DWP employment waiting list

desperado2

Moneywastingexpert wrote: »

AFAIK, they do these pre-employment checks for everyone who is successful and then they can immediately offer you a vacancy when it arises.

"immediately" is not a concept the DWP understands well! :rotfl::rotfl:

desperado2

SophieDophie wrote: »

Hi there found this thread after searching for info on DWP job waiting lists on Google. Have read some of what has been said on here and it's all very confusing!

You will get to grips with it fairly quickly.. the big question to come to terms with is "when is successful at interview NOT a job offer".. unlike most organisations, the DWP (to give credit) does fully aplly equal ops policy. As a result they interview everyone who passes the initial requirements, and then reference checks everyone that passes the interview. There may be 100's of successful applicants who make it past that stage, on to what seems to be called the Merit List.

I havent yet found out if it is a merit list (i.e. your position is based upon interview responses and test results) or if as I suspect, it is the order in which you pass all the refrencing/CRB checking.. I share the same position on amerit list with 2 other folk on this forum.. it would be "odd coincidence" if we were 3 people out of 90 on the list, and the only ones on this forum, and yet all have the same merit rating.. which suggests it is because we all passsed the referencing in a batch.

SophieDophie wrote: »

I rang them on the monday and enquired what the allocation had been and they told me they had had 30 vacancies and 40 people were successful in their application process so the final 10 were put on a waiting list. I found out I was number 5 on that list, not bad but not great. Of course she was unable to tell me what the likelihood of me being offered an 'actual' job was.

Even if you wwre 5th out of the 30 she would have been unable to tell you. The folk in newcastle are a resourcing team - much like the interview and assessment teams you met at your interviews etc. Basically thay are only aware of the part they handle.. once you are "approved" you are passed on to resourcing teams/deparments linked to the offices that need the staff.

It seems the DWP is disingenuous in its stated aims of openness and transparency, as you will struggle to get hold of this department, nobody at Jobcentreplus will make enquiries on your behalf, and you are unlikely to ever get a name for someone in this department, let alone a phone number or email address.

SophieDophie wrote: »

Since then however, I received an email from a lady in another department requesting I send her my p45's/ wage slips for the last 3 years and the telephone numbers of my references. Does this mean they are closer to offering me a job? Surely they wouldn't start making these enquiries if they weren't looking to be taking on recruits for new positions!? I am so confused!

This is the basic referencing that every successful applicant (successful at interview that is, not getting a job offer) goes through. Even if you apply for other jobs in the same department you will have to resubmit the same information each and every time.

My last interview was with Pensions Dept (call centre). Even though you have to provide your references at the time you apply, and they have access to your PAYE records (you give consent for these to be accessed as part of the application process) you will find that if the recruiting is done by DWP staff, they will ask for it all again - it seems theya re incapable of sharing information quickly and easily. I was advised that it was not essential if I couldn't remember contact details, but it would sppeed the process up.

While being asked for information IS a sign that there is activity, and your name is still in the frame, you cannot read anything else in to it. It would seem that once the process begins they are incapable of stopping it, so when some roles have taken a long time to recruit for and employment priorities have changed the DWP suspends recruitment.. but those still in the machine are processed, even if there is no likelyhood of a job to go to. - again, I would stress that they are unwilling/unable to provide you with information, and any feedback you get is likely to be a standard response along the lines of "you are on the merit list, we are unable to confirm if and when a position will be offered, this list will be held open for 6/9/12 months.. blah blah blah..

the other likely response is " this department is in a recruiting postion and offers are being made, if you do not hear in December, everyone will be notified of the situation in January" etc.. Again, I would not take this as gospel, as they come from employee resources and NOT from the recruitment team.

Hope that helps

desperado2

Brewster101 wrote: »

It was interesting to read your test results, which are good, and I was wondering if they may have accelerated your application merit. There must have been around 25 people sitting the test at the same time as me and I was surprised that only 8 of us passed both (which were the remainder in the room after people were called out individually to chat about their results). As we sat there while the papers were being marked, the Manpower rep informed us that the pass mark was 11 out of 15 for literacy and 10 out of 20 for numeracy.

