I want a job in the public sector.

Typewriter · 20-05-2010 09:36AM #1

Right I know that there is currently a recruitment embargo until the end of the year but when that is lifted I want in.

But how do you go about getting a job with them?

I’m talking about jobs such as counter staff in the passport office, motor tax office ,(and what would be my holy grail) the planning office.

Every time I ask people with these jobs how they got them I get very vague answers back.

There was one guy I used to work with and one day he got a job in the HSE. “How’d you get that?” I asked, “Ah you know just went for the exam last year and they rang me up now” “What job will you be doing?” “Don’t know yet” he said and moved on.

Another example, I asked this girl I knew “you know the way your sister works in the passport office, how’d she get that?” response “ah she just went for the exam and she got it”.

I’ve heard about this exam a lot “oh just do the exam then they call you”

What exam? Is there just one generic exam? Can I go sit it now? Is there a few?

I’ve a degree in architectural technology will that help me get into the planning office?

The whole thing seems very secretive people usually refer me to publicjobs.ie but I can’t understand that website at all. The only jobs I see advertised there are high experience management jobs, lecturer jobs or garda reserve.

I know it might sound sad but I cant imagine a better job that than sifting through planning drawings checking for mistakes.

Please help

BlackWizard · 20-05-2010 09:52AM

Why do you want to work in the public sector? Why not look for the same job in the private sector?

Stheno · 20-05-2010 09:52AM

The exam is probably exams for Clerical officers in the Public service, when they are recruiting, they invite applications, have an exam, then shortlist and create a panel and out of that they select people for interview, then create another panel that they use to fill vacancies as they arise.

Publicjobs is where they advertise.

Someone with more in depth knowledge may post more detail than above

However, I don't think there will be any competitions/advertisements for more than a year, especially with further cutbacks potentially due.

wench · 20-05-2010 02:20PM

The exam is the first stage of the recruitment process. It is advertised on PublicJobs, and in the papers when a competition is launched.
You can register yourself on their site, and have notifications sent to you when new competitions are launched.

It mostly consists of verbal and numeric reasoning tests. The results are used to rank candidates, and then the top X people are interviewed.

There are sample tests, and more info on the process here http://publicjobs.ie/publicjobs/en/advice/careers_toolbox.do

Nidot · 20-05-2010 04:21PM

BlackWizard wrote: »

Why do you want to work in the public sector? Why not look for the same job in the private sector?

Because the poster has said they want a job working in a public sector office.

danbohan · 20-05-2010 04:36PM

green_jesus wrote: »

Right I know that there is currently a recruitment embargo until the end of the year but when that is lifted I want in.

But how do you go about getting a job with them?

I’m talking about jobs such as counter staff in the passport office, motor tax office ,(and what would be my holy grail) the planning office.

Every time I ask people with these jobs how they got them I get very vague answers back.

There was one guy I used to work with and one day he got a job in the HSE. “How’d you get that?” I asked, “Ah you know just went for the exam last year and they rang me up now” “What job will you be doing?” “Don’t know yet” he said and moved on.

Another example, I asked this girl I knew “you know the way your sister works in the passport office, how’d she get that?” response “ah she just went for the exam and she got it”.

I’ve heard about this exam a lot “oh just do the exam then they call you”

What exam? Is there just one generic exam? Can I go sit it now? Is there a few?

I’ve a degree in architectural technology will that help me get into the planning office?

The whole thing seems very secretive people usually refer me to publicjobs.ie but I can’t understand that website at all. The only jobs I see advertised there are high experience management jobs, lecturer jobs or garda reserve.

I know it might sound sad but I cant imagine a better job that than sifting through planning drawings checking for mistakes.

Please help

ok , first you should ask yourself 3 questions ,

1 , am i totally delusional , do i think despite my limited ability i am entitled to earn e 80000 + , that i should retire on 80% of my salary at 55

2, do i hate my fellow human beings , i can i treat them with indifference to hostility on a daily basis without any feeling of remorse.

