Civil Service Jobs?

Ok, it said they took applications from EU types.... so I applied. They trotted me through some online, computerized (darn you IBM) assessment tests and I came out with like a 91% on the first and a 79% on the second (which was one of those fuzzy judgement tests where you don't have enough information to actually offer a proper judgement).  At present my application is "on hold".  Any clue about how they do this process?  Should I assume "on hold" will change when the "apply by" date passes?

Hi Nan,  I work in the civil service.  On hold will change once the application due date is over and they start the shifting.   

Thanks.

I actually received an email this morning asking me to provide information for the next "sift" (I think that's what they call it?) - free-form statements explaining how I meet the four competencies - and have to get that input by Friday.  Am really new to all this - spent a lot of time in the USA trying to get govmt jobs over the years, but the process was entirely different.  Fingers are crossed!

Thanks.

I actually received an email this morning asking me to provide information for the next "sift" (I think that's what they call it?) - free-form statements explaining how I meet the four competencies - and have to get that input by Friday.  Am really new to all this - spent a lot of time in the USA trying to get govmt jobs over the years, but the process was entirely different.  Fingers are crossed!

I'm also a civil servant, though in a science research organisation (so our applications and interviews are mainly science/math based).

Yep - it's called a 'sift'... they go through each application and give you points based on how well you've shown you meet each competency/job requirement. The applications with the most points, or with a certain number of points in each competency section get through to the next stage (i.e. interview).

I don't know much about how they hire in other civil service departments, but I do know that when they do the sift for applications in our company, you have to address each competency in turn, explaining how you meet it, and giving examples of situations you've been in where you've proven yourself competent in that skill.

If you can think outside the box, that can really help too. For example, when I applied, for 'good teamworking skills', instead of just talking about working in a team in my previous job or at university (which is the obvious thing), I talked about how, during my masters degree, I hiked up a 14,000ft altitude volcano in Central America in the middle of the night, and I described how my fellow masters students and I all had to work together to make sure we were all safe and fit/healthy and that no one got left behind.

Obviously you survived the hike!

Yeah, I'll try to think outside the box. Most of my recent positions have been as a "cleaner upper". I've gone in to offices where the incumbent basically hadn't been there for six to nine months, and the places were a train wreck. I put order on chaos, then set up systems to deal with backlogs while not backlogging current work, got faculty onboard with what the rules were and why they were the rules, etc. It's what I do.... or did, really. I'm a systems kinda gal.

Of course, the job I'm applying for simply is to shift applications. So. We'll see. I'm going to hit it tomorrow night or possibly Thursday morning, after a good cup of coffee.

It would be so tremendously ironic if I got this particular job. Not saying more about it until then, tho. 

Oh dear lord. I spent 5 hours overthinking the questions, and was just putting a grammar correction in on the end and managed to hit a key that wiped everything out and had to start over.  Which went quicker, as I'd already decided what to say (more or less). And which I wrote out on the word processor and then cut and pasted in this time.

It be doneth. It's a heck of a complicated application process for a part-time  minimum wage job shifting applications. Oh, well. Ya godda do what ya godda do to get a foot in the door.    Hopefully they won't make me suffer the waiting too long until they either disqualify me or ask me in for a chat.