I ended up with 12 for literacy and 16 for numeracy.

Brewster101 When I sat my Numeracy/literacy tests I was inexplicably nervous! - I usually sail through these things. After both tests were complete, we had to remain in the test room while the papers were marked. I think there was 25 in my group, and 7 of us were called out.. together - which given the test was only moderately difficult I found alarming.. and assumed I had cocked it up!

It was odd being told we had passed while we stood in the corridor! Most of us compared while waiting for the interviews, and I did best (13/19) along with another chap who had the same score.

While I did well it wasn't a perfect score, and of course others may have done better.. but I am way down the "merit" list.. along with 2 other forum posters who have exactly the same ranking.. which is all too coincidental..

based on info gleaned here and there, my assumption is that each day's intake is assessed, and the interview forms assessed and passed up to newcastle for processing. I think your "merit" position is purely the order in which the batch you are in is handled.

When I enquired about progress, I was told my CRB was done, references checked and complete, and that "the list" was sent to recruitment a week ago.. Which suggests the person I spoke to had a number in a batch, which she forwarded as a block when she had all the responses.. thus many of us are "53rd equal" and so on..

desperado2

Jamie1210 wrote: »

I wonder (slightly off-the-cuff, maybe someone could shed some light on this) if DWP can/are giving preference to unemployed candidates for positions?

Part of me cannot understand whether the delay is in placing all people on the waiting list, or on shuffling priorities.

I'm IRC 60811 Shropshire & unemployed thus desperate for a job in case anyone is reading!! I've tried everythind else and today got turned down for a call centre job. I'm overqualified apparently
:rotfl:

Sorry to say Jamie, that even though most of the fixed term roles are excluded for current DWP staff in order not to destabilise DWP, they do not prioritise employed/unemployed - however sensible this would have been in terms of getting folk off the books.

The "delay" is probably just the sheer weight of numbers, and the archaic process used by DWP and its agents - on the plus side it treats you as equal, on the negative side, it means hundreds of approved candidates for most roles.. My recent interview was for one of 12 (confirmed) jobs, with around 100 people being interviewed per day, and for at least 5 days proior to my interview.. so there is in excess of 500 people who passsed the online competency assessment, perhaps many more..

we were told that they "hope" to inform all who passed the interview this week.. and then of the folk who passed, the 12 will be notified, and "hopefully" start by the end of Jan 2010.. the inference being that they have a lot of paperwork to handle before anyone can be told yes or no..

Not encouraging I know, and I am with you on the "too qualified" thing.. I get it all the time.. but I'm afraid you just have to grin and bear it, keep applying for anything that comes up, and keep your fingers crossed.

Oh, and you have to apply for every DWP job separately.. they dont transfer your details between applications.. I sat the same online competency test for 2 different departments within 3 weeks.. but they wouldnt take my "pass" from the prior assessment!

It beggars be;lief they have anyone unemployed in the UK - so much needless burocracy!! :rotfl:

wodgerdodger

Having recently applied, sat the tests and carried out an interview I came across this thread and whilst not overjoyed about the prospect of a long wait and possiby or probably not eventually getting an offer, I fel it's a bit futile getting too worked up.
The DWP have quite obviously got their hands full and being a pubic body will go at their own pace to ensure "equality" and correct procedures are carried out.
It doesn't help any of us but I for one am not going to continually harp on about it. I'll continue looking everywhere else , and if, out of the blue they call me forward then I'll respond according to the circumstances at the time.
It's nearly Xmas , a New Years around the corner and let's all hope 2010 starts off a damn lot better than 2009!

ever the optimist!

