Interview course/coaching - civil service competency interviews

IrishPhoenix

Was thinking of getting some help with an interview for Executive Officer, since it's been ages since I've done one. Can anyone recommend someone good for civil service interview prep? Preferably around the south-east but willing to go as far as Dublin.

RedXIV

No idea if this is any good to you OP but if you know someone in the civil service around HEO or AP level, they will know exactly what is looked for in the interview stages. My dad is in the civil service and recently got coached for a HEO position by some of the higher ups in Johnstown castle in Wexford and got offered the job easily.

Its a bit brazen but I'd reach out to local civil service offices to see if someone senior would coach you

the varg

I went to this guy https://www.jamessweetman.com/meet-james/ for the EO interview and landed it, he's Dublin based, I met him in Santry.

Hoping to go for the HEO myself...hmm might go back to him!

IrishPhoenix

RedXIV wrote: »

No idea if this is any good to you OP but if you know someone in the civil service around HEO or AP level, they will know exactly what is looked for in the interview stages. My dad is in the civil service and recently got coached for a HEO position by some of the higher ups in Johnstown castle in Wexford and got offered the job easily.

Its a bit brazen but I'd reach out to local civil service offices to see if someone senior would coach you

If only that were an option. I'm with AGS and there are no higher ups to ask. Our nearest HEO is the next county over.

IrishPhoenix

IrishPhoenix wrote: »

If only that were an option. I'm with AGS and there are no higher ups to ask. Our nearest HEO is the next county over.

anyone in the wider public service a few levels up from you could give you good advice

carr communications run decent interview clinics, i wouldnt go paying their 1:1 rates but ive done group sessions that were good and i know people that have used them solo and got a lot from it.

but listen, theres no magic. pick the overarching competency, have two decent examples you can apply well to each (if you run thin its better to be able to refer back to a prime example from another competency than have a bad example, imo)

in each of the sub competencies, have a one liner that shows it. its not too much to straight up use the wordings in the competencies in your answer! be as hungry as fcuk to tick off every line if you can get it, be shameless and blatant.

know your examples back to front, be willing and able to hammer home at every opportunity where youve demonstrated each sub point, if you can weave in little scores with every sentence youre doing well. if not youre wasting your time, take a breath and get back to earning points.

answer the question youve been asked, but be sure what competency you are hitting in doing so- otherwise clarify. the form should help you here, as the competencies as laid out/grouped should at least somewhat reflect the approach the interviewers take (dont bank on it, of course)

speak about your actions, demonstrate your understanding of what youre being asked and your part in the examples given. nobody ever achieved much all by themselves but in an interview you need to talk about me, me, me because theyre not interviewing a team.

the board has a set of competencies on a form and a set of bands to mark you on in each, usually its in steps of 20% or whatever. good, relevant examples that hit a few subcompetencies in each main competecy makes it very easy for the panel to put you into a decent band.

stay cheery and confident, be greedy for the marks and give them a handy interview to score well- theyre like the driving instructor, theyll be thinking of their break or their lunch, give them every reason to decide youre the man/woman for the job and the [insert relevant role here] theyd want on their team

[pacino motivational speech] thats all it is, folks [/pacino]

IrishPhoenix

Thanks snoopsheep. I may be panicking a tad because there's not many vacancies in my county. I did surprisingly well on the tests so next is the interview and I need to score high to be assured of a placing.

get buddhist. accept whats out of your control and move your focus to all the positive things you can do in the 40 odd minutes. be the leaf in the river. know your strengths. inhabit the eye of the storm.

etc. gluck!