The results of the concours for administrators are now out, and – surprise, surprise – I did not manage to pass. Here’s the extract of the letter:
The selection board for the above competition has now finished marking the pre-selection tests in which you participated. I regret to inform you that although the marks you obtained in these tests were above or equal to the pass mark, you were not amongst the top 630 candidates.
Point B.1 of the competition notice stipulates that only those candidates with the 630 highest marks in the pre-selection tests would be asked to submit a full application with a view to their possible admission to the competition.
Your marks are as follows (1):
Test a): 38.333 /60 (pass mark 30)
Test b): 15.263 /20 (pass mark 10)
Test c): 30.769 /40 (pass mark 20)Total: 84.365/ 120
For your information, the candidates who obtained the 630 highest combined scores had at least 92.611 points.
I would add that the Selection Board’s decision does not preclude you from taking part in any future competitions organised by the European Personnel Selection Office.
It’s beyond me how one can get 15.263 / 20 when there were 40 questions, but anyway, c’est la vie. All the best to all the geeks who know who won the Sakharov prize in the year X or other equally useful everyday facts.
FILE DOWNLOADS
Blog commenter ‘viking’ has made some new test files available for download, and he had also supplied the manual for electronic Reserve Lists. Some additional test files have been provided by Sorina (see comment #1003) – download 342kb, ZIPped. Enjoy!
SOCIAL NETWORKS
If anyone is a member of Facebook there’s the ‘So I won’t be a Commission official’ Facebook Group, and the EU Integration Traveler IQ challenge (you need to add the Traveler IQ Facebook application) – a more fun way to revise for the concours…
NOTE
Due to such an enormous number of comments here I have had to divide the comments function. The latest few hundred comments are below, and all the older comments are archived here. All should work technically now.
@A Says
Where do you see a mistery? I worked as contractual agent, then won a competition and got official, what’s so difficult to understand?!
What is really not understandable, is why they don’t keep tracking of changes in CVs, maybe their database is not regularly updated..
or perhaps a better idea! If they are really so confused there (“verwirrt”), then let’s continue this way. you say yes to the invitation, and then someone else goes to the interview and accepts the job. you continue and she starts. maybe they still don’t realize. oh dear! theatre of absurd.
nova, you are a true mistery to me with all your invitations to all the interviews for all the posts everyone is waiting for, and then you come out with the little final ‘I am already working as an official’, and then even better ‘I am again invited’. what is the secret formula?
Just received an invitation for an interview as contarctual agent for a vacant post in the financial field under CAST 27.
Amazing! because I am already working as official and this is clearly stated in my CV.
Normally, they are not supposed to invite officials to take contractual agents’ posts, it makes no sense!
Breach, thanks…same message in my epso profile.
“anna” dear, where did you disappear? 🙂
Well, I succeded to pass CAST27 and CAST Relex, but I was not invited anywhere(and probably I will never be). I don´t make any lobbying, I have simply no power for that. Now I wait the answer of EPSO, if I´ll be accepted to the written exam as paralegal, exam nr. 51/08. Does anybody know what should I learn for it? I guess, this would be my last exam;I have no nerves anymore.
@muntschkin
no, not at all. The invitation for the interview came wihout any effort on my side. Maybe they found my CV interesting because I have a lot of experience in the field, who knows …
Frankly speaking, I don’t believe in lobbying towards people you don’t know and who doesn’t care about you. There are overloaded with candidatures, what’s the sense to add one more?!
I think, eucandidate is right – lobbying makes only sense if you know key contacts in the institution who are aware of the internal situation.
I’m also waiting to hear back about REA/ERCEA. Any word about those?
REA&ERCEA – I quote alex’s comment..where did you get this information? they may have begun only with some profiles…anyway, if they begun with the scientific profile I am out! 🙁
Ciao
@amalia: thanks, i have overlooked that one!
@nova+eucandidate, thanks for sharing your information. i am in fg4 as so many others and have an average interesting cv (studied and worked abroad, but not that much of work experience yet). i have sent my cv + letter of motivation incl. information on passing cast relex 2008 to a delegation i am interested to work for. i got a very strange answer stating that because I was an EU citizen I should “visit the official website of EPSO”.
oh well thank you …
anna and Anna: i’m a bit confused here: Anna said “I was told REA&ERCEA have received a lot of candidatures… And probably they will start in January (?)” while anna said “the interviews for erc TA are currently running…lists are done for both” ?? Which of the previous comments is valid ?? Do you have any specific information for IT Officers for the REA/ERCEA vacancies?
