weeks googling terms all day to know what the hell I was putting in a brief to Minister.

I failed my first 3 month probation report but hopefully will pass this one. I got a pip to help me. I have no team and my PO has been out for 2 months but I hope I kept the show on the road.

It’s causing my anxiousness and I am 19 years in the service. I just feel like I am a constant disappointment to my boss and also first time in a long time I have no real relationship with my manager which adds to it.

I suppose it’s hard as CO/EO/HEO i cruised through probation with no worries at all. It’s on my mind and I am irritable at home. I am about to become a dad any day and the extra money has been a godsend if honest. Also worried over taking my two weeks paternity leave.

I commend you for a very honest post and I am sure others are in a similar position.

Thanks for the reply and its like I am reading my own situation (bar the becoming a dad part). Forgive my stupidity but what is a PIP?

gazzer

bobbysands81 wrote: »

For anyone in the Civil Service who is struggling in any way (either in work or personal life) then why not contact the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service who are highly trained to deal with these issues.

Their website is here - www.cseas.per.gov.ie

I have been in contact with them this week and will hopefully have an appointment next week. This job is causing me no end of stress and I just need to find practical ways of dealing with it. Feel like such a disapointment.

Aglomerado

gazzer wrote: »

Thanks for the reply and its like I am reading my own situation (bar the becoming a dad part). Forgive my stupidity but what is a PIP?

Personal Improvement Plan.

Sorry to hear things are hard for you. I'm on probation myself (HEO grade) and work remotely from my manager which has difficulties in itself! But they have been supportive so far so I guess I'm lucky in that regard!

I've a friend who is also a probationer in another department and they've had a horrible time with their manager also.... I've seen what the manager has written about them and it's like a doctoral thesis. My take on it was that the manager should have used the time taken to write that invective to train their subordinate correctly.

I was looking at our local probation guidelines this morning and ideally the manager should give the probationer every opportunity for training and development which clearly some managers are not willing/ able to do.

whampiri

Pm sent gazzer.

billyhead

gazzer wrote: »

Sorry for being a downer but for the people who were lucky enough to get an AP position how are you finding it after a few months. I started off great and enthusiastic but some family and personal issues meant I had to take two week long periods of week off. My boss has come down hard on me over this and has told me that I am not at the stage I should be to be an AP. Every day there is something that I havnt done right or that he feels I havnt done right. It has gotten to the stage where I dread coming into work. I got a scathing end of year review and my work confidance has shot to an all time low. I used to love working and would take on any challenges that came my way but Im strongly considering reverting to my old grade. Only problem is I will be stock in Dublin (came from a regional office) but on a lower salary if I do that. I was worried about work all over Christmas and coming in today my stomach was churning. I cant concentrate in work and Im afraid I am going to make major mess ups. While my HR have been understanding and listened to what I say there is not much they can do as I am still in a probationaly period. Im 24 years in the Civil Service and this is the first time I have felt this way. I am literally getting up, going to work, stressed all day and by the time I get home in the even I am so tired I just go straight to bed.

I was just wondering if anybody else is finding it hard to cope with the job and if so what you have done about it?

Thanks.

Like yourself I got promoted to a complete policy role from a routine task oriented role and I was expected to hit the ground running straightaway. I am 6 months in and have still received no training and barely any support. I have contemplated reverting back to my previous grade however I am going to try and tough it out as I know how hard it took to get the promotion. Some days though I dread going into work:)

Poppy2017

Sorry to hear some of you are having a hard time. Nearly 20 years ago when I got heo I moved from an operational area to a policy area in a different dept. My boss was lovely but for a long time I really struggled with the work, it was just so different to what i was used to, I would leave the office in the evening and be in tears at the bus stop feeling that I just wasn't good enough and I thought of reverting but I hung in there. Luckily I had a great boss and a great team.

The only advice I can give is

1. Use your peers, get to know others in your department at the same level so if you are faced with say doing a briefing document you can look at what someone else has done even if the subject matter is different. Also talk to staff who have been in the area a while, see what information they have that will help you in your job.

