The sheer number of comments at the main post ‘So I Won’t Be A Commission Official‘ has been causing problems, so all the old comments are here instead, and hence searchable.
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I have applied for a post.
Thanks for reply.
And thanks to Jon for maintaining this site.
Belinda,
It depends on the number of candidates. I applied for a liguistic concours on the 1st of December and I sat the pre-selection tests March. But there were too many canidates. If u need something else, let me know (translator too)
to Belinda:
I don’t understand U apply for a post or U take an inscription for an EU exam ??
Letter from the European Ombudsman opening own-initiative inquiry OI/4/2007/ID relating to the European Personnel Selection Office
http://ombudsman.europa.eu/initiatives/en/2007oi4opening.htm
Hi,
Does anyone know how soon the pre-selection tests take place following application? The closing date for the linguist position I applied for was the 9th of January last.
belinda502
hello;
I’m selected to send my candidature to AST/41/07, someone know what kind of exams take place after preselection test ?
thanks
Hello to everyone! this is indeed a great blog!
I read the document (Kallas) with great interest and there’s a reference to another document specifically about contract agents. Since I’m interested in the CA’s options for translators (BG), has anyone got hold of that document? They say there are 105 positions for translators but certainly there’s no info about different languages and I’m keen to learn more. Has anyone secuded a CA position from CAST 25? Thanks a lot for any comments.
A high ratio laureates/quota spells trouble. In my home country this usually means they want to make sure the incumbent contract candidates are among the laureates.
@ all AD/46/06 laureates, Field 1 EPA
First let me congratulate Jon on providing such an excellent and topical platform for discussion. I came across this forum for the first time just two days ago and really liked it!
I am on the same boat as many other recent laureates of the AD/46/06 competition, Field EPA. My comment is related to the Kallas paper. It is quite informative, but have you noticed in the first annex the quota figures related to our competition? So, it seems that the EC has requested just 18 out of 50 laureates, this is just 36%, well below the 60% target referred to in earlier postings? Any thoughts?
Texts adopted by Parliament
Thursday, 25 October 2007 – Strasbourg
“In this context, deplores the inefficiencies inherent in a competition system that can leave “approved candidates” languishing on a reserve list for years with no guarantee of being offered a position; considers that maintaining this approach would contribute to lowering the average standard of new EU officials as the best candidates will seek employment in more dynamic sectors of the EU economy;”
BTW, did you all notice that though the publication of the letter is in late 2007, it refers to the fall of 2007 in the future tense?
Just goes to show that even writing a letter like this was late getting out of Kallas’ office. π Man, everything in the EU is slow and late…
Yup sunflower…
If they are capable to plot vacancies vs laureates with a 4,5 year foresight, then this sort of info should be posted in disclaimer preceding any comp… having people fly over to Brussels, keeping them in limbo for years… all of this for butkizzzzzzzzz…
I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these days some guy with an AK47 starts shooting officials up…. the again, that would mean more “turnover”, hence vacancies for some of us.
@jon
Many (2008) thanks for your blog. π
@AD & Breach
The document you shared with us is very interesting, now I understood, for example, why since 2001 in my field there aren’t competitions: numbers can give you the real perspective for EPSO competitions and I even think that knowing already for how many places people are running would help a lot to reduce frustration and also to decide what to do (quit/hold/ change in any case job).
@ Marco
But realistically, what can be on the CV to really count? What I mean is that generalists, especially from the new countries, obviously have NO experience in EU insitutions, especially management positions. Sure, they might have had experience in the private sector at home, but that still goes to the general, rather than EU specific.
I know that my CV is pretty impressive — I’ve got plenty of experience (well over 12 years, mostly in management positions), but no one is beating my door down. Sometimes I do think that there’s something wrong with my CV that I’m not noticing, and that thing makes me “unsuitable”. But other people look at the CV and say, wow, I’d hire you in a second. π Maybe you do need to know somebody…
@ Lia & viking
I’m afraid it is more serious than that…i believe it’s more about cv. The more they see experience with duties that match their needs, the more chances to be called to an interview. I could be wrong, of course, but that is what i think managers seek when selecting people.
I’ve wondered about the unsuitable profiles as well. The only obvious example I can think of is a person who has passed the competition in German but knows no other foreign languages. The chances to get employment in such a situation are rather slim.
