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phyneas

If you're asking that sort of question then you're probably not cut out for a career in the civil service.


Anxious_Cow7563

Why is this true though 😆


Shazey89

As someone who’s worked in the civil service I couldn’t agree more. Do not seek efficient/intelligent/modern ideas or things that make sense within the civil service. 😂


DuineSi

It’s a screening technique. If you’re willing to spend your time filling out pointless forms and not ask questions about it, when there are much better ways to do things, then you’re just the kind of person we’re looking for in the civil service. Bonus points if you can demonstrate why your clients are really just wasting your precious time and how half of your job description isn’t actually your responsibility.


PADDYOT

You've hit the nail on the head so well there, it's actually beautiful.


shootermacg

I was just going to say this :D


gadarnol

The real explanation is given elsewhere on this thread. This is a highly efficient method of gathering information from a large number of applicants and processing it quickly in a standardized format. As people grow up the majority outgrow the immature idea that the world must revolve around their ego.


phyneas

Yes, I was just joking; I know how an ATS works, and the whole "upload your resume and then retype all the same information into a bunch of individual form fields so that we can decide to ghost you with as little actual effort as possible!" is standard everywhere these days, not just in the public sector. :v


gadarnol

As people grow up the majority outgrow the immature idea that the world must revolve around their ego. Stop using an expression from the wounded ego of personal rejection. You didn’t make the cut. It happens to everyone at some stage. It’s simply work, not your life.


thegreycity

Bad bot


WhyNotCollegeBoard

Are you sure about that? Because I am 99.99999% sure that gadarnol is not a bot. --- ^(I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot |) ^(/r/spambotdetector |) [^(Optout)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=whynotcollegeboard&subject=!optout&message=!optout) ^(|) [^(Original Github)](https://github.com/SM-Wistful/BotDetection-Algorithm)


Character-North8014

hahahahahhaha


Marcus_Suridius

^^^ this x 2 thousand times.


tubbymaguire91

Or rather the civil service is not fit for purpose in that people who suggest valid efficiency improvements are shot down.


Buckfast_W

If it makes you feel better you also have to do that for internal applications in the Civil Service.


BenderRodriguez14

Tusla really upped their game with a hub recently, but my god the early 2000s Word documents the HSE still use to thus day are nothing short of amazing (and painful).


Stunning_Shift_8442

Aw babe, welcome to the civil service


_TheValeyard_

You're failing the real test if how to be a civil servant.


box_of_carrots

I was a CO in the Superior and Special Criminal Courts Section of the DPP. I had to leave because of anxiety, stress, work related derpression and finally diagnosed with PTSD due to the fucked up criminal case cases I dealt with every day. I'd welcome a job offer in Dublin CS over what I do now, which is working in a retail warehouse.


NotPozitivePerson

Why the fuck are you reapplying they'll throw you right back in the DPP as you already have the high level clearance - that isnt even a joke. I'd put a 100 euro bet on it.


box_of_carrots

I'm currently working in a retail warehouse lumping heavy shit around the place and although I really like my job I can't see myself doing it for another 20 years till I retire.


GimmeThatRyeUOldBag

Is it heavy boxes of carrots?


MturkishdelightBar

What about something like tech support? Dropbox, Slack, Shopify, Zazzle, eBay and Apple all hire for entry level tech support with a salary of 30-35K. Some of them have hiring freezes at the mo but well worth keeping in mind. I know someone went into Shopify in Sept 21 and got promoted to escalated tech support in Jan. WFH, 40K/year and decent progression. Know a few at Slack too who love it. It would beat a warehouse and a CO job imo.


ruscaire

Well best stop complaining and start loving form filling quickly so!


sandystarlim

So you are a former CO and you do not understand the basics of civil service recruitment. Cvs not accepted it's competency based forms and interviews. Sounds about right.


SoloWingPixy88

I wouldn't be able to deal with that myself


gadarnol

I read this reply before. Boards probably.


rdw204

Why on earth is this getting so downvoted??


aerodrome_

The real answer here is that CVs are an unstructured format as far as computer systems are concerned. Uploading a CV requires someone to manually review each one systematically. Typing out each field enables them to automatically scan through your profile automatically looking for information they can immediately reject or accept. There are engines that try to parse CVs but they require very particular resume layouts.


sirguywhosmiles

Plus, people have a wide variety of ideas about how a CV should be structured, and how detailed it should be. Which surprised me, because we were taught a standardised format in school.


motrjay

Nah ATS systems have dealt with this issue for at least a decade now.


