27.9.2012

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 291/1

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NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION

EPSO/AST/121/12

(2012/C 291 A/01)

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit assistants (1).

EPSO/AST/121/12 — Conference technicians (AST 3)

The purpose of these competitions is to draw up a reserve list from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union.

Before applying, you should carefully read the guide to open competitions published in Official Journal C 270 A of 7 September 2012 and on the EPSO website.

This guide is an integral part of the competition notice and will help you to understand the rules governing the procedure and how to apply.

CONTENTS

I.	GENERAL BACKGROUND

II.

DUTIES

III.	ELIGIBILITY

IV.	ADMISSION TESTS

V.	ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS

VI.	OPEN COMPETITION

VII.	RESERVE LIST

VIII.

HOW TO APPLY

I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND

Number of successful candidates: 23.

II.   DUTIES

AST 3 assistants contribute to performing the functions of their institution or agency under the supervision of an administrator and are called upon to carry out executive, implementation, support and logistical tasks in various fields of activity.

Conference technicians are responsible, in particular, for the design, installation and management of technical processes for handling audio and video in multimedia/audiovisual or conference facilities. Duties will include:

—	Designing conference and audiovisual equipment facilities

—	Drafting technical specifications for new conference and audiovisual facilities and for upgrading existing facilities, as well as supervising work carried out by contractors

—	Finding solutions in the event of breakdown of conference and audiovisual facilities

—	Supervising the maintenance of conference and audiovisual facilities

—	Assembling, placing and operating mobile audio and/or video equipment (e.g. cameras, screens, projectors, microphones, mixing desks, mobile racks, etc.) during events

—	Ensuring the smooth running of the management systems for audiovisual equipment in conference rooms

—	Performing analogue and digital measurements using precision instruments (oscilloscopes, signal generators, decibel meters, digital thermometers, etc.) in conference rooms

—	Setting up, installing and configuring AV and IT equipment for the transmission of images and sound via the IT and/or telecommunications network (video and audio streaming, videoconferences, etc.)

—	Audio and/or video control for conference rooms operating either locally or remotely (from a control room) during and outside normal working hours

—	Audio and/or video recording of participants' interventions (via microphone, camera and various audiovisual sources)

—	Programming, operating and resolving problems with conference and multilingual interpreting systems and/or programming, operating and resolving problems with systems for capturing, processing and broadcasting video stream

—	Recording debates on digital media (linear and non-linear)

—	Acquiring, routing and distributing audiovisual signals from a control room to distribution points within a building

—	Responsibility for the operation, configuration and good working order of a network of information screens and their operating software

—	Operating audio-video encoding and streaming systems

—	Helping to ensure compliance with international standards on conference and simultaneous interpreting installations

—	Selecting images from a multi-camera configuration at meetings and events, in particular for the purpose of streaming video and audio

—	Operating electronic voting systems

—	Responsibility for managing and keeping an inventory of equipment

—	Managing, configuring and troubleshooting a mini LAN network (TCP-IP)

—	Carrying out electronic repairs and modifications

III.   ELIGIBILITY

On the closing date for online applications, you must fulfil all of the following general and specific conditions:

1. General conditions a) You must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union. b) You must enjoy your full rights as a citizen. c) You must have fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws on military service. d) You must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.
2. Specific conditions
2.1.	Qualifications
Either (a)	You must have a level of education which corresponds to completed post-secondary studies attested by a diploma in a field related to the duties in question;
or (b)	secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to higher education, followed by at least three years' professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties. NB: These three years' professional experience cannot be counted towards the professional experience required below.
2.2.	Professional experience At least three years' professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties. This professional experience will only count if it was acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
2.3.	Knowledge of languages The official languages of the European Union are:
	BG (Bulgarian) CS (Czech) DA (Danish) DE (German) EL (Greek) EN (English) ES (Spanish) ET (Estonian)	FI (Finnish) FR (French) GA (Irish) HU (Hungarian) IT (Italian) LT (Lithuanian) LV (Latvian) MT (Maltese)	NL (Dutch) PL (Polish) PT (Portuguese) RO (Romanian) SK (Slovak) SL (Slovenian) SV (Swedish)
(a) Language 1	Main language:   A thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union.
(b) Language 2	Second language (must be different from language 1):   A satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.

