Online Application Manual

http://www.eu-careers.eu

March 2011

1. Introduction: Tips to help you with your application 3

2. The epsO account 4

3. self assessment 7

4. The on-line application form 8

A. RegistRAtion DAtA 8

B. My PRofile 91. Education and training 9

2. ProfEssional ExPEriEncE 10

3. languagE skills 10

C. MotivAtion AnD stRengths 101. ExPEriEncE 11

2. intErEst 11

3. Your contribution to thE Eu 11

4. strEngths 11

D. eligiBility 111. gEnEral conditions 11

2. sPEcific conditions 12

e. tAlent sCReeneR 12

f. oveRview 13

g. DeClARAtion 13

CONTeNT

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this Manual will help you while you apply for the competition or selection procedure that interests you. it will guide you through all the stages of the on-line application procedure. it is divided into three parts:

How to create an EPSO Account ;A guide to the Self Assessment ;How to apply for a competition or selection procedure. ;

You can print the manual or open it as a separate page to consult on-screen.

hErE arE fivE tiPs to hElP You with Your aPPlication:

1. You will need to have an EPSO Account before applying.

2. Read the Guide to open competitions1 and the Notice of competition or the Call for expression of interest carefully.

3. Check that you have all the necessary documents at hand (qualifications, contracts of employment, references etc.) and start your on-line application in good time. You may need several hours to complete it. Don’t forget to save it regularly!

4. All the boxes marked with an asterisk (*) must be completed or you will not be able to validate your application. Before validating it be sure to check all the information you have entered. after validation you will not be able to change or delete it.

5. Applying for a competition or selection procedure may take several hours so be sure to take the time you need to complete the application form properly. Validation may take several minutes so be sure to validate your application before the deadline.

1. Introduction: Tips to help you with your application

1 The Guide to open competitions is only applicable to open competitions and not to other selection procedures.

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The EPSO Account is the electronic interface between you and EPSO. It enables you to apply for all competitions or selection procedures that interest you. It also holds your personal details, allows them to be updated, keeps a record2 of the applications that you have validated and enables EPSO to communicate with you. As EPSO will not send emails or reminders to candidates we advise you to check your EPSO account regularly.

The EPSO Account is not a database for unsolicited applications. EPSO only accepts applications in response to notices of competitions or calls for expression of interest.

You can create your EPSO account at any time, even if there are no competitions or selection procedures open. Go to https://europa.eu/epso/application/passport/

It is strictly forbidden to have more than one EPSO account. If you already have an EPSO Account via which you have made one or more applications please use it for all new applications.

Creating more than one account will cause problems accessing those accounts.

If you create more than one account in order to apply to different competitions or selection procedures published at the same time (when this is not allowed) you will be excluded from the competitions or selection procedures concerned.

If you think you have more than one EPSO account you should contact EPSO. Go to https://europa.eu/epso/application/passport/webform.cfm?usertype=1&lang=en&langsub=ok

CReAting youR ePso ACCount

EPSO Login (user name)

Your login is important. It is used to identify you when you log in to your EPSO account. Choose a login that is easy to remember, your email address for example. You can check to see if the login you have chosen is available by clicking on this icon “ ”. If you forget your login you can find it again via the website.

Password

Choose a password with at least eight characters. Try to make it one you can remember easily. You will be asked to enter it a second time. If you forget it you can reset it via the website.

2. The epsO account

2 In accordance with Personal Data Protection regulations. For further information go to http://europa.eu/geninfo/legal_notices_en.htm#personaldata

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PErsonal inforMation

You should enter information about yourself, including your first name, your surname and your date of birth. Make sure the information is the same as on your passport or identity card or on any other valid official document bearing your photograph that you use to prove your identity. You will need to show this at EPSO’s request.

Main Language

Your main language (language 1) must be one of the 23 official languages of the European Union. This language will be given by default as your main language in your application form. You can change it when you apply for a competition but the change will only apply to that application and it will not alter anything in your EPSO Account.