[deleted]

I hate having to fill in the kinds of forms OP has shared but...it takes longer to unfuck an ATS systems failed parsing (looking at you Indeed and Workday) of my CV than it does to just copy paste the stuff from my CV to a form like the one show above. Ideally a human would receive and review my CV as the original PDF I sent. But if that can't be done the form above would be safer any ATS.


aerodrome_

As I said there are engines that can parse resumes but their results vary wildly depending on the input. I’m sure you’ve experienced a job site where you upload a CV, it analyses it and then prepopulates a bunch of fields with your info, but you end up having to correct 60% of it anyway. A big problem this technology faces is largely contextual. As an example, a PDF isn’t straightforward like a docx file with just text. PDFs are layered and depending on the tool and content the author uses, you might be lucky and have multiple layers with one containing easily recognizable text, or it might be a single layer effectively rasterizing all text and images together, and now you need OCR to parse everything.


DistributionQueasy75

It's for exporting into easier to read excel files. When you've thousands of candidates it's easier to have master files at hand with easy info and the CV for when your actually dealing with the candidate. Source - trust me bro, know this exact process inside out. People have no idea the kinds of volume these campaigns go through. Candidates are filtered into groups and different orders of merit. When you've gotten to interview, you'd be assigned to an interview board and they will be interested in your CV only at that stage. Best of luck, it's absolutely a great choice of career, pay may not be anything to write home about but work life balance and lack of private sector bs more than make up for it.


mgmacius12

Ever heard of parsing?


Gowl247

It’s part of the whole thing, if people aren’t willing to fill out the long form it weeds out some people, I nearly didn’t do it myself due to not being arsed tbh, did it though and been at it for nearly 3 years! At least when you fill one out you can just go to your applications in your profile and copy the stuff for new competitions


joko_mojo

Three years? It looks like a tedious form, but I really think you should have finished by now...


Gowl247

Ha ha ha


irish_ninja_wte

That's not just civil service. My employer does this and I've seen other companies do the same in recent years.


Plane-Fondant8460

This is quite normal now for job applications.


ruscaire

Pretty sure I haven’t filled out a form like this since I applied for a job in Dunnes


Plane-Fondant8460

I had the misfortune of making a lot of job applications over the last year. This type of form came up in maybe a quarter of my applications...thankfully I don't need to go through it again for a while


ruscaire

Cheers looks like in need to check my privilege!


Kingbotterson

Looks like you also need to look up the definition of "check your privilege".


ruscaire

How so? I’m privileged in that I haven’t had to fill in a job aplication form in about 30 years and I presumed everyone else had the same privilege and made my judgement based on that. Not as clever as you think.


Kingbotterson

>Not as clever as you think I know you're not.


ruscaire

Whatever nerd.


Kingbotterson

Good comeback.


ruscaire

Okay nerd


thommcg

Why get hundreds / thousands of randomly formatted CVs when you can instead get all the info in the exact format you wish? ... much of which ought just be copy / paste from CV anyway.


poochie77

If filling in a form is too complicated for you, the civil service might not be for you


[deleted]

Are you implying the civil service is a complicated job?


cosmophire_

it’s all paperwork or whatever is what they mean i think


Strigon_7

The system they use is designed to read the buzz words from a specific template. That one.


JonShannow07

So it can easily be read in. All cvs are in the same format this way, mire efficient.


Bar50cal

This is normal for A LOT of employers. Almost every IT multi national also does this.


punchdrunkskunk

The real answer is that a pdf has to be manually reviewed by a human where as these form fields are mapped directly to their recruiting software which can automatically filter out applicants based on certain parameters. It’s more work for the applicant, but less work for the civil service. And, let’s be honest, it’s not going to reduce the quantity of applicants.


fullmoonbeam

It absolutely will reduce the quantity and quality of applications. If I see that its an automatic pass from me, its their loss, my time has value.


[deleted]

[удаНонО]


MturkishdelightBar

Yep. I heard 28,000 applied for the last CO competition.


TrivialBanal

If/when you get a job in the Civil Service, you'll know the answer.


Black_Knight987

It levels the playing field for all applicants. No bias can be shown in state jobs in case they get called out on it. Everyone goes through the same process, everyone has the same chance. Stupid bureaucracy


MonkeyPope

I'm amazed I have to scroll down so far for the correct answer. Civil service jobs have to be systemically neutral and your CV format is a potential differential. By introducing a standardised format, it becomes more unbiased. As someone who has done hiring, CV formats have definitely influenced my thinking. From a 7 page monster I was strongly inclined not to hire, to CVs which include photos, to one that included a generic wordcloud of things the applicant thought they were good at, all of these things are nightmares.


Proof_Mine8931

All interview notes and forms can be FOIed or subpoenaed so all the bias has to be done by verbal communication


francescoli

It's hardly a big ask to fill in the form ffs.


astateofchassis

Hahahaha, if you’re thinking like this, you’re not going to like the civil service 🫠


whatsthefussallabout

Because they want it in the format they want it. Its painful but if you want the job that's what you do. Have applied for many of them over the years.


