Clerical Officer

Communication with publicjobs

You should check your publicjobs.ie Application Centre on a regular basis as email notifications about updates/tests/Interviews etc. published in the “Review Communications” area can sometimes be filtered into your Junk/Spam email folders. You are also advised to check all these folders regularly. publicjobs accepts no responsibility for communication not accessed or read by an applicant.

The onus is on each applicant to ensure that they are in receipt of all communication from publicjobs. publicjobs accept no responsibility for communication not accessed or received by an applicant. Candidates should make themselves available on the date(s) specified by publicjobs and should make sure that the contact details specified on the application form are correct.

Candidates with Disabilities

Reasonable Accommodations for the Selection Process

Attracting candidates from all sectors of society to ensure accessible routes to career opportunities is a key priority of publicjobs. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all candidates. If you have a disability or need reasonable accommodations made during the selection process, (e.g. for interview, assessments or exercises), we strongly encourage you to share this with us so that we can ensure you get the support you need.

Reasonable accommodation in our selection process refers to adjustments and practical changes which would enable a disabled candidate to have an equitable opportunity for this competition. We can provide accommodations for any stage of the process, including online assessments, interviews or exercises. Examples of adjustments we provide include the use of assistive technology, extra time, scribes and/or readers or a range of other accommodations.

Please be assured that having a disability or requiring adjustments will not impact on your progress in the selection process; you will not be at a disadvantage if you disclose your disability or requirements to us. Your disability and/or adjustments will be kept entirely confidential.

Should you be successful, the disclosure of a disability for this stage of the process will not be passed onto the employing department unless you request that we do so.

If you indicate on your application form that you require reasonable accommodations, you will have the following options:

A. If you have been provided with reasonable accommodations from publicjobs in the last three years, you should input the details of the most recent competition for which you were assigned accommodations along with your Candidate ID. If you have a new diagnosis and/ or additional needs, you may wish to upload an additional psychologist/ medical report to support this.

OR

B. You will need to upload a psychologist/medical report as part of your application, which details your disability/requirements.

We require a report to better understand your disability and requirements. The report, in addition to your request, helps us determine what accommodations may be suitable for you, in the selection process.

The reports will only be shared with our Assessment Services Unit. In the reports, it is useful for us to see the outcome of any diagnostic tests conducted by your psychologist/doctor, and their summary of recommendations in relation to your requirements. You may redact (block out) parts of medical reports/psychologist’s reports that you feel are sensitive or unnecessary for the decision to make reasonable adjustments.

Please do not email your medical/psychologist’s report to us – it should be uploaded directly to your online application.

Should you have any difficulty with uploading your report, please contact TCOrecruitment@publicjobs.ie. publicjobs will ensure that your reasonable accommodations are implemented as necessary, for each stage of the recruitment process. If you have any queries about the reasonable accommodations process or the accommodations you have received, please contact ASU@publicjobs.ie. If you wish to discuss any matter relating to the accessibility of our services or building, or if you require support from our Disability Champion Amanda Kavanagh, please contact edi@publicjobs.ie.

Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace

If a candidate has a disability and would like to request reasonable accommodations to be put in place by the potential employer, there will be an opportunity to confirm their interest in completing a Reasonable Accommodations Request Form at the pre-employment checks stage.

Disclosing a disability allows an employer to put in place supports that will aid the staff member to perform to their full potential.

Please note that granting reasonable accommodations in the workplace is a matter for the employing organisation/department, for candidates requiring them. Requests will be considered by the employing organisation/department with due regard to the nature of the role, including the duration of the contract. As the Temporary Clerical Officer role is, by design, a shortterm contract intended to cover temporary vacancies or busy periods within an organisation/department, candidates should be aware that reasonable accommodations will be considered within that context.

Selection Process

Candidates will be required to complete assessments which are designed to identify their potential to fulfil a Temporary Clerical Officer role.

Please Note

If publicjobs is not notified of any issues or problems you experience on the day of the tests/interview, we will not be in a position to address these after the fact.

NOTE: Elements of the selection process may be undertaken by third parties. In such circumstances it will be necessary for your information to be shared between publicjobs and these parties in order for your application to be processed.

Deeming of candidature to be withdrawn

Candidates who do not complete and submit the Application and Assessment Questionnaire before the closing date; attend for interview or other test when and where required; attend/undertake any subsequent stage of the selection process as requested or who do not, when requested, furnish such evidence as required in regard to any matter relevant to their candidature, will have no further claim to consideration.

Candidates are expected to provide all requested documentation to publicjobs, including all forms issued by us for completion, within five days of request. Failure to do so will result in the candidate being deemed to have withdrawn from the competition and their candidature will receive no further consideration.

