Civil Service Jobs - Comptency Scoring

jessex1990

Hi Everyone.

Today my application was updated. Unsuccessful.

However they updated it on the same day with the directions to the interview location and identity verification requirements. Why would you do that for unsuccessful applicants?

I also checked the feedback section and found this -

*doesn't let me link to pictures*

So I scored a 5 on the sole competency but underneath it it says overall "minimal". (I scored a 73% on the CSIST)


However this scale is provided on their website:

Rating Label Definition
1 Not Demonstrated No positive evidence of the competency
2 Minimal Demonstration Limited positive evidence of the competency
3 Moderate Demonstration Moderate positive evidence of the competency
4 Acceptable Demonstration Adequate positive evidence of the competency
5 Good Demonstration Substantial positive evidence of the competency
6 Strong Demonstration Substantial, positive evidence of the competency and includes some evidence of exceeding expectations
7 Outstanding Demonstration Evidence provided wholly exceeds expectation at this level


Is this an administration mistake? I don't want to be seen as making a fuss or complaining for not being offered an interview, but it sends a mixed message. However equally I don't want to miss out on an interview based on an clerical error which should have been pointed out. If a 5 is minimal then what would 4 - 1 be? Would it be right to email the contact in the job advert asking for clarification?

anmarj

The minimum for pass on initial sift tends to be 4, but depending on quantity and quality the often up the pass mark to higher level. I would get in touch and query with them.

jessex1990

It's the fact that they said 5 was minimal that confused me. Surely it should still say 'Good drmonstration' then say that they have upped the pass mark due to the quality of applicants and therefore I am unsuccessful.

IAmWales

The interview/ ID detail will update for everyone, that's no indicator one way or the other.

There does seem to have been an error if you got a 5 but the feedback indicates you got a 2 (minimal evidence). Did you get any more feedback than that?

5 would normally be sufficient to get an interview, even when the pass mark is raised. The 73% may be what let you down there.

I'd drop them a message to clarify the disparity. You can't do any harm in asking. What was the role you applied for?

jessex1990

IAmWales wrote: »

The interview/ ID detail will update for everyone, that's no indicator one way or the other.

There does seem to have been an error if you got a 5 but the feedback indicates you got a 2 (minimal evidence). Did you get any more feedback than that?

5 would normally be sufficient to get an interview, even when the pass mark is raised. The 73% may be what let you down there.

I'd drop them a message to clarify the disparity. You can't do any harm in asking. What was the role you applied for?

Nope no other feedback was provided except for the csist and it was an AO job.

anmarj

my colleague had the same situation, given a over pass mark but no interview, when she queried it, she was told that they had raised the pass mark to a higher mark as they had too many candidates.

jessex1990

anmarj wrote: »

my colleague had the same situation, given a over pass mark but no interview, when she queried it, she was told that they had raised the pass mark to a higher mark as they had too many candidates.

Did the feedback section correspond with what they were given though? If this was the case of them raising the pass mark I would expect it to match and it say in the feedback that they raised the pass mark rather than saying that a 5 was minimal. I do think this may be what happened though, they just haven't communicated it very clearly.

IAmWales

Looking at some recent DWP positions only people with 6's and 7's were getting interviews in some locations, which suprised me but they must be particularly oversubscribed. Still worth asking them to check due to the contradictory information though.

If you aren't successful and want to apply again in the future, it might be that your competency answer is too complex. You'll no doubt know of the STAR structure, but people often slip up in putting too much "this is what the situation was" and not enough "this is what I did". They have hundreds to go through so best to keep it as simple as possible.

jessex1990

IAmWales wrote: »

Looking at some recent DWP positions only people with 6's and 7's were getting interviews in some locations, which suprised me but they must be particularly oversubscribed. Still worth asking them to check due to the contradictory information though.

If you aren't successful and want to apply again in the future, it might be that your competency answer is too complex. You'll no doubt know of the STAR structure, but people often slip up in putting too much "this is what the situation was" and not enough "this is what I did". They have hundreds to go through so best to keep it as simple as possible.

Thanks for letting me know about some people only getting through with 6sand 7s. I was only aware about it being raised to a 5 in the past from what I found on the Internet . Maybe the overall section has to be rated below a 4 to stop automatic emails going out to book interviews or something.

Yea I only did 2 sentences for ST about 220 words for A and 20 words for R. I did have a few staff at the jobcenter read it including the managers manager who happened to be in at the time (what a stroke of luck!). Sounds as if they raised the pass mark but I'll find out for definite tomorrow. I just sent the contact a quick polite email stating I was a bit confused as those 2 bits sound inconsistent and asked if she could clarify it for me.

Beartricks

It seems like what happened with your online account is an error with the system.

I've applied for quite a few Civil Service jobs over the past couple of months and I've never been told where the interview will be, or which ID I need to take, if I've been unsuccessful.

That said, I got some feedback from an interview at the DWP a few weeks ago. I was one point off full marks across the board and I was still put on the reserve list so I think the standard is pretty high for applicants at the moment.

jessex1990

I got a reply at 9:10 this morning to say it was an administrative error and some people's scores were recorded incorrectly by 10am my status had changed to invited to interview and got the actual invite at midday.



I've heard that in some areas even those pretty far down the reserve list get jobs some like within a few weeks. Apparently you are able to call/email from to find out what number you are on the list. With only 1 mark off full marks I expect you will be getting a call very soon