@AD and Breach, many thanks for sharing the document with us! It is a real gem…
@Marco, the maximum number of laureautes from the first reserve lists for generalist AD5- EU2 corresponds to the needs reported by the institutions to EPSO. 60 % goes to the Commission, the rest to the other institutions plus the 5-10% “security margin” (laureautes who are no longer available or with profiles not suitable for the vacant posts).
I was wondering what they actually mean by “unsuitable profiles”. Do they mean that specific profiles are sought (e.g. industrial property rights) while they are only general profiles available (lawyers, economists, etc.) or that they seek, say, lawyers/economists with x years of experience in a particular field. But then, the AD 46-47 comp did not require any previous experience…
My conclusions for EU2 – AD5:
Γ’β¬ΕAs regards quotas, the Commission generally receives around 60% of the laureates available on one given list.Γ’β¬Β
Γ’β¬ΕGeneralist AD competitions are planned in two rounds: 187 laureates are expected for the Commission from the first reserve lists.Γ’β¬Β
It means 311 potential AD positions for EU 2.
There are maximum 325 laureates in the first reserve lists for AD 5 Γ’β¬β EU2.
Therefore, perspective looks good. At least on paper, considering there is at least one catch- the match of oneΓ’β¬β’s profile to institutionsΓ’β¬β’ needs. The other one being time: it could take up to 1.5 years before getting a job.
Good luck everybody and many thanks for letting us having this document.
Even worseΓ’β¬Β¦.
1) HOU says Γ’β¬ΕGood profile, I will hire you, wait for meeting to be arrangedΓ’β¬Β
Wait-wait-wait (2 months)Γ’β¬Β¦. HOU says Γ’β¬ΕcanΓ’β¬β’t hire you, quota, could be for another year, besides your job will be goneΓ’β¬Β
2) Some time later: epso says Γ’β¬Εat this moment you are assignedΓ’β¬Β
Wait-wait-wait (2 months)Γ’β¬Β¦. Write epso, epso says: Γ’β¬Εyou werenΓ’β¬β’t assignedΓ’β¬Β with their original Γ’β¬Εyou are assignedΓ’β¬Β mail in attach.
Decided to write me up for general comp end of 2004 (previsionary tables on epso website announcing general comp inscriptions for 2n semester 2005), exams in March 2006, Reserve list in March 2007Γ’β¬Β¦ we are 2008 nowΓ’β¬Β¦ nobody can give me any indication on 1) whether they donΓ’β¬β’t want me at all 2) whether they want me 2a) urgently 2b) in five yearsΓ’β¬β’ time 2c)will want me if I change career orientation.
Read the docs posted aboveΓ’β¬Β¦ Epso should start abolishing existing reserve lists for EUR15 people because a lot of laureates arenΓ’β¬β’t really available Γ’β¬Εas their profiles have changedΓ’β¬Β. Right, if you wait 5 years, chances are peopleΓ’β¬β’s careers will evolve, which then becomes a handy excuse to kick them of the reserve list and organize a new farcical comp so the Europa college buddies on temporary assignments and various secondments can be regularized. I also gather from the docs that more specialized comps should he stagedΓ’β¬Β¦ sounds like even more jobbery to me. I read the announcement for Γ’β¬Εindustrial propertyΓ’β¬Β compsΓ’β¬Β¦ very vague degree requirement, but specific on-the-job experience neededΓ’β¬Β¦ sounds like all laureates will coincidently already have been working at the OHIM. I feel like IΓ’β¬β’ve been played for a fool as a pseudo-contender in a very bad theatre play. Moreover, the lack of strategic information and the incorrect information fed to me was pretty harmful to my career, the real one, not the delusionary one.
@ Breach
I know exactly what you’re saying. It’s tough to even look at other opportunities when there’s a possibility one might need to be moving to Brussels, or elsewhere. It even makes me want to put off doing work on the house (thankfully, the wife makes me do repairs anyway). π
What really amazes me is that the Institutions are really behind in recruitment. You’d figure they would hurry up a bit to catch up. But everyone I know who works for the EU has noted that the pace of everything has not changed, including recruitment. It’s a strong case of tomorrow, tomorrow… we’ll get to it tomorrow. And their “tomorrow” isn’t the same as ours — it’s several weeks at best…
@AD, as far as I understand EPSO provide this information upon request. Right now, well, I doubt anybody is flagged, so they push back in a ‘ask again in 3 months’ way.
