25.5.2011

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 155/1

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NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS

EPSO/AD/215/11

Administrators in the field of communication (EN/ES/ET/FR/NL/PL/PT/SK/SL/SV)

(2011/C 155 A/01)

Are you interested in working for the European institutions?

Does your profile meet our criteria?

Why not apply?

Give yourself a chance to succeed.

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

EPSO/AD/215/11 — Administrators (AD 5)

with English (EN), Spanish (ES), Estonian (ET), French (FR), Dutch (NL), Polish (PL), Portuguese (PT), Slovak (SK), Slovenian (SL) OR Swedish (SV) as their main language

in the field of COMMUNICATION

The purpose of this competition is to draw up reserve lists from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union, in particular the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions.

Before applying, you should carefully read the guide to open competitions published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 184 A of 8 July 2010 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 LISTS

VIII.

HOW TO APPLY

I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND

1. Number of successful candidates per language

EN = 15 ES = 7 ET = 3 FR = 9 NL = 5 PL = 5 PT = 7 SK = 5 SL = 3 SV = 5

2. Remarks

You may only apply for one of the competition languages. You must make your choice when you apply online and you will not be able to change it after you have confirmed and validated your online application form. This competition is intended for candidates who have a perfect command, both written and spoken, of the language of the competition (mother tongue or equivalent knowledge). If you do not have such a command, we would strongly advise that you do not apply.

II.   DUTIES

The officials sought will work in one or more of the following areas:

—	external communication with different types of multipliers and the public at large, including the media and visitors' groups,

—	written and oral information to media representatives; relations with the media — web communication,

—	strategic and crisis communication.

Your duties could involve some of the following tasks:

—	drafting press releases, reports, and texts for different kinds of media in the language of the competition and/or in FR or EN (web, audiovisual, radio, written publications, etc.),

—	forging and maintaining relations with the media and informing media representatives about the European institutions' political and legislative activities,

—	ensuring that information is disclosed on topical EU issues,

—	monitoring, alerting and analysing media impact to facilitate the correction of errors and a better editorial planning,

—	managing and maintaining the EU's presence on all online platforms, including the preparation and publication of original content, as well as the monitoring and moderation of third-party material,

—	devising, implementing and managing editorial projects related to the EU's online presence,

—	helping, in the editorial department, to create, manage and publish multimedia content on electronic media and supervising the uploading onto the web of various original and translated texts,

—	helping to organise and manage individual and/or group visits and to draw up virtual visit programmes,

—	organising seminars or other training schemes for journalists and visitors,

—	organising and moderating press conferences and meetings.

The general profile of candidates sought by the institutions is described in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.

III.   ELIGIBILITY

On the closing date for online applications, you must fulfil all 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)	A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma in one of the following fields: communication, media studies, journalism or public relations.
or (b)	A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma, followed by professional experience of at least 2 years in one of the following fields: press agency, PR agency, journalism, communication consultant, web and/or external communication in public or private organisations.
2.2.	Professional experience No professional experience is required.
2.3.	Knowledge of languages
(a) Language 1	Main language: perfect command of the competition language (English, Spanish, Estonian, French, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian or Swedish).
and
(b) Language 2	Second language (must be different from language 1): thorough knowledge of English, French or German.

IV.   ADMISSION TESTS

Admission tests will be organised only if the number of candidates applying for a given language exceeds 600. 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). N.B. 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 completed 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 aptitudes and competencies as regards:
Test (a)	Verbal reasoning	Marking: this test will be marked out of 20. Pass mark: 10 points.
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, compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked on the basis of the information given in your online application.

(a)

Your answers to the questions relating to 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, candidates' compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked in descending order on the basis of their marks in those tests until a list has been compiled of 600 candidates per language who: — obtained the best 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 will be invited to the assessment centre for each language. The selection board will examine candidates' responses and will award 0 to 4 points for each response; the points are then multiplied by the weighting for each question.

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

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 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), (g) and (h) 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 this 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.	additional education (attested by a Master's degree) in a subject related to the competition;

2.	drafting experience (press releases, articles);

3.	experience in the media field as a journalist (written, audiovisual, or web);

4.	experience organising seminars or conferences;

5.	experience as a public speaker or moderator of debates and conferences;

6.	experience as a press officer or public relations officer of a public or private organisation;

7.	experience as a web coordinator for social media;

8.	experience in media monitoring or analysis;

9.	professional or learning experience in the field of the competition relating to more than one country of the EU;

10.	professional experience relating to EU affairs (public or private institutions).

VI.   OPEN COMPETITION

1. Invitation to the assessment centre:	If you are one of the candidates (3) — 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 sit the assessment centre tests (4) which will normally be held in Brussels over the course of 1 or 2 days.
2. Assessment centre	You will be assessed on your specific reasoning competencies if they have not already been assessed in admission tests. Assessment will be by means of: (a) a verbal reasoning test; (b) a numerical reasoning test; (c) an abstract reasoning test. You will be assessed on your specific competencies in the field and the following general competencies: — analysis and problem-solving, — communication, — delivering quality and results, — learning and development, — prioritising and organising, — resilience, — working with others, — leadership. Details of how these competencies are defined are set out in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions. These competencies are tested by means of: (d) drafting of a note relating to the duties in question; (e) a structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of your application; (f) a case study; (g) a group exercise; (h) a structured interview on your general competencies.
3. Languages for the assessment centre	Language 1 for parts (a), (b), (c) and (d). Language 2 for parts (e) (f), (g) and (h).
4. Marking	Reasoning skills (a) Verbal: marked out of 20. Pass mark: 10 points. (b) Numerical: marked out of 10. (c) Abstract: marked out of 10. Aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c): 10 points. 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 (d) Note writing: marked out of 50. Pass mark: 25 points. (e) A structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of your application. Marked out of 50. Pass mark: 25 points. Weighting: 50 % of the total points. General competencies Marking: 0 — 80 in total for all general competencies (10 per competency). Pass mark:   Three for each competency and   an aggregate of 40 for all eight general competencies. Weighting: 50 % of the total marks.

VII.   RESERVE LISTS

1. Candidates included	The selection board will place you on the reserve list (5) (see number of successful candidates, Section I.1) if you are among the candidates who satisfy all the conditions set out in Section V.
2. Classification	The list will be drawn up by language and by merit group (maximum of four groups) and names will be listed in alphabetical order within each group.

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): 28 June 2011 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.
2. Submission of application files	At a later stage, if you are one of the candidates invited to the assessment centre, you will have to submit a full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) when requested. Closing date: You will be informed of the closing date solely via your EPSO account. Procedure: see point 2.2 of the guide to open competitions.

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

(2)  Candidates who are not invited to the assessment centre can obtain the results of their assessment and the weighting assigned to each question by the selection board by filing a request within 10 calendar days of being notified that they will not be admitted to the competition.

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

(4)  For organisational reasons, the reasoning tests and tests (d) and (f) may be organised in test centres in the Member States, separately from the other assessment centre tests.

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

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