NEW 2018 Assistant Principal Officer Competition

TrooperJones

Ravelleman wrote: »

We are in the eye of the storm.

Our recent messages have been sent out at around 5pm,so here's hoping for this evening!

JonT

So do we reckon this Friday coming, or perhaps the next before we hear anything more?

Ravelleman

JonT wrote: »

So do we reckon this Friday coming, or perhaps the next before we hear anything more?

The shortlisting results reveal event was on a Thursday...

JonT

True, they hit us with that one out of nowhere.

Megidje

dee75 wrote: »

Just some dates and notes from the 2016 Competition - not that it's a definite indication of what way it will go this time around.

STAGE 1
Test window closed on 19 December
Results out 12 January

Qualifying scores:
Verbal - 42 out of 80
Numerical - 40 out of 80
Situational - 40 out of 80

1,047 from Stage 1 were invited to Stage 2 - verification of Stage 1 Verbal & Numerical Tests plus Etray and Job Simulation

STAGE 2
Invitation received 13 January
Tests held end January and early February
Results out 22 February

Qualifying scores:
Verbal - 42 out of 80
Numerical - 40 out of 80
Job Simulation - 41 out of 80
Etray - 40 out of 80

Note - Order of Merit was determined by Job Simulation & Etray scores.
Average score was apparently 50 for each

205 from Stage 2 were invited to Stage 3 - Interview

STAGE 3
Interviews held mid March
Results out 23 March
Score given for each competency (5 competencies scored)
Order of Merit only gave your overall country-wide ranking, not your county rankings
From recollection, you had to ring after a few days to get your county rankings

Good luck to you all this time around! :D

Based on info above from dee75 from previous competition we could possibly be expecting some news this week?

PhoenixParker

I'm very interested to see what the max OOM is for these results. It'll give an indication of what % were cut by the shortlisting.

Megidje

Did it look like there were 30ish sitting supervised Stage 3 tests 8am and 1pm each day for five days = 300 - 350ish? Or have I just failed the numerical (again)?

rcard

Megidje wrote: »

Did it look like there were 30ish sitting supervised Stage 3 tests 8am and 1pm each day for five days = 300 - 350ish? Or have I just failed the numerical (again)?

Around 40 in my group.

:Keith:

Looking like the results of Stage 3 will be out fairly imminently if the interviews are starting next week.

gmisk

Put me out of my misery already!

---

Please note that should you be successful at Stage 3 Verification, Stage 4 - Final Interviews for the above campaign will take place on the following dates;



12th December

13th December

14th December

17th December

18th December



Results from Stage 3 verification will issue in due course and Interview call ups for successful candiates will follow.



Kind Regards,


Emma Appleby

Large Volume Recruitment

dan_dublin

gmisk wrote: »

Put me out of my misery already!

---

Please note that should you be successful at Stage 3 Verification, Stage 4 - Final Interviews for the above campaign will take place on the following dates;



12th December

13th December

14th December

17th December

18th December


This is crazy. Tiny amount of notice to prepare. And then going in a week before Christmas.

So if you're in a busy section, you're super busy trying to get work done amidst seasonal absences. And of course there's the family and work social committments and they aren't nothing.

It's dreadful that those who interview next week will face very different conditions to the next batch who will probably interview in mid January, rested and finished their holiday committments. Then there's the anxiety! No way you'd hear before mid January anyway. A huge, unfair rush that gains nothing but an unfair standard compared to interviewees who don't have this problem.

CBCB

dan_dublin wrote: »

gmisk wrote: »

Put me out of my misery already!

---

Please note that should you be successful at Stage 3 Verification, Stage 4 - Final Interviews for the above campaign will take place on the following dates;



12th December

13th December

14th December

17th December

18th December


This is crazy. Tiny amount of notice to prepare. And then going in a week before Christmas.

So if you're in a busy section, you're super busy trying to get work done amidst seasonal absences. And of course there's the family and work social committments and they aren't nothing.

It's dreadful that those who interview next week will face very different conditions to the next batch who will probably interview in mid January, rested and finished their holiday committments. Then there's the anxiety! No way you'd hear before mid January anyway. A huge, unfair rush that gains nothing but an unfair standard compared to interviewees who don't have this problem.

I have to agree. It's poor form and seems like the notification was issued prior to results just so they can say 1 weeks notice was given.

dan_dublin

Yes.

Also: Departments are supposed to offer mock interviews to staff who want to prepare in that way, but there's no way they'll be able to comply if they get notice on Monday to do one for Tuesday. So how are those people getting equal treatment?

They need to reschedule this. Perhaps if they get a good number of rescheduling requests they'll issue an update and reschedule for January. Is just not fair to have one group under huge pressure and the next under far less.

Enova

dan_dublin wrote: »

Yes.

Also: Departments are supposed to offer mock interviews to staff who want to prepare in that way, but there's no way they'll be able to comply if they get notice on Monday to do one for Tuesday. So how are those people getting equal treatment?

They need to reschedule this. Perhaps if they get a good number of rescheduling requests they'll issue an update and reschedule for January. Is just not fair to have one group under huge pressure and the next under far less.

I agree entirely. This smacks of a mad dash effort to get a Dublin panel in place by 01st January at the expense of a timely, thoughtful and fair selection process. The highest scoring test candidates, who have Dublin down as one of their regions, are being penalised for scoring highest. It is nigh on impossible to carve out adequate time for prep, consultation with senior managers in the service, and close out year end deadlines with this timetabling.

channelsurfer2

this is quite shocking. Surely they should at least release the results today if interviews are next week.

bobbysands81

Strange that Dept of Housing were allowed set up their own Open Competition when it appears that this panel will be in from the start of January.

