Public Sector - Excluded from Competition on Minimum Service Requirement

Azizur Rahman

Hello all,

What are your views on excluding someone from a public sector internal competition due to not meeting a minimum service requirement? If a person has obtained relevant work experience both in the job and from outside the job that most other candidates wouldn't have, should a junior person with less service still be excluded?

the14thwarrior

No
they are there for a reason

Minimum requirements are clear for a reason.

John Hutton

It's usually only 2 years service which is not long at all, I see no issue with it.

Irishphotodesk

Azizur Rahman wrote: »

Hello all,

What are your views on excluding someone from a public sector internal competition due to not meeting a minimum service requirement? If a person has obtained relevant work experience both in the job and from outside the job that most other candidates wouldn't have, should a junior person with less service still be excluded?

Happened to me a few years ago, I applied for a photography position, but despite having 20+ years of experience in the area, I didn’t have the minimum level 8 qualification requirement for the role.

If you are overlooked, take it as a lesson to improve yourself, get the requirements that are necessary and with a bit of luck the role will be vacant again.

Azizur Rahman

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Happened to me a few years ago, I applied for a photography position, but despite having 20+ years of experience in the area, I didn’t have the minimum level 8 qualification requirement for the role.

That's a tough one to swallow.

I agree service length could be used as part of candidate review and short listing. But surely a job should be given to the best candidate i.e should be primarily based on merit?

Just because someone has worked in a job X amount of years doesn't mean they would be any good in a different position versus someone with ability but only a year or two of service.

Samuel T. Cogley

I don't agree with the two year exclusion myself. I do agree with having to have passed probation which is a year in the Civil Service.

Seems odd to me that you're excluded from an interdepartmental or internal competition but can merrily apply for open competitions and get promoted that way instead.

The one exception to the rule I might agree with is HEO as it's not externally recruited for and two years experience of the Civil Service is probably a fair requirement.

Augme

I don't agree with the principal of it but it's there primarily because of the protectionism stance within public sector organisations and driven by unions.

Samuel T. Cogley

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

I don't agree with the two year exclusion myself. I do agree with having to have passed probation which is a year in the Civil Service.

Seems odd to me that you're excluded from an interdepartmental or internal competition but can merrily apply for open competitions and get promoted that way instead.

The one exception to the rule I might agree with is HEO as it's not externally recruited for and two years experience of the Civil Service is probably a fair requirement.

I worked with a guy who went from Co to AP over the course of 2 open competitions in 2 years.

Glinda

If you're getting a pass on the normal eligibility requirements that would apply for an open candidate (because of experience working directly in the job) I think it's more than reasonable to require at least one year of service after you complete your probation.

Is there a chance there's an Open comp coming up OP, and you could apply for that? Internals are really there to cater for people who, for lots of reasons, might not qualify in a free for all, but who are very suitable because of extensive experience and expertise developed on the job.

ThumbTaxed

These rules are there to protect the weak.

Unions.