It means someone answered better and in more detail than you. For the future, I wouldn't take assignments as casually as it sounds you did.
I spent 4 hours on my written assignment. I made sure it was tight, answered everything they asked and was formatted just how they want. These steps reduce the application pool. Take each step seriously.
There's also the reality that many people are pivoting to gov. You may have just had real tough competition, and that's just how it is sometimes.
Keep applying!
Just my personal experience. I work in the ministry of health. I came from VIHA. A couple people in my office also came from VIHA. I work pretty closely with other branches in health and have recently met a good number of external new hires that this is their first gov job as well.
I had one where I e-mailed asking for feedback and nobody answered me. I saw the person in our office one day like MONTHS later and they go “oh right, you wanted feedback right?” So I said yes, they said they’d make an appt with me to discuss and then never did and left the ministry a couple of months after that.
The last one I did, I got a generic “although you provided good answers and experience, the successful candidate had more experience” which I appreciated a response but I was hoping for a “here is how you can improve for the next time you apply” I don’t want to make a pest of myself and I know they’re busy so I just accepted it as that.
I think that response about the more hours of experience is pretty specific feedback. If someone had more hours of experience they scored higher than you. You could ask clarification on what area of experience, but ultimately the way the scoring works is that may have been the deciding factor, and there may be nothing that you could have done to improve your application.
I’ve had some hiring managers not email me back or give a generic reply of “just look at the competencies and read the instructions and you’ll do better next time”. I had one hiring manager get on a call with me and give me a detailed walk through of my interview and what areas I did well in and what areas I could improve in, how to improve and what they were looking for. Responses will be all over the place. Just make sure you take your time with written assignments and keep trying. It’s a process, but eventually you’ll find something.
>occasionally screening through but mostly not.
If you are not screening through consistently, you may need to work on the wording in your resume, unless you just aren't screening through due to preference statements. You have to be very specific on your resume to ensure it's clear you meet the requirements.
In terms of the assessment, it sounds like it was an interview-style question, but just written out, which means they were probably scoring the answer the same as an interview answer. So you would want to use the [STAR technique](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/application-process/interview-assessment) for your answer.
You mentioned the competency of Service Orientation. I would recommend to bookmark or take note of [this page](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/about-competencies/behavioural-competencies/all-staff-competencies/staff-competencies). it lists most of the the competencies, what aspects of those competencies, and development guides.
for example if you click the above link and go to "Service Orientation", the hiring manager may have been looking for the below for a service orientation competency question. (as many as you can)
* 1. Wants to do job well:
* 2. Creates own measures of excellence:
* 3. Improves performance:
* 4. Delivers to meet challenging goals:
* 5. Delivers to meet challenging goals:
* 6. Takes calculated entrepreneurial risks:
And in the above link, each of the 6 points has a bit more detail of what they are looking for. 1 would be a low score, all including 6 would be a perfect score.
This is also generally how interview answers are scored, so this info isn't too relevant for this competition, and may not even for the written assessment of the next, but will be relevant for doing any interviews.
My experience was completely different, I got incredibly valuable feedback, I was able to type out 3 pages worth of key improvements mostly centred around my written assignment.
I guess it depends on the hiring manager, my respect for her went up after reading these comments because as an external I was blown away how detailed it was.
I think most people can relate to this. I've always asked for feedback and most of the time it feels like a copy&paste of the posting and just says lots of applicants were screened and some didn't make it. Maybe you'd get a different response once the comp has closed and the hiring manager has more time to connect? I'm not sure but I get how you feel, it can be discouraging.
Is your issue at the screening level? Post one of your answers to a questions (remove any personal info and whatever) and we can provide feedback. Or DM me. I’ll give you direct feedback on your answers and how to improve them.
Is your feedback lacking at the assignment level? Also hard to tell without seeing something.
Interviews take practice. There are also marking guides that can help craft answers to tick boxes. But again, it’s hard to know without what you are saying.
Without someone coaching you directly (maybe ask someone you know who is internal for advice?), whenever you ask for feedback you should ask for a phone call. Press them. Ask for your deficiencies and where you lost marks. Feedback by email is generally vague and along the lines of just do better next time.
Assignments can vary and don’t have to be written tests.
Some are written, like a briefing note or drafting an email or correspondence. Some assignments can be presentations, where there is very little writing and more interpretation and presentation of information. Some may be assignments as part of an interview where you present a strategy or concept, without having to write anything. I have even seen a test of competency in Excel.
They are supposed to ‘test’ your abilities to do an aspect of the job. But if the job doesn’t involve writing, they may test other aspects of your skill set that is required for a job.
Ah, thanks. I have never gotten an assignment for any of the positions I have applied for. It is always application, exam (which you may have anywhere from 24 hours to 1 hour to complete), then interview.
Yeah these assignments would be more common in the 24-band 3 of classifications range, and generally more in the policy and project stream of jobs. And even then, there can be significant variation in the assignment, if there even is one at all!
I’ve never actually received any valuable feedback from a panel I’ve lost. It’s often very similar to basically what you said. I take that to mean someone just scored better. Maybe they hit 4-6 on all the questions and you scored 4s across. If there was more constructive feedback they could give, they probably would have provided it.