P.S before I get negative responses, I've been out of work 18 months, had a heart attack last Xmas day in my late 50's and still can smile.

thefortune

hey everybody,

IRC 62979

I got offered a post yesterday which wasnt in my prefered location of east london, they offered me a job in hackney or poplar. those 2 places are a bit out of the way for me and i was hoping for one of my 7-8 prefered locations so i told him i wud take my chances and wait for an opening even tho he told me there were no vacancies in the north east london area.

do you think by rejecting there offer dwp now think i dont want the job, therefore should i give them a call to let them know why i turnt it down? and what number would i call to do this, the number they originally gave us for up in newcastle??

i dont want them thinking i dont want the job no more, i still wanna be in the hat for when vacanices come up around my area..

thanks

dave

desperado2

thefortune wrote: »

hey everybody,

IRC 62979

I got offered a post yesterday which wasnt in my prefered location of east london, they offered me a job in hackney or poplar. those 2 places are a bit out of the way for me and i was hoping for one of my 7-8 prefered locations so i told him i wud take my chances and wait for an opening even tho he told me there were no vacancies in the north east london area.

do you think by rejecting there offer dwp now think i dont want the job, therefore should i give them a call to let them know why i turnt it down? and what number would i call to do this, the number they originally gave us for up in newcastle??

i dont want them thinking i dont want the job no more, i still wanna be in the hat for when vacanices come up around my area..

thanks

dave

No it wont affect future offers, they will work their way down the merit list, and if other opportunities under the same IRC come up, you should still be offered..

It is probably a bit "optimistic" to assume anyone thinks anything beyond the reason for the call - i.e. do you want "this" job as opposed to do you want "a" job.

As for who to call, you wioll have to speak to the department where3 the person who called you works.. whcih will be the local recruitment office.. nobody will tell you where this is, what the number is, or who works there, so unless you have a phone number or a name for the person you spoke to, you are unlikely to find anyone!

desperado2

wodgerdodger wrote: »

Having recently applied, sat the tests and carried out an interview I came across this thread and whilst not overjoyed about the prospect of a long wait and possiby or probably not eventually getting an offer, I fel it's a bit futile getting too worked up.
The DWP have quite obviously got their hands full and being a pubic body will go at their own pace to ensure "equality" and correct procedures are carried out.
It doesn't help any of us but I for one am not going to continually harp on about it. I'll continue looking everywhere else , and if, out of the blue they call me forward then I'll respond according to the circumstances at the time.
It's nearly Xmas , a New Years around the corner and let's all hope 2010 starts off a damn lot better than 2009!

ever the optimist!

P.S before I get negative responses, I've been out of work 18 months, had a heart attack last Xmas day in my late 50's and still can smile.

err "bully for you"? :rotfl: You might be complacent about bad service, misinformation, and deviation from stated outcomes.. might not have been the case if your treatment from the NHS a year ago was so lacadaisical?? .

There is nothing wrong with being fair and equal and respecting diversity, and DWP seems one of the few places where the policy is practised to its fullest, however that doesnt excuse poor manners, inefficiency and the like, which those who work pay for in taxes.. personally, I expect reasonable value for money public or private sector.

And optimist or not, it is some damning when you claim to be an optimist when in fact you are "resigned" to the DWP being a hopelessly inefficient government department.. Lets face it, if they can't run a recruitment process, what the *** are they capable of?? :D

wodgerdodger

I ,like you and many others find, bad service, poor management totally inexcusable but neither I, you or anyone else are able to change the system DWP have demonstrably displayed over the last 18 months.

It would be nice to think that having a rant and stamping your foot will change things but it won't... it's outside all of our control.
Hopefully when and if employed by the DWP then that may be an opportunity to influence change from within.
I'm not complacent or fatalistic merely a realist and not going to use up the few remaining grey cells left to me to try and alter something outside of my control.
Let's all hope the wait is not too long but not waste the time inbetween creating more anxiety than is necessary.

spaceytracey9

I agree with you wodgerdodger, I didn't chase up my application once, not because I didn't care at all, but because I went out and found myself some temporary work whilst I waited. No, it wasn't my dream job and the pay was pretty poor but it did keep the wolf from the door and my stress levels down, after reading quite a few posts on this site I'd decided that if I wanted to work for DWP patience was a virtue I was going to have to master!!

I was lucky that I was able to find a temporary post I admit and it's not for everyone, but fair play to you if you can manage it that way too. I hope that you are well now, the cogs in the DWP do move but s-l-o-w-l-y......

Good luck to you!! :0)