How to apply

This page explains what you need to know to prepare your application and apply.

Notice of Appointment Opportunity pages are job advertisements for Governor in Council appointment opportunities. Notice of Appointment Opportunity pages are the starting point of the application process.

We accept applications submitted electronically through Notice of Appointment Opportunity pages on the Governor in Council Appointments website, through email or by phone.

Click or tap the tab headings below to display details, by subject, about the application process.

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How to apply

Follow these steps to apply to Governor in Council appointment opportunities that are of interest to you. If you would rather apply by email or by phone, please contact us at messages@pco-bcp.gc.ca or 1-613-957-5153.

Step Action
1 Review the information and assessment criteria in the Notice of Appointment Opportunity:
  • Consider how well you meet each of the criteria.
  • Find out what documents are required for your application package.
2

Build your application package:

Gather the required supporting documents. An application package includes your:

3

To start the online application process:

Open a Notice of Appointment Opportunity from the Opportunities list.

Click or tap the "Apply Now" button at the top or bottom of the Notice of Appointment Opportunity.

If you are not signed in to your account, the "My profile" page displays:

If Then
You do not have a Governor in Council Appointments website account, Create your account and sign in. The Notice of Opportunity page displays again. Click the "Apply Now" button again. A pre-screening questions form for the position displays. Continue to step 4.
You have a Governor in Council Appointments website account, Enter your email address and password in the fields under the Returning User heading. Click the "Login" button. The Notice of Opportunity page displays again. Click the "Apply Now" button again. A pre-screening questions form for the positions displays. Continue to step 4.
4

Answer the pre-screening questions then click the “Apply now” button. The “My documents” page displays.

You must answer all mandatory questions. Questions with asterisk (*) are mandatory.

5

Upload and/or designate documents to your application package.

Follow the on screen instructions. 

6

Submit your application:

Click the "Save & Continue" button at the bottom of the "My documents" page.

A confirmation “Opportunity Application” page displays.

You will also receive an email confirming receipt of your application.

If you do not receive a confirmation email in your inbox, please check your junk email or spam folder. If you still cannot find the confirmation email, visit our Frequently asked questions page.

Create your account

To apply online, you must create an account:

Step Action
1

Go to our Opportunities page and select “My profile” on the sidebar menu.

2

Enter your email address in the “Email” field under the “New applicant” heading and click the “Create Profile” button. The “Create profile” documents page displays.

3

Upload document(s) to your profile.

Follow the on screen instructions.

At minimum, you must upload a resume (curriculum vitae) document to register your account.

4

Click the “Save & Continue” button at the bottom of the page.

5

Fill each tab in the Profile registration form.

Be sure to note your email address and password for future reference. They are case sensitive.

6

Read and accept the “Consent and Declaration” regarding our use of your personal information (checkbox 1) and email address (checkbox 2) below the Profile registration form.

You can only create an account if you accept the first two terms of the “Consent and Declaration”.

7 Check checkbox 3 if you wish to have your candidacy considered for appointment opportunities other than those to which you apply yourself.
8 Click the “Save & Continue” button at the bottom of the page. The profile creation confirmation page displays. Your account is now created and you are logged in.
Curriculum vitae, cover letter and other documents

Your application package documents: e.g. cover letter, curriculum vitae, etc. must be in PDF (.pdf), Rich Text (.rtf), Text (.txt) or Word (.doc/.docx) format (See: How to convert your curriculum vitae, cover letter and other documents into PDF or RTF)

In order for your application to be considered, please ensure that the information provided in your resume and cover letter clearly demonstrate how you meet each of the selection criteria outlined in the Notice of Appointment Opportunity of interest to you.

Your curriculum vitae is mandatory for all applications.

You are strongly encouraged to submit a cover letter as part of your application. It can be used to more effectively explain how you meet each of the selection criteria described in the Notice of Appointment Opportunity. Please address your cover letter as follows:

Director of Selection Processes
Senior Personnel Secretariat
Privy Council Office

You only need to submit application package documents deemed required in the Notice of Appointment Opportunity. If you wish to submit other documents, you can do so by uploading them and submitting them along with your curriculum vitae and cover letter and other required documents.