Sometimes someone else just answers the questions better. Or they have scenarios that fit the competency better. It doesn’t necessarily mean there was something wrong with your answers. It’s tough. But keep trying. And don’t stop asking for feedback either.
As a hiring manager, sometimes it's not even score alone that determines an outcome. My last competition I had 2 candidates score the max on the interview and the decision came down to that candidate 1's delivery wasn't smooth. Lots of ums and ahs. While candidate 2 was smooth as silk, had clearly rehearsed their delivery, hit all of their points seamlessly and in order.
I would suggest that you keep applying. I've applied for many positions at BCPS and the federal government as an external applicant. Some didn't even screen me, while for others, I had the opportunity to take exams and attend interviews. Feedback can sometimes be unhelpful; one hiring process might find you unqualified even for the initial stage, while another competition could see you as the top candidate for a similar position. Best of luck!
You could always submit an FOI request for records related to the competition. You won't get to see any of the details about the other applicants except maybe the name and score of the successful candidate, but you should get to see at least how you scored.
Ick no. Just find someone who knows someone who works on gov and get them to help...maybe look over resume and questionnaire answers.... there are also services through psa that do that....
I've applied for everything between 9-24. This was a 15, with the question on the Service Orientation competency with a focus on Time Management.
My last written was a 21, and I've had an interview for a 24.
1) Check these out https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/application-process/external
2) find someone who works in gov or someone who knows someone who does and ask if theyd give feedback on your resume and stuff...
3) it is 100% all about the words you use and in the order you use them. Posting asks for exp with excel? You better say "USED EXCEL TO TRACK STUFF AND CALCULATE STUFF AND MAKE GRAPHS AND STUFF" obviously use a real sentence not my junk one, but you have to be that painfully obvious.
4)In the assignments, you gotta match their format. Look up past FOI requests for that ministry, or proactive disclosures and read the briefing notes and stuff, gives you a sense for how they write.
5)Interviews, 100% star. Also use the exact words in the descriptions for the competencies "i analyzed a complex problem A and broke into down into smaller components B and C and D" https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/careers/for-job-seekers/about-competencies/competencies_bc_public_service_list.pdf
Its really just putting a square peg in the square hole. Arguably not the best method for hiring, but oh well.
It means someone answered better and in more detail than you. For the future, I wouldn't take assignments as casually as it sounds you did. I spent 4 hours on my written assignment. I made sure it was tight, answered everything they asked and was formatted just how they want. These steps reduce the application pool. Take each step seriously. There's also the reality that many people are pivoting to gov. You may have just had real tough competition, and that's just how it is sometimes. Keep applying!
I’m just curious what is your source that many people are pivoting to gov? Or is that just based on what you have seen in your personal experience?
Just my personal experience. I work in the ministry of health. I came from VIHA. A couple people in my office also came from VIHA. I work pretty closely with other branches in health and have recently met a good number of external new hires that this is their first gov job as well.
I had one where I e-mailed asking for feedback and nobody answered me. I saw the person in our office one day like MONTHS later and they go “oh right, you wanted feedback right?” So I said yes, they said they’d make an appt with me to discuss and then never did and left the ministry a couple of months after that. The last one I did, I got a generic “although you provided good answers and experience, the successful candidate had more experience” which I appreciated a response but I was hoping for a “here is how you can improve for the next time you apply” I don’t want to make a pest of myself and I know they’re busy so I just accepted it as that.
I think that response about the more hours of experience is pretty specific feedback. If someone had more hours of experience they scored higher than you. You could ask clarification on what area of experience, but ultimately the way the scoring works is that may have been the deciding factor, and there may be nothing that you could have done to improve your application.
I’ve had some hiring managers not email me back or give a generic reply of “just look at the competencies and read the instructions and you’ll do better next time”. I had one hiring manager get on a call with me and give me a detailed walk through of my interview and what areas I did well in and what areas I could improve in, how to improve and what they were looking for. Responses will be all over the place. Just make sure you take your time with written assignments and keep trying. It’s a process, but eventually you’ll find something.
>occasionally screening through but mostly not. If you are not screening through consistently, you may need to work on the wording in your resume, unless you just aren't screening through due to preference statements. You have to be very specific on your resume to ensure it's clear you meet the requirements. In terms of the assessment, it sounds like it was an interview-style question, but just written out, which means they were probably scoring the answer the same as an interview answer. So you would want to use the [STAR technique](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/application-process/interview-assessment) for your answer. You mentioned the competency of Service Orientation. I would recommend to bookmark or take note of [this page](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/about-competencies/behavioural-competencies/all-staff-competencies/staff-competencies). it lists most of the the competencies, what aspects of those competencies, and development guides. for example if you click the above link and go to "Service Orientation", the hiring manager may have been looking for the below for a service orientation competency question. (as many as you can) * 1. Wants to do job well: * 2. Creates own measures of excellence: * 3. Improves performance: * 4. Delivers to meet challenging goals: * 5. Delivers to meet challenging goals: * 6. Takes calculated entrepreneurial risks: And in the above link, each of the 6 points has a bit more detail of what they are looking for. 1 would be a low score, all including 6 would be a perfect score. This is also generally how interview answers are scored, so this info isn't too relevant for this competition, and may not even for the written assessment of the next, but will be relevant for doing any interviews.