Thanks in advance
@ nova:
did you lobby to get your job?
@Kostas
The flags apply to laureats of EPSO open competitions only. CAST 27 is not a competition, so you won’t see this in your profile.
@relexer
I passed the CAST 27 (not RELEX) and received a job proposal 2 months after the publication of the results. My FG is 2.
Already working in the Commission, I realized that people with FG2 have 10 times more chances to be hired than those from FG3 or 4, just because there are much more places available for FG2 and also because the employer is not financially motivated to take people from higher group for (almost) the same job.
relexer,@miriana,
Epso said so..see “Latest news” section of both Cast27 and Cast Relex 2008. Only “Choice of countries remains locked.
Nice Sunday!
“Candidates have now the possibility to update the CVs for CAST 2008 (except the part: “DETAILS FROM YOUR APPLICATION”).
The preselection of successful candidates made by DG RELEX will also be made on the basis of the countries indicated by candidates in their application. In order to facilitate this process, candidates will periodically be given a window within which they are able to modify their choice of countries. Please note that the “CHOICE OF COUNTRIES” section of your CV is currently open, and will be closed again on Monday, 8th September 2008 at midday (Brussels time). It will be reopened for a specific period at the beginning of 2009 and you will be informed accordingly”.
@miriana,
same with me. i have no idea why it is like that.
@anna, oh well, if that’s true, that means I haven’t been short-listed, since I haven’t heard anything from them so far…
The CV-S in CAST should have been locked in September. My CV in Epso profile has locked only the choice of countries. Why is that?
Hi guys,
Is the system with the flags still on? I don’t see anything in my CAST27 profile, could someone tell me where I find the flag, when (and if) I am flaged?
@cast relex laureates
i passed cast relex 2008 . i wonder what i should do now: should i lobby and send my cvs to several delegations? should i do nothing? is there anyone who has passed e.g. cast 27 and is now working for a delegation? i mean: is there even a slight chance for getting a job??
thanks!
@alex, @Alex
the interviews for erc TA are currently running…lists are done for both
@Alex
I was told REA&ERCEA have received a lot of candidatures… And probably they will start in January (?)
OK, thank you Sparta!
@ EPSO is going to use all my patience…
well in fact you need to click on the latest news to get to a new screen. You don’t see this communication like the one announcing the preselection results…
EPSO/126/08
I have received too this information in the last news on my epso profile…
8/10/2008
“The admission to the written tests is ongoing. The written tests will most probably take place during the first half of December, 2008. The candidates admitted to these tests will be invited in due course by a letter published in their EPSO profile. “
@Pedder
I’ve just checked my profile and no update available since july 15th (in any language)…
What is exactly the communication in your profile, please?
Just checked my profile: update available in English and in French, but not in German… So – make sure to check all language options!
So – as far as I understood there is no one who received any positive information so far, right?
Did those people rejected receive this info on the same day? (or is this an ongoing process?)
It would be quite unlogical if they did send out positive info… I think they only check the certificates now, then – later on this month – make up a list of all people with a “sufficient background/education in audit” and then invite the best 480…
EPSO told me that they updated the profile of every candidate, including mine, even if I don’t see it…
Wait and see for the decision, it will take a while
No update on my profile for me as well…
I have a business administration background and a postgraduate in finance, so I am pretty sure my profile is OK. The candidates selected for the next round will be notified all together at the same time. For now on, the only candidates that have been notified are candidates that have been eliminated because EPSO has judged their education backgrounds don’t fit with the concours.
No news are good news…
@ Ben Hook
No update of news in my profile…
Bad sign I would say for me as they have no other choice than to give the list in one time… (otherwise it is not fair)
No, nothing yet from REA/ERCEA for me as well…
@ Ben Hook
Not all of participants have news under epso profile. I`m guessing that they give responses to those who are not selected for the next round and maybe for those who will be selected for sure (not sure about the last one). Since their list is not complete yet, not all participants have got the feedback.
I suppose that the CV posted in our EPSO profile must be perfect and attract their attention? Does anyone have positive experiences while lobbying (sending lot’s of letters, mails) for him/herself, or is this just lost energy?
@eucandidate
Well.. I’m sure about EPSO doing a “filter” ; the list is set up according to your specific group. Then the meeting enables selection according to HR representative of Commission Delegations. They are the ones to choose.
