Assistant Agricultural Inspector Posts

vampira

thegreatgonzo wrote: »

What kind of questions were they? I'm on the TAO panel, that interview wasn't too bad.

Very technical and very detailed.

tatyoman

vampira wrote: »

Very technical and very detailed.

Hi,

Hope the interviews went well for you no matter how you think you did.

How long was it between you being informed of the interview and the actual interview?

I was always under the impression that Dept. of Ag interviews were competency based?? Has it changed?
You say you went for Diary/Food Science, were the questions directly related to the role or just the topic in general, but detailed?

Cheers

norwegianwood

vampira wrote: »

I had an interview for the dairy/food science job, had the same experience, some of the questions were very strange and hard to answer!!!!

Wonder when we find out if we make the panel :cool:

I had an interview for dairy/food science, it was bloody awful wasn't it? I have a relevant postgrad degree and I'm working in the field now and I left feeling like I knew nothing! Glad to hear I'm not alone anyway!

BaaLamb

Oh my god I'm so with you Norwegianwood, I work in sector and have plenty of experience but I really don't think I got that across and left feeling I knew nothing.

fifaking

norwegianwood wrote: »

vampira wrote: »

I had an interview for the dairy/food science job, had the same experience, some of the questions were very strange and hard to answer!!!!

Wonder when we find out if we make the panel :cool:

I had an interview for dairy/food science, it was bloody awful wasn't it? I have a relevant postgrad degree and I'm working in the field now and I left feeling like I knew nothing! Glad to hear I'm not alone anyway!

I'm with you guys on this one! I have years of experience in the dairy field but got asked very little on what I have done. usually interviews are on what you've done, not what you have never experienced. Tried talking about my experience but was cut off. it's a bit disheartening but it's done now. I guess it's now you come across. Best of luck to all anyway.

BaaLamb

Anyone heard anything? I just wish I could know now and put it behind me.

gingernut79

No interview for me. Just got notification this afternoon

tatyoman

I got invited to an interview. Found out today. Will be in January.

Any advice going for it?

BaaLamb

gingernut79 wrote: »

No interview for me. Just got notification this afternoon

Sorry to hear that, which stream were you going for? Anything else on the cards for you at the moment?

BaaLamb

tatyoman wrote: »

I got invited to an interview. Found out today. Will be in January.

Any advice going for it?

Congratulations on the interview. Hard to advise on these interviews as they won't give you any information in advance about the structure. I know I had 4 people on the panel, 1 from PAS, 1 independent chairperson, 1 expert and 1 from DAFM.

The interview was very structured, very formal. The chairperson runs through your application and clarifies anything requiring clarification and gives you a chance to sort of settle in. The PAS rep takes notes and doesn't say anything throughout. The way mine went then was it went to expert first for technical stuff, then to DAFM person for communications type stuff before back to expert again.

The questions were quite odd and didn't really focus in on the way the post was described in my opinion. The questions I would have expected based on the description of the role never came and as a result I never really hit a flow. I blanked a few times which is not something that generally happens to me as I was just a bit put off by the style of questioning. It was all a bit vague as well I felt, no decent straight questions about things. Anyway that just my experience.

norwegianwood

BaaLamb wrote: »

Anyone heard anything? I just wish I could know now and put it behind me.

I feel the same, did the interview three weeks ago, driving myself mad constantly checking publicjobs! Knowing the public service though we could be waiting.

vampira

BaaLamb wrote: »

Anyone heard anything? I just wish I could know now and put it behind me.

Nothing yet, but I think it will take awhile before we here anything!!!!!

norwegianwood

I got number 11 on the panel! But i have no idea what that really means

fifaking

norwegianwood wrote: »

I got number 11 on the panel! But i have no idea what that really means

Congrats, they didn't know how many positions they had so it's looking good. I got the regret to inform you email!

norwegianwood

fifaking wrote: »

Congrats, they didn't know how many positions they had so it's looking good. I got the regret to inform you email!

They've taken on three so far, so who knows! Sorry to hear that, it really was a balls of an interview!

BaaLamb

fifaking wrote: »

Congrats, they didn't know how many positions they had so it's looking good. I got the regret to inform you email!

Sorry to hear that. Will you get feedback do you think? Best of luck in future anyway.

BaaLamb

norwegianwood wrote: »

I got number 11 on the panel! But i have no idea what that really means

Congratulations, well done on getting on the panel. Let us know what happens next.

I've heard nothing so far....

vampira

norwegianwood wrote: »

I got number 11 on the panel! But i have no idea what that really means

Well done, I'm no 15!!!!

vampira

fifaking wrote: »

Congrats, they didn't know how many positions they had so it's looking good. I got the regret to inform you email!

Sorry to hear that, good luck in the future

norwegianwood

vampira wrote: »

Well done, I'm no 15!!!!

Well done! now we wait i suppose!

vampira

norwegianwood wrote: »

Well done! now we wait i suppose!

Hope we hear soon☺

vampira

Will we be told when we move up the panel as positions are filled

norwegianwood

I think if you email publicjobs and ask where you are on the panel they'll tell you, I found out that the panel is open for 18 months as well!

vampira

That's great!!!!

tatyoman

Hi all,
Got word today that the preliminary interview for the General Agriculture AAI will be in two weeks time.

Any advice on how to prepare for this?

Getting the fear already!!

Thanks

norwegianwood

tatyoman wrote: »

Hi all,
Got word today that the preliminary interview for the General Agriculture AAI will be in two weeks time.

Any advice on how to prepare for this?

Getting the fear already!!

Thanks

My interview was for food science so I can't really give you specific advice, but I'd say expect a lot of technical questions, know the job spec and what the department does really well. Maybe talk about the Food Wise 2025 plan that they're working on at the moment. In terms of your competencies, I was asked to come up with examples that weren't on the application form so maybe be prepared for that too. Make sure you have a good answer on what you'd bring to the department as well. Hope that helps, best of luck.

merryberry

tatyoman wrote: »

Hi all,
Got word today that the preliminary interview for the General Agriculture AAI will be in two weeks time.

Any advice on how to prepare for this?

Getting the fear already!!

Thanks

Hard to know what to expect. Keep in mind topical issues such a Brexit, and its anticipated effect on the sector; headline messages on Foodwise 2025; 2017 year of sustainable grassland; review of nitrates national action programme in 2017.

Dont get bogged down on existing schemes and what they involve...just be familiar with them. Alot of AAI's work in policy development so Teagasc Outlook reports on sector future preformance will be useful here. Know where sectors are heading in terms of outlook.

Know your competencies inside out. This is one part of the interview that is a given and one that you have a chance to prepare for.

Good luck with it.

countryben

I'm just wondering has anyone heard of any shortlisting from the preliminary interviews in the General Agriculture stream? I did a preliminary interview (~20mins long) five weeks ago and have not got any feedback from it yet.

Does anyone have any idea of when DAFM hope to get staff on the ground in these positions? I understand there was a large volume of applications but its over 7 months since the post was originally advertised...Thanks.

Valar Morghulis

So the results are in for the general agriculture stream.
I have been placed in the 30's on the order of merit, which i presume is too high to ever expect to get offered a position?
Does anyone know if the order of merit is "the panel" after the final round of interviews or are the two completely separate?
Well done to those who made it.
Hard luck to those that didn't. But sure look, there's always next time. It was a really tough competition.

countryben

Well done! you should be lucky enough to hear of an offer.. I have been placed in the 70's they're hardly going to offer us all a position but nobody can seem to tell us how many positions they need to fill across the country?