Applicant Guide to the e-recruitment System Directorate General Human Resources, Budget and Organisation Recruitment & Compensation Division December 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LOGGING IN 3 2. SEARCHING FOR A POSITION 3 3. REGISTRATION 5 3. 1 HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A NEW APPLICANT 5 3.1.1 Screening questions 6 3.1.2 Registration form 7 3.2 RETURNING APPLICANTS 7 3.3 FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD 8 4. FILLING IN THE APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT 10 4.1 PERSONAL DETAILS 10 4.2 WORK EXPERIENCE 11 4.3 EDUCATION AND TRAINING 13 4.4 COURSES 14 4.5 PERSONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES 16 4.6 ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS 17 4.7 APPLICATION QUESTIONS 18 4.8 DIVERSITY 20 5. SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION 20 6. LATE APPLICATIONS 21 7. MANAGING YOUR ACCOUNT 24 7.1 UPDATING YOUR DETAILS 24 7.2 APPLICATION HISTORY 24 7.3 MAIL HISTORY 26 8. GENERAL INFORMATION 27 9. RETENTION OF PERSONAL DATA 27 10. SPECULATIVE APPLICATIONS 27 Page 2
1. Logging in You can access the Working for Europe web pages either from the intranet to view jobs advertised internally only or from the ECB web to view jobs advertised simultaneously, ie. positions advertised to the internal and external market. You need to have internet access to be able to view the advertised positions. 2. Searching for a position When you access the Working for Europe webpage you will see the Job Search facility. Click on View jobs at the bottom of the page to view all current vacancies or else narrow your search by setting the search criteria. This can either be the reference number (if known), an ECB business area, or specific text. Internal site where INTERNAL campaigns are advertised Click here to access external website External site where simultaneous campaigns are advertised Page 3
If there are no opportunities which match your criteria, a job alert registration is shown. Enter your e-mail address in the area provided. To activate this facility, you will need to follow the instructions included in the email you receive. Your job alert will not be activated until you have clicked on the link contained in the email. Page 4
If your search has produced a positive result, a list of vacancies will appear. Clicking on the job title will take you to the job description where you can find further details of the post. If you want to apply, then choose Click here to apply for this job. You can also notify a friend about this job opportunity by choosing Email these job details to a friend. 3. Registration 3.1 How to register for the first time as a new applicant If you choose to apply for a job you will need to register, and by doing so, open an account which you can update and use for several positions/campaigns. Page 5
3.1.1 Screening questions External candidates may first be required to answer a few Screening Questions, although this varies from one position to another. Screening questions call for Yes / No answers (e.g. Do you have 5 years in experience in field X, have you been in your current position for more than one year, etc). Based on your answers the system will allow you to move on further with your application for a given role, or not. If you do not yet possess an EU nationality but are in the process of applying for it, you will be given the opportunity of providing further details in the Application Questions (see Section 4.7 on page 18). You will then be directed to a set of questions which are mandatory for all externally advertised vacancy notices. You will either have to answer YES or NO to the security related questions. After you have made your selection, you must save your answer. Candidates are requested to note that they bear full responsibility to the response on the security questions as it will NOT be possible to change or amend any answers to these questions once a candidate has registered their interest for a position using their email address and password and logged in. If you have answered YES to any of the security questions, you must provide information to the Security Division at the ECB within 48 hours of completion otherwise your application will be considered incomplete. Page 6
Before you can proceed to the applicant registration, you must confirm that all information concerning the security clearance is complete. 3.1.2 Registration form Upon completion of the security declaration, you will then be directed to the Applicant Registration Form. In order to complete this form you must have a valid email address. If you have not applied through the e-recruitment system before, click on Register Now, fill in the form and choose Save details. All fields are mandatory (*) and the form cannot be saved if these field are left blank. Once these fields are completed, you will be taken to the application form. 3.2 Returning Applicants If you have already applied using the e-recruitment system you need to type in your email address and password and log in. Page 7
. 3.3 Forgotten your password If you have forgotten your password, the system will help you set up a new one. Please follow the next steps: From the Update My Details page click on Please email my password to me; Enter your email address and send by clicking on Email me. Page 8
Please note the link provided to you in this email will only be valid for a period of 24 hours. After this period if you wish to reset your password you must request another reset Upon receipt of email, candidate can either click on the link or paste in the browser to reactivate the password You can use the link provided below to reset your accounts password. Please note that this link is only valid for 24 hours. (Please note that this link below is used for example purposes only): https://gs6.globalsuccessor.com/fe/tpl_ecb01ssl.asp?newms=rp&id=iqkkgdjnzpysswzllhl m Yours sincerely, European Central Bank DIRECTORATE GENERAL HUMAN RESOURCES, BUDGET AND ORGANISATION Recruitment and Compensation Division Enter a new password and Submit. You can then login again to your account. Page 9
4. Filling in the Application for Employment The application form is split into different sections and all sections need to be filled in and saved before the application can be submitted. After you have saved the details in one section, you can move on to the next one or log out and return to complete the rest of the application later. Please be aware that the application must be completed and submitted before the advertised deadline. A reminder will be sent but if you miss the deadline, the system will prevent you from submitting your application. 4.1 Personal Details Fields marked with * are mandatory and must be filled in, otherwise you will be unable to save the page. If the Postcode/Zip/County field does not apply to you, enter a dash symbol (-). You can save the details you have entered any time by clicking on the Save Details button. Once you have completed this section, click "Please tick here when you have completed this section" and then on Save Details. After filling in each section you are taken back to the candidate summary page. Page 10