The major problem I see with this 2-years long recruitment process (which may actually not result in recruitment too π is that I (I being an example) am really constrained in looking for a new local opportunities. I mean, I wouldn’t want to start a new job knowing that I can be recruited in a month or two, now would I… It’s like a… ‘ah, you’re cool, you’ve made it thru the concourse, but well, we… want to hire you, but … we don’t really, you got to wait 3 more months, could be an year, we’ll see’, etc.
@ Frustrated
I hear you. I think we’re all a bit like monkeys in this process. However, even if one isn’t all that interested in the European project, the payoff in being an official is huge financially. It’s just like any other well paying job — we jump through hoops to get it. But, in the private sector the process is just a lot faster.
AD,
Which laureate would know about those flag codes? I googled down a doc “erl manual” some time ago. Since then all docs (including a ppt) on the topic have disappeared from the internet.
I do not know whether they (still (?) ) use these flags.
I do not know whether the coding has changed.
I know nothing. I’m just a monkey jumping up and down a cage for the commission’s amusement.
@ Frustrated and Breach
And theoretically EPSO should be able to tell a laureate if he has been flagged and what color? If I understood correctly, others who have requested this information simply get stonewalled, and don’t get the information?
Flag Color Description Icons
No flag Candidate in a lower merit group
Unavailable for routine consideration
Green flag Available for consideration by any Institution
Yellow flag Candidate earmarked.
Available for consideration only by Institution to whom allocated
Blue flag Candidate in merit group not yet under consideration, who has been earmarked or is currently employed by an EU Institution.
Available for consideration only after consultation with Institution concerned
Orange flag Interview arranged and previously earmarked by an Institution
Further interview may be arranged in parallel if practicable, to minimize travel expenses
Orange flag Interview arranged
Red flag Letter of Intent accepted or laureate under recruitment
Laureate unavailable for consideration Invisible
Black flag Conflict between at least 2 Institutions
@AD, nope, flagging means that if an institution likes your profile it can reserve you. They may or may not recruit you during that time. No other institution is able offer you an interview during this time. The maximum time an institution can keep you flagged is 3 months, after that, if they haven’t hired you, they make you available to the other institutions. From what I’ve read this 3 months period was actually 6 months (!), which really stalled the whole system.
BTW, I’m not sure I understand the whole “flagging” concept, as that term does not seem to be used anywhere but this forum.
Do you all mean the practice of institutions “reserving” parts of whole lists?
At first, all lists are reserved for a single institution (if it was a single institution that requested to concours) or quota portions (if it was multi-institutional). Later, lists can be opened to all institutions.
Does anyone know if some people have already been contacted for a CAST27 RELEX job? Especially the FGIII ones.
Thanks a lot ;o)
Very interesting docs, thx a million.
I must say, though, that things aren’t looking particularly bright for EU15 AD laureates… what on earth possessed the commission to organize those 2005 general comps… apart from “regularizing” internal contract staff, they have just served to instill a lot of… well frustration I guess.
No problem. It’s my pleasure. Needless to say, it is for personal use only and cannot be distributed for commercial purposes without the express written permission of the Commission. So… any commercial people out there — you have notice. π
Thanks to AD for providing this interesting information I’ll be permanently hosting it here:
http://www.ivanchev.org/EU/eurecruit.zip
praised be the jon!..great blog..although I have only discovered it after having entered the last stage of AD 53-62/06 competition, I found it particularly useful..some of the hints and tips provided were really invaluable..
anyways, I decided to join the discussion and perhaps shed some more light on the earmarking issue..according to information made available to me:
– in the first place, once the reserve lists are compiled (not published!) quotas for each of the individual institutions are determined
– based on those quotas, laureates are being earmarked
– initially only those laureates who already work in one of the institutions are being earmarked..
so I was told..hope this is of some help – especially to those who are impatient:))
@AD, I can host it if you send me the doc — %alexander%.%ivanchev_at_gmail.com (remove the %’s and replace_at_with @ (damn spam).
@ Lia
I had to request access to it, as it is not in the public domain (internal SEC doc), but because of Regulation No 1049/2001, you can ask for it.
