Principal Officer competition 2019

Grey AP

ShellyMCD wrote: »

That’s great news. Hopefully you’ll hear soon. It’s a number of years since my last promotion. I don’t think I had to fill out any forms. They contacted HR in the Department I worked in who contacted my then boss for a reference and I think that was it.

I'm not sure it was even that formal for me. The new dept knew me because I did a lot of work with them, so I think I just got a letter to say show up on x date.

karlitob

Got called for stage 3. Any advice on questions would be welcome. Thank you.

karlitob

ShellyMCD wrote: »

karlitob wrote: »

Got called for stage 3. Any advice on questions would be welcome. Thank you.

It’s seven weeks since my interview so I don’t remember much specifics. Think about what the step up to the role of PO might involve for you and the challenges of the role, as well as the usual re the difference between leadership and management.

When is you interview?

I had the presentation this week. I don’t think it went well.

Thanks for that.

15th I think.

Sorry to hear about presentation. What did that involve?

ShellyMCD

Case study with presentation and questions.

Best of luck with your interview

Roscoe69

karlitob wrote: »

Got called for stage 3. Any advice on questions would be welcome. Thank you.

Got the message re Stage 3 today as well. I thought the door was closed after I didn't get a call the first time!

Maybenever

I thought the setup for the case study and interview wasn't great. I had a lot of lag for typing etc. and couldn't work the way I usually do, it slowed me down and impacted on the thought process I felt. C'est la vie, it is what it is but I was much happier the last time around.

karlitob

Roscoe69 wrote: »

Got the message re Stage 3 today as well. I thought the door was closed after I didn't get a call the first time!

Same here. Reading this thread I thought the panel wouldn’t be exhausted in time for a new round of interviews.

Maybe the company has a contract and they have to compete. Good experience anyway I suppose.

Best of luck.

johnboyire

hi Folks for the new stage 3 people can you say roughly where you where placed? just to see how far up they are calling people?


thanks all

karlitob

johnboyire wrote: »

hi Folks for the new stage 3 people can you say roughly where you where placed? just to see how far up they are calling people?


thanks all

53

JLG

In the 120's

Maybenever

With all the new call-ups, do we think that will delay the results of the presentation exercise for the rest of us? Or is it an additional batch?

ShellyMCD

Maybenever wrote: »

With all the new call-ups, do we think that will delay the results of the presentation exercise for the rest of us? Or is it an additional batch?

I never though of that! I assumed it was an additional batch. Just want to know at this stage, it’s been a long enough road to get to this point!

everycloud

karlitob wrote: »

Got called for stage 3. Any advice on questions would be welcome. Thank you.

I honestly can't remember any of the questions I was asked as it was such a blur, and one member of my board in particular constantly interrupted as I was answering with more probing questions. Sometimes these were of the hypothetical "what would you have done instead" type but others just seemed like they were to throw me off. Which they did. It didn't start well in fairness as I was asked in the first question to use a specific experience from my career to describe the first competency which wasn't what I had prepared, nor was it used for that competency on my form, and that effed up how I had planned to use my examples which just threw me off more. So long story short, I would recommend building in plenty of flexibility in your examples to use cross-competencies.

Is it fair to think that calling a third batch for interview is fairly unprecedented in these competitions? From lurking on this thread over the last year, I had guesstimated that the (first) panel ran to about 65 (or to Grey AP as I like to think). This panel seems to have been almost fully exhausted which is brilliant for all on it and for those of us watching from the sidelines and learning from your experience last year.

The second batch called - what seems like years ago - last November seemed to be 50 going into Stage 3 interviews and we'll know after this week's presentations how many make it onto the panel, possibly 25-30 going on previous form. Do you think its still the case, as previous wiser contributors have estimated, that 4/5 people are being called off the panel each month? I don't know if PO retirements have slowed down this year and... well... Covid.... and although I've never been clear if this panel runs til end-2021 or til Feb 2022, in either case, calling a third batch would seem to mean that it may well be...?

