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NEW 2020 Assistant Principal Officer Competition

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    #1952
    extendormove
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭extendormove


    Just completed my first online interview (3 recorded questions). Anyone any idea when results of will be released?


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    #1953
    starringme
    Registered Users Posts: 57 ✭✭starringme


    Charles14 wrote: »
    Anyone do the etray opened today? Is there a time limit on the tutorial?

    I don't know why, but there's a 10 min limit. No limit on the briefing material.


    Thanks to all who've posted tips here, it was intense alright. I have no idea how I did but it's definitely better than I would have on my todd.


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    #1954
    billyhead
    Registered Users Posts: 9,562 ✭✭✭billyhead


    extendormove wrote: »
    Just completed my first online interview (3 recorded questions). Anyone any idea when results of will be released?

    I think its in 2 weeks


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    #1955
    Awkwardstroke
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭Awkwardstroke


    Got sorted eventually (done it on a smartphone). First Video interview ever, and pretty strange hearing your voice on the recordings.

    Fingers crossed 🀞 for the results yet I’m in bonus territory as with a low stage 1 score I didn’t expect to be still in the game.
    Awkwardstroke wrote: »
    I will try a different WiFi signal with the phone as a last resort...as it looks better through a webcam (I think).


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    #1956
    Charles14
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭Charles14


    starringme wrote: »
    I don't know why, but there's a 10 min limit. No limit on the briefing material.


    Thanks to all who've posted tips here, it was intense alright. I have no idea how I did but it's definitely better than I would have on my todd.

    So you can take as long as you like with briefing material before the test starts? Also are you best to work through emails as they come in? Any tips greatly appreciated!


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    #1957
    Charles14
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭Charles14


    Awkwardstroke wrote: »
    Got sorted eventually (done it on a smartphone). First Video interview ever, and pretty strange hearing your voice on the recordings.

    Fingers crossed 🀞 for the results yet I’m in bonus territory as with a low stage 1 score I didn’t expect to be still in the game.

    Im sure you did fine .. i got through video interview sitting etray now really dont know what to expect


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    #1958
    Awkwardstroke
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭Awkwardstroke


    The tips and advice (& encouragement) on this thread have been a great help...it’s daunting yet hearing from others who have dealt with a stage before you is reassuring.

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    Charles14 wrote: »
    Im sure you did fine .. i got through video interview sitting etray now really dont know what to expect


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    #1959
    dee75
    Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭dee75


    Whew, the etray was intense. 90 minutes flies by. Quite different to previous ones I've done with lots of small issues and no "big task".

    Good luck to anyone who still has to do it before tomorrow.


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    #1960
    Charles14
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭Charles14


    dee75 wrote: »
    Whew, the etray was intense. 90 minutes flies by. Quite different to previous ones I've done with lots of small issues and no "big task".

    Good luck to anyone who still has to do it before tomorrow.

    Like you i found it very intense and very different to last one I did .. not very hopeful but best of luck to all who have yet to do it


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    #1961
    dennisdmenace
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭dennisdmenace


    Charles14 wrote: »
    Like you i found it very intense and very different to last one I did .. not very hopeful but best of luck to all who have yet to do it

    I've never done an eTray exercise. Can you give me an idea of what is involved? and what type of subject matter is in the emails?

    Thanks.


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    #1962
    Mbwb
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭Mbwb


    Hi,

    For those of you going through the etray at the moment, you might like to know, I think they have exhausted the current panel (though I stand to be corrected) i.e. assigned everyone - so it moves pretty quick once you get to the interview stage. I am staying in my current Department. Best of luck to you all!


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    #1963
    derailed
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭derailed


    Just finished the etray ahead of the 1pm deadline having taken the morning off work to complete. Like a lot of posters here found it very hard going and left a lot untouched towards the end (did not answer last two including one what looked like an important task). Hard to tell with these things but spent too much time deliberating over earlier mails and finding out who was who on my team. Went into detail quite a bit a start until realised the time was ticking down then tried to answer as best as I could after that point. Only delegated occasionally and took most on board myself.

    There is so much to do over 1 hr and 30 mins that it is next to impossible to get to everything in what might be the way evaluators are looking from management in these scenarios while focusing on communications, prioritisation, delegating and scheduling meetings. On hindsight there is a number of emails I would have responded differently to within this exercise but could not explain that sufficiently in the post e-tray survey such was my level of mental exhaustion!!

    One piece of advice to anyone who has Stage 3 ahead is to try to skim over all emails at the start (and as they come in) including from manager to get a reflective picture of what constitutes an important or lesser task from the outset. My mistake today (in one way) was that I read from the bottom (earliest mail received) while overlooking more recent mails issued from manager towards end while also accepting an invite from a business development colleague to a meeting/presentation on my first morning in the role leading me to then defer an induction meeting invite from my manager.

    Some much I would do differently (time management/prioritisation/delegation etc) but agree that some tips/pointers on this forum were very useful in terms of approach. My first time doing an etray exercise with different interface so an experience but overall not expecting the best in terms of the outcome but there's always hope and my thoughts on this etray were similar to others who passed. Best of luck to everyone who had Stage 3 this week and to anyone else who has this ahead after video shortlisting.


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    #1964
    extendormove
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭extendormove


    Mbwb wrote: »
    Hi,

    For those of you going through the etray at the moment, you might like to know, I think they have exhausted the current panel (though I stand to be corrected) i.e. assigned everyone - so it moves pretty quick once you get to the interview stage. I am staying in my current Department. Best of luck to you all!

    Do you mean the final interview stage? How long after you completed that were you offered the AP position?