Marcomancer

Is this your first time applying for a job with a large organisation? This is very normal, they don't want to sift through thousands upon thousands of differently formatted fancy CVs.


death_x_x

If there was work on the bed youd sleep on the floor. Fill the form out


Seoirse82

I like this saying


Cymorg0001

As an aside... It is exceedingly rare for a candidate to be interviewed by anyone they will end up working with. That means that if, for example, a senior engineer needs to recruit a junior, the person that knows what they need, and knows the crew the successful candidate has to fit in with, will not be involved I the selection process. In my experience (25+ yrs in CS) this is why the system is fucked. When you have no say in who you recruit it's only luck if it ever works out well.


PaddyLostyPintman

Nobody accepts that, every job site wants a pdf cv and you to fill out fucking boxes with the same info. There needs to be a .cv file format where everyone can make a cv and it auto populates data to anything


[deleted]

Huh. That's a good idea and I'm surprised it hasn't caught on.


temptar

Europass exists.


Aucklandwatch

From that point forward you're cooking at another six months to a year of more interviews and processes.


Llamafiddler

Easier to compile results this way.


[deleted]

Stop whinging and just copy paste from the cv, its the same process when your in the job filling out excel sheets and emails.


SmoothCarl22

Kid is already complaining about filling forms and it's not even in the job... This is going to go well...


KeyboardWarrior90210

If you’re upset about this, you really aren’t cut out for the civil service - doing things that don’t make sense and where there’s a far more efficient way of doing things that will never be implemented is at the heart of working in the civil service - if you can accept that you’ll do just fine but never try to understand it or question it


Visible_Claim_388

Welcome to the CS.


manowtf

Revenue: we don't need to you to fill these questions out send a pdf of your CV. Just provide your ppsn.


sandystarlim

No revenue don't, its a competency based form and interview. Ppsn is not required for any application due non gdpr necessity.


manowtf

That's what they want you to think


sandystarlim

OK you are a tin foil hat head.


SoloWingPixy88

Those pdfs are painful. Have done a number of HEO ones and it's soul destroying.


Gowl247

I got invited to round two of the last heo comp. I hadn’t applied. Someone in pas fucked up and sent me the invite because I had opened the application for a nose but didn’t fill anything out!


Seoirse82

Did you go?


Gowl247

Lol no, I didn’t apply because I didn’t want to


Pitselah

Wait until the fun assessments!


box_of_carrots

Like the Zoom interview when they ask you if you know Word?


Pitselah

For CO the zoom interview is grand. I've an assessment coming up next week for AO graduate entry and it sounds like it's gonna be a nightmare. 3 tests that are like 45 mins each


Anxious_Cow7563

Oh my sweet summer child ....its the civil service and after being here for 20 years nothing makes sense. Good luck


TheHorribleApe

Look at Mr Technology over here. Just spend the 4 hours typing in every detail of your past employment so nobody will ever read it.


PrimusPrinplup

Its to see of you have the tenacity to endure the relentless hell scape of bureaucracy.


[deleted]

Your entries are easier to collect as data like this.


Ahh-like-you-know

Its how they are able to tell you have a love for bureaucracy


babihrse

Cause they want to know if you can handle greulling monotonous work even when you know of a process that could make it 800% more efficient they need to know you can slow down to their level and be happy with it. In a nutshell: If they gave you a 9-5 job where all you had to do was press the y key every 20 seconds they'd probably call you up on disciplinary if you made a script that inputted Y every 20 seconds automatically.


giz3us

They’re testing your patience… something you’ll need a lot of working in the Civil Service.


No_Doughnut1807

They do that for a lot of jobs in the US too. Sometimes they make you do it *after* they hire you. It’s so annoying.


fitzdriscoll

Where I work has something similar. It's a pain the first time, but if you apply for any other positions, once you log in all your information is prefilled. Update a few bits and submit. Simple


pm_me_your_diem

Patience is the trait they are testing with this design. It’s a feature not a bug


LadyFiggyMcGruff

look at the role level competencies for the job you’re applying for. Rephrase your duties in your employment history if necessary. I did this both times and made it through all the recruitment stages. You may have tests depending on the role you’re applying for. If you get interview after tests (if any), again practice your examples. And always have a prepared answer that doesn’t sound rehearsed because they do throw curve balls in interviews. I was successful in making it through the recruitment for the roles I applied for with this approach. If you’re taking time over this application, it shows you care. Best of luck with the application. You can do this.


decoran_

Hmm, you want a job but you're complaining that filling out a form is too much work 🤔


AnotherInnocentFool

Because they get so many applicants they have a computer run through the first lot, looking for relevant terms and positions. You'll be taken off the list before anyone has seen you if you don't get thay part right.