Citizenship

Your citizenship must be the same as that shown on your passport, identity card or other valid official document. It will be given by default as your citizenship in your application form.

Second Citizenship

If you have a second citizenship you should enter it in the box intended for this. It also must be the same as shown on your passport, identity card or other valid official document.

Your Residential Address

This must be the address where you currently live. It must be updated whenever you change your address. This address will be used later in the selection process to calculate any contribution to your travel expenses, should this be applicable.

Your Email Address, Telephone and Fax Numbers

You should use a valid email address. Please give the international and area codes for telephone and fax numbers.

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saving Your PErsonal data

If you have completed all the information correctly please save by clicking on the button.

Your EPSO account has been created.

If you have to make changes to your Family name at birth/Family name/Date of birth/Citizenship send us, by email (EPSO-PERS-DATA@ec.europa.eu) or fax (No +32 (0) 2 2979617), a copy of an official document justifying the change (copy of your passport, national identity card, legal decision, etc.).

Once your request has been accepted by EPSO, the change will be visible in your EPSO Account. Please note that your request for change of personal details will be denied if no proof is provided within five days.

All subsequent changes to your personal information, residential or email address must also be saved in your account.

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depending on the competition or selection procedure chosen you may have to undertake the following admission tests (they are a series of multiple-choice tests3):

Verbal reasoning ;Numerical reasoning ;Abstract reasoning ;Situational judgement ;

To assist you in preparing for the admission tests we have provided self-assessment tests which are designed to help you assess your performance and your chances of success in a competition or selection procedure. The level of difficulty of these self-assessment tests corresponds to that of the real computer-based admission tests you will take at the test centre.

The non-eliminatory self-assessment tests are available in English, French and German only. They can only be accessed during the registration period for the competition or selection procedure. before accessing your EPso account to complete the application form you will be required to take this compulsory on-line self assessment.

To make the best use of these self-assessment tests you should take them in a language other than your main one (language 1). The tests are timed and they will be displayed in the order listed above, you must take them in that order.

For linguist competitions in particular EPSO provides a separate self-assessment test in order to help you to assess whether your knowledge of the language chosen as your main language (language 1) is sufficient for the level of difficulty of the competition.

You will be provided with feedback at the end of these tests to help you decide whether to apply and what are your chances of success in the admission tests. EPSO does not record or use the results of these tests.

3. self Assessment

3 The languages for the admission tests will be indicated in the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest.

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4. The on-line application form

Before starting your application please check that all the details in your EPSO account are correct and up-to-date.

A lot of information is required and completing the application form will take a considerable amount of time. This is why EPSO gives candidates four weeks in which to complete and validate their application. Be sure to give yourself enough time and avoid leaving it to the last minute. Please note that in order to register your application and have it taken into account you must click on the “validate application” button.

Validation is not immediate and may take several minutes. It is your responsibility to validate your application before the deadline mentioned in the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest. EPSO cannot accept requests for admission from candidates who fail the complete the validation of their applications by the deadline.

Please note that EPSO’s systems do not support all features of all Internet browsers. If you have problems we suggest you try another browser. If you have technical problems more help is available in the “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) section of our website.

To choose the type of competition or selection procedure for which you wish to apply and start your on-line application please click here http://europa.eu/epso/apply/index_en.htm#

You should complete the on-line application form in English, French or German.

A. RegistRAtion DAtACheck that you have chosen the right competition or selec-tion procedure and the right field, option and/or channel.

Please be aware that as soon as you start your application, the system will give you a temporary reference number (T-XXXXX). When your application has been validated this number will then become your actual application number. It is the same as the temporary reference number but with-out the “T”. You can see it on screen, at the top of the form.

You should enter the number of your passport, identity card or other valid official document bearing your photo-graph that you will use to prove your identity when asked to do so by EPSO.