3 do i think my that the entire private sector and government should bankrupt itself and the country in order to pay your salary

if you can answer yes to these 3 questions , then a job in public sector is ideal for you and you should apply now

20-05-2010 06:21PM

Okay....

anyway a normal reply would go along the lines of sorry very little scope for employment in the public sector and there is very little likelihood that when you apply to the civil service you could get into those depts.

Clerical officers are recruited centrally and could be popped anywhere. I'd say you should look into the UK for those types of jobs.

BroomBurner · 20-05-2010 06:38PM

Clerical officers, Executive officers, Administrative officers and Diplomatic Officers (Third Secretary level) and specialist grades (i.e. IT, etc.) are all recruited through the Public Administration Service - check out www.publicjobs.ie

Each of the above first have to sit a test, the level of difficulty of which is dependent on the level of the grade applied for. It is mostly numerical and verbal reasoning. The AO and Third Sec exams also include situational reasoning.

If you pass the exam and come within the top percentile (out of countless thousands that have applied), you'll be invited to an interview. For the interview, you'll be asked to complete a questionnaire that is designed to see where you have shown strengths in performance.

For some grades, the interview day (where they will ask questions based on your questionnaire answers) will also include two additional exams. For others, nothing, and for others again, more situational exercises and essays. If you get through all of these levels, and prove yourself to be better than everyone else that applied, you're then told where you came in terms of everyone else and recruited if there is a position i.e. if you rated 3rd and there are 5 jobs, congratulations.

As for where you go after recruitment, it will be where someone of your grade is required. Unless recruited for a specialist job, you will have proved through the interview process that you are adaptable and can work anywhere.

I really could not give a more detailed description of the recruitment process. If anyone else wants to add, please do!

eth0_ · 20-05-2010 06:45PM

danbohan banned for 2 weeks for that bizarre outburst of muppetry.

wmpdd3 · 20-05-2010 07:59PM

BroomBurner wrote: »

Clerical officers, Executive officers, Administrative officers and Diplomatic Officers (Third Secretary level) and specialist grades (i.e. IT, etc.) are all recruited through the Public Administration Service - check out www.publicjobs.ie

Each of the above first have to sit a test, the level of difficulty of which is dependent on the level of the grade applied for. It is mostly numerical and verbal reasoning. The AO and Third Sec exams also include situational reasoning.

If you pass the exam and come within the top percentile (out of countless thousands that have applied), you'll be invited to an interview. For the interview, you'll be asked to complete a questionnaire that is designed to see where you have shown strengths in performance.

For some grades, the interview day (where they will ask questions based on your questionnaire answers) will also include two additional exams. For others, nothing, and for others again, more situational exercises and essays. If you get through all of these levels, and prove yourself to be better than everyone else that applied, you're then told where you came in terms of everyone else and recruited if there is a position i.e. if you rated 3rd and there are 5 jobs, congratulations.

As for where you go after recruitment, it will be where someone of your grade is required. Unless recruited for a specialist job, you will have proved through the interview process that you are adaptable and can work anywhere.

I really could not give a more detailed description of the recruitment process. If anyone else wants to add, please do!

Thank you, that was 100% more than the careers teacher was able to tell us in school 10 years ago. Can I ask once in a role can you ask to be moved?

sobaga · 20-05-2010 10:52PM

@danbohan

Only a person who has neverr worked in public/civil service can talk such rubbish!!!!

danbohan wrote: »

ok , first you should ask yourself 3 questions ,

1 , am i totally delusional , do i think despite my limited ability i am entitled to earn e 80000 + , that i should retire on 80% of my salary at 55

I would not say my ability is limited and I don't earn 80000 per year - such sums even don't exist on my grade's salary scale. I work very hard for the money I get and yes, I think I deserve more for the amount of work I am doing, but at the same time I think there are some people who don't deserve a single euro they are being paid. Not only in civil service but also in the private sector.