Please Note:

Qualifications/eligibility may not be confirmed until the final stage of the process, therefore, those candidates who do not possess the essential requirements, on or by the dates as specified, and proceed with their application are putting themselves to unnecessary effort/expense and will not be offered a position from this competition.

Please note that, given the volume of applications, publicjobs is not in a position to consider or offer advice on the qualifications/eligibility of individuals unless they come under consideration. The onus is on the candidate to ensure they fulfil the eligibility requirements as set out.

publicjobs reserves the right to deem an applicant ineligible at any stage if it is apparent that the candidate does not hold the required eligibility/qualifications, e.g. from the submitted application form.

Candidates who are unable to demonstrate that they hold/will hold the required qualification(s) by the deadline specified may be withdrawn from the competition at any stage. An invitation to tests, interview or any element of the selection process is not acceptance of eligibility.

Candidates who are placed on a panel and come under consideration for a position will be required to provide documentary evidence of their eligibility, including qualifications. Please be aware a transcript of results may be required; therefore, the onus is on candidates to have this information available if requested by publicjobs.

Reschedule Requests

Requests for a reschedule or change to a candidate’s allocated date/time for interview, etc. may only be considered in exceptional circumstances (i.e. bereavement/illness). Reschedules cannot be guaranteed as there are often strict time frames around the running of competitions and we may request supporting documentation as evidence.

Candidates who are rescheduled will be scored with their rescheduled batch where applicable and may not be reinserted into their original batch.

Please note that candidates who are permitted to reschedule will be given only one opportunity to do so.

Eligibility Requirements

General

The eligibility criteria for the role of Temporary Clerical Office are set out in the Role Information Booklet. The admission of a person to a recruitment competition, or an invitation to any stage of the assessment process (including the provision of results of such an assessment process) does not mean that we have verified that a candidate meets the eligibility requirements. The verification checks are often done just prior to recommending a candidate for appointment (due to the number of applications we receive) and therefore only candidates who meet the eligibility requirements should apply for recruitment competitions.

In addition to fulfilling the eligibility criteria set out in the Role Information Booklet, candidates must:

▪ Have the knowledge and ability to discharge the duties of the post concerned;

▪ Be suitable on the grounds of health and character;

▪ Be suitable in all other relevant respects for appointment to the post concerned.

If successful, candidates will not be appointed to the post unless they:

▪ Agree to undertake the duties attached to the post and accept the conditions under which the duties are, or may be required to be, performed;

▪ Are fully competent and available to undertake, and fully capable of undertaking, the duties attached to the position.

Pre-Employment Checks

At the end of the selection process a panel of qualified candidates is formed from which vacancies may be filled. A panel is made up of candidates who have been deemed suitably qualified having successfully completed the assessments, e.g. Testing, Interview, Presentation etc.

The panel may consist of multiple batches as candidates are brought through the full assessment process in response to demand from clients. As vacancies arise, they will be filled from the panel of suitably qualified candidates.

When a candidate is placed on a panel, they will have to wait for a vacancy to arise that corresponds with their order of merit. publicjobs has no foresight as to how many vacancies may be filled over the lifetime of the panel, and potentially candidates may not be reached on the order of merit.

Qualification and placement on a panel is not a guarantee of appointment to a position.

Several pre-employment checks must be completed before candidates are deemed suitable for appointment. These checks are carried out to satisfy publicjobs that the candidate fulfils all necessary requirements.

Before a candidate is appointed, we will make all enquiries that are deemed necessary, including checks relating to health and character, employer references, qualifications, security checks (including international checks), and any other enquiries to determine the suitability of that candidate.

If you are currently employed, please note a reference from your current employer will be required in advance of your assignment from the panel. This will be requested at the final stage of the pre-employment checks process.

Until all stages of the recruitment and clearance process have been fully completed, a final determination cannot be made, and no offer of appointment will be made until these checks have been satisfactorily completed.

Candidates must be in good health, capable and competent of carrying out the work assigned to them, and they must also be of good character. Those under consideration for a position will be required to complete a health and character declaration.

Some posts will require additional security clearance and will require completion of a form for Garda vetting purposes.

In the event of conflicts of interest, candidates may not be considered for certain posts.

Where any requirements of the pre-employment checks stage are deemed unsatisfactory or cannot be obtained, we reserve the right to disqualify a candidate from any further consideration for appointment or termination of employment where an appointment has already been made.

Please Note:

Given the sensitive nature of some roles, individuals coming under consideration for these positions must undergo additional security checks/screening. Candidates must be willing at the Pre-Employment Checks stage to submit to and pass a detailed security assessment.

