Civil Service Jobs application process - general observation

gettingready

I have never managed to pass any of their verbal or numerical or situational tests and neither did any of my friends/colleagues.

But that is not the point as we all got other jobs so all fine.

What really baffles me if why those applications are so terribly time consuming/wasting?

So one has to spend considerable amount of time to write competencies - sometimes even 5 of them each at 250 words.

Only after sending those off, one is send a link to any tests that are required. At that point competencies are not checked/marked. Just sending them off triggers the tests.

Then one fails the test/tests and gets an automatic "Sorry you failed blah blah blah".

Why not make the tests the FIRST step of the application process as those are marked automatically with instant results?

Then if one fails the test/tests - one does not waste time on writing competencies.

It seems so simple so why is the process so terribly stupid?

ssparks2003

What a lot of people will do it submit an incomplete application for a role they are not interested in to get the test sent to them and pass the test; then apply for the role they want as the test covers you for a period of time (2 years I think)

gettingready

Still, much simpler way would be to start with the test and not waste people's time.

It is very demoralising to be spending long time writing competencies only to be presented with "test failed" - nobody reads those competencies in that case so time and effort wasted.

The tests I have seen "cover" for 6 months and only for the same grade jobs.


Very bad process

Stylehutz

You have my sympathy. On a par with public sector jobs being advertised externally when everyone knows they will go internally

Gavin83

Stylehutz wrote: »

You have my sympathy. On a par with public sector jobs being advertised externally when everyone knows they will go internally

Not in my experience. Much like the private sector I think it very much depends on local policy.

ReadingTim

It is frustrating, especially to get an automated response when you've spend lots of time and effort on the application. However.....

- whilst you obviously need to tailor your responses to the specific form, many are pretty similar ("explain how you deal with conflicting priorities/deadlines" etc). So, answer it once and you've answered it many times. Save your answers in a word document then cut and paste next time.

- you've got to ask the questions at some point, and people may prefer to ask for everything at once, than have to go back to the candidate many times over. Would you want to proceed with a job when at every stage of the process you had to fill in another form? Me neither.

- finally, if you can't be bothered with filling in the form, why should they be bothered to give you the job? They don'y owe you a living, and if you have a problem with process, form filling etc, then the civil service probably isn't the place for you.

gettingready

ReadingTim - are you serious?

Can you not see the total lack of logic in this type of application process and how much time is being wasted?

And your last statement - wawwwwwww, easy there

Because of those forms and procedures Civil Service is losing out on potentially gaining real talent as guess what? If anyone has a choice to

a) Send in a CV (we are in 21st century) and have a decision within a week

b) Fill in endless forms, do endless tests, wait for potential interview for weeks and then decision for several more weeks

Guess which one will the person go for?

Let me give you and example or two.

Someone I know applied for w Work Coach role wit DWP - the whole process from application to interview took about 2 months and then another 3 months to be notified if she got a job or not.

I myself applied for a job with MoJ in Jan, had an interview early March and only LAST WEEK I got an email with a job offer.

In the same week when I had an interview at MoJ, I also had an interview somewhere else with much simplified application process. And I was offered the job 2 days after my interview and started early May. I would have started earlier but had to wait for a SC. My office is at Millbank (work this out).

So Civil Service application process needs to get out of a cave and move on with times.

PasturesNew

I've never applied for jobs with big/public bodies because when you need a job you need one ASAP to pay the bills.... and their recruiting process always seemed to take up to 2 months. It therefore wasn't an option as I could get a job in 1-3 weeks.... so you have to do that.

Local authority jobs are for those people who don't have to "pay their way" and do have the time to sit and wait .... to see if they're chosen. They're not for "people desperate for a job now/today to start soonest/Monday because there are bills to pay and nobody else will pay them".

One month out of work takes a year to catch up financially.

BorisThomson

I'm with ReadingTim, if it's too much trouble to fill in a simple form (and it is very simple at EO level) then you're not going to be the best person for the job. If you want to keep sending out the same old cv then you're clearly not that interested.

The reason they don't often use cv's at this level is for fairness and transparency. Everyone is marked on the same competencies and the same test. When you have thousands of candidates, it is both the fairest and the fastest way to do it.

gettingready

Boris Thomson - which part is not clear?

Apply the test first and let people that pass fill in the forms. Simple.

Why the other way round - wasting people's time?

Pastures New - if one is out of work then yes but some people are already working and just fancy a change so do not mind waiting. Still - the process is insane. But then, CS love their forms and wasting people's time.

Scorpio33

My guess is that it costs them for each test someone does.

By making people do the application first, it sifts out those who can't be bothered or not that interested before and test costs are incurred.

I am guessing at this though.

In terms of the forms, they need to be standardised so they can justify why they employed one person over another. Any government or civil servant organisation needs to justify why they employ who they do to avoid any negative press in giving jobs on a who you know basis, but also to avoid anyone taking them to court for not hiring them. Its all about covering their asses, which in this blame culture world is unfortunately required.