Notice of open competition — EPSO/AST/122/12 — Proofreaders/language editors (AST 3) with Croatian as their main language (HR)
Date: 2012-10-11
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, assistant, competition (EU), linguistics








CA2012307EN.01000601.xml










11.10.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 307/6





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AST/122/12 — Proofreaders/language editors (AST 3)
with Croatian as their main language (HR)
(2012/C 307 A/02)
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit assistants (AST 3) (1).

EPSO/AST/122/12 — Proofreaders/language editors (AST 3)


with Croatian as their main language (HR))

The purpose of this competition is to draw up a reserve list from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union, in particular in the Publications Office in Luxembourg, in the Commission, in the Parliament and in the Court of Justice.


Before applying, you should carefully read the guide to open competitions published in Official Journal C 270 A of 7 September 2012 and on the EPSO website.




This guide is an integral part of the competition notice and will help you to understand the rules governing the procedure and how to apply.


CONTENTS






I.



GENERAL BACKGROUND











II.



DUTIES











III.



ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS











IV.



ADMISSION TESTS











V.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS











VI.



OPEN COMPETITION











VII.



RESERVE LISTS











VIII.



HOW TO APPLY





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND












1.


Number of successful candidates sought







25











2.


Remark







This competition is intended for candidates who have a perfect command, both written and spoken, of Croatian (mother tongue or equivalent knowledge). If you do not have such a command, we would strongly advise you not to apply.

Candidates should be aware that the main purpose of this competition is to guarantee the integration into the European public service of a minimum workforce in anticipation of the accession of Croatia. It is an essential guarantee that the principle of administrative continuity recognised by the jurisdictions of the Union and the efficient operation of the public service may be upheld. The intention is to commence preparatory work in view of the accession without prejudice to the ratification of the Accession Treaty and the regulations necessary for its effective implementation. The validity of the reserve list is therefore subject to the condition of ratification of the Accession Treaty by all Member States. Should the Accession Treaty not be ratified, or the regulations not enter into force, candidates are informed that this selection procedure may be terminated at any moment and, should the selection procedure already be completed, candidates placed on the reserve list would not derive any rights from this circumstance.




II.   DUTIES
Working under supervision in a computerised environment, proofreaders/language editors are responsible for proofreading manuscripts/language editing in Croatian. This involves:






—


preparing manuscripts in electronic format or on paper in terms of spelling, grammar and syntax, and checking texts for their coherence and uniformity,










—


proofreading electronic manuscripts in terms of typography and inputting authors' corrections,










—


proofreading proofs in Croatian and inputting authors' corrections,










—


preparing and checking proofs for publication in various formats and media,










—


various types of language work,










—


checking compliance with stylistic conventions and rules, and the compliance of the texts with the Interinstitutional style guide adopted by all the European Union institutions,










—


preparing Court Reports for publication and finalising texts in typographical terms,










—


checking texts translated into Croatian for consistency with the original language,










—


checking the quality of work performed by outside contractors in the field,










—


actively participating in and possibly coordinating the production or updating of the Interinstitutional style guide in Croatian,










—


monitoring linguistic developments and changes and informing colleagues of them,










—


training outside (freelance) staff and checking the quality of documents proofread by them,










—


taking part in terminology work and in the quality control process for translations of case-law of the Court of Justice, General Court and Civil Service Tribunal.




Also required are the ability to fit in well as part of a team, a sense of responsibility, the ability to adapt to a multicultural working environment, and the ability to cope with peaks in the workload.

For recruitment to the Court of Justice, language editors must have a satisfactory knowledge of French. This will be verified in an optional non-eliminatory test.

III.   ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

On the closing date for online applications, you must fulfil all the following general and specific conditions:












1.


General conditions






(a)


You must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union or, under the terms of Article 28(a) of the Staff Regulations, of Croatia as an acceding country.










(b)


You must enjoy your full rights as a citizen.










(c)


You must have fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws on military service.










(d)


You must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.


















2.


Specific conditions








2.1.



Qualifications





Either (a)


A level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma showing completion of studies in Croatian (2).




or (b)


Secondary education completed in Croatian and attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, followed by at least three years' professional experience.

NB: These three years will not be counted towards the number of years of professional experience required below.




2.2.


Professional experience
At least three years' professional experience in Croatian relevant to the duties involved.
Such professional experience is relevant only if acquired in Croatian after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.




2.3.



