Interviews

Yes, I know someone who received directly an offer by e-mail, without any interview. And this was happening in the week after the preselection results. YES, cruel is definetely the word!

@mkrk, I know, it is all a bit of a mess. Perhaps you can call or email your contact within DG COMP on Monday, to ask them if they successfully reserved you.

@giova23, I don't think that is necessarily the case. It is possible not all of the 600-650 positions will be filled - some candidates may appear on more than one list. I assume selection will continue through next week as well.

Their website says we will know the final result by mid June.

But just in terms of procedure so that I k ow what to expect. After Friday, candidates will be reserved. After that, you will receive a final offer from the traineeship office mid July (since mid June has already passed). But once you've been reserved, this is a formality. Am I getting this right?

Yes, that is my understanding. Furthermore, once one unit reserves you, you disappear from the Blue Book and will not be visible to other units. If your unit informs you that you have been reserved, then the email from the TO is a mere formality.

But for those of us who have not been or will not be reserved by tomorrow, then I hold out hope that there will still be further chances next week. Perhaps this will be the list the TO referenced in the pre-selection confirmation email.

So the earliest to be contacted is on Monday (reserved candidates) and the latest is the end of next week?

ps. the emails are posted by the way

Hey everyone. Does anybody have any clue/info about what are these posted e-mail of DG's are for? My guess is for lobby and also I see that not all DG's are included.. maybe those are the ones that are still searching for trainees.. ?

It seems to me that the emails they posted for the HR offices of particular DGs, so maybe it's not so much for lobbying purposes but rather to inquire about our situation within a particular DG following the interviews he had this week... any thoughts?

@marta_k yeah, that seems logical. I am wondering whether all DG have already selected people or not. It seems like majority have, but on EC website it says that they will select only in July

I was interviewed by a DG that is not listed there...?

Not all DGs will be on the list, I think it's mainly to serve as a point of contact to check on your progress, as has already been said - but it can't hurt to email them if you've not been contacted by anyone, to see if they can suggest someone who may still need a trainee.

bilgeyis wrote:@marta_k yeah, that seems logical. I am wondering whether all DG have already selected people or not. It seems like majority have, but on EC website it says that they will select only in July

As far as I can tell, the vast majority have selected people, and the next few weeks are for admin etc. I received a text from the team that selected me, saying that they've successfully picked/been allocated me and I should receive the formal offer by mid-July - so it seems like the "select in July" is more about actually receiving written confirmation than anything else.

My questions are:
-Does anyone know if you haven't heard anything by now if there is any hope?
- Can (unofficial) offers still be made this week? In mid July is there any hope of recieving an offer if you weren't contacted during the pre-selection period?

EPSO called me on Tuesday 27 June (day after the pre-selections were announced), but in the end seem to have selected another candidate. As such I started my lobbying a little late (Thursday) and received very few responses - one saying from HOME Directorate C (Migration and Protection) to say they had found a trainee already and one or two others saying they would pass my email along to those they thought might have positions. I have emailed a few of those listed to see if there are still positions available.

Hi,

was wondering the same as Sarah... Has anyone received an informal o formal offer so far?

Hello guys, I emailed the DG that contacted me last Tuesday and her reply was the following:

"We absolutely are still considering having you as our next trainee. Have you received any further offers?"

So there are definitely still chances of getting picked!

Hello!

From what I heard, each unit has its own modus operandi. Some of them call or e-mail the candidats, other do not and just surprise them with an offer. I only met people who just got an e-mail the second week with an offer.
So even those who haven't been contacted (I'm in too) still have the chance!

I'm in! Received an email from DG Comp this morning. They told me that the official offer will come soon. I had my doubts after I didn't hear back from them before Friday but don't let your hopes get down because the selection process still very much appears to be a work in progress. Best of luck to you all!

Do you guys think official offers come all together?