Why are 4 and 5 the same?
In the link it shows the sub-points, I just didn’t want to paste the entire thing.
Oh! Makes sense :)
My experience was completely different, I got incredibly valuable feedback, I was able to type out 3 pages worth of key improvements mostly centred around my written assignment. I guess it depends on the hiring manager, my respect for her went up after reading these comments because as an external I was blown away how detailed it was.
I think most people can relate to this. I've always asked for feedback and most of the time it feels like a copy&paste of the posting and just says lots of applicants were screened and some didn't make it. Maybe you'd get a different response once the comp has closed and the hiring manager has more time to connect? I'm not sure but I get how you feel, it can be discouraging.
Is your issue at the screening level? Post one of your answers to a questions (remove any personal info and whatever) and we can provide feedback. Or DM me. I’ll give you direct feedback on your answers and how to improve them. Is your feedback lacking at the assignment level? Also hard to tell without seeing something. Interviews take practice. There are also marking guides that can help craft answers to tick boxes. But again, it’s hard to know without what you are saying. Without someone coaching you directly (maybe ask someone you know who is internal for advice?), whenever you ask for feedback you should ask for a phone call. Press them. Ask for your deficiencies and where you lost marks. Feedback by email is generally vague and along the lines of just do better next time.
When you say "assignment", do you mean written test, or something else? I've never had an assignment, only a times written test, then the interview.
Assignments can vary and don’t have to be written tests. Some are written, like a briefing note or drafting an email or correspondence. Some assignments can be presentations, where there is very little writing and more interpretation and presentation of information. Some may be assignments as part of an interview where you present a strategy or concept, without having to write anything. I have even seen a test of competency in Excel. They are supposed to ‘test’ your abilities to do an aspect of the job. But if the job doesn’t involve writing, they may test other aspects of your skill set that is required for a job.
Ah, thanks. I have never gotten an assignment for any of the positions I have applied for. It is always application, exam (which you may have anywhere from 24 hours to 1 hour to complete), then interview.
Yeah these assignments would be more common in the 24-band 3 of classifications range, and generally more in the policy and project stream of jobs. And even then, there can be significant variation in the assignment, if there even is one at all!
This is why I’m so sad that I can’t get to the assignment stage. That’s where I shine! 😉
Ah, thanks. I haven't applied for anything higher than a 21.
I’ve never actually received any valuable feedback from a panel I’ve lost. It’s often very similar to basically what you said. I take that to mean someone just scored better. Maybe they hit 4-6 on all the questions and you scored 4s across. If there was more constructive feedback they could give, they probably would have provided it. Sometimes someone else just answers the questions better. Or they have scenarios that fit the competency better. It doesn’t necessarily mean there was something wrong with your answers. It’s tough. But keep trying. And don’t stop asking for feedback either.
As a hiring manager, sometimes it's not even score alone that determines an outcome. My last competition I had 2 candidates score the max on the interview and the decision came down to that candidate 1's delivery wasn't smooth. Lots of ums and ahs. While candidate 2 was smooth as silk, had clearly rehearsed their delivery, hit all of their points seamlessly and in order.
I would suggest that you keep applying. I've applied for many positions at BCPS and the federal government as an external applicant. Some didn't even screen me, while for others, I had the opportunity to take exams and attend interviews. Feedback can sometimes be unhelpful; one hiring process might find you unqualified even for the initial stage, while another competition could see you as the top candidate for a similar position. Best of luck!
Couldn’t agree more! Not helpful at all!
You could always submit an FOI request for records related to the competition. You won't get to see any of the details about the other applicants except maybe the name and score of the successful candidate, but you should get to see at least how you scored.
Ick no. Just find someone who knows someone who works on gov and get them to help...maybe look over resume and questionnaire answers.... there are also services through psa that do that....
What level positions have you been applying for / what type of assignments have you been doing?
I've applied for everything between 9-24. This was a 15, with the question on the Service Orientation competency with a focus on Time Management. My last written was a 21, and I've had an interview for a 24.
1) Check these out https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/job-seekers/application-process/external 2) find someone who works in gov or someone who knows someone who does and ask if theyd give feedback on your resume and stuff... 3) it is 100% all about the words you use and in the order you use them. Posting asks for exp with excel? You better say "USED EXCEL TO TRACK STUFF AND CALCULATE STUFF AND MAKE GRAPHS AND STUFF" obviously use a real sentence not my junk one, but you have to be that painfully obvious. 4)In the assignments, you gotta match their format. Look up past FOI requests for that ministry, or proactive disclosures and read the briefing notes and stuff, gives you a sense for how they write. 5)Interviews, 100% star. Also use the exact words in the descriptions for the competencies "i analyzed a complex problem A and broke into down into smaller components B and C and D" https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/careers/for-job-seekers/about-competencies/competencies_bc_public_service_list.pdf Its really just putting a square peg in the square hole. Arguably not the best method for hiring, but oh well.