Maybenever

By all accounts there is a retirement avalanche expected when the public pay deal kicks in during the summer - a lot of people hanging on for it.

hardybuck

Maybenever wrote: »

By all accounts there is a retirement avalanche expected when the public pay deal kicks in during the summer - a lot of people hanging on for it.

In addition I think a lot of people held on during COVID, and also the extension of the retirement age to 70. A heap of retirements over the next five years.

froggiegirls

Just finished the presentation . Case study itself was fine abd I think I did good analysis and recommendations but it’s just so hard to say. Just glad it’s over

Nocrac

Presume batch 2 are done now with their presentations?

It would be interesting to know what the future is regarding remote working for POs as it could inform decisions regarding taking up posts, particularly in Dublin.

I imagine the number of regional positions will be limited or perhaps none will arise?

The Veteran

Nocrac wrote: »

Presume batch 2 are done now with their presentations?

It would be interesting to know what the future is regarding remote working for POs as it could inform decisions regarding taking up posts, particularly in Dublin.

I imagine the number of regional positions will be limited or perhaps none will arise?

Nobody really knows what the future will be around remote working. The Programme.for Govt has a commitment to 20% of public servants working from home.from.2021, but what does that mean? Does.it mean 1 in 5 people all of the time or does it mean everyone one day a week. I think that POs will find it hard to stay remote working more than one day a week from maybe October onwards. But in saying that there is no real talk of returning to the office, people might be just keeping their heads down

froggiegirls

Anyone any idea when we can expect the results of the case study / presentations ?

Uriel.

The Veteran wrote: »

Nobody really knows what the future will be around remote working. The Programme.for Govt has a commitment to 20% of public servants working from home.from.2021, but what does that mean? Does.it mean 1 in 5 people all of the time or does it mean everyone one day a week. I think that POs will find it hard to stay remote working more than one day a week from maybe October onwards. But in saying that there is no real talk of returning to the office, people might be just keeping their heads down

I dont see why POs would specifically find it difficult to work more than 1 day a week remotely.
Like anything it depends entirely on the job and the culture in the Department and the willingness to maintain flexibility.

Nocrac

There may be more clarity today on remote working: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/new-rural-ireland-plan-says-20-of-public-sector-staff-to-work-remotely-by-end-of-2021-1.4522468?mode=amp

Grey AP

The AHCPS appears to be of the view, at this point anyway, that an arbitrary one in five staff working remotely full time is not really feasible. Some sectors (eg AGS, hospitals, defence forces, paramedics, Oireachtas) couldn't really achieve this and it would be more practical to have a target of an agreed percentage of overall public service staff capacity delivered remotely.

We may be more likely to see a mix of people who work remotely full time (at home or in hubs, not necessarily rural) and part time, with some happy to be full time in the office. I'm not sure it is an issue for POs in most departments, as they have largely worked remotely for a year now without the structures of the State crumbling too much. The HSE seems to manage a widely dispersed administrative workforce, even at very senior levels.

Re the Irish Times article, I think rural repopulation and decentralisation are separate issues, albeit very attractive ones at the ballot box, and they cloud matters. The public service workforce (health, education, local government, justice system and so on) is already widely dispersed, as are, in the civil service, the Revenue Commissioners, Social Welfare and Agriculture. Someone already based in, say, Limerick or Sligo may wish or need to work remotely, but that is not an issue of relocation from Dublin.

froggiegirls

Does anyone else think we might get the results of the presentations today?

ShellyMCD

I hope so! It would be great to get the results this week.

Maybenever

I don't know why you said today, froggiegirls, but I'm all for it! Put me out of my misery anyway...

froggiegirls

Well my very scientific (lol) belief is based on the fact that the interviews finished on a Friday and we got the results the following Wednesday so am hoping it will be the same with the presentations especially as there would probably have been less presentations than interviews.

Maybenever

Can't argue with science tbf

ShellyMCD

Maybe tomorrow......

froggiegirls

ShellyMCD wrote: »

Maybe tomorrow......