How to convert your curriculum vitae, cover letter and other documents to PDF or RTF

The following instructions aim to help you convert unsupported document types so you can use them in applications to appointment opportunities.

PDF

Most popular word processing software contains functionality to convert documents to PDF.

Use the below link(s) corresponding to your application package document(s) format to learn how to convert to PDF:

If the above links to do not help, you may be able to convert your document to PDF format using a PDF printer.

Print to PDF in Windows

The following instructions provide the steps necessary to convert a document to PDF format using a printer in Microsoft Windows:

Step Action
1 Open the document in your word processor.
2 Click the “File” menu.
3 Click “Print”.
4 In the “Printer” selection field, choose your document converter (Adobe PDF, Microsoft Print to PDF, Universal Document Converter, CutePDF, etc.).
5 Specify the filename and location for your PDF file.
6 Click “Save”.

Note: If you are using an older version of Windows, you will likely need to install 3rd party software to convert your document.

Print to PDF in OSX

Mac OS X includes a built in PDF export functionality. Follow the steps below to convert your word processor document to PDF format on Mac OS X.

Step Action
1 Open the document.
2 Click the “File” menu.
3 Click “Print”. A "Print" window displays.
4 Click the PDF button at the bottom left corner of the “Print” window.
5 Click the “Save as PDF…” option.
6 Specify the filename and location for your PDF file.
7 Click “Save”.

RTF

To save a file in Rich Text Format you will need:

  • a word processor (WordPerfect, Wordpad, Pages, etc.); and
  • your document.

To convert a document to RTF:

Step Action
1 Open the document in your word processor.
2 Click the "File" menu.
3 Click "Save As". A "Save As" window displays.
4 Choose "Rich Text Format" from the dropdown menu in the "Save as type" field.
5 Specify the filename and location for your RTF file.
6 Click "Save".
Update your documents / how to withdraw

You can update your application documents before the deadline indicated in the Notice of Appointment Opportunity. For Notices of Appointment Opportunity that do not have a hard deadline but rather a “review of applications” date, you can update your application documents at any time; however, you are strongly encouraged to apply before the “review of applications” date in order to ensure that your application is considered. After this date, your application is retained and may be considered up until an appointment to the position is made.

You can also update your profile information or withdraw your application at any time.

To update previously submitted application documents:

Step Action
1

Go to our Opportunities page and select “My profile” on the sidebar menu.

2

Log in to your profile.

3

Click “My Opportunities” in the navigation menu.

The “My Opportunities” page will open. It contains a list of your applications from the last 2 years.

4

Click on the “Designate documents for opportunity application…” (Document and magnifying glass) icon next to the Appointment Opportunity that you would like to modify. The “My Documents” page will open.

All documents you have uploaded to the site display in the middle of the page.

Documents associated with the specific application you are trying to modify appear with a checkmark next to their File Name.

5

Check or uncheck the boxes next to the File Names of documents you would like to associate with your application; and/or

Upload new documents to add to your documents list or replace existing documents. Instructions for upload display on the page.

6

Click the “Save Document Designation” button.

A success message displays in green above your documents list.

How do I withdraw my application?

Step Action
1

Go to our Opportunities page and select “My profile” on the sidebar menu.

2

Log in to your profile.

3

Click “My Opportunities” in the navigation menu.

The “My Opportunities” page will open. It contains a list of your applications from the last 2 years.

4

Click the “Withdraw” (garbage can) icon next to the Appointment Opportunity from which you would like to withdraw your candidacy.

A message displays below the opportunities list.

It prompts you to confirm your wish to withdraw.

5 If you wish to withdraw, toggle the “Yes” radio button. A dropdown menu displays below the confirmation and asks you to select your withdraw reason.
6

Select your withdraw reason and click the “Withdraw application” button. A green success message displays at the top of the page.

Your profile will remain active, but your application will be withdrawn from the selection process.

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