IV.   ADMISSION TESTS

The admission tests are organised by EPSO and you will take them on a computer. The selection board decides on the difficulty of the tests and approves their subject matter on the basis of proposals made by EPSO.

Admission tests will be organised if the number of candidates applying exceeds 1 000. In this case you will be informed via your EPSO account.

1. Invitation to the tests	You will be invited to sit the tests if you have validated your application on time (see Section VIII). Important: 1. By validating your application you declare that you meet the general and specific conditions listed in Section III. 2. You must reserve a date to sit the tests; this must be done by the deadline notified to you via your EPSO account.
2. Nature and marking of tests	A series of tests comprising multiple-choice questions to assess your general ability as regards:
Test (a)	Verbal reasoning	Marking: this test will be marked out of 20. Pass mark: 10
Test (b)	Numerical reasoning	Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.
Test (c)	Abstract reasoning	Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.
		The aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c) is 10.
3. Language of the tests	Language 1:

V.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS

1.   Procedure

Initially, a check for compliance with the general and specific conditions, and the selection based on qualifications will be carried out on the basis of the information given in your online application.

(a)

Your responses to the questions concerning the general and specific conditions will be processed to determine whether you can be included in the list of candidates who fulfil all the conditions for admission to the competition. If prior admission tests are organised, compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked for the best-placed candidates on the basis of the marks obtained in those tests in descending order until a list has been compiled of 1 000 candidates who: — obtained the highest marks (and at least pass marks) in the admission tests, and — satisfy the eligibility conditions. Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be included in the selection phase based on qualifications. Online applications of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.

(b)

The selection board will then screen the candidates who fulfil the conditions for admission to the competition on the basis of their qualifications to identify those whose profile (particularly their diplomas and professional experience) best matches the duties and selection criteria set out in this competition notice. This selection is carried out solely on the basis of the information you provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab and takes place in two stages: — a first selection based on qualifications will be made solely on the basis of the responses ticked under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of the online application form and the weighting assigned to each of the questions. The selection board will set the weighting (1 to 3) according to the importance attached to each criterion set out in point 3 below. The online applications of the candidates who obtain the highest number of points will then go through to a second selection stage, — the number of files to be examined during the second stage will be approximately three times the number of candidates who are to be invited to the assessment centre. The selection board will examine candidates' answers and will award 0 to 4 points for each answer. The points are then multiplied by the weighting for each question and added together to give an overall score.

The selection board will then draw up a list of candidates in the order of the overall scores awarded. The number of candidates invited to the assessment centre will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates indicated in the competition notice (2). This number will be published on EPSO's website (www.eu-careers.info).

2.   Verification of information given by candidates

Following the assessment centre session, and in the light of the results, the information given by candidates in their online applications will be verified against the general conditions by EPSO and against the specific conditions by the selection board. In assessing qualifications, supporting documents will be taken into account only to confirm the information already given under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab. If verification shows that the information given (3) is not borne out by the appropriate supporting documents, candidates will be disqualified.

Applications will be verified for candidates with the highest aggregate marks, and at least pass marks, in tests (d), (e), (f) and (g) in the assessment centre session, in descending order. These candidates must also have obtained pass marks in the aptitude tests (a), (b), and (c). Verification will continue until the number of candidates who can be placed on the reserve list and who actually fulfil all the conditions for admission reaches the threshold. The files of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.

3.   Selection criteria

For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:

1)	Professional experience of programming, operating and solving problems with conference and multi-lingual interpreting systems

2)	Professional experience of programming, operating and solving problems with systems for capturing, processing and broadcasting video stream

3)	Professional experience of assembling, placing and operating mobile audio and/or video equipment (e.g. cameras, screens, projectors, microphones, mobile racks, etc.)