2, do i hate my fellow human beings , i can i treat them with indifference to hostility on a daily basis without any feeling of remorse.

Do you really think that all public servants hate people? Believe me, they don't. At least not when they start working. However, after a few years of getting abuse from people even though whatever happened was not their fault I am not surprised they become a bit... let's say... reserved towards customers. Why? You tell me.

3 do i think my that the entire private sector and government should bankrupt itself and the country in order to pay your salary

if you can answer yes to these 3 questions , then a job in public sector is ideal for you and you should apply now

I don't know what you are on, but perhaps you should change your supplier ;P

It upsets me when people stereotype. A public servant is lazy, earns a lot and does nothing. A teacher is lazy, works only 20 hours per week and has 2 months holidays and dares to complain about earnings and how hard the job is. To all those who know better. Try to work in other people's shoes. You want an easy job? Teach at school, after all a teacher doesn't do anything, just the talking. I can bet my hand that some of you would run away screaming after a week at school.
Or try to work at a counter in, let's say, Social Welfare - I wonder how much you could take from your fellow human beings without dreaming of some king of a handheld disintegrator... Or try to work in Redundancy Payment Section with so many applications coming in that you have to do regular overtime to try and process them all... And even though you are exhausted, you have to work even more because unhappy customers are giving out that they have to wait too long for their money and your unhappy manager is giving out to you although it was not you who generated this amount of paperwork... Honestly, if you want to say something about other people and their jobs, try to walk in their shoes first. It may then appear that you, in fact, have nothing to say.

BroomBurner · 21-05-2010 08:28PM

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Thank you, that was 100% more than the careers teacher was able to tell us in school 10 years ago. Can I ask once in a role can you ask to be moved?

Yes, you can put yourself forward for moves, or work at getting yourself where you want to be. It would be like any other job though, they would expect you to at least give a reasonable amount of service to where you are placed. If you're interested in moving around, there are usually opportunities that will come along.

Also, just like in other jobs, moving would depend on where you were looking to go and if someone of your position was actually required, and whether your current place can afford to either lose an employee or have the resources and time to retrain a new person.

Mrs OBumble · 21-05-2010 09:41PM

BroomBurner wrote: »

As for where you go after recruitment, it will be where someone of your grade is required. Unless recruited for a specialist job, you will have proved through the interview process that you are adaptable and can work anywhere.

Thank you!

It seems to me that in one sentence you have perfectly described why the public service is the way it is: it doesn't matter what specialist skills anyone has (eg reading planning drawings), they simply get placed wherever there is a gap. I've heard some horror stories about gregarious but dis-organised people being placed in filing jobs etc - 'til now I thought it was just hyperbole.

BroomBurner · 21-05-2010 10:57PM

JustMary wrote: »

Thank you!

It seems to me that in one sentence you have perfectly described why the public service is the way it is: it doesn't matter what specialist skills anyone has (eg reading planning drawings), they simply get placed wherever there is a gap. I've heard some horror stories about gregarious but dis-organised people being placed in filing jobs etc - 'til now I thought it was just hyperbole.

I don't really understand fully how you got the above point from my comment. You're right, that people with specialist skills are just put anywhere, but that's because they're not hired for their specialist skills, they're hired for their ability to adapt and do whatever job they're assigned to do. If someone wants a specialist job in the public service, then they should apply for those positions, not broad-ranging clerical or administrative roles.

I'm not sure your example would constitute a horror story though!

billybigunz · 23-05-2010 05:53PM

Your chances of being hired in the public sector in the next 10 years are probably less than 2%. Even in the good days those open competitions were vastly oversubscribed. Now imagine double if not triple the amount of people going for what will be extremely limiited recruitment.

