Interdepartmental HEO

Selection Process

12. The selection process for this competition will comprise a number of elements. These may include one or more of the following:

 Online and/or paper-based assessment test(s);

 Short listing, based on the information contained in your application form

 Asynchronous interview(s);

 Interview(s);

 Presentation/Analysis exercise;

 Work sample test or any other tests or exercises that are deemed appropriate, including language proficiency tests.

Applicants must successfully compete and be placed highest, in order to be considered for advancement to the next stage of the multi stage selection process. The number to be invited forward at each stage will be determined from time to time by the Public Appointments Service.

Irrespective of which locations you have applied for you may only sit the various stages of the selection process once. The scores you achieve will carry across both locations for which you applied and for which come under consideration.

Shortlisting

Candidates should note that it is possible for the number of applications received to exceed the number required to fill existing and future vacancies. While you may meet the eligibility requirements of the competition, if the numbers applying for the positions are such that it would not be practical to interview everyone, the Public Appointments Service may decide that a number only will be called to interview. In this respect, the Public Appointments Service provide for the employment of a shortlisting process to select a group for interview who, based on an examination of the application forms, appear to be the most suitable for the position. This is not to suggest that other candidates are necessarily unsuitable, or incapable of undertaking the job, rather that there are some candidates who are, prima facie, better qualified and/or have more relevant experience.

During any shortlisting exercise that may be employed, the Public Appointments Service are guided by an assessment board(s) who examine the application forms and assess them against pre-determined criteria based on the requirements of the position. It is therefore in your own interests to provide a detailed and accurate account of your qualifications/experience on the application form.

Very, very similar.

Did really well but a sense of dread came over me when i read that the next stage was shortlisting.

During the last open competition I think one of the next stages was like a pre-interview....speaking into the camera for a few minutes on 4 competencies that were provided in advance.

The last interd comp the next stage was preliminary interview which was pre recorded. Brief intro not scored, then 3 competancies. They looked at just leadership and if you didnt meet the qualifying standard for that they didnt look at the rest. Next stage was an interview consisting of a 3 page report and you presented that for first 20 mins of interview and then 40 min competency based interview. It was ok if you prepped like your life depended on it!

Oh Jayzis 🤯

Three are some serious good results by some people... I cannot seem to improve no matter how much practice I do. OOM 1100 for dublin. Is there any chance with that sort of score ? OOM for County is too high altogether.

Just that they said the pass rate was 20 instead it was 34 or something like that

The test used for this was exactly and I mean exactly the same test was used recently for an internal EO competition in DAFM. I told PAS about this but they are not at all interested that some people may have sat this exam at least twice in different competitions. Seems strange they could allow that to happen and not even ask the testing company about it.

From reading the stages it appears shortlisting from applications forms first for regional candidates. Then possibly a video assessment before being called for am actual interview.

I also hated that video assessment stage.

"Stage 2 of the selection process will comprise of shortlisting. It is initially intended that all successful candidates from Stage 1 who selected Dublin as a location choice will be brought to Stage 2 in early-June. Shortlisting for regional location choices will take place on a later date."

Appears to be the opposite approach, Dublin first, regional later.

I did quite well in the tests, Top 10 in Dub and 1 in regional, but I suspect shortlisting will knock me out. 'Early-June' is a bit optimistic for them, but hopefully will put us out of our misery sooner rather than later!

I agree. My thinking is they will take a certain number of the batch based on OOM, pull their forms and review them for shortlisting. Anyone who meets criteria will then be interviewed? So they won't need to review them all. Just the first batch

Why do so many feel shortlisting will knock them out? Where do you think you’ll fall down?

@TravelMoon Also brilliant results well done!

I think it's just a case of people being overly critical of their applications and not knowing the standard of other people's applications.

If anyone is an EO they shouldn't be worried about getting cut at shortlisting. They should have plenty of experience in management

In my own case I'm not worried about not being shortlisted but I do wonder about my competancy examples. Are they too simple, are they the best example of the competancy I can think of, would they be better suited to anoither competancy, etc.