Yeah its gone a bit late for today :-(

froggiegirls

Oh my god I wish they’d just put us out of our misery. If we dont hear today then its going to be Tuesday at the earliest

Maybenever

Just got mine. Made it through.

froggiegirls

Made it through. Disappointed with the presentation scores but happy with the my OOM

Belfry2018

Anyone have any idea how many made it through ? Congrats to those that made it.

Maybenever

froggiegirls wrote: »

Made it through. Disappointed with the presentation scores but happy with the my OOM

Same here, I didn't feel I did as well as the last time out tbh so happy enough to get through.

Belfry2018

Hi, did they give an order of merit? Or just if you were successful or not?
Thanks

froggiegirls

Maybenever wrote: »

Same here, I didn't feel I did as well as the last time out tbh so happy enough to get through.

I Just about got there with my presentation scores but got a reasonable number on oom (just outside top ten) so must have been a good few who didn’t get through

froggiegirls

Belfry2018 wrote: »

Hi, did they give an order of merit? Or just if you were successful or not?
Thanks

Gave oom

Nocrac

froggiegirls wrote: »

I Just about got there with my presentation scores but got a reasonable number on oom (just outside top ten) so must have been a good few who didn’t get through

I'm through and delighted! Just wondering why you think some may not have made it through?

froggiegirls

Nocrac wrote: »

I'm through and delighted! Just wondering why you think some may not have made it through?

Well i just about qualified on the presentation scored (and i mean just about) but i got a decent number on the oom so my thinking is that others must have gotten below that on presentation which means they wouldn’t have qualified . Does that make sense?

ShellyMCD

Congrats to all who made it through.

Made it through too. Went down quite a bit on parts of the presentation but a pass is a pass.

Any idea how many are left on the original panel?

Belfry2018

Do you think presentation was marked hard? Also do we know how many were called through to final round and also how many on oom?

ShellyMCD

Not in my case. My nerves got to me on the day. I think the scores were a fair reflection of my performance.

I think I read on this board that 50 were called to interview. Don’t know how many were called to the presentation exercise.

froggiegirls

Belfry2018 wrote: »

Do you think presentation was marked hard? Also do we know how many were called through to final round and also how many on oom?

I do to be honest because I was happy enough with my analysis and recommendations so while I wasn’t expecting stellar marks I thought I would have done better than i did. I felt they would be lower than the interview but i was surprised by how much Lower

froggiegirls

ShellyMCD wrote: »

Not in my case. My nerves got to me on the day. I think the scores were a fair reflection of my performance.

I think I read on this board that 50 were called to interview. Don’t know how many were called to the presentation exercise.

I read somewhere that about 45 were called to presentation stage

Nocrac

I wonder if any regional vacancies will arise. I think we had to indicate locations in the initial form.

ShellyMCD

Can’t remember location selection but it’s so long ago I’ve probably forgotten. Hopefully some regional vacancies will come up for those looking for them.

I’m hoping that as another batch has been called for interview everyone on the second panel will get placed. Too optimistic?

froggiegirls

ShellyMCD wrote: »

Can’t remember location selection but it’s so long ago I’ve probably forgotten. Hopefully some regional vacancies will come up for those looking for them.

I’m hoping that as another batch has been called for interview everyone on the second panel will get placed. Too optimistic?

I think it’s a reasonable assumption that they must expect to exhaust the new panel if they’re interviewing for a third . I heard a whisper that they numbers remaining on the original panel are waiting for regional places . If that’s true then they will be starting on our panel for any new dublin vacancies

Nocrac

Is it the case then that Batch 1 will remain open for those waiting for positions? I presume we just get one refusal for each location?

ShellyMCD

I’d say so

Grey AP

Woohoo - good news for all on panel two. I finally got a smoke signal from PAS and have been made an offer. I had thought I was last on panel one, but according to the AHCPS there were three more after me. However, given it was a few weeks between PAS telling me I was next on the list and getting the offer, I think it likely that all four of us are gone now, which means panel two should start getting offers very soon. Fingers crossed for you all, it's been a long old road.