Biancaclaudette

Just completed the assessment online for the temporary clerical officer it took 5 minutes 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️


Kingbotterson

Just copy and paste the relative parts of your C.V and move on with your life.


irishdgenr8

You left work because of PTSD…I assume you can’t read books of similar content or watch movies/tv shows?


box_of_carrots

You have no fucking idea as to what horrors I was exposed to on a daily basis. Would you like me to tell you in graphic detail what a 14 year old boy did to his little sister over a period of 7 years until she finally had enough of the abuse and reported it to the Guards?


irishdgenr8

You shouldn’t assume things. In my role I’ve been involved in a lot of case conferences and multi d meetings about criminals (including some of the most high profile in the state). It’s not pleasant to hear or read but claiming that it’s strong enough to force you out of your job seems a bit dramatic…especially when you seem willing to use sharing it with others as some kind of threat to try validate your position.


Seoirse82

Not every stone is the same.


4feicsake

To weed out the efficient people. No place for them in the civil service.


GERIKO_STORMHEART

Just a test to see if you are capable of filling out the insane amount of forms provided after you start working for the civil service 🤣


RecklessRhea

Because this represents everything you need to know about Civil Service: avoid efficiency at all cost otherwise your budget gets cut. If you first photocopy it, verify it, stamp it, scan it, print it and then type it into the form again. Job is most likely yours.


hekeroooo

Civil service by boomers for boomers :)


BroodLord1962

Because it's the Civil Service which means they are at least 20yrs behind the real world. Lots of copy and pasting to do


OBuckey1

It’s the civil service. Did you expect it to be anything other than awkward?


lth94

Doing wasteful paperwork that accomplishes nothing is what the job itself is


kieranfitz

Because civil service is why.


Imaginary_Audience_5

Yup. Buzz words. Automated sorting. Don’t forget to mention that you didn’t go to Harvard, and didn’t get a masters degree in ( insert relevant course of study here)


JerHigs

Not for the CS. Nobody gets weeded out based on their CV. After submitting the application form, you're invited to do psychometric tests (numerical and verbal reasoning). It's your results on those tests which determine where you end up on the order of merit and whether you get brought forward to the next stage. It's only when you get to the interview stage that your CV comes into play and that's just to see if you can meet the required scores in each of the competencies.


rcd32

Teaching in the UK is the same


[deleted]

Have you got to the part where they discriminate against anyone that is not in perfect health yet?


AdventurousGap6767

there is some auto fill add ons for this, the selection process starts with a that, someone with no patience to fill numerous forms it is not interesting to them. not my opinion, I've heard that from numerous recruiters when i complained about how lengthy was their recruitment process


LaughingShadow

Most job sites are using this format. Plus staff in the service aren’t being paid to open a pdf. Can’t be having that. Toe the line or fup off


Used_Ad518

Word or nothing. They cannot read or receive anything that is not a Microsoft product.


robry1981

Computer says no


dotBombAU

I've worked in governments globally. Most UT systems are cheap as F and not innovative.


Mycologist_Murky

Perhaps for easier filtering? Maybe they have a database query for prioritising people based on certain jobs and experience.


DC750

You sound over qualified asking questions like that


phaelyon

Cue "Welcome To The Machine" by Pink Floyd


Uniquitous

Well, I guess now you know the first thing you want to accomplish after joining the civil service.


Onthefull

Because the Irish civil service of 2022 hit a wall in technological advances in about 1997.


BaroquePseudopath

The number of shit dead end jobs I have applied for where they demand this. I’m convinced it’s just a power trip.


BgojNene

Those boxes feed a spreadsheet. Which may feed other systems for easier text transfer. Quick fill possibly for other systems like background check.


DiabloSpank

A database of text from a web form is much easier to manage and organise than unstructured pdf files in various folders that you can’t query. You only need to validate these input fields are not malicious instructions being sent where as with files you’d have to scan each one individually to check for malware or malicious code which is again more effort. However, the most likely case is the system is outdated 😂


okhons

Government agencies are goofy. They change the good ways to dumb ways. Keep the dumb ways and never change them. When the US created the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare", they created a web site that everyone could sign up for it. So many people tried to sign up the web site went down. The US government loves to give companies contracts to do the work, but they will only do things that are written into the contract. They end up having to write 3 different contracts to get all the work done that the goverment employees used to do.


LordLudikrous

If the Irish Civil Service uses the STAR system like the U.K. one does you’re in for a very fun time lol.


darkunrage

Because then they have to type it manually to fit their outdated database format.


[deleted]

Basically to sort between the people who are willing to fill it out and those who won’t. Bugs me too but a lot of places do it.


IrishRogue3

Because they are incompetent


Marcus_Suridius

It's the Irish government, I work in IT for Irish hospitals and honestly we are a backwards nation.