For certain competitions or selection procedures, you are requested to indicate the city in which you are likely to take the admission tests. You may alter your choice when you register for the actual tests.

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Choice of Languages

You should pay particular attention to this part. The choices you make here will determine in which languages you will have to take the different stages of the competition or selection procedure.

Your main language (language 1) is the language of which you have, at least, a thorough knowledge (level c14). It must be one of the 23 official languages of the European Union. It can be your mother tongue or another language of which you have a thorough knowledge (level C14). For some competitions, you will need to have a perfect command (level c24) of this language.

You should have at least a satisfactory knowledge (level B24) of your choice for language 2. For some competitions for linguists, you will need to have a thorough knowledge (level c14) of it. It must be different from language 1.

For some competitions, selections or calls for expression of interest, notably linguist competitions, other language skills may be requested. Again, please refer to the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest.

For more information about the choice and the required level of languages you should refer to the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest.

Special requirements

If you need any special assistance when taking part in the tests please indicate this here. You will need to send a certificate from the competent authority or a medical certificate to “EPSO Accessibility” in order for your request to be taken into consideration. For more information go to http://europa.eu/epso/discover/selection_proced/equal/index_en.htm

B. My PRofile

1. Education and trainingYou should enter each stage of your education or training (provided you have a certificate for it). Start with the most recent. Make sure that you include the qualification that gives you access to the competition or selection procedure. It is not necessary to mention your primary school-ing. You should concentrate on the qualifications that are most relevant to your application. All fields in this section must be completed, with the exception of “Level in national classification” which is optional.

For some competitions students who are in their final year of study at university may mention their qualification in the field reserved for this. To find out by when the qualification must be obtained please refer to point 2.1 of the “Eligibility” section of the Notice of competition.

4 There is a self-assessment grid on the EUROPASS website to help you evaluate your skills. Go to http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/CEF/LanguageSelfAssessmentGrid.csp

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If you are currently following any other educational course or if you have followed any training for which there was no diploma or certificate and/or which was only of short duration and you think that it is important to mention it for the competition or selection procedure you can enter the information in the section “Motivation and Strengths”.

2. ProfEssional ExPEriEncEIf professional experience is required you should describe all the jobs you have had that you consider relevant to your application, starting with the most recent.

If you are looking for your first job you can mention any contact you have had with the working environment, such as work experience or work placements.

If your professional experience is on-going you should choose “Today” (at the bottom of the calendar) as the end date. Please note that any professional experience gained after the closing date for on-line applications will not be taken into account.

You may use up to 1 500 characters5 in each “Nature of Duties” section.

3. languagE skills

You must enter here all your language skills even though you have already entered certain languages in the first part of the application form under the section “Registration Data”. You must enter your main language (language 1) here too.

To remind you – you must have at least a thorough knowledge (level C14) of your main language (language 1) and a satisfactory knowledge (level B24) of your second language. EPSO does not take into account any languages where your knowledge is at level A1.4

C. MotivAtion AnD stRengthsThis information is very important as your answers will be read by the Selection Board and may be used at subsequent stages of the selection process. Please take time to think carefully about how you want to present yourself and what you want to write here. You may use up to 2 000 characters5 in each of the four sections.

5 Including spaces and special characters (ç, ^, ß, õ, ü, etc).

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1. ExPEriEncE

How is your education and experience relevant to this particular profile?

2. intErEst

You should explain why you have decided to apply for work in the European institutions/agencies.

You should also explain why this particular profile interests you.

3. Your contribution to thE Eu

What specific contribution do you think you could make to the work of the European institutions and agencies?

In what role could you best contribute?

What particular strengths would you bring to your work?

4. strEngths

Outline two of your main achievements. Describe what they are, the process you went through and their positive outcomes for you and for others.

For AD and AST3 competitions or selection procedures you should describe a project or activity that you were involved in and where you undertook a leading role or made a decisive contribu-tion. Set out the main steps and explain your input from the beginning to completion.

