Executive Officer 2024 Competition (Nationwide)

minic1234

just finished up there - left written til last. Went over the 500, will that be a black mark against my name or?

Tupence

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122531320#Comment_122531320

No links, brush up on percentages and I think ratio too, I forget already.

Trevorfromtheshoppingcentre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122531320#Comment_122531320

https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/foi?view=article&id=108:sample-tests&catid=2

Dublin.85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122531320#Comment_122531320

Practice tests for them all are on here..

https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/our-recruitment-process/test-advice

summersun23

I think there were a few practice questions via the email link we oroginally got

Iseedeadpixels

I found the pre tests too easy and was shocked at the toughness of the first question in the actual test - I am normally bad at math though.

zazoo11

Just finished the last two with half an hour to spare before the deadline. Such a relief to have it over with. Thanks to the folks offering support and advice in this thread — it made this process way less intimidating!

Moyglish

Just managed to get the maths and written ones during an extended lunch break.

Bloody hell, some of the maths ones were brutal! Everyone else seems OK with them, but I had some real doozys. Also, having to do 36 questions in only 35 mins when there was so much reading to do for some of them was pretty tough! Managed to do them all, but still very tricky!

The written task I probably found the easiest out of all the tests so far. I felt 30 mins was fair for what you had to write.

Managed to get 500 words done and I had the Gillian situation!

Glad they're all over now though, phew!

- bo -

Well, the 3pm deadline has now passed…

Something I had to ask after reading the last couple of pages, and maybe it seems like a silly question so apologies if so…

Were the questions dressed up differently for different people? I'm seeing a 'Gillian situation' which seems to be an alternative for what I had as an 'Eamonn situation' - are they the same questions with different names?

I was chatting to a mate who is also going for this, after we'd both completed our tests. He mentioned some question about credit card types, which I don't recall at all. And in turn, I mentioned about pie charts representing types of trees planted between 2 different years, which he didn't recognise!

I mean it'd make sense if they were different to combat online discussion, people giving tips etc… but assume they were the same problems/questions?

Larryduff2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122532368#Comment_122532368

I had Gillian scenario and a lot of pie chart questions, the credit card trees planted one also. Had machinery question too that melted my head for awhile. My friend got a different scenario , very different to the one I got. I think hers had 3 staff members named in scenario. Just glad it's done can relax this evening now.

Best of luck.

- bo -

Yeah, I had machinery, trees planted, drivers licences. It's all a big mish-mash, it goes so fast and you get so immersed in it. Waiting game now. Cheers Larry, likewise with yourself.

Stranger Things

don’t believe I had any of those!! Although I can hardly remember the test questions now.

Stuff about groups of people having a budget, and a graph about people leaving a company etc.

Pie chart too but cannot even remember much about it.

Goodluck everyone

Iseedeadpixels

They have different sets of questions to stop people from helping others with questions/answers.

Marie43

As I posted earlier no point asking me what questions were in the numerical as I found first question so hard it completely frazzled me and ended up guessing them all without even reading them. Total brain block. I had the office gossip with no friends EO Gillian in the written, having done the situational wanted to say she should go and do more work as everyone is flat out and management never seem to be available but stopped myself. lol. Anyway it’s over now and I wish everyone the best of luck and if you don’t get the results you were hoping for there will be other chances and for those that are successful well fair play to you because that was tough going

Ros2024

Hi all, just wanted to say thanks for the support and tips on this thread during the recent tests. Really helpful and good not to be in it alone.

Wondering did anyone else on here tick the box for the Irish stream and identify as fluent and do you know how that works? Booklet seems to say there's a separate stream but no sign of it yet?

Wondering if it's done differently to the CO competition because of the numerical testing.

Appreciate any info anyone has on this.

PandaDancer

my understanding is if you pass, you get an oom with everyone. then you have to complete an Irish fluency exam or provide results of fluency. Which I hear is a drama submitting. Then you can be taken off the panel for roles that open, that require fluent Irish. I could be wrong tho

Moyglish

Well I haven't a hope of passing any Irish fluency exam!

summersun23

@pandadancer do u know what they look for, for results of fluency, is it like a university subjrct or a TEG exam or somethjng like that?

PandaDancer

I'm not sure. I wouldn't have gone through it myself. No harm trying

Ros2024

Thanks a mil @PandaDancerinteresting, wasn' t sure if the new Act would have any impact. Will let everyone know what happens anyways.

coop142

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122531336#Comment_122531336

I went over the 500 by a bit too. Thought about it possibly being a black mark then decided surely it can’t be for the sake of a few words to make a point.

It’s also only used for the interview so I gathered there wasn’t much of a pass/fail situation with it.

Who knows.. guess we will just have to wait and see.

HiggieL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122534467#Comment_122534467

They don't even mention it at the interview, think it goes towards the capability that it falls under, so leading an empowering. I believe it was under people management last year. Although no mention of it on my interview notes...

Sunny Disposition

Any idea when we will get the results?