Knowledge of languages (3)












(a)


Language 1







Main language:







 


perfect command of Croatian














(b)


Language 2







Second language:







 


thorough knowledge of English, French or German





NB: Candidates should be aware that assessment test (e) requires at least a passive knowledge of French.




IV.   ADMISSION TESTS
The admission tests are organised by EPSO and you will take them on a computer. The selection board decides on the difficulty of the tests and approves their subject matter on the basis of proposals made by EPSO.

Admission tests will be organised if the number of candidates applying exceeds 1 000. In this case you will be informed via your EPSO account.














1.


Invitation to the tests






You will be invited to sit the tests if you have validated your application on time (see Section VIII).

Important:







1.


By validating your application you declare that you meet the general and specific conditions listed in Section III.










2.


You must reserve a date to sit the tests; this must be done by the deadline notified to you via your EPSO account.














2.


Nature and marking of tests






A series of tests comprising multiple-choice questions to assess your general ability as regards:




Test (a)


Verbal reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 20.
Pass mark: 10




Test (b)


Numerical reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.




Test (c)


Abstract reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.




 


The aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c) is 10.










3.


Language of the tests






Language 2 (English, French or German)




V.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS
1.   Procedure
Initially, a check for compliance with the general and specific conditions, and the selection based on qualifications will be carried out on the basis of the information given in your online application.






(a)


Your answers to the questions relating to the general and specific conditions will be processed to determine whether you can be included in the list of candidates who fulfil all the conditions for admission to the competition.
If prior admission tests are organised, compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked for the best-placed candidates on the basis of the marks obtained in those tests in descending order until a list has been compiled of 1 000 candidates who:






—



obtained the highest marks (and at least pass marks) in the admission tests, and











—



satisfy the eligibility conditions.





Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be included in the selection phase based on qualifications. Online applications of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.










(b)


The selection board will then screen the candidates who fulfil the conditions for admission to the competition on the basis of their qualifications to identify those whose profile (particularly their diplomas and professional experience) best matches the duties and selection criteria set out in this competition notice. This selection is carried out solely on the basis of the information you provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab and takes place in two stages:






—


a first selection based on qualifications will be made solely on the basis of the responses ticked under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of the online application form and the weighting assigned to each of the questions. The selection board will set the weighting (1 to 3) according to the importance attached to each criterion set out in point 3 below, before examining the applications. The online applications of the candidates who obtain the highest number of points will then go through to a second selection stage,










—


the number of files to be examined during the second stage will be approximately nine times the number of successful candidates indicated in the competition notice. The selection board will examine candidates' answers and will award 0 to 4 points for each answer. The points are then multiplied by the weighting for each question and added together to give an overall score.








The selection board will then draw up a list of candidates in the order of the overall scores awarded. The number of candidates invited (4) to the assessment tests will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates. This number will be published on EPSO's website (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eu-careers.info/).
2.   Verification of information given by candidates
Following the assessment tests and in the light of the results, EPSO will verify the information given by candidates in their online application for compliance with the general conditions on the basis of the supporting documents provided by candidates, while the selection board will do the same as regards the specific conditions and the criteria for selection. In assessing qualifications, supporting documents will be taken into account only to confirm the information already given under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab. If verification shows that the information given (5) is not borne out by the appropriate supporting documents, candidates will be disqualified.
Applications will be verified for candidates with the highest aggregate marks, and at least pass marks, in assessment tests (d), (f), (g) and (h), in descending order. These candidates must also have obtained pass marks in the aptitude tests (a), (b), and (c). Verification will continue until the number of candidates who can be placed on the reserve list and who actually fulfil all the conditions for admission reaches the threshold. The files of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.
3.   Selection criteria

For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:







(1)


a university diploma in Croatian related to publishing or the study of Croatian (e.g. linguistics, literature, teaching Croatian as a foreign language);










(2)


professional experience, in Croatian, of checking the linguistic quality of documents for publication;










(3)


professional experience, other than that required under Section III.2.2, in the field of proofreading publications (available to the public in any medium or format) in Croatian;










(4)


professional experience in the field of translation in Croatian;










(5)


professional experience in the field of language teaching or producing teaching materials in Croatian;










(6)


professional experience in written journalism in Croatian;










(7)


knowledge of the specific IT tools used in publishing;










(8)


knowledge of French.




VI.   OPEN COMPETITION














1.