Am I the only one who is slightly (to say the least) confused about this whole pre-selection process? I was contacted by one DG the same day as the results from the eligibility check came out and was more or less offered a position by that unit the same day over email (which I accepted). I was told they would notify the Traineeships Office later that day that I was their preferred candidate. However, as I wanted to make sure to keep my options open I also contacted another unit at a different DG and scheduled an interview for the following day, and they did not seem to be able to see that I had received an offer by another DG. I was then contacted by a third DG, which made me a bit confused seeing I though I would be 'blocked' in the BB system as soon as a unit notified the TO that I was their preferred candidate??

I find that the info about this part of the process has been rather unclear, and I don't want to risk making a bad impression in other units that I might be in contact with in the future by making them think I am still available when in fact I might have already been 'spoken for'? :/

So basically, this comes down to three questions:
- Is it possible to receive multiple offers from different units?
- WHAT is actually the role and influence of the TO in this process?
- At what point (if at all?) are you blocked in the system for other units to contact/select you?

SiriF wrote:Am I the only one who is slightly (to say the least) confused about this whole pre-selection process? I was contacted by one DG the same day as the results from the eligibility check came out and was more or less offered a position by that unit the same day over email (which I accepted). I was told they would notify the Traineeships Office later that day that I was their preferred candidate. However, as I wanted to make sure to keep my options open I also contacted another unit at a different DG and scheduled an interview for the following day, and they did not seem to be able to see that I had received an offer by another DG. I was then contacted by a third DG, which made me a bit confused seeing I though I would be 'blocked' in the BB system as soon as a unit notified the TO that I was their preferred candidate??

I find that the info about this part of the process has been rather unclear, and I don't want to risk making a bad impression in other units that I might be in contact with in the future by making them think I am still available when in fact I might have already been 'spoken for'? :/

So basically, this comes down to three questions:
- Is it possible to receive multiple offers from different units?
- WHAT is actually the role and influence of the TO in this process?
- At what point (if at all?) are you blocked in the system for other units to contact/select you?

I feel you so much. I was called by one Unit just the day after we were preselected, and the lady seemed super interested in my profile. However, when she asked me if I was going to accept other offers, I told her that my only real preference was the DG that I put first in the application.

This morning I get in contact we her again, and she tells me that they "absolutely are still considering me" and asks me whether I "received any further offers". I simply told her that I was not contacted by anyone else and that maybe she could simply check if my name was still in the bluebook (or if my name was blocked). I guess my last line put her a bit off because she replied in a rather annoyed manner (something like "...… I cannot check your status. All I can tell you is that we chose three applicants and you are one of them.").

So yeah, I think what is really best is to just wait and do nothing!

I'm also in a bit of a weird situation. I was contacted by four units. For the purposes of anonymity, I'm just going to call them A, B, C and D.

My preference was for Unit A, who attempted to book me but couldn't because I had not chosen them as one of my three preferred DGs in the application. Now, to be honest, I didn't know what my preferred DGs were back in January, so I just picked three I recognised.

Anyway, apparently Unit D booked me. Yay - something is better than nothing and I like their work too. There was a bit of a back and forth between these units, myself and the Traineeship Office. That has lead to Unit D releasing me. However, as it transpires, Unit A are still not able to book me so now I am unreserved. The wonders of bureaucracy.

So unless another unit comes in to save the day, it seems I am not going to be participating in the traineeship. Needless to say, it is a little frustrating. If a unit cannot choose a candidate who did not list them as one of their three preferred DGs, then why can they even view the applications of and conduct interviews with these candidates?

The whole thing is bizarre. Oh well, fingers crossed things work out still. I think I will start to lobby again.

I agree with you guys completely. This is the shadiest part of the whole procedure. They should change it so that they can only book you with your authorization. It's nuts that you might end up somewhere you don't even want to be.

TanzVerbot wrote:I'm also in a bit of a weird situation. I was contacted by four units. For the purposes of anonymity, I'm just going to call them A, B, C and D.

