VPS GRADS Candidate Guide 2012
(Victorian Public Service Graduate Recruitment and Development Scheme2014 Cohort) (Candidate Guide)
Contents
1.INTRODUCTION3
2.RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND TIMELINES4
3.ONLINE APPLICATION6
4.ONLINE APTITUDE ASSESSMENTS7
5.ASSESSMENT CENTRE8
6.ACTIVITIES AT ASSESSMENT CENTRE9
7.ORDER OF MERIT14
8.DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY INTERVIEWS14
9.VERBAL OFFER PROCESS15
10.REFEREE CHECKS15
11.FEEDBACK16
12.VALUES18
13.CAPABILITIES19
1. INTRODUCTION
The Victorian Public Service (VPS) Graduate Recruitment and Development Scheme (GRADS) is a generalist graduate program, which seeks to address future workforce needs through targeted attraction, recruitment and development of tertiary graduates with potential to establish long and productive careers with the VPS.
The multifaceted and generalist focus of the VPS GRADS provides a valuable opportunity to establish a solid understanding of the VPS before taking up a specific role in the second year of employment. Specialist streams of the VPS GRADS run in conjunction with, and build upon the generalist VPS GRADS and offer opportunity to build on specialist expertise in Accounting and Finance, Economics or Law.
Each year the VPS GRADS reviews its selection criteria to ensure selection in line with the purpose of the VPS GRADS and of individual recruiting managers. Applications for the 2014 intake of the VPS GRADS will be assessed on the following criteria:
Australian Working Rights
Has not received a redundancy from the VPS in the last three years
Will have a minimum of a three-year undergraduate degree by the end of 2013
Agreement to undertake a Police Criminal Records Check
Commitment to the Victorian Public Service and its values (see page 20 for details)
Conceptual and analytical ability
Teamwork
Initiative and accountability
Flexibility
Verbal Communication
(There is a specific Pathway to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduate participation in the VPS GRADS.If you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island descent, identify as such and are accepted within the community in which you live or have lived, your application for the GRADS will proceed through the Aboriginal Pathway. When you complete the application, tick the appropriate box on the front of the form; you will then be contacted by the Pathway Manager to further discuss your application.If you would like to discuss any aspects of the Aboriginal Pathway to the GRADS please contact Lynne Witynski, the Pathway Manager on (03) 9651 2618 or via email at [email protected]. You may also like to visit Opportunities for Aboriginal Graduates at www.graduates.vic.gov.au.)Written Communication
2. RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND TIMELINES
ROUND ONE
Timelines
Recruitment Process
Mon 1st March- Tues 2nd April
Online Applications Received
Tues 2nd April Mon 8th April
Candidates requesting reasonable adjustments called to discuss requirements
Calls made to confirm candidates identifying as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
Wed 6th March Wed 17th April
Online assessments conducted
Mon 15th April Fri 19th April
Assessment Centres Booked
Mon 22nd April Mon 6th May
Assessment Centres (Public holiday Friday 25th April)
Aboriginal Pathway online assessments conducted
Mon 6th May
Teach for Australia Associate applications close
Tues 7th May Thurs 9th May
*Aboriginal Pathway interviews booked
Mon 13th May Tues 14th May
*Aboriginal Pathway interviews conducted
Wed 15th May Thurs 16th May
*Aboriginal Pathway candidate preferences canvassed
Fri 17th May
*Aboriginal Pathway offers made
Mon 27th May Fri 31st May
Department interviews booked
Mon 3rd June Fri 21st June
Round One Interviews (public holiday Monday 9th June)
Mon 3rd June Fri 21st June
Feedback (1) provided to candidates who have requested it and whose application has not progressed to Order of Merit
Mon 24th June Fri 28th June
Round One offers made
Written Offer sent to applicant within two weeks of verbally indicating intention to accept
ROUND TWO
Mon 15th July Fri 19th July
Department interviews scheduled
Mon 22nd July Fri 2nd Aug
Round Two Interviews
Tues 6th Aug Fri 9th Aug
Round Two offers made
Tues 20th Aug Mon 26th Aug
Feedback (2) provided to interviewed candidates, requesting it who were not offered positions
Written Offer sent to applicant within two weeks of verbally indicating intention to accept
AD-HOC
September 2013 through January 2014
Ad-Hoc Recruitment, if required
January 2014
Feedback (3) provided to interviewed candidates not offered positions and who have not previously received Department feedback.
February 3, 2014
Induction for the 2014 VPS GRADS cohort
*Refers to Aboriginal Pathway process
SELECTION CRITERIA ASSESSED AT EACH STAGE OF THE PROCESS
Online
Assessment Centre
Department Process
Application Form
Aptitude Testing
Case Study
Role Play
Behavioural Interview
Technical questions
(Economist only)
Department Interview
Commitment to VPS
X
X
Ability - Abstract/ Conceptual
X
X
Teamwork
X
X
Initiative & Accountability
X
X
Flexibility
X
X
Verbal Communication
X
X
Written Communication
X
X
Education
X
X
Technical Skills
X
X
Department/ Agency values
X
Additional Personal Qualities
X
Additional Skills or Knowledge
X
3. ONLINE APPLICATION
The online application is a very important part of the Victorian Public Service Graduate Recruitment and Development Scheme (VPS GRADS) recruitment process. This is your first opportunity to demonstrate your alignment with the eligibility and selection criteria. Not all candidates will progress past this initial phase.
To do your best:
Commence your application well before the deadline. If you have questions or experience technology issues on the due date, you may not be able to resolve these quickly enough to lodge your application on time. Applications submitted after the stated deadline will not be considered.
Set aside at least 1.5 hours to complete your application. Take particular note of character limits in preparing responses as information you provide beyond these limits will not be considered.
We recommend that you prepare your responses in a word processing program, and then copy/paste them into your online application form. If you experience technical issues on the site, you may lose the information and need to start again.
Be sure to proof read your application. Your writing skills are assessed along with your responses.
If you are experiencing difficulty uploading documents, try saving the files in a different format or at a lower resolution. Remember, only your resume/CV and the transcript for your undergraduate degree or the qualification which qualifies you for the streams for which you are applying need to be uploaded. We will collect other documentation, such as transcripts for further qualifications and proof of eligibility, at the assessment centre if you progress to this stage.
Provide honest and accurate information as Integrity is a key value of the Victorian Public Service, and key responses will be confirmed at other stages in the process.
Please ensure that you tell us of any reasonable adjustments or accommodations you may require to support you to participate fully in our recruitment and selection process.
(Dont forget, if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island graduate, tick the box on the front page of the application form. Lynne Witynski, the Pathway Manager will contact you once your application has been processed.All your personal details are managed in accordance with Privacy legislation.)
Selection criteria assessed with the online application form are:
Commitment to public service
Teamwork
Flexibility and
Written communication
4. ONLINE APTITUDE ASSESSMENTS
Should your application progress to the next stage, you will be invited to complete two online aptitude assessments- Numerical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning. These assessments utilise cutting edge technology that adapts to your individual ability in these areas. In other words, if you respond correctly to an item, you will receive more challenging subsequent items. If you respond incorrectly to an item, the system will present items that are better aligned to your level of challenge.
The benefits of this type of testing to you are that we are able to obtain an accurate estimate of your underlying ability without asking you many questions. However, some candidates find these assessments more challenging than anticipated and underestimate their performance.
We administer these assessments because they help the Victorian Public Service predict how quickly you will learn new information during the graduate program and how effectively you will use information, sometimes in ambiguous situations, to solve problems. We are able to set benchmarks for these assessments