@relexer @Cast Relex 2008 laureates
Well.. the information I have is that the competition aims to provide staff within the Delegations and Offices of the Commission in third countries and the Delegations to the international organisations. The EPSO letter/sentence you are mentionning is the basic framework for answers only.
@etni and cast relex 2008 laureates:
is it really true that we can only be recruited by delegations? if so, i will be suffering from a major depression pretty soon. chances of being recruited are already low, so what`s the use of creating a special database for delegation staff only?
this is quiet confucsing. epso stated in it’s letter: “Access to this (= cast relex 2008) database will be given to European Institutions, Offices and Agencies, who will select and invite for interview candidates who best fit their requirements.”
today, i was told the exact opposite by a brussels-based dg of the european commission. anybody knows??
@Roman
So, EPSO does the first filter? And I guess this is done according to their criteria..
Mm..this is what I fear the most.
Thanks a lot Roman!
Thank you very much for your answers.
Kind regards,
Silvia
@ Nicollo
I am also waiting to hear back from ESPO for the 126/08 Auditors competion. Would you share with us some info as regards to your background and your results to the preselection tests?
@eucandidate@everyone
As far as I know (but need confirmation), EPSO does organize the list of successfull candidats according to their group and their profile. Then a meeting with HR representative of Commission Delegations and EPSO takes place in order for them to choose the laureates who match their needs.
@Roman
Roman, do you know if the Delegations have access to this database for ALL candidates, or is it the EPSO who does the selection of a couple of CVs (and therefore might favour some) and then sends them?
Thanks!
@Silvia
Silvia, I am also on CAST27. I rejected going to an interview because I was not interested on the topic. And some time later I was called from another institution and finally accepted a job.
Good luck,
Oscar
@EV
I also forgot to say I had private lessons with a teacher for my weaker language, so I would translate a text as homework (in the right time limit etc) and then we would go through it together to make sure I had understood it properly.
Good luck…
@etni@eucandidate@everyone
I think I got my answer regarding potential employer with CAST calls :
– CAST 27 : “EU agencies only”
– CAST Relex 2008 : “Delegations and Offices of the Commission in third countries and the Delegations to the international organisations”
@Silvia
You won’t be remove of the list if you explain you are not interested in the position. Access to this database of successfull candidates is given to the Commission which selects and invite for an interview candidates they want. You’re still the one to accept/refuse interviews.
@ Kiwi
thank you for the info – very useful and encouraging:) I will be practising ..a lot:) and buy some good dictionary.
Hi everyone,
I have passed the EPSO CAST 27 exam as Scientific Adviser and I have received a call for interview for a position as a Contract Agent in Ispra.
I am not interested in the research project associated to the offered position.
Does anyone know if I will be remove from the reserve list in case I refuse attending the interview?
Where could I found information on this issue?
Thanks a million!!
Kind regards,
Silvia
results for EPSO/AD/126/08
Dear Nicollo, could you please let us know your background and your results to the written tests ?
Thanks
@Roman and Ben:
Thanks, guys, somehow missed that one!
Boy, this is taking a long time! – Well, at least good to know the new timeframe… Good luck to both of you – and anyone else waiting!
Pedder, read Comment #2039
Hi everyone, and thank you Jon for this idea and opportunity.
I’ve been reading this blog for a couple of months… this is the first time I bring my piece of information :
@ Pedder @Sparta
Please refer to Comment #2039 from Ben Hook : results for EPSO/AD/126/08, Audit are still to be published. I’m waiting for the answer as well.
@ everyone
Regarding CAST RELEX 2008 – FGIV Adviser – Operational Section -Infrastructures, does anyone know who is the potential employer? Only delegations? Only Commission? Agencies?
@ EV
I did the written tests for English translators earlier this year. I would say the Italian text was easier than the French, although my Italian is a lot worse than my French so it’s hard to tell!
We were allowed 2 dictionaries for each text so make sure you have a bilingual dictionary and a monolingual dictionary in the source language.
Preparation – I work as a translator from French so didn’t bother practising that, and just translated lots of articles from Italian current affairs magazines. Make sure you get articles of the right length and then time yourself, as I definitely found the time limits difficult – especially as it takes 20-30 minutes to write out a good copy. I also used the EU website to practise translating EU terminology – ie take an article in the source language, translate it and then check it against the version in the target language. Don’t worry too much though as I found the versions tended to be quite different (probably translated from some other language originally!), but it does give you an idea for meaning.
Good luck!
Kiwi
@ Pedder
I have nothing back from EPSO concerning EPSO/AD/126/08, Audit.