D. eligiBilityIn order to be able to validate your application you have to fulfil these conditions. Click on the button in each case.

1. gEnEral conditions

You need to fulfil all the conditions when you apply.

For condition a you will need to prove your citizenship with a valid official document (passport, identity card or other valid official document).

For conditions b, c and d, no proof will be required at this stage. You will need to provide proof upon request before recruitment.

5 Including spaces and special characters (ç, ^, ß, õ, ü, etc).

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I am a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.a. I enjoy my full rights as a citizen of the European Union.b. I have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service. c. You must have already fulfilled any military service obligations required by your Member State. If you do not have military service obligations you should answer “yes”. I meet the character requirements for the duties involved. d. For detailed information concerning character requirements please see “Title II” of the Staff Regulations: Rights and Obligations of Officials. Go to http://eur-lex.eu-ropa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/consleg/1962/R/01962R0031-20060701-en.pdf

2. sPEcific conditions

You will also need to prove (with diplomas and/or contracts of employment), when asked to do so6, that you fulfil conditions e and f.

I meet the minimum requirements concerning Qualifications as specified in the Notice of e. competition/Call for expression of interest (including professional experience or training if applicable). I meet the requirements concerning Professional experience as specified in the Notice of f. competition/Call for expression of interest (if applicable). If no professional experience is required you should answer “yes”.

The specific requirements for qualifications and experience for each competition or selection procedure are set out in the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest.

I meet the language requirements as mentioned in the Notice of competition/Call for g. expression of interest. Please refer to Section 4.A. Registration Data.

e. tAlent sCReeneRThis section is not applicable for all competitions or selection procedures. If you have chosen a competition or selection procedure for specialists you will be asked to answer a series of questions aimed at evaluating the relevance, quality and level of your qualifications and experience. You may use up to 4 000 characters5 in each of the sections. This information will be used in the first step of the selection procedure during which the Selection Board will select the best candidates who will be invited to the assessment centre.

6 Unless otherwise stated in the Notice of Competition (see the section “How to Apply”) or Call for expression of interest.

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f. oveRviewYou have an overview here of all the information you have entered. If anything is in red it means you have not filled it in correctly. Please pay particular attention to the limit on the number of characters in certain sections. You will need to complete any missing information in order to be able to validate your application. All obligatory information must be completed.

g. DeClARAtionAfter having completed your application form you must declare on your word of honour that the information and the documents you will produce in support of it are true and complete.

You must click on the button “validate application” for it to be validated and taken into account. Validation is not immediate and may take several minutes. It is your responsibility to validate your application before the deadline mentioned in the Notice of competition or Call for expression of interest. Please remember that after validation you will not be able to change anything because the application will be processed by EPso. It is at this point that you will be able to see your actual application number at the top of the screen.

Everything you enter in your online application form must be accurate and comply with the supporting documents that you provide when asked to do so. 6 EPSO informs you that should this not be the case, your application for the competition or selection procedure will be consid-ered null and void.

For those competitions or selection procedures with admission tests you will receive a letter in your EPSO account giving you information about the tests and the booking procedure. You will have to book an appointment for your test by the deadline indicated in that letter.

To print your on-line application form click on the button “Print application form” in the “Declaration” tab. A new window will open with a printable version of the form.

For information about when you have to:

print out, ;sign (your signature must be handwritten), ;attach supporting documents and ;submit ;

a copy of your application form please refer to the Notice of competition, point 2 of the “How to Apply” section, or to the Call for expression of interest.

You will be able to view your application form via your EPSO Account at any time throughout the selection process.

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It is your responsibility to monitor the progress of the competition or selection procedure and to check for information concerning you by consulting your EPSO Account regularly, at least twice a week.

If you have any questions please look at the “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) section on the website. If you do not find the information you need there you can contact the Candidate Contact Service. You will find the details on our website.

EPSO wishes you good luck!

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