Public Service Employment
Video / August 1, 2024
Transcript
Hi, welcome to My Transition Seminar. My name is Anik. I am the Manager, Staffing Programs and Development Team with the Directorate of Staffing Policies and Programs under ADM HR Civ at the Department of National Defence. As part of the Veterans Specialized Recruitment Program, my team works with the transition offices and other stakeholders to support transitioning CAF members interested in public service employment. So whether you are already released from the CAF and considering employment or you'll be releasing soon, the information presented today will provide you with insights to help guide you when preparing to apply for public service jobs.
First, I'll be providing information on priority entitlements, veteran preference and mobility. These are important mechanisms to help hire veterans and give better access to public service jobs. I will then be providing information and tips specifically on how to apply to jobs via jobs.gc.ca.
So as mentioned, the Public Service staffing system includes three important mechanisms to help hire veterans and give Canadian Armed Forces members who are preparing for release greater access to public service job opportunities. These are priority entitlements, preference and mobility.
So let's go over each mechanism. Priority entitlements assist people with career changes and life transitions by allowing for a person with a priority entitlement to be appointed before others if they meet the essential qualifications and conditions of employment of the position. They do not need to meet the asset qualifications listed on the job poster. We will revisit this later in this presentation. Priority entitlements are in effect for a specific period of time as determined by legislation or regulations. So there are two types of priority entitlements, statutory and regulatory.
Statutory entitlements have higher priority in the order shown than regulatory priorities. We can see that CAF members who are medically released for reasons attributable to service are a statutory priority and have the highest level priority, meaning they must be considered for a job before any other candidate. There is also a regulatory priority for members released for medical reasons not attributable to service. For regulatory entitlements, there is no order of preference amongst the categories.
As mentioned, you may have a priority entitlement if you are released for medical reasons attributable to service as determined by Veterans Affairs Canada. All CAF members, including regular forces, reserve forces and special forces, are eligible. An entitlement is valid for five years or until you receive an indeterminate position, whichever comes first. It is important to note that priority entitlements start and end dates are set by legislation and by regulation and cannot be changed due to late registration or other administrative delays.
As such, when a medical professional has deemed you ready to return to work, it is recommended to activate the priority entitlement without delay. This is done by registering in the Public Service Commission's Priority Information Management system. Please contact Transition Services for any questions that you may have regarding this process.
Preference. Preference relates to external advertised appointment processes. Any veteran of the Regular Force, Special Forces, or any class of the Reserves who applies to a job open to the public and who meets the following conditions: they were honorably released from the CAF after at least three years of service, were released from the CAF within the last five years, and are not already an indeterminant public service employee. Veterans must also meet any other criteria found in the "Who Can Apply" section of the job advertisement.
Mobility pertains to internal advertised processes for serving CAF members and veterans with at least three years of service. They can apply to internal jobs regardless of what is identified in the "Who Can Apply" section of the Job poster. So, in other words, eligible CAF members and veterans are not required to meet any of the organizational, occupational or geographical criteria advertised in the "Who Can Apply" section of the job advertisement. Eligible CAF members and veterans can participate in any internal advertised appointment process for indeterminate, term, and acting appointments.
Some processes may be targeted to members of Employment Equity groups and if so, CAF members and veterans must belong to any of the four designated groups as identified in the "Who Can Apply" section and must self declare to be considered for appointment. Let's discuss the different appointment processes in the public service. There are four types. External advertised are jobs open to the public and has a national area of selection. Internal advertised, jobs open to current public service employees. CAF members and veterans who meet the conditions for mobility can participate. External non advertised are applications that are not solicited and external candidates are being considered. Internal non advertised applications are also not solicited and internal candidates are considered.
Public service hiring is governed by the Public Service Employment Act and its regulations and all appointments are to be based on merit. This means that candidates must meet all essential qualifications to be considered for the position. These are the necessary criteria identified to conduct the job. The asset qualifications may be considered in the selection of the candidate and cover criteria that are nice to have for the job.