Magenta · 23-05-2010 05:54PM

danbohan wrote: »

ok , first you should ask yourself 3 questions ,

1 , am i totally delusional , do i think despite my limited ability i am entitled to earn e 80000 + , that i should retire on 80% of my salary at 55

2, do i hate my fellow human beings , i can i treat them with indifference to hostility on a daily basis without any feeling of remorse.

3 do i think my that the entire private sector and government should bankrupt itself and the country in order to pay your salary

if you can answer yes to these 3 questions , then a job in public sector is ideal for you and you should apply now

You sound bitter- is there a grammar section on the test by any chance?

Tails142 · 25-05-2010 07:33PM

If you want to get into planning you would need to keep an eye out on the County/Town Council websites. They may or may not be advertised on publicjobs.ie

Slasher · 25-05-2010 09:24PM

I could be wrong, but I always believed that the plum jobs in the CS went to people with political connections. Is that not correct? Of course, there would be a pretence of an open selection process, but in the end, the best jobs went to members of "The Party". No?

There are many examples around the CS and PS bodies. Don't want to mention any names, but the former CEO of FAS was a unashamed supporter of "the Party". Nothing wrong with that, but, during the controversy that concluded in his termination of employment, it was mentioned by a number of commentators that he got the job because of his political connections, certainly not for his ability as an inspiritational leader! Of course, that is only one example, but there are many others.

billybigunz · 25-05-2010 09:44PM

Slasher wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I always believed that the plum jobs in the CS went to people with political connections. Is that not correct? Of course, there would be a pretence of an open selection process, but in the end, the best jobs went to members of "The Party". No?

There are many examples around the CS and PS bodies. Don't want to mention any names, but the former CEO of FAS was a unashamed supporter of "the Party". Nothing wrong with that, but, during the controversy that concluded in his termination of employment, it was mentioned by a number of commentators that he got the job because of his political connections, certainly not for his ability as an inspiritational leader! Of course, that is only one example, but there are many others.

You are wrong and wrong again.

dellas1979 · 25-05-2010 10:43PM

I am on contract (for a few years) in the public sector, like many others. We can be let go at any stage if contract is up.

Yes, specialist skills dont really matter when working in PS. You could have a PhD in bio chem and they will still have you doing admin work.

Most people who are in higher grades are in PS years. They may never have to retrain or upskill to hold onto these jobs. Again, if jobs come up internally, you could be a rocket scientist with 2 years PS experience, but it your length of service that normally matters to them (they see it as showing dedication I think).

I cannot see there being any higher grade jobs for years, unless people start dying off/retiring etc...

Docnic · 25-05-2010 10:53PM

I used to work in both An Bord Pleanala & Dublin City Council and its not looking too good at the minute. An Bord Pleanala is very difficult to get into because it would be quite a good posting - excellent benefits! Had a gym in house, canteen served you 3 meals a day and all the bewleys coffee you could drink for free....hmm no wonder the country is broke now :P

But they took on extra clerical officers while I was there due to the high quantity of appeals but these have now dwindled out. Until the construction sector gets back up and running they won't be hiring ABP. Generally I think you apply as a general clerical officer indicating a preference for where you would like to be based unless you are applying as a professional i.e an architectural technician.

madthing1 · 25-05-2010 11:45PM

Hiya does anyone know some good books or sample papers for exams in the civil service?

billybigunz · 26-05-2010 07:22AM

Docnic wrote: »

I used to work in both An Bord Pleanala & Dublin City Council and its not looking too good at the minute. An Bord Pleanala is very difficult to get into because it would be quite a good posting - excellent benefits! Had a gym in house, canteen served you 3 meals a day and all the bewleys coffee you could drink for free....hmm no wonder the country is broke now :P

But they took on extra clerical officers while I was there due to the high quantity of appeals but these have now dwindled out. Until the construction sector gets back up and running they won't be hiring ABP. Generally I think you apply as a general clerical officer indicating a preference for where you would like to be based unless you are applying as a professional i.e an architectural technician.

Free meals?

I want a job in the public sector.

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