Supporting statement for Council Job

eamon

I think that you are getting there. But I think less would be better. If the application form is fairly standard then you don't have much space to play with. It may say that you can add more sheets but I wouldn't as they can get lost/mislaid. Just make sure that you can demonstrate that you meet/exceed the essentials (Don't worry too much about desirables as they may be knowledge/qualification that are specific to that council).
Lastly make sure you get the completed application form in on time. If possible take it in person

Good luck

Eamon

terra_ferma

If you have 30 statements (a lot!) you need to keep it nice and short, definitely.
I would pick those that are most important and write a bit more about them.

dave4545454

council job applications are basically the same, they ask for certain skills they call essential and some they call desirable. it's all about ticking boxes even if you have to bs about having a certain skill/experience to ensure an interview.

but unfortunately it is well known that a lot of these jobs they advertise have already gone inhouse so no-one who doesn't work already with the council has a chance.


i've been to several and they even admitted i got the best marks out of everyone on the written test but i still didn't get the job even though the written test involved what would be involved in the actual job.

terra_ferma

dave4545454 wrote: »

but unfortunately it is well known that a lot of these jobs they advertise have already gone inhouse so no-one who doesn't work already with the council has a chance.

i've been to several and they even admitted i got the best marks out of everyone on the written test but i still didn't get the job even though the written test involved what would be involved in the actual job.

C'mon, plenty of people get jobs with councils! I'm sure sometimes it happens in the public sector that internal candidates are favoured, but not all the time.
You were either very unlucky or not the best person for the job (after all the written test is only part of the process, and you may have got low marks at the interview).

dave4545454

they admitted i was the best person at the job but still didnt get it. i think that tells you it all. they employed someone for the job who wasn't as good.

terra_ferma

dave4545454 wrote: »

they admitted i was the best person at the job but still didnt get it. i think that tells you it all. they employed someone for the job who wasn't as good.

They must have given a reason, even a silly one, for not giving you the job. They can't just say you are the best person but they don't give you the job. It could be construed as discrimination, the reason could be gender, age, disability etc etc.

dave4545454

gave it to someone with more experience....ie someone who was already working at council.


it's a shame the councils have to waste everyone's time and council tax money interviewing people for jobs that are already gonna be given internally but i cant complain as they pay a lot of travel expenses. i've probably attented 30-40 council job interviews, i know how to work the applications to ensure interview and i make a lot of money from the travel expenses.

terra_ferma

dave4545454 wrote: »

gave it to someone with more experience....ie someone who was already working at council.


it's a shame the councils have to waste everyone's time and council tax money interviewing people for jobs that are already gonna be given internally but i cant complain as they pay a lot of travel expenses. i've probably attented 30-40 council job interviews, i know how to work the applications to ensure interview and i make a lot of money from the travel expenses.

Did they actually say to you that they gave it to someone internal, or are you guessing? More experienced does not necessarily mean internal.
I don't know what they actually said to you, but they can't have told you several times that you were the best person for the job and not appointed you. They may have said you were the best at the written test?

I don't want to sound harsh... but I think there may be some other problem with your interviewing skills....
It may happen sometimes, but 30 or 40 is too many to be just because they have internal people.

ali-t

Clark80 wrote: »

I feel like the end starts to read like a textbook again but would appreciate any feedback you may have - Am I starting to head back on to the right track? Thanks

It is better but too long. I know everyone gives different advice but personally I wouldn't put each heading seperately. From my experience of being interviewed and interviewing within the local authority (more than one area) there is usually a matrix with the essential/desirable headings and anyone who has demonstrated in their application form they have met them will get an interview. It can be as simple as saying 'with x post I used y computer packages' if the person spec states use of y package as a desirable.

If the post is applied for by a lot of people then those screening the applications will get bored if it is too long. Try to get more info into less space by highlighting your key achievements in line with the person spec.

Use the interview to go into more detail. good luck

jobbingmusician

Clark80 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your help. I had another go at the following heading:


A clear understanding of people and performance management.

Situation: During my role as Team Manager at xxxxxxx I was asked to manage a team of relatively new Customer Service Officers. The centre operated 24 hrs daily and my team worked a mixture of shifts dealing with personal banking enquiries.

Task: My task was to assess the needs of each individual and coach/train as necessary to bring them all up to an acceptable level of performance. My goal was to provide support to all members of the team and work the necessary shifts to achieve this.

Action: I started with handing out an appraisal form and booking meetings with each team member. I spilt my day equally among one to one meetings and live side by side coaching on the job. By using information from the meetings and coaching sessions I was able to prepare a learning plan for each individual and cover relevant training, coaching, and feedback to make progress. I used our quarterly appraisal measures to provide a clear set of targets: sales leads, handling time, wrap up time, escalated complaints & quality scores - Both short term and longer term. Whilst I was aware that I may have to at some stage performance manage a few members of the team, I worked hard to meet their individual needs and guide them towards our team & centre objectives.

Result: Overall team performance improved and less compensation was given away. At a centre level the team moved up two places by the next quarter in the league table and one of my staff even received a thank you letter from a customer for solving a long standing query.
I learnt that treating team members as individuals while keeping my eye on team performance helped me really understand what made them tick and therefore how to apply appropriate techniques to unlock their potential.

I feel like the end starts to read like a textbook again but would appreciate any feedback you may have - Am I starting to head back on to the right track? Thanks

This is what I would write, given your experience.

I have wide management experience, and have had consistently harmonious relationships with the staff I manage. During my time as Team Manager at xxxxxxx I was asked to manage a team of relatively new Customer Service Officers. I instigated a rigorous programme of support and appraisal, with the result that staff development targets were exceeded, Overall team performance improved and less compensation was given away. At a centre level the team moved up two places by the next quarter in the league table. I addressed problems in performance by (you have not answered this implied part of the question. If you never had any disciplinaries, put something like 'addressing them early in supervision, so that I successfully avoided any formal disciplinary issues with this team' or 'working closely with HR to monitor performance indicators'.

TOP TIP: Keep a Word file with these questions and your answers to them. The file will last for ever, and be useful for cut, modify and paste exercises in subsequent job applications - even if these are 10 years in the future!

Good luck with your application