DWP Recruiting Again - 2012

Jodo

The whole thing is a put-up job. Normal rules don't appply, the DWP has a "face fits" policy and if for some reason they don't like you, they will fail you. If you look at the feedback on the website (it appears within a day or two, they don't have the courtesy to e-mail you to tell you though!!!) you will find the result. Anything 3 or below means you've flunked it. Quite ridiculous - people with excellent managerial/team leader/problem solving abilities have somehow fallen at this hurdle, it's more to do with how many jobs they have available (??? 4,000 err probably not!) than with whether you are any good or not. Apparently they were looking for "diversity" rather than any other quality. LOL. Frankly, the salary (even at Band C/Executive Officer) is not commensurate with the hassle of dealing with the workshy and the unemployable in a poor economic climate.

Jodo

debbie_doo wrote: »

OMG!! thats devasting news bound to be the same across the board regarding funding etc... so this could have all been for nothing??? how much has this cost for no jobs? :mad:

Oh dear oh dear. Original proposal was for 4,000 jobs countrywide, with internal applicants asked to apply externally, and no advantage offered to internals despite the perceived advantage of "they already know processes, not so much training need" etc etc. The whole thing seems flawed - in my area (I already work there on a FTA) there are some VERY weird outcomes.

TheBear04

Hi all. My advisor told me yesterday the interview scores for Staffs & Shropshire are being put on this weekend.

JessStar

Jodo wrote: »

if for some reason they don't like you, they will fail you.

Attitudes and behaviours in an interview situation are just as important as what you actually say - always have been. Remember these people also have an obligation to make sure whoever they employ fits in with the team etc...

Jodo wrote: »

Frankly, the salary (even at Band C/Executive Officer) is not commensurate with the hassle of dealing with the workshy and the unemployable in a poor economic climate.

It's actually really generous to be paid a management salary to to an administrative/adviser role. To call your customers 'workshy' and 'unemployable' would demonstrate that you don't really possess the necessary attitude to do the job anyway, so probably for the best that you failed the interview eh?

Nevermind. Plenty more opportunities out there

MarkyMark87

This salary would literally be life changing for me!

TOADSFEET

Hi... I had my interview in Birmingham this Thursday gone and was either told i was going to receive feedback at the weekend or after the weekend??? Can anyone please confirm either for me please. This would save me checking all over the weekend if it is the latter... Thank yoooooooou.

MarkyMark87

I imagine you will get feedback over the weekend or next week ;-) welcome to the waiting/guessing game!

kan272000

Jodo wrote: »

The whole thing is a put-up job. Normal rules don't appply, the DWP has a "face fits" policy and if for some reason they don't like you, they will fail you. If you look at the feedback on the website (it appears within a day or two, they don't have the courtesy to e-mail you to tell you though!!!) you will find the result. Anything 3 or below means you've flunked it. Quite ridiculous - people with excellent managerial/team leader/problem solving abilities have somehow fallen at this hurdle, it's more to do with how many jobs they have available (??? 4,000 err probably not!) than with whether you are any good or not. Apparently they were looking for "diversity" rather than any other quality. LOL. Frankly, the salary (even at Band C/Executive Officer) is not commensurate with the hassle of dealing with the workshy and the unemployable in a poor economic climate.

Apparently there are less than 1200 jobs for external candidates.



Management propose to fill the 4,000 posts as follows. The numbers are approximations:

• Surplus staff from within DWP (surplus staff will have preference over all other staff and are not required to compete with other applicants in the external recruitment exercise)
• Surplus staff from other government departments
• 1,100 FTA EO’s will be offered a permanent contract, and are included in the 4,000 additional staff
• 500 AO’s on temporary ‘VRA’ EO contracts will be offered substantive promotion to EO
• 1,200 staff will be recruited through the external recruitment exercise, though this number may includeinternal applicants who are also able to apply to this exercise
• 375 unassigned staff, mainly from the corporate centre
• The balance will be recruited into the AO grade.
• Support for existing staff
  
  PCS pressed management to ensure that local managers put in place measures to support and encourage existing staff applying in the recruitment/promotion exercises. Management nationally agreed that local managers should be doing this, including holding 1 to 1 and group sessions with staff and allowing staff official time to complete application forms etc.

LookingForNipsy

Just got back from my interview and I feel it went reasonably well - I had two interviewers and both were very friendly and tried to put me at ease (with some success).

The questions were pretty straightforward but were a bit more specific than I'd prepared for so I had to adapt my examples a little but nothing too bad. They did ask the dreaded question once..."have you got another example" but I came up with something and they seemed satisfied although their faces were frustratingly neutral throughout the whole thing!

I have to concur with somebody else that when they're writing lots you're saying something relevant and when they're not you probably aren't - the comps which they wrote loads for didn't have follow up questions and the couple they didn't write loads for had many. As soon as I hit on something relevant they started writing again and stopped asking questions.

They told me 1500 people had applied for 60 positions in North London and that I'd hear in April with positions starting in May so the wait continues...

Good luck to those with interviews coming up!

poker21

Back from my interview in East London.
Interviewers were really friendly.
They didn't ask me to elaborate on any of my competencies, so I don't know whether that is good or that they weren't interested. I did a lot of waffling. The whole experience seems to be a blur. Another waiting game now for the results/scores.