Essential Criteria The minimum entry qualifications are 5 National 5’s at grades A-C (including English) or equivalent; or demonstrable experience of general office work. Literacy and fluency in English Keyboard skills Desirable Criteria: An understanding of the work of COPFS A desire to work in the Criminal Justice Sector Some positions may have a requirement for a clean driving licence; further information will be available during the recruitment process. Application and Selection Stage 1 - Application Part B, section 4 of the application should be in the form of a personal statement and should be more than 500 words. This should outline your suitability for the role by you providing evidence against the essential criterial, desirable criteria where possible and the job duties as outlined in the job advert/application pack. You should provide detail of your skills and experience and demonstrate how you have acquired these skills and what experience you have which can be transferred to this job. The statement should include examples of ‘how’ and ‘what’ you have done and does not need to be written in a standard competency answer format such as STAR. To assess the evidence relating to the duties specific to the roles within COPFS we will be looking for you to demonstrate a broad range of relevant administrative tasks. When considering your experience you should tailor your Personal Statement to provide evidence of when you have: Planned and organised your own workload Stayed focused in a busy environment Displayed good communication skills, both written and oral Used time management skills and ability to meet deadlines Stage 2 - Sift Where there are specific essential criteria or a post attracts more applicants than can reasonably be handled at interview, applications may be “sifted” and a shortlist produced. This formal action will be conducted by a Sift Panel who will usually (but not always) be the same as the Selection Panel. The information you provide in part B of the application will form the basis for the sift. Stage 3 - Interview If invited to interview, this may consist of a of question types. This is normally referred to as a Blended Interview. See our hints and tips for further information. These could
When at interview, the Selection will try to put you at ease. The Chairperson will explain what is going to happen and who will ask the questions. You can also ask questions, seek clarification or add extra information at any time and will be given a specific opportunity to do so at the end. The selection will comprise at least two members. If you find that your line manager (or someone with whom you are familiar) is interviewing you do not be surprised if they treat you formally, they must treat all candidates equitably and must not give you an unfair advantage through For any particular post, everyone’s interview will be similar in that all candidates will be asked the same core questions. Any follow-up questions will depend on the answers you give and won’t necessarily be the same as those for other candidates. Prepare examples for each of the competencies. By preparing in this way you will feel more comfortable with being able to perform at your best at interview. Focus on your own contribution and ensure that you show yourself in a good light, whilst of course being honest. Candidate Candidates are advised that they may bring personal notes to their interview; however these should be used as reference material only. . Scoring You can expect to receive one overall reflecting your overall evidence against the full list of criteria using the following ratings: 1 Not demonstrated – No positive evidence of the competence 2 Minimal Demonstration – Limited positive evidence of the competency 3 Moderate Demonstration – Moderate positive evidence of the competency 4 Acceptable Demonstration – Adequate positive evidence of the competency 5 Good Demonstration – Substantial positive evidence of the competency 6 Strong Demonstration – Substantial, positive evidence of the competency and includes some evidence of exceeding expectations 7 Outstanding Demonstration – Evidence provided wholly exceeds expectations at this level Guaranteed Interview Scheme is committed to valuing diversity and equality of opportunity and participates in the Disability Confident scheme as awarded by Job Centre Plus. Under this scheme, all candidates who consider them to be disabled in terms of the Equality Act 2010, and who meet the essential minimum criteria for the post, will be guaranteed an interview.
Collaborating & Partnering Description People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done. At all levels, it requires working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions. At senior levels, it’s about delivering business objectives through creating an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration and building effective partnerships including relationships with Ministers. Effective Behaviour People who are effective are likely to… Ineffective Behaviour People who are less effective are likely to… Level 1 Proactively contribute to the work of the whole team Get to know fellow team members/colleagues and understand their viewpoints and preferences Seek help when needed in to complete own work effectively Be open to taking on different roles Try to see issues from others’ perspectives and check understanding Listen to the views of others and show sensitivity towards others Focus on own objectives at the expense of supporting colleagues Is overly critical and blaming of people who have different working styles or development needs Miss opportunities to generate better outcomes for the customer through collaboration with others Assume specific, unvarying role responsibilities Look at issues from own viewpoint only Not treat all colleagues fairly, equitably or with respect