If you marked the section as complete, a check mark ( ) will appear under the column headed Completed next to the section name and the message Your details have been saved will appear. You should note that your application is still in draft status. 4.2 Work Experience In this section you should enter details about your current and past work experience. You must also give details on any career gaps or overlapping periods in your work history. Starting with your current or most recent experience, enter all your work and/or industrial placements and provide details of specific responsibilities, experience and knowledge gained. Providing a reason for leaving is not a mandatory requirement. Please note that when adding additional work experience, your current work experience will not appear first. However, the order is sorted chronologically via the back end. Please do not attach or send copies of certificates unless specifically requested within the vacancy notice. To add work experience, click on the link Add work experience Page 11
All fields marked with a * are mandatory fields and must be completed. Add a brief description of responsibilities, experience, knowledge gained and reasons for leaving. It is not a mandatory requirement to mention reason for leaving. (maximum number of characters 2000) forget to click on Save When completing the record for current employment, you are requested to insert the start date and instead of entering a fictitious end date, place a in the box still ongoing After completing, do not You have the option to edit or remove the data entered by clicking on either the Edit or the Remove button. Please note that if you remove a work experience, the record will also be removed from any previous applications you may have made. You can add further work experiences by clicking on Add Work Experience again. Once you have completed this section, click the Please tick here when you have completed this section. Do not forget to Save answers. Page 12
4.3 Education and Training In this section you must add details of your education and training. Starting with your highest educational qualification, please list all degrees, diplomas or certificates and/or titles you have been or will be awarded. To add a new qualification, click on the link Add new qualification Under Education Level, from the drop down box, please select either professional qualification, secondary education, university education (Bachelor, Masters, PhD or Postgraduate), from Country, please select the country where the study took place. Start date and End date, please select the range applicable to you. Institution and original title awarded are all free text fields. Do not forget to Save details. Page 13
You have the option to edit or remove data entered by clicking on either the Edit or Remove button. Please be advsied that if you remove a new qualification, the record will also be removed from any previous aplications you may have made. You can add further qualifications by clicking on Add New Qualification. Once you have completed this section, click Please tick here when you have completed this section. Please note that the information Awarded On, will no longer be populated with text. 4.4 Courses In this section, you can add details of all relevant courses you have attended or are currently attending. To add a new course, click on the link Add new course. Page 14
Course Title, Institution, City, Country and End Date are all mandatory fields and must be completed. Additional information pertaining to the course can be provided. Please do not forget to click on Save. You have the option to edit or remove data entered by clicking on either the Edit or Remove button. Please be advsied that if you remove a course, the record will also be removed from any previous applications you may have made. You can add further courses by clicking on Add New Course. Once you have completed this section, click Please tick here when you have completed this section. Page 15
4.5 Personal Skills and Competencies In this section, you should indicate your language skills, computer skills and any other information pertaining to your application that may be relevant. Languages Starting with English, please advise us of your reading, writing and speaking levels. You should do the same for any other official European Union (EU) languages that you have studied. For all our jobs, a very good command of English with proven drafting ability and a working knowledge of at least one other official Community language are required. If you wish to add more language options, fill in the fields above and then save. After saving, click again to access the page and new empty fields will appear. If you speak a language in addition to the official EU languages, you can add this information under motivational questions (see page 19). IT Skills and other information In this section you should highlight any IT skills that are of relevance to your application. Information that may have bearing e.g. contact persons, references, memberships, stays abroad etc. can be inserted in the box highlighted. Please insert information of relevance to your application. No information on trade union membership is required Page 16
You are requested to provide name, address and telephone number of at least two references. This is a mandatory field and must be completed. 4.6 Additional documents You may be requested to upload other documentation in support of your application (e.g. list of publications). Attaching supporting documentation is not mandatory unless specifically requested within the vacancy announcement. You can attach up to ten relevant documents(s) per application and if you are a returning applicant, you can reuse documents from previous applications. Please note that it is not a mandatory requirement to upload a Curriculum Vita. To upload a document Select Supporting Documentation; Click the Browse button to locate the file on your computer; then Click Upload File Let the page refresh. The document you uploaded appears on the screen. If you have uploaded the wrong document, you can delete it by clicking on Delete. To upload more than one document, repeat the process for each document. Page 17