Security Clearance

You will be required to complete and return a Garda eVetting form should you come under consideration for appointment. This form will be forwarded to An Garda Síochána for security checks on all Irish and Northern Irish addresses at which you resided.

If you subsequently come under consideration for a position in another recruitment competition within 6 months of being vetted by publicjobs, please notify us as you may not be required to complete a further Garda Vetting Form.

If you have resided/studied in countries outside of the Republic of Ireland for a consecutive period of 12 months or more after the age of 18, it is mandatory for you to furnish a Police Clearance Certificate from those countries stating that you have no convictions recorded against you while residing there.

You will need to provide a separate Police Clearance Certificate for each country you have resided in. The clearance Certificate must be dated after the date you left the country.

It is your responsibility to seek security clearances in a timely fashion as they can take some time. You cannot be appointed without this information being provided and deemed satisfactory by publicjobs.

Candidates should be aware that any information obtained in the Garda Vetting process can be made available to the employing authority.

Appointments from Panels

At the end of the selection process a panel of qualified candidates is formed from which vacancies may be filled. A panel is a list of qualified candidates ranked in order of merit from the interview stage of the selection process.

Due to the nature of TCO roles, and the short time frame involved, candidates may complete the Pre-Employment Checks stage in advance of vacancies becoming available.

For some candidates, satisfactory completion of the Pre-Employment Checks stage may not result in an assignment, as candidates will have to wait for a vacancy to correspond with their county Order of Merit and their location choice (where applicable).

This panel may remain in place up to January 2028 or until such time as a new panel is in place.

For those recruitment competitions where a panel(s) of qualified candidates is formed at the end of the competition in order to fill ongoing vacancies, the panel is made up of candidates who have been deemed suitably qualified having successfully completed all elements of the assessment process.

The panel may consist of multiple batches of candidates that are brought through the full assessment process in stages (in response to the ongoing demand from clients).

As vacancies arise, they will be filled from the panel.

When a candidate is placed on a panel, they must wait for a vacancy to arise that corresponds with their place on the order of merit; all candidates will be given their place on the final order of merit at the end of the assessment process.

Other factors may also be considered when appointing candidates, such as location preference and areas of interest/specialism.

Candidates who are not in the first batch called forward for final assessment should note that there may be already batches in place ahead of them and their overall placement on the panel may be impacted by this.

Confidentiality

Candidates can expect that all enquiries, applications and all aspects of the proceedings to the extent that they are managed by publicjobs are treated as strictly confidential subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

However, candidates should note that all application material may be made available to the employing authority/organisation.

Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, are extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.

Quality Customer Service

We aim to provide an excellent quality service to all our customers. If, for whatever reason, you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive from us, we urge you to bring this to the attention of the unit or staff member concerned.

This is important as it ensures that we are aware of the problem and can take the appropriate steps to resolve it.

Use of External Assistance

All candidates are required to complete assessments honestly and independently, without external assistance. The use of online systems, software or any form of artificial intelligence is strictly forbidden.

Candidate submissions are subject to various checks to ensure that these tools are not utilised, and that the rules are followed. This includes duplication, originality and response pattern checks.

As these are competitive processes, these checks are required to ensure fairness and originality of work submitted.

Where a breach occurs, publicjobs will consider sanctions which may result in disqualification from the competition or a requirement to re-complete the assessment under supervised conditions.

Use of Recording Equipment

publicjobs does not allow the unsanctioned use of any type of recording equipment. This applies to any form of sound recording and any type of still picture or video recording, whether including sound recording or not, and covers any type of device used for these purposes.

Any person wishing to use such equipment for any of these purposes must seek written permission in advance.

This policy is in place to protect the privacy of staff and candidates/clients and the integrity of our assessment material and assessment processes.

Unsanctioned use of recording equipment by any person is a breach of this policy.

Any candidate involved in such a breach could be disqualified from the competition and could be subject to prosecution under section 55 of the Public Service Management (Recruitment & Appointments) Act, 2004.

In addition, where a person found guilty of an offence was or is a candidate at a recruitment process, then:

• Where they have not been appointed to a post, they will be disqualified as a candidate, and

• Where they have been appointed subsequently to the recruitment process in question, they shall forfeit that appointment.

Candidates' Obligations

Candidates must not:

• knowingly or recklessly provide false information

• canvass any person with or without inducements

• personate a candidate at any stage of the process

• interfere with or compromise the process in any way

Please note: If publicjobs is not notified of any issues you experience in advance of or on the day of your assessment/interview, we will not be in a position to address these after the fact.