DWP Job Application

1958a

I originally applied for an AO position within the DWP. I passed the Competency Choice Application, hence I was invited for the Literacy & Numeracy test Unfortunately, I managed to fail the Numeracy test, but passed the Literacy one. I then decided to apply for another AO position and managed to pass to interview stage. Unfortunately, I failed the interview. I noticed an AA post was being advertised for, so I applied for that.
The Competency Choice Application form is identical for both AO/AA positions and yet I had a letter stating I was unsuccessful when I had completed it for the AA position, well assuming they had based it on that. I can't understand it because everything was identical.
Incidentally, there are 3 stages to the application. 1st stage is the same for all i.e. Ranking of responses, so I should have passed this at least, but I didn't. This is the bit can't understand. The 2nd stage is the Numeracy & Literacy Tests and you have to get a pass according to the grade you have applied for. The 3rd stage is the interview. The AO position is higher than an AA, so I should have passed the AA, 1st stage. I would not have had to do the 2nd stage because I have already sat and passed it. I realise that by passing the tests doesn't automatically guarantee me a job.

TEDDYRUKSPIN

You say realise, meaning that you have assumed that you have passed? Unfortunately, every exam you take is actually computer form or the examiner follows a stupid answer sheet. Honestly. Sometimes you believe you have hit the right answers but you may not have. It is completely nonsense exam method. These exams can actually be examined via an application form and online testing. But companies still vouch for this. Pile of rubbish.

Anyway, even if you phone them they can not give you an answer.

Unfortunately, the biggest point you are missing is that they may have more applications gone through with higher marks than you. Just because you have passed does not make you better than the 1000's that have higher marks for you.

Eg. One job position has 20,000 applicants applying for a standard administration job. The company had no time in shuffling through every cv and therefore set up the same scheme as above. The first criteria is exams and grades. Which I believe is stupid anyway but clears approximately 50% of the applications.

10,000 is still left. What do they do? Exams. They then set a pass mark of 70% on all exams such as psychometric, literacy, numeracy and the classic competency tests (testing experience). This knocks out 95% applications just like that. They set a bar in which even if more people do pass, they up the % record.

They then need to see sometimes only 8 applicants to a stupid 20 applicants. What do they do if 100 pass the test? They set up the percentage rates, look into their cv's on experience etc and the management pick the necessary applications.

Unfortunately, what I am trying to say is that due to the strict methods they do things, even if you are right for the job, it does NOT mean you will be successful.

My classic example is the APPRENTICE. 10 idiots who believe the have experience and bypassed 20,000 applicants who failed. Now none of them work longer than a year with A. Sugar. Now you telling me that during this programme that 1 of the 20,000 applicants that failed would have been a better candidate?

cosyc

The Competency Choice Application form is identical for both AO/AA positions and yet I had a letter stating I was unsuccessful when I had completed it for the AA position, well assuming they had based it on that. I can't understand it because everything was identical.

That's where you might have gone wrong, same form but looking for different competences. read the application and see what they actually want and that's the comtences you need to pass. No woffle counts!

1958a

TEDDYRUKSPIN wrote: »

You say realise, meaning that you have assumed that you have passed? Unfortunately, every exam you take is actually computer form or the examiner follows a stupid answer sheet. Honestly. Sometimes you believe you have hit the right answers but you may not have. It is completely nonsense exam method. These exams can actually be examined via an application form and online testing. But companies still vouch for this. Pile of rubbish.

Anyway, even if you phone them they can not give you an answer.

Unfortunately, the biggest point you are missing is that they may have more applications gone through with higher marks than you. Just because you have passed does not make you better than the 1000's that have higher marks for you.

Eg. One job position has 20,000 applicants applying for a standard administration job. The company had no time in shuffling through every cv and therefore set up the same scheme as above. The first criteria is exams and grades. Which I believe is stupid anyway but clears approximately 50% of the applications.

10,000 is still left. What do they do? Exams. They then set a pass mark of 70% on all exams such as psychometric, literacy, numeracy and the classic competency tests (testing experience). This knocks out 95% applications just like that. They set a bar in which even if more people do pass, they up the % record.

They then need to see sometimes only 8 applicants to a stupid 20 applicants. What do they do if 100 pass the test? They set up the percentage rates, look into their cv's on experience etc and the management pick the necessary applications.

Unfortunately, what I am trying to say is that due to the strict methods they do things, even if you are right for the job, it does NOT mean you will be successful.

My classic example is the APPRENTICE. 10 idiots who believe the have experience and bypassed 20,000 applicants who failed. Now none of them work longer than a year with A. Sugar. Now you telling me that during this programme that 1 of the 20,000 applicants that failed would have been a better candidate?

1958a

The test, which was online is identical to the previous one that I took. I have not made any errors because every part had to be saved to my computer and I carefully checked that the answers were the same. You only had to use a drop down menu and choose a number. I agree with you though on the 1000,s of applications that DWP must receive. I wrote and asked for feedback on my previous Interview and didn't get a reply. I rang them up 3 weeks later and was advised to email them, which I did 2 weeks ago, but still not had a reply. Also, I read a forum recently and 2 people who had not attended an Interview got a letter stating they were successful, one was on ICB.

1958a

The Competency Test involved thinking of a situation when I had to deal with a person or some people who were being very demanding in terms of time, advice or the amount of help that they needed from me. The test was based on 4 responses and I had to rank them from '1-4'. 'Rank 1' should have been the response that most closely matched the behaviour I displayed. The answers had to be the same for both of my applications because both were customer focus positions.

suseh97

When I went for my numeracy and literacy tests they congratulated us on getting that far. That was because they had raised the pass rate for the online competency test. They had too many applicants and had to weed more out than normal. So it would be perfectly possible to submit the same answers for two different AO posts and pass one but not the other. One may have had more candidates.