If you are a returning applicant who has already applied to another job and if you have attached documentation, you can reuse the documentation for future positions: Click on Previous documents and let the page refresh. The new page which appears lists the documents you uploaded in previous applications. Click on Reuse to link a past attachment to the new position you are applying for. Please DO NOT attach picture or sound files. The only accepted document types are word documents (.doc), Rich Text Format documents (.rtf), excel documents (.xls) and Portable Document Format files (.pdf). To finalise, tick Please tick here when you have completed this section and Save details. 4.7 Application questions This section allows us to gather information in order to assess your motivation for applying for a position. Some additional applications questions may also be linked to a position in order to obtain supplementary information concerning your knowledge on certain job-related fields. Some application questions may also be loaded to gather additional information concerning your knowledge on certain job-related fields. Page 18
All Application Questions in this section are mandatory and are specific to the position you are applying for. To answer a question: Click on Answer Fill in your response to the question. Press Save Answer and you will again be taken to the Applications Questions section. The answer you have given will appear. Once you have answered all questions, click on Save answers. Please note that as long as you have not submitted your application you can edit the answers. Once the application submitted, the questions can no longer be changed. If you apply to another position, the page will be blank, so that you can elaborate on your motivation to that specific new role. Once you have completed this section, click the Tick here to mark this section as completed check box and then Save answers. If you do not possess the EU nationality but are in the process of applying for it, you should give further details in the free text box after Question 1. If you are in possession of an EU nationality, you can either insert your nationality or indicate Not Applicable. Page 19
4.8 Diversity As part of our equal opportunities monitoring we request candidates to complete the Diversity questionnaire. This section is for diversity monitoring purposes only. Once you have completed the section on diversity, you are only one step away from submitting your application. To save your information, please click on the Please tick here when you have completed this section check box and then Save details. 5. Submitting your application When all application sections are marked as ( ) Completed, you will be in a position to submit your application. On the top of the screen a message saying All sections are now complete - you must proceed to the Declaration of Honour"before you can submit your application." Please note that your application is NOT complete until you click here to proceed to the Declaration of Honour. Page 20
At this stage your application is not yet submitted. You need to first show your acceptance of the Declaration of Honour by reading the statement and clicking on Submit your Application button. The process is now completed and you will receive a confirmation by email that your application has been submitted. 6. Late Applications Applications must be submitted within the deadline. If you start an application and do not complete it, the system will send you a reminder two days after your initial registration for a position reminding you to complete and submit your application. Page 21
If you are trying to apply for another position yet you have an application which is still incomplete, you will be prompted to put one of the applications on hold. You can return to the application still on hold at any time by clicking on the "Show previous applications" link in your candidate summary page. Please ensure that you finalise all applications before the closing date. If you withdraw your application, you will not be able to apply for the same position again. If you withdraw your application in error, you have two choices (a) contact HR Support requesting them to turn your application back to incomplete or (b) create a new account with a different username and reapply. If you choose the former option, please ensure you allow plenty of time in order for the issue to be resolved. If you leave it until the last minute, the chances are you will miss out on an opportunity. Page 22
The status of your applications changes to WITHDRAWN If you miss the application deadline, the system will not allow you to submit the application you started earlier. Page 23
7. Managing your account 7.1 Updating your details You have the facility to update your personal details should a change occur. You can access your account and update your information before submitting another application, or any point in time when your details change. To change your email address and password, log into your account, go to Personal Details and under the section Login Details, click on the link Modify Login Details. You are then prompted to change your email address and if you wish to change your password, you must insert your current password, the new password and confirmation of the new password. Leave blank if you do not wish to change your password. If you decide not to change your details, please click Cancel. Page 24
7.2 Application History If you have submitted more than one application, you will be able to see a list of positions for which you have applied, their status and date of submission by shooing Show previous applications By clicking on View summary you can see a summary of the details you submitted for each application. Page 25
7.3 Mail History At different stages during registration and application you will receive emails at the email address you provided upon registration. All emails sent to you can be seen by clicking on Your emails. Clicking on the envelope icon will display the contents of the selected email. Page 26
8. General Information On the left hand side of the Working for Europe page you will find more general information about working at the ECB, such as our Directorates /Divisions roles, the ECB s values, recruitment and selection procedures, types of contracts, training & career development, etc. From the top of the page you can see information about the different types of work opportunities at the ECB, such as internships, fellowships, etc. 9. Retention of personal data In case you are hired your Europass CV will be retained in a personal file for the duration of your assignment. Tests or memoranda related to your employment will be kept for 24 months after the start of the employment. 10. Speculative Applications Please note that the ECB does not accept speculative applications. Speculative paper applications submitted to the ECB will not be returned. Page 27