Niamd

and now we wait….. 🤣

Sonics2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122535942#Comment_122535942

A guesstimate would be September 6th. It's often about 2 weeks after the Comp ends.

apkmbarry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122521987#Comment_122521987

To be fair, nothing will be said I don't think but part of the assessment is testing your writing skills. Grammar includes spelling.

pygmaliondreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122536426#Comment_122536426

15 days for the dub comp last year so about the same probably.

alcina321

how does this competition work with the Dublin panel still going until 2025 - will they wait for that to finish up before they start pulling people for Dublin from this panel?

crinkley

if that’s the case people who have selected dublin will have to wait until it expires or is exhausted and they’ll just continue with the rest of the country

XR87

where is this information from? Thanks

LooeyWalsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122534467#Comment_122534467

Just an FYI they used these essay questions for the last Dublin EO competition. They weren't used at all in the interviews but counted towards your score in People Management & Interpersonal and Communication Skills competencies.  

okaydo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122536426#Comment_122536426

In the 2022 competition it was 3 weeks, but there was not a written test, so may take longer?

highlighter123

Oh god that is horrendous if so. I quit my teaching job and have got an office job in the meantime. So it’ll be like 3 years before I hear anything from Dublin CS 😵‍💫

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546416#Comment_122546416

On previous EO panel's, people were placed 24 months later, some even 26 months. 2022 panel are placing people as of this week. Did you think placing was that fast? This is the civil service, these competitions crawl along. Best to forget about them and work away until a message comes in.

highlighter123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546492#Comment_122546492

No I didn’t think that.

coop142

To be fair it is understandable for people to think it would move quicker than that.

I’m nearly certain this question was answered previously here and someone said that, while the process was long, it could be quicker for Dublin possibly a few months.

It may be worth reaching out to someone to confirm if they will be placing the 2023 panel before considering anyone from this competition. I would not be surprised if they will just work off the best OOM from both competitions to be honest but hard to know.

If that is the case you’d assume the highest OOMs from 2023 have already been placed and it would be slightly less competition as those left over would have been further down on the list.

crinkley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546675#Comment_122546675

They can't do that, people are interviewing this week they will keep placing from that competition until its end date and then start on this one

coop142

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546708#Comment_122546708

I see. So that panel ends 30th of July 2025.. Just seems strange to me that they would include Dublin as part of this competition if they aren’t going to reach out to anyone for another year.

Would’ve made sense for them to do a nationwide competition excluding Dublin and then had a Dublin competition in 2025.

highlighter123

Why did they do a 2024 Dublin (as part of nationwide) competition if they did one in 2023 and had enough people for positions?

crinkley

they might come to an end before July and it’s easier and cheaper to run one competition instead of 2 so they can starting interviewing for other candidates before starting Dublin based candidates in the new year. Once they do start it will move quicker than for any other county

coop142

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546773#Comment_122546773

Yeah, I’d say you’re right just looked at the two booklets and it says for the 2023 that the end date for placement from a panel is June 2025 and for our competition (2024) the final date for placement from a panel is June 2025 also.

So they must be expecting the 2023 competition to finish up soon enough

pygmaliondreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546747#Comment_122546747

Because they will reach out to people, the 2022 comp is still taking people from Dublin yet the 2023 was opened and has interviewed over 2000 people as far as I know.

Edit: At least it was when the 2023 one started, maybe not anymore I guess.

summersun23

Dublin calls loads from these panels. If u have any half decent OOM at all , u will be called for dublin. Deffo the best bet but I agree u prob would not want to be in any hurry! :)

coop142

Just received this email back to keep everyone in the loop!

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122549137#Comment_122549137

So another pull added to potential EO vacancies.

For example, 10 EO vacancies now spread out between Open panel (2023&2024), Interdepartmental panel (2023&2024), Mobility, Internal Promotion.

And still 2022 panels running. They place then in rotation of the above.

Eod100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122546492#Comment_122546492

The panel for this one is 12 months so would expect it to be quicker.

shmeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122550414#Comment_122550414

Yes, but still be the same. You might not be placed until 12 months in and even after. 2022 panel is open until end of September 2024. And should have been closed months back now. But still pulling from it.

summersun23

I think it comes down to the oom . If we are talking dublin, I think you will still be placed quite quickly if u have a good oom, and if not,and u are up over the 1000 (for example) you will still very likely be placed so u can just look at it as sometjing that's coming down the line in maybe a year or so. It's always good to be on all the panels anyway gives options :)

PandaDancer

the CO comp I did, I forgot about it and then was offered an interview months later. So placements are very slow. When I passed the interview, there was three departments looking for officers to put their names forward instead of waiting. I did that and was placed fairly quickly. Keep an eye on public jobs. Sometimes public jobs is using a recruiter for officers (saw sigmar). so early this year there were operator Garda phone officer recruitment, Dublin ports and a few others taking cvs. I think Dublin gets a lot of applicants, but the starting wage is low for CO/EO. A lot of people are taking pay cuts to join and a lot of people might not be taking the roles up.
Patience is key

Eva777

Regarding the recent EO competition, I found all 3 tests to be difficult. I suspect the purpose is to reduce the amount of applicants. I managed to complete 15 maths questions so am hopeful for a pass. Not so sure about the Verbal whch was unnecessarily tricky. I found the Situational Judgement to be very unfair. They claim there are no right or wrong answers, yet they still fail you for your opinion?