Civil Service Progression

[Captain_Sham]

You're not an alcoholic anymore, you should sail into the job.. do you know how many alcoholics jumped into the fountain naked after having a few down wind street thinking they're invincible or had a mental premonition to achieve something, this is what alcohol does to the brain.. it's proven, people in charge have wine addictions mainly.. this is a genuine issue of the countries ills..

I am still an alcoholic and I always will be. I have however recovered from a hopeless state of mind and have remained sober one day at a time.

 

[Skippyjack]

I joined the civil service in my early twenties, it was never supposed to be a career as I had other plans but I stayed for three and a half year or so and enjoyed it, mainly because of the people. It was clear that progression was there for some and not for others - and I was clearly one of the others as most were.

An example was when a board came up and a few of us went for it. I fell at the first hurdle but a useless 55 year old bloke who had up until recently been a HEO before being retired with a six figure payout and then rejoining as a lowly AA and couldn’t even open a letter without guidance got through the board and gained an immediate promotion.

It was obvious to me early on how it was going to be and I was lucky I enjoyed it anyway for what it was, but like any big institution it’s institutionalised and fucked with lifers being completely out of touch with the real world out there.

completely out of touch with the real world out there.

You think, genuinely, this forum is decorated with the biggest sumpers known to man, drink driving is banned for a specific reason, but put them in charge of the country, then stuff gets real f*cked up

 

[Itchysphincter]

Thanks. Im almost 60. Progression wont really serve any purpose and I dont need the money. Its just such a bizzarre process.Im trying to figure it out.

I feel for you. I’ve spent most of my working life effectively self-employed and it’s been tough, and not without sacrifice and understanding from my family, but I’ve had a wonderful career filled with experiences I could never of dreamt of or funded on my own, and I’ve worked for some of the biggest organisations in my sector so I do have experience of how these machines work from inside and outside.

That said, I’m approaching 50 now and being potentially mortgage free in the next 18 months or so I would consider parting with my left testicle to rejoin the civil service. They probably wouldn’t have me though but if they did I wouldn’t expect progression, and I’d end up falling out with them because of all the silly systems and feathering of nests. I’ve been told I’m practically unemployable and I probably best accept it.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

[Captain_Sham]

I feel for you. I’ve spent most of my working life effectively self-employed and it’s been tough, and not without sacrifice and understanding from my family, but I’ve had a wonderful career filled with experiences I could never of dreamt of or funded on my own, and I’ve worked for some of the biggest organisations in my sector so I do have experience of how these machines work from inside and outside.

That said, I’m approaching 50 now and being potentially mortgage free in the next 18 months or so I would consider parting with my left testicle to rejoin the civil service. They probably wouldn’t have me though but if they did I wouldn’t expect progression, and I’d end up falling out with them because of all the silly systems and feathering of nests. I’ve been told I’m practically unemployable and I probably best accept it.

Good luck and best wishes.

Thank you.

 

[J_B]

Also you’ll find that one interviewer will score an example as (for example) a three and you could use exactly the same example in a different interview and it would score a five. It can be intensely frustrating but I don’t think that sort of thing is exclusive to the civil service. It’s more human nature and different perspectives.

It's why some organisations that use an interview panel discount the highest and lowest score or any outlier.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

It's why some organisations that use an interview panel discount the highest and lowest score or any outlier.

It would be sensible but the civil service doesn’t do that. Anything lower than a four and you’re out. It’s daft.

 

[Captain_Sham]

It would be sensible but the civil service doesn’t do that. Anything lower than a four and you’re out. It’s daft.

Do you know if there is any normalising of scores.Raising and lowering to suit numbers etc? I understand if you cant answer that.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

Do you know if there is any normalising of scores.Raising and lowering to suit numbers etc? I understand if you cant answer that.

Officially no. But there should always be an “independent” person on any panel. It’s usually the hiring manager, someone else from the area the job is in and normally an HR rep to keep everyone honest, so to speak. But in the past I’ve argued for candidates who I know are capable who may have had a brain fart on one question that’s then see as a borderline three to bump it up to a four. Not to give them y the job necessarily but so that they aren’t automatically ruled out by scoring a three. The panel should after all the interviews look at them as a whole and moderate that way. But that doesn’t always happen.

 

[Skippyjack]

It would be sensible but the civil service doesn’t do that. Anything lower than a four and you’re out. It’s daft.

A concept probably created by someone with an alcohol addiction.. the amount of people in charge.. Dr's CEOs, decision makers are alcoholics.. the whole workforce in Swansea is on some sort of drug.. it's like a Zoo.. but it's just brushed under the carpet.. almost normalized now

 

[Captain_Sham]

Officially no. But there should always be an “independent” person on any panel. It’s usually the hiring manager, someone else from the area the job is in and normally an HR rep to keep everyone honest, so to speak. But in the past I’ve argued for candidates who I know are capable who may have had a brain fart on one question that’s then see as a borderline three to bump it up to a four. Not to give them y the job necessarily but so that they aren’t automatically ruled out by scoring a three. The panel should after all the interviews look at them as a whole and moderate that way. But that doesn’t always happen.

Thats very helpful. Thank you. I guess I need to aim for 6/7s so that if I go blank in one answer Im still over the bar. I always said I would give it three goes. Next time is the third. Roll on next year.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

A lot depends as well on what the job is and how many there are. If you’re interviewing for one role in a specific skill set you’ll think differently from if you’re doing what we used to call a general “promotion board” where you’re recruiting for a grade rather than a specific role. The latter kind of process is much rarer these days than it used to be but they do still happen from time to time.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

I see Skippy’s having a totally normal one again.

 

[Captain_Sham]

A lot depends as well on what the job is and how many there are. If you’re interviewing for one role in a specific skill set you’ll think differently from if you’re doing what we used to call a general “promotion board” where you’re recruiting for a grade rather than a specific role. The latter kind of process is much rarer these days than it used to be but they do still happen from time to time.

It is progression board with 15 spots.

 

[Skippyjack]

I see Skippy’s having a totally normal one again.

It's true though, we're a nation being run by people who can't stop drinking because they've got a personality crisis

 

[exiledclaseboy]

It is progression board with 15 spots.

I’ve got less experience with those cos I usually interview for specific roles. The principles are much the same though cos I assume those 15 roles all require similar skills and are in the same what we used to call “job family”. Yes, the civil service has some wanky terminology.