Before we go over an example of a job advertisement, let's discuss some common terminology found on job advertisements. So, tenure indicates the period for which a person is employed. There's indeterminate appointments, which is an appointment with no end date, term appointment, which is an appointment for a defined period of time, and casual hire, a period of employment that does not exceed 90 working days within one calendar year, and this is per federal organization. Merit criteria includes the essential qualifications, which are the minimum qualifications needed to conduct a job. These may include experience, education, knowledge, abilities, and official language proficiency requirements of the position. Asset or other qualifications are the qualifications that may be needed for the job, the nice to haves. Organizational needs are criteria relating to current or future needs that could enhance how the organization operates or fulfills its mandate. So for example, employment equity. Operational requirements are requirements to perform the job, for example, working overtime hours, traveling, shift work, etcetera. And conditions of employment are conditions that must be met before a candidate can be appointed. For example, security clearance.
How to search for jobs in the public service. So the easiest way to get to the GC job site is to Google it or use the QR code provided on the slide. To begin, you will need to create an applicant account, or if you already have one, you can simply login. When you create an applicant account, be sure to enter your service number and your name exactly as it appears on your Member Personnel Record Resume. The system will recognize you as a CAF member if you have attained at least three years of service. If the Public Service Commission has given you a Priority Reference Number or PRN, which is for those who are medically released, please ensure that you enter it into your GC Jobs profile.
You can apply to both external jobs open to the public and internal advertised processes, which are jobs open to federal government employees. You will only see the internal processes job advertisements open to only government employees when the service number and/or your priority reference number you entered is recognized by the system.
Let's review a job poster together to get familiar with the various elements. This job advertisement is for civilian ammunition technician. You'll find the name of the department that is hiring in this section, along with the locations of the positions to be staffed, the employment tenure, and the salary ranges. It's important to note the closing date. The closing date is the deadline to submit your application. The area of selection is the "Who Can Apply" section. Mobility is available to CAF members regular and reserved with at least three years of service, and members can apply on all advertised and internal appointment processes from now until five years after your release. So if we scroll down, the "Important Messages" section sometimes provides information on the department on how the process will be run and what to expect. The job ad will typically include a section on the duties of the positions to be staffed, the work environment, and the intent of the process.
Next, we will look at the essential qualifications. So this is the statement of merit criteria which lists out the essential qualifications. For this job ad we'll see the education component as well as one experience criteria. This will be applied and assessed during your application. The following criteria will be applied and assessed at a later date, but we are still seeking the essential qualifications below.
Next, you'll see the qualifications that are considered assets, so they may be needed for the job. Subsequently, you'll find the organizational needs, the operational requirements, and the conditions of employment that need to be met prior to an appointment. Some job advertisements will also provide additional information at the very end of the job poster.
So at the very bottom, you'll click "apply online" and once you click that, you'll find the list of requirements that you need to submit your application with. So the list is right here you'll see employment information, which is essentially your candidate profile submission of your resume or CV. You'll need to respond to some screening questions. Select the work locations you're interested in applying for, the classification groups. You'll need to select your education level as well as select your official language and provide your proficiency levels. You'll also be able to provide your self declaration here. Only once all of these sections has a green check mark can you click submit your application. And that's it.
Here are some general tips when applying to a job advertisement. Lay the groundwork, attend seminars offered by your CAF Transition Unit, participate in CAF transition workshops and individual career counseling, and take advantage of training to upscale your experience. DND has lots of resources. Get social. Follow the Hire a Veteran page on LinkedIn which is hosted by VAC, and network. Let your network know you're looking for a civilian job.
Some quick tips on CV writing. Not all civilians know what you have accomplished to achieve your rank. Expand on this. Ensure that you respond to each individual merit criteria, all the essential qualifications, and any asset qualifications that you can substantiate with concrete examples of how you meet the criteria in your application and avoid using acronyms in your resume. When applying to jobs if you fall under one or more of the designated four employment equity groups, we strongly encourage you to self declare as this may prioritize your candidacy. Self declaration is voluntary and confidential. For more information on self declaring, please visit the QR code on the slide.
DND has a career's worth of opportunities and is one of the largest employers of veterans across the federal government. We welcome the chance to retain military talent in civilian roles where you can bring your experience and continue to contribute to the mandate of the defence team. Please follow us and keep apprised of the diverse opportunities within our organization. So this completes the presentation. We hope that you found the information useful and applicable. Should you require additional assistance, please contact your transition office. We wish you success in your future endeavours. Thank you.