If I knew how to upload it, I’d be happy to. In any case, here’s the request info:
Document demandΓΒ©
Cote du document : SEC (2007) 1412/2
Date du document : 09/11/2007
Titre du document : INFORMATION NOTE FROM VICE PRESIDENT KALLAS TO THE COMMISSION – SELECTING STAFF FOR THE COMMISSION SERVICES AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF EPSO
@AD and the rest in the same boat,
I have not heard of anybody from the list AD 46-47 (released in September) actually recruited so far. There were a few people invited to interviews but nothing has come out of it. It is very frustrating really.
Can you give me a link to the letter of Kallas you are talking about?
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m just tired of the waiting… π I always knew the EU works s.l.o.w. But this is tremendously slow… As I mentioned, one service seemed very interested, but my contact told me that everything is still in the works… slow, but heartening. π
Good luck to all. My gut feeling (and my wife’s) is with Breach — the first trimester should show some activity. Kallas’ letter seems to indicate that too.
Happy New Year to all of you! I hope 2008 will bring some more light into the darkness of certain administrative procedures π
On that happy note, AD & Breach, I would like to wish all epso laureates a keen sense of patience and a penchant for absurdist humor in 2008.
@AD, I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, you just gotta wait. I’m pretty much in the same situation, as are most EPSO/AD/46-47 laureates (Bulgaria & Romania). What I do think is happening here, is the concourses are aimed towards filling in pre-planned resource posts. These vacancies have to be budgeted after all. So, I’d guess there’s always a slim chance you’d be invited to an interview given an immediate and current vacancy, but I mostly expect institutions to express a real interest in the first trimester of 2008. We’ll see. Good luck.
I’m from a new member state. I’ve been on a reserve list since last year — the list has been available to all the institutions from September 2007.
I have sent my CV and a cover letter to EVERY human resources head of unit in the DGs. I’ve also sent applications for interinstitutional vacancies and for internal EP vacancies (I have access to these). I know I’m not technically elgible for the interinstitutional and internal vacancies, but it doesn’t hurt to keep yourself in the flow, just in case they don’t find an internal candidate, does it?
However, not a single interview. Some interest — a phone call here, an email there, but nothing real.
I also read Kallas’ letter to EPSO where it’s clear that the Institutions are behind in recruiting middle managers from the new states…
I’m extremely qualified — my CV is quite impressive, if I do say so myself π
So what am I doing wrong?
Panagiotis,
Thanks for your reply.
Belinda
belinda, I believe there is a standard pre-selection test for all competitions
Thx Breach, Kostas and frustrated! Breach, yes, your advice makes absolute sense, I should follow it! Thx! frustruted, it’s not a good passport indeed for EU hiring purposes – I’ve got another one too, but it’s not an EU one, so that’s even worse! π (Actually, the Greek passport used to be the best passport for european concours once back in the early ’80s π
@Jan
My friend, your link about the results of the EPSO Computer Based Tests was very interesting!!! Just incredible!!!
Thanks a lot!!!!
Pana face the age-old question any EU laureate grapples with: epso tells me to lobby, but how do I do that.
Go with Breach’s advice… and pray to your gods… Your passport is bad, bad, bad….. bad idea being born Greek, but it could have been worse.
Hi
I am thinking of applying for the forth-coming preselection tests for Irish linguists. Does anyone know if the preselection mcq’s are different for this test or if there is a standard preselection test?
Belinda502
@Panagiotis
I guess you are Greek. So you must be VERY patient, because the percentage of Greeks in EU institutions is quite higher than that of the “new” countries. So they usually “try” to hire skillful people from those countries first. Beside this, most Greeks don’t have enough experience of working in a WELL organized environment.
But, if you have any working experience abroad, for example 1 year working in UK, then your chances are higher.
You can contact me at anagno@epp.teiher.gr for more details.
@panagiotis, well, you can:
a. Submit your CV to the Civil Service EC portal and denote you have passed CAST 27
b. Look for specific agency calls and ping them with a letter of interest
c. Spam every single EU Institution / DG / Agency / Delegation π
I think that a. is definitely worth it, the actual benefit of doing b. and c. is quite vague. So far I was contacted by JRC for an IT position in Parma, Italy, but that was definitely not FG IV in terms of duties involved, plus I’m not really interested in contract work as it is personally. Good luck.
I am in the reserve list for ICT, FG IV since the CAST27 test results were out (i.e. since last summer).
Do I need to take any action on this? I understand that I should somehow be proactive, but in what ways? Any advice would be appreciated!