Job interviews for the public service: questions and answers

In the public service there are three types of careers: Operational Assistant, Technical Assistant and Senior Technician. When a candidate proposes himself to a certain position, he will have to go through the entire competitive admission process to the civil service. Depending on the category in which the job offers falls, each procedure will obey certain rules and evaluations to ascertain the necessary competences to respond to the performance of the functions required.

Thus, after sending all the required documentation to verify the eligibility of the candidate, such as the Curriculum Vitae and the Academic Qualifications certificate, the whole evaluation process will start.

METHODS OF EVALUATION

To assess who is the right candidate for those jobs, various tests will be carried out to evaluate the general and specific skills of each individual. Each moment of assessment has its own specific objective. The evaluation methods used may vary according to the position in question.

Among them we can highlight Curriculum Evaluation, in which the academic background of each candidate will be evaluated; Written Knowledge Test, in which the candidate will have to prove the technical knowledge related to the practice of the functions for which they are applying, through a written test; Psychological Evaluation, namely with the application of psychotechnical tests; or the Professional Selection Interview.

THE PROFESSIONAL SELECTION INTERVIEW

The Professional Selection Interview is another moment in which the aim is to evaluate different competencies of the candidate. As a rule, three members of the jury are present during the interview, and they will ask the candidate several questions.

The objective is to understand the professional experience of the individual; aspects linked to the behavior that may be noticed during the interaction with the different elements of the jury or competencies linked to the way of communication.

But what questions might be asked in a professional selection interview anyway?

• What made you want to work in this area?

It is natural that questions related to the motivation of the individual for the type of work he/she is applying for, are put on the table in a job interview. It is important that in this type of questions, the candidate tries to highlight what makes him unique and what differentiates him from his competitors.

• Professional experience?

Although this information is usually listed on the CV, this is a question that usually does not fail in a job interview. If you do not have any professional experience, try to highlight some experience you have had in the area, for example in terms of volunteering. It will certainly be valued.

• Knowledge Assessment

Although technical knowledge is mostly tested in a written test, also in an interview there can be some knowledge evaluation moment related to the practice of the job for which the interviewee is applying. For example, with the presentation of some topic in which the candidate must give an opinion. In this case, pay attention to the language presented. Don't forget that everything is being evaluated: from your way of exposing an idea, to the language used to the critical sense.

Other aspects that can be evaluated

• Optimism
• Sociability
• Creativity
• Cordiality

You already know, the most important thing in any recruitment and selection process is to prepare well. From there, stay optimistic and focused on the future. Trust the Fed Finance tips and face every challenge with the confidence to move forward.