4)	Professional experience of operating mobile conference and multilingual interpreting systems (using suitcase type systems and/or portable booths)

5)	Professional experience of drafting technical specifications for new conference and audiovisual facilities and for upgrading existing facilities

6)	Professional experience of supervising work carried out by contractors

7)	Professional experience of using networks based on the TCP/IP protocol

8)	Professional experience of performing analogue and digital measurements using precision instruments (oscilloscopes, signal generators, decibel meters, digital thermometers, etc.) in conference rooms

9)	Professional experience of acquiring, routing and distributing audiovisual signals from a control room to distribution points within a building

10)	Professional experience of operating systems for encoding and streaming audio-video via TCP-IP networks or ISDN or satellite

11)	Professional experience of electronics in general (analogue and digital)

VI.   OPEN COMPETITION

1. Invitation to the assessment centre	If you are one of the candidates (4) who — obtained the highest marks in the admission tests (if such tests were held, see Section IV) and at least the pass marks, and — if the information given in your online application shows that you fulfil the general and specific conditions listed in Section III, and — if you obtained one of the highest points totals in the selection based on qualifications, you will be invited to attend an assessment centre session (5) which will normally take place in Brussels over the course of one or two days.
2. Assessment centre	The assessment centre comprises three different types of evaluation: — your reasoning competencies if they have not already been assessed in admission tests, by way of the following tests: (a) a verbal reasoning test (b) a numerical reasoning test (c) an abstract reasoning test, — your specific competencies in the field, by means of the following: (d) a structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of your application, — your general competencies (6): — Analysis and problem-solving — Communication — Delivering quality and results — Learning and development — Prioritising and organising — Resiliency — Team work, by means of (7): (e) a case study (f) a group exercise (g) a structured interview on your general competencies. These general competencies will be tested as shown in the following table:
		Case study	Group exercise	Structured interview
Analysis and problem-solving		x	x
Communicating		x		x
Delivering quality and results		x		x
Learning and development			x	x
Prioritising and organising		x	x
Resilience			x	x
Working with others			x	x
3. Language for the assessment centre	Language 1 for parts (a), (b) and (c) Language 2 for parts (d), (e), (f) and (g)
4. Marking	Reasoning skills (a) Verbal: marked out of 20 Pass mark: 10 (b) Numerical: marked out of 10 (c) Abstract: marked out of 10 Aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c): 10 Tests (a), (b), and (c) are eliminatory, but the marks will not be added to the marks for the other assessment centre tests. Specific competencies (test (d)) marked out of 100 Pass mark: 50 Weighting: 55 % of the overall mark General competencies (tests (e), (f) and (g)) Each general competency will be marked out of 10. Pass mark:   3 for each competency and   an aggregate of 35 out of 70 for all seven general competencies Weighting: 45 % of the overall mark

VII.   RESERVE LIST

1. Reserve list	The selection board will place your name on the reserve list — if you have obtained the specified pass marks and are one of the candidates with the highest aggregate marks in the assessment centre tests (d), (e), (f) and (g) (see number of successful candidates, Section I.1) (8), — and if your supporting documents show that you meet all the eligibility requirements.
2. Classification	The list will be drawn up in alphabetical order.

VIII.   HOW TO APPLY

1. Online application	You must apply online by following the instructions on the EPSO website and particularly in the Online Application Manual. Deadline (including validation): 30 October 2012 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.
2. Submission of application files	If you are one of the candidates invited to the assessment centre, you will have to bring with you (9) your full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) when you come to the assessment centre. Details: see point 6.1 of the guide to open competitions.

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(1)  Any reference in this notice to a person of the male sex must be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of the female sex.

(2)  Candidates who are not invited to the assessment centre will be given the results of their assessment and the weighting assigned to each question by the selection board.

(3)  This information will be verified against the supporting documents before the reserve list is drawn up (see Sections VII.1 and VIII.2).

(4)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be invited to the assessment centre.

(5)  Depending on logistical constraints, the reasoning tests and the case study (test (e)) may be organised in test centres in the Member States and/or in Brussels, separately from the other assessment centre tests.

(6)  More information on these competencies can be found in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.

(7)  The content of these tests is approved by the selection board.

(8)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be placed on the reserve list.

(9)  You will be notified in good time, via your EPSO account, of the date when you have to attend the assessment centre.

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