job at dwp

mojo74_2

Hi, first post so please be nice!:o
I recently applied for AO at DWP, I received a letter this morning to say I have been unsuccessful. I'm a bit gutted, I felt like I would have at least got through the initial sift to the selection tests stage!

I have over 15 years Office/customer services/accounts experience and have also been self employed for a few years. I have tried the example selection tests and found no problems with either literacy or numeracy.
I'm just wondering if anyone knows how they choose candidates for the tests?
thanks x

philb120

Sorry to hear your news- no answers I am afraid but I am sure someone will be along in a bit to help.

spring_chicken

Hi, I used to be a Civil Servant, before having to resign due to long term illness, and although jobs are often advertised as higher posts, they usually start you off at a lower grade, for example the job you went for was as Admin Officer, but they very rarely take anyone on at that grade, you would usually be taken on as an AA (Admin Assistant) as you are usually expected to learn the job from the bottom so to speak.

Horace

Unfortunately the DWP have over 100 staff sitting around 'waiting' for a job - along with lots of other civil servants. It was reported in the Mail on Sunday. This happens a lot when their own jobs are made redundant, they are kept on the payroll to twiddle their thumbs and wait for a new job to come along.

As for tests - the civil service has dumbed down considerably over the years and no longer have entrance exams.

Sorry you have been unsuccessful but if you keep looking at the website called Civil Service Gateway then you will see what jobs are available to suit your skills.

Mojo - why are you applying to be a civil servant when you are self employed? You would be better off staying self employed than work as a civil servant.

HTH

spring_chicken

Another reason you may not have got through is sometimes a person is doing a job as a "temporary" position, and when they decide to make it a permanent job, they are required by law to advertise it, but its pretty much written in stone that the person who is already doing the job (under the Temporary banner) will end up getting the job, so in a nut shell, there never was a job vacancy.

mojo74_2

[
Mojo - why are you applying to be a civil servant when you are self employed? You would be better off staying self employed than work as a civil servant.

HTH[/quote]

My own work has dried up to nothing really.... I am actively looking for a job and was told by the jobcentre that I should apply, because they had 'loads' of jobs going!

mojo74_2

sigrid wrote: »

if you havent done your literacy and numeracy you've been unsuccessful because you filled in the competancy sheet wrong (the 3 situations on the application form)

if you've failed the literacy and numeracy tests you will have been informed of that.

if you passed those tests and did the interview it's again about passing the interview which is based on the competancy sheet back in your application.

So as I haven't even got through to the selection tests, it is because I didn't answer the questions on the application form right?
are they really clear-cut answers?
I mean I know there were some very obviously wrong answers but on some I would have said there were a couple of answers that could have been chosen?

applecharlotte

There are LOADS of AO positions and people regularly start as AO's. If you didn't get through the initial sift it has nothing to do with there being no jobs available. Basically the selection exercise that you would have completed as part of the application form would have been what let you down. You have different scenarios and you have torate the answers 1 - 4 in order of how you would approach each one. The answers that you gave obviously isn't what they are looking for. You need to give the answers as you think they wouldwant them - not what you would probably do!!!!

Hope this helps

mojo74_2

I thought I had done that:rolleyes: not really sure where I went wrong though.... is there anywhere I can find out?
It just makes me really cross actually:mad: all the experience I have... am used to dealing with customers(irate ones at that!) and its not good enough for them! grrrrr

applecharlotte

I don't think there is a way to find out where you went wrong - i doubt they will give feedback for such an early part of the recruitment process. Fingers crossed for next time.

applecharlotte

Which post did you apply for? In which area?