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    #1965
    extendormove
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭extendormove


    Would any AP's on here care to share what a typical day is like?


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    #1966
    Mbwb
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭Mbwb


    extendormove wrote: »
    Do you mean the final interview stage? How long after you completed that were you offered the AP position?

    yes. About 5 weeks they put me through clearance, contacted my department for reference, sign self-declaration etc. When PAS happy with all that you are officially assigned to a Department.


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    #1967
    Pogue eile
    Registered Users Posts: 2,863 ✭✭✭Pogue eile


    extendormove wrote: »
    Would any AP's on here care to share what a typical day is like?

    Too be fair extendormove it is an impossible question to answer as there are so many variables from Department to Department and even within Departments. It's one of those 'it depends' situations and I know that is not very helpful but it is the reality.

    I'm an AP currently in a policy area and I have only one staff - a HEO. I know other AP's who have up to 70 staff and that's within the same department.


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    #1968
    extendormove
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭extendormove


    Pogue eile wrote: »
    Too be fair extendormove it is an impossible question to answer as there are so many variables from Department to Department and even within Departments. It's one of those 'it depends' situations and I know that is not very helpful but it is the reality.

    I'm an AP currently in a policy area and I have only one staff - a HEO. I know other AP's who have up to 70 staff and that's within the same department.

    Appreciate that. How about in comparison to the etray exercise? How like a typical day is that?


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    #1969
    FGR
    Registered Users Posts: 2,448 ✭✭✭FGR


    Anyone any idea where they are in the overall OOM? I take it anyone above 1,000 will be waiting or may not make it at all?


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    #1970
    TaurenDruid
    Registered Users Posts: 4,023 ✭✭✭TaurenDruid


    extendormove wrote: »
    Appreciate that. How about in comparison to the etray exercise? How like a typical day is that?

    See previous answer?

    There might be one or two business units in the civil service where you're expected to multitask, analyse, prioritise, delegate, lead, interpret, and make decisions, all while not being fully briefed or knowledgeable about your department, business unit or role. And you have to do it non-stop, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, rather than the 90 minutes of the e-tray...

    But that's more likely a sign that either you're having an anxiety dream, or you've got a really terrible manager.


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    #1971
    Awkwardstroke
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭Awkwardstroke


    Hi all,

    An update on my struggles with the Video part of this competition.
    Last week I did the video part (some IT struggles mentioned here earlier) and got a notification yesterday to redo it as it failed their QC check (I did the first on the App due to issues with bandwidth on laptops (2).

    I redid it today, sounds a bit better (still using the phone App yet with a better placement and sounds).

    Hopefully it works this time, would be a shame to crash out due to IT issues.

    Good luck to everyone at whatever stage ye are at.


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    #1972
    *Gaijin*
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭*Gaijin*


    TaurenDruid wrote: »
    See previous answer?

    There might be one or two business units in the civil service where you're expected to multitask, analyse, prioritise, delegate, lead, interpret, and make decisions, all while not being fully briefed or knowledgeable about your department, business unit or role. And you have to do it non-stop, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, rather than the 90 minutes of the e-tray...

    But that's more likely a sign that either you're having an anxiety dream, or you've got a really terrible manager.

    Or you're a Private Secretary... ;)


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    #1973
    *Gaijin*
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭*Gaijin*


    FGR wrote: »
    Anyone any idea where they are in the overall OOM? I take it anyone above 1,000 will be waiting or may not make it at all?

    I was early 1300s InterD/Early 2000s Open (Dublin) and was called to do the video questions last week.


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    #1974
    Karlos77
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭Karlos77


    Anyone any idea when the results of the video recording will be?


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    #1975
    extendormove
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭extendormove


    Karlos77 wrote: »
    Anyone any idea when the results of the video recording will be?

    Hoping to hear something today.


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    #1976
    Meathlass
    Registered Users Posts: 3,023 ✭✭✭Meathlass


    extendormove wrote: »
    Appreciate that. How about in comparison to the etray exercise? How like a typical day is that?

    I'm an AP in a small Department with 8 staff. It's in a corporate area with frequent engagement with senior management and the political/advisor side. I'm in the role a year and my predecessor is no longer in the Department so that's added to the difficulty having no one to check things with. I describe it to people as doing an etray all day every day. It's a fairly black and white role so there's a lot of checking circulars and policy and precedents. The big jump from AO/HEO is that you are expected to present a fully formed case for decision further up the line or in many cases make and stand over the decision yourself. In effect you're the subject expert on your area and there's no one checking your research or processes.

    In my experience a policy role wouldn't be as full on as there's more of a pattern to the week. It's impossible to know what a typical day is though for an AP as the role is so different even within Departments. Good luck!


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    #1977
    Betty123.
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Betty123.


    Anyone any idea when the results of the video recording will be? Completed 27th April 2021


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    #1978
    starringme
    Registered Users Posts: 57 ✭✭starringme


    Betty123. wrote: »
    Anyone any idea when the results of the video recording will be? Completed 27th April 2021

    mine took 3 weeks


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    #1979
    Betty123.
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Betty123.


    Ok. Thank you. I wonder is that a standard or is it dependent on how many people to be assessed or vids to be assessed


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    #1980
    dee75
    Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭dee75


    Latest Etray results are out.


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    #1981
    derailed
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭derailed


    Just got etray results. All 3's across the competency board and through to final stage. Delighted. Thanks to all the posters for their words of advice/wisdom here. Really thought it hadn't gone my way. There is hope. Best of luck again to anyone remaining at the various stages of this competition.


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