2. Keep an A4 notebook, a sort of reference book where you can jot down things you need in your role like filepaths, you can add to it over the years and it will be a great source of reference for you

3. Identify any training needs, even on the job training, if you have not done certain briefing documents before, ask your manager what layout, content etc ., they like, they all have different styles so it's just getting used to what works.

4. Don't be too hard on yourself, you have years of experience and you can do this job. If your p.o. gives you something completely new and you are not sure how to approach the task just say can I have 10 minutes with you just to talk through this task and make sure I'm approaching it right. Don't be afraid to clarify things as hard as that can sometimes be if your p.o. is difficult.

I wish you all the best,

AndrewJRenko

Poppy2017 wrote: »

The only advice I can give is

Lots of great advice here. In addition, I'd suggest using your own network of connections. Is there people with experience in these areas that you can trust to give you impartial advice? Is there someone at maybe two grades above your grade who could be a career mentor, someone you could meet every month or two to see how you're doing and help you to tease out solutions?

great advice in last two posts

i think AP is a very tough job now (some AO/HEO roles I've seen also fall in to this).

expertise is presumed from day 1 in many of the roles, and the way the service has gone/is going there is simply no level of quality handover and no allowance for a few months to get up to speed- the delays and timelines involved in backfill and recruitment seem to be major inputs here ime

ive seen a lot of very good people struggle with promotion. stick at it, let your manager/hr/cseas/a suitable mentor know if youre really struggling, and be proactive in putting your own chosen supports in place where you can.

best of luck

relax carry on

Anyone know if PAS officially let you know the panels have expired? I've never been on one that expired before.

DieHexe

relax carry on wrote: »

Anyone know if PAS officially let you know the panels have expired? I've never been on one that expired before.

I called PAS and apparently the notice of expiry is to go out later this week.

Enova

DieHexe wrote: »

I called PAS and apparently the notice of expiry is to go out later this week.

I wouldn't be flagging this necessarily. While these are the only panels in place for regions, they could still be pulled from as vacancies arise. Anyone who is number one for a region should make one last push and see if there is a vacancy to be filled in their county.

bobbysands81

Enova wrote: »

I wouldn't be flagging this necessarily. While these are the only panels in place for regions, they could still be pulled from as vacancies arise. Anyone who is number one for a region should make one last push and see if there is a vacancy to be filled in their county.

I wonder have people been placed from every regional panel.

I wonder was anyone left on two regional panels that no appointments were made from. Would there be an argument around creating an expectancy that there would be a promotion when there were none off the panels?

The two choices has to go, it’s ridiculous.

relax carry on

Enova wrote: »

I wouldn't be flagging this necessarily. While these are the only panels in place for regions, they could still be pulled from as vacancies arise. Anyone who is number one for a region should make one last push and see if there is a vacancy to be filled in their county.

Ended at number 1 in the interdepartmental for most of 2018 for my region. Melted their ears off calling them. Was given the same answer all the time, I'd be contacted when a vacancy arose.

I'm high enough up on an internal one which lasts for another year and a half and there's a lot of rearranging going on in my organisation so something suitable should come up soon. So I'm bothered and not bothered about it at the same time.

Commiserations to all who were placed on a panel but didn't get their promotion. Our time will come eventually. Also to those finding it tough with the new role, there's already been plenty of good suggestions here so make use of them. You can always come back here to vent a bit or look for further advice. There seems to be enough of us here to provide a virtual shoulder to lean on.

Enova

bobbysands81 wrote: »

I wonder have people been placed from every regional panel.

I wonder was anyone left on two regional panels that no appointments were made from. Would there be an argument around creating an expectancy that there would be a promotion when there were none off the panels?

The two choices has to go, it’s ridiculous.

I don't know regarding the scenario you describe. I imagine PAS could not care less about any argument one might make. I can only say in my case, both my panels were used. I agree with you regarding the two locations. The whole thing is quite disillusioning and offputting.