Invitation to the assessment tests






If you are one of the candidates who






—


obtained the highest marks in the admission tests (if such tests were held, see Section IV) and at least the pass marks (6)


and











—


the information given in your online application shows that you fulfil the general and specific conditions listed in Section III

and











—


you obtained one of the highest points totals in the selection based on qualifications,




you will be invited to sit the assessment tests which will normally be held in Luxembourg over the course of one or two days
 (7).










2.


Assessment tests






You will be submitted to three different types of evaluation:






—



your reasoning competencies if they have not already been assessed in admission tests, by way of the following tests:






(a)


a verbal reasoning test










(b)


a numerical reasoning test










(c)


an abstract reasoning test














—



your specific competencies in the field by means of:






(d)


checking and proofreading a text and a number of printers' proofs in Croatian (language 1) against manuscripts. Proofreading will cover both the linguistic (grammar, spelling and punctuation) and typographical aspects. Candidates must give reasons for the corrections made. (+/-2  hours)











(e)


proofreading and correcting a legal text in Croatian, comparing it with a French original. (+/-1  hours)

This test is optional and non-eliminatory










(f)


a structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of your application















—



your general competencies (8):







—


Analysis and problem-solving










—


Communicating










—


Delivering quality and results










—


Learning and development










—


Prioritising and organising










—


Resilience










—


Working with others




by means of:






(g)


a group exercise










(h)


a structured interview on your general competencies









These general competencies will be tested as shown in the following table:





 


Group exercise


Structured interview




Analysis and problem-solving


x


 




Communicating


 


x




Delivering quality and results


 


x




Learning and development


x


x




Prioritising and organising


x


x




Resilience


x


x




Working with others


x


 










3.


Language of the tests






Language 2 for tests (a), (b), (c), (g) and (h)
Language 1 for parts (d), (e) and (f)










4.


Marking






Reasoning skills






(a)


Verbal: marked out of 20
Pass mark: 10










(b)


Numerical: marked out of 10










(c)


Abstract: marked out of 10
Aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c): 10




Tests (a), (b), and (c) are eliminatory; the marks are not added to the marks for the other assessment tests.
Specific competencies







Test (d)


:


marked out of 50
Pass mark: 25




Test (e)


:


marked out of 50





Test (e) is not eliminatory; the marks are not added to the marks for the other assessment tests and will not have a negative impact.








Test (f)


:


marked out of 40
Pass mark: 20





Weighting: 65 % of the overall mark

General competencies (tests (g) and (h))
Each general competency will be marked out of 10.
Pass mark:






 


3 points for each competency and











 


an aggregate of 35 points out of 70 for all seven general competencies





Weighting: 35 % of the overall mark





VII.   RESERVE LIST












1.


Reserve list






The selection board will place your name on the reserve list






—


if you are one of the candidates who has obtained the pass marks for tests (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), (g) and (h) and one of the highest aggregate marks in the assessment exercises (d), (f), (g) and (h) (9) (see number of successful candidates, Section I.1),










—



and if your supporting documents show that you meet all the eligibility requirements.














2.


Classification






The list will be drawn up in alphabetical order.




VIII.   HOW TO APPLY












1.


Online application






You must apply online by following the instructions on the EPSO website and particularly in the online application manual.

Deadline (including validation): 13 November 2012 at 12 noon, Brussels time.










2.


Submission of application files







If you are one of the candidates invited to the assessment tests, you will have to bring with you your full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) when you come to take the assessment tests (10).

Procedure: see point 6.1 of the guide to open competitions.






(1)  Any reference in this notice to a person of the male sex must be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of the female sex.

(2)  If this diploma was not obtained in Croatian, the secondary school diploma must have been obtained in Croatian.

(3)  Please see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/CEF/LanguageSelfAssessmentGrid.csp), minimum level required: Language 1 = C2, Language 2 = C1.

(4)  Applicants who are not invited to take the written tests will be sent the results of their assessment and the weighting applied to each question by the selection board.

(5)  This information will be checked against the supporting documents before the reserve list is drawn up (see Sections VII.1 and VIII.2).

(6)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be invited to the assessment tests.

(7)  For organisational reasons, the reasoning tests may be organised in test centres in the Member States, in Croatia and/or in Brussels, separately from the other assessment tests.

(8)  More information on these competencies can be found in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.

(9)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be placed on the reserve list.

(10)  You will be notified in good time of the date when you have to attend the assessment tests via your EPSO account.