Help with Council job application in NI

DaveinCountyDown

I am applying for a job with a local council and on the application form one of the questions is:

Core Competencies Continued
(d) Political Awareness
Demonstrates an understanding of and sensitivity to political factors at Council,
regional, national and, where appropriate, international level in developing strategies.

Can anyone explain what this means? Google confused me even more!

irishjohn

I would guess that the job you are applying for is definitely white collar at a fairly senior level?

I suspect this is a way of saying that any piece of work you would produce if successful at the job takes account of limitations / special requirements / cross community agreements / human rights and equalities legislations and other such bureaucracy placed on us by the nature of our society and governance.

I imagine they will be looking for evidence of how you applied your skills and knowledge to any activities in your previous career experience which would have encountered the need to be sensitive to specific political factors and how you managed those needs within your job.

rolo1_2

No idea -Just make something up about how you brought people with different political beliefs etc together by promoting activities such as coffee mornings which resulted in perfect harmony, greater productivity blah blah blah , the interview panel will probably have no idea either.

warmhands.coldheart

DaveinCountyDown wrote: »

......Core Competencies Continued
(d) Political Awareness
Demonstrates an understanding of and sensitivity to political factors at Council,
regional, national and, where appropriate, international level in developing strategies.........

i.e we want someone who will not rock the boat and pander to the requirements of every load mouthed minority group (Including our own council members) who's "human rights" have been infringed by any reasoned, logical decision that you may have taken to benefit of the Majority of the population!!!! i.e. lets have 2 of everything... a "Catholic" one and a "Protestant" one.... be it schools, leisure centres, youth clubs, community centres, sports pitches, you name it!!!! sod the expense, keep the hard liners happy!!! :rotfl:

rolo1_2

Actually the more I think about it these diversity/political awareness competency based applications/interviews do my head in.
You have to make an issue of something that was never an issue in the first place just to get something the interview panel may like. Madness......................

DaveinCountyDown

Thanks everyone, @irishjohn, definitely not white collar! Pay scale SCP22 - SCP25!

irishjohn

DaveinCountyDown wrote: »

Thanks everyone, @irishjohn, definitely not white collar! Pay scale SCP22 - SCP25!

Not familiar with payscales - can you elaborate?

warmhands.coldheart

irishjohn wrote: »

Not familiar with payscales - can you elaborate?

£19500 - £21500 (give or take)

Golden_Anemone

OP, the Equality Commission's website has a section on "Good Relations" which I think is what you are being asked to talk about here. Basically how do you balance the Section 75 duty which the council has to have regard to when developing and implementing policy with the sometimes party political decisions of the elected councillors. Think "flegs". :rotfl:

DaveinCountyDown

After all my worrying the question was not asked in the interview :-)