The Housing panel still hasn’t been set up.

channelsurfer2

so basically you now have to scramble around getting interview prep and you could get an email from PAS saying you have been unsucsseful

sureitsgrand

Whilst I totally sympathise with all of you regarding the lack of time to prepare for interviews, I’m secretly hoping the reason is because they have a ****eload of formal reviews to get through post shortlisting stage and are re-evaluating things!

But yeah, shocking stuff for all you awaiting results. Good luck.

Enova

Do you think Housing had hoped to be drawing from its panel long before now?

TrooperJones

Not to be the one to rain on everyone's parade, but isn't an AP supposed to be able to get on top of something tough at short notice?

The people on the 12th will have a week to prepare, which should be plenty of time. Those on the 18th will have almost two weeks!

What they should do to make things fair is give out the results for each group a week before their interview day (so the people on the 17th & 18th would find out on the 10th & 11th).

midfield dynamo

TrooperJones wrote: »

Not to be the one to rain on everyone's parade, but isn't an AP supposed to be able to get on top of something tough at short notice?

The people on the 12th will have a week to prepare, which should be plenty of time. Those on the 18th will have almost two weeks!

What they should do to make things fair is give out the results for each group a week before their interview day (so the people on the 17th & 18th would find out on the 10th & 11th).

Logical thinking and the Civil Service do not mix!

JackReacher1980

Except some of us are on postings abroad, with s time difference, and will need time to book flights and leave etc. Some postings involve a long trip back to Ireland, so it’s not just a matter of taking a day off work, it’s a few days, minimum, with the travel time

HannahR31

Similarly, I'm going to be abroad all of next week - has anyone done an interview with PAS recently? I'm wondering will it be a self-booking system like the tests in which case hopefully I can book a day after I'm back.

TrooperJones

One of my colleagues cut his honeymoon short by a few days to fly back and interview. He's now an AP higher.

If you are abroad, you would have known you would have to fly back, so it's hardly a surprise. Yeah, the short notice might not be great, but you're being treated the same as everyone else. Only advice I can give is to contact them to request the 17th, so you have the weekend for getting over jetlag.

18SpookyBooks

TrooperJones wrote: »

One of my colleagues cut his honeymoon short by a few days to fly back and interview. He's now an AP higher.

If you are abroad, you would have known you would have to fly back, so it's hardly a surprise. Yeah, the short notice might not be great, but you're being treated the same as everyone else. Only advice I can give is to contact them to request the 17th, so you have the weekend for getting over jetlag.

Except assuming that all results issue tomorrow (as I presume it’s too late for today) will mean those interviewed on the 18th have a significant advantage over those interviewed on the 12th.

They are supposed to screen candidates on their competencies for the role, not for their willingness to accept doing things half arsed at the last minute.

AGC

TrooperJones wrote: »

One of my colleagues cut his honeymoon short by a few days to fly back and interview. He's now an AP higher.

If you are abroad, you would have known you would have to fly back, so it's hardly a surprise. Yeah, the short notice might not be great, but you're being treated the same as everyone else. Only advice I can give is to contact them to request the 17th, so you have the weekend for getting over jetlag.

And pay for flights at the busiest time of the year?

People do not know if they are even through so to be so flippant is strange.

AO in my own section waiting to hear, They are due to be in Brussels for 3 days next week and London 2 days the following week.

I have been lucky in the past with PAS being in a position to change dates but I have also withdrawn from a competition this year because they couldn’t accommodate.

With such short notice I would doubt there will be much wriggle room.

PhoenixParker

When I couldnt make my interview date for EO two years ago, PAS said they would try to accommodate me, but no guarantees.

I was invited to interview with the regional candidates a few weeks later. I was then slotted into the order of merit based on my results. Fingers crossed they can do similar for those impacted here.

Enova

TrooperJones wrote: »

Not to be the one to rain on everyone's parade, but isn't an AP supposed to be able to get on top of something tough at short notice?

The people on the 12th will have a week to prepare, which should be plenty of time. Those on the 18th will have almost two weeks!

What they should do to make things fair is give out the results for each group a week before their interview day (so the people on the 17th & 18th would find out on the 10th & 11th).

It isn't about inability to get on top of something at short notice, in my opinion. It's about wanting a recruitment campaign that is well-run and consistently fair for all tranches of candidates throughout.

dan_dublin

Enova wrote: »

It isn't about inability to get on top of something at short notice, in my opinion. It's about wanting a recruitment campaign that is well-run and consistently fair for all tranches of candidates throughout.

Exactly. The Open AP before last gave me 18 days notice. If PAS give results on Friday as usual, some people will be getting 2 working days notice. At Christmas.

I actually think this could very well receive union attention. Departments have commitments to support their staff in their careers, including interview preparation.

No Department is going to be in a position to adhere to these commitments and provide 2 PO's to do mock interviews with almost no notice. Staff who get January interviews will receive support that won't be able to be provided to this interviewing next week.

Then there are the areas around work life balance and mental health, under which departments have responsibilities held by the HR sections. Life changing interviews. With almost no notice. In Christmas. With your result coming after Christmas. So you can worry yourself sick during the mood popular time for suicide in a country with a serious suicide problem. Is this really best practice from the PAS?


That's twenty pounds of stress in a one pound bag. And it creates an uneven playing field compared to the next interviewees.

Addle

If it was a private employer, would you complain about the notice?