My preference was for Unit A, who attempted to book me but couldn't because I had not chosen them as one of my three preferred DGs in the application. Now, to be honest, I didn't know what my preferred DGs were back in January, so I just picked three I recognised.

Anyway, apparently Unit D booked me. Yay - something is better than nothing and I like their work too. There was a bit of a back and forth between these units, myself and the Traineeship Office. That has lead to Unit D releasing me. However, as it transpires, Unit A are still not able to book me so now I am unreserved. The wonders of bureaucracy.

So unless another unit comes in to save the day, it seems I am not going to be participating in the traineeship. Needless to say, it is a little frustrating. If a unit cannot choose a candidate who did not list them as one of their three preferred DGs, then why can they even view the applications of and conduct interviews with these candidates?

The whole thing is bizarre. Oh well, fingers crossed things work out still. I think I will start to lobby again.

WHAT? So unless you have indicated a specific DG in your initial application they cannot select you automatically?

And you have already been in contact with the TO?

Has anyone else received a formal offer yet from the TO yet?

All I can say is that I really don't know. This is what was communicated to me as the reason why Unit A ultimately couldn't reserve me. But there is a structural contradiction in this point of bureaucracy because Unit D, who at one point had successfully reserved me, was also not listed in my application's three preferences.

So I am confused. If so much weight is to be placed on the DGs one selected back in January, then fine. Two things though: a) don't tease the applicants with interviews from ineligible units, and b) apply the rule consistently.

I'm still hoping this will all work out but I am feeling rather helpless right now.

I guess we are all in the same boat. I believe that those in charge for selecting candidates have already experienced issues like these. What I think it's the case is that DGs that were listed as preferences have themselves the preference for picking three candidates. Then, other DGs can pick whoever is left. I don't see any other explanation given what you guys are saying. Plus, I think everybody is getting super paranoid (myself included), so maybe we should just wait...

I did not list DG Comp as one of my three preferred, and they did not tell me of any problems with selecting me. So it sounds a bit strange.

I entirely agree on the paranoia part! Haha, what has become of me?

Right, I am just gonna sit tight and see how the cards fall with my conundrum.

Is this week is supposed to be the one when we hear latest news on our status?

bilgeyis wrote:Is this week is supposed to be the one when we hear latest news on our status?

I received an offer today and the person I spoke to told me I would most likely hear back from the TO next week... Perhaps this is the last week for the DG's to find candidates and indicate their preferences?

On another note, what happens if you receive multiple offers? Will you be contacted by the TO or is it up to them to decide? Does is matter if the offer is made by a DG that is not on your 'preferred list' in the initial application (as in, does it change the hierarchy between the offers)?

They should be able to book you regardless of whether you listed them or not. I was contacted and booked by units I had both listed and not listed. As far as I know, if you are booked by multiple units as a first choice, you get to decide which of the two you pick. Additionally, Cabinet bookings in principle tend to overrule any bookings from DGs.

Can anyone share a template of email that they've sent out to DGs to inquire about the status of their application? I was gonna have an interview with a DG that wasn't listed on my preferences (but the job description did fit my skills). However the person emailed me at the last minute telling me that "according to the platform "blue book", i was the first choice for an internship at another DG. As this DG is part of my preference, she supposes I will accept their proposition".

I have not been contacted by the said DG at all so i'm not sure if should jump of joy yet or if i should ask them to confirm... Any thoughts??

SiriF wrote:

bilgeyis wrote:Is this week is supposed to be the one when we hear latest news on our status?

I received an offer today and the person I spoke to told me I would most likely hear back from the TO next week... Perhaps this is the last week for the DG's to find candidates and indicate their preferences?

On another note, what happens if you receive multiple offers? Will you be contacted by the TO or is it up to them to decide? Does is matter if the offer is made by a DG that is not on your 'preferred list' in the initial application (as in, does it change the hierarchy between the offers)?  

For your information, I received this from the TO: "If selected, you will receive only one placement offer." I am quite sure they decide which offer you will get and select it according to your preferences in the application.