Have you ever wanted to see through all the fog surrounding EPSO's selection procedures?

Online EU Training is here to help you with that. Our new infographics will tell you everything you need to know about getting a job within the EU -  in less than 3 minutes!

Now that webcast is behind us, is there any specific issue you would like to have answered on our website?
 

·         Is it necessary to have any kind of second language certificate?
 

No certification is necessary and language never has to be proven in an EPSO exam by documents, only by practically demonstrating your knowledge via e.g. verbal reasoning or the assessment centre.
 

·         Are the AD7 tests significantly more difficult than the AD5s?
 

No, they are more likely the exact same level as the AD5, the difference is in the required work experience to qualify for AD7.
 

Read on for further questions and answers!

Some of our users who recently purchases our Situational Judgement (SJT) simulation tests expressed some concern about the sudden and unannounced change in the number of test questions included in the packages. We indeed made some changes to much better reflect the real EPSO SJT tests and we probably could have better explained the need for this change. I am taking the opportunity now to do just that.

Some EPSO exam candidates might have heard the name of 2010 Administrator (AD) exam applicant, Dimitrios Pachtitis. Mr. Pachtitis is the candidate who successfully challenged EPSO’s pre-selection method by highlighting the "mis-allocation of competences

In a somewhat startling about-turn, I have decided for the time being not to pursue secretarial jobs, having made it to the AST1 reserve list. Believe me, this has been a very difficult decision to make, but it feels like the right one for, at least for now. As much as I desperately want a job in the European Commission, so this is pretty heartbreaking, I have realised that to start in such a junior position would not make sense professionally, financially or... 

As a fun experiment, based on EPSO's Ongoing Exams page, we have created a beautiful word cloud with Worlde.net to see what the European Personnel Selection Office is mostly focusing on - in their words at least. Here it goes!

As you can see, the most important and commonly used words include: candidates, EPSO, Assessment,Invitation, Tests...

EU job seekers are often wondering where is it better to live, Luxembourg or Belgium, given the choice?

We are in no position to decide on such a crucial matter, but here is a list of dilemmas you will face if you need to choose between these two eminent countries. 

• Do you like networking and attending high-profile EU conferences? Then choose Belgium.
• Do you enjoy checking out the latest cabriolets, 4x4s, luxury cars and sports wagons? Then choose Luxembourg.
• Do you plan to pay one of the highest taxes in the EU if your spouse works...

When you see 100m sprinters run, you know the importance of a single second: the difference between the fastest and the last one. Those EU career candidates who have recently done the accuracy and precision tests have learned the same lesson: 9 seconds per question was nearly impossible to do...yet some candidates still managed somehow.

Performing in the middle ranks is easy, and you don't need much practice. If your aim is...

After browsing through EPSO’s website, we performed a task we do from time to time, namely updating our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

We could not help but notice something in common: in both places, lots of negative sentences were used...

EPSO certainly wishes to attract a large pool of candidates for its contract agent (CAST) exams, but the way information is presented seems quite inefficient. Here are some pain points I suggest improving:

'Call for Expression of Interest’ : would an average candidate know whether this is a simple indication of interest or an actual application for a selection exam? Would be worth clarifying what each term means already on the main page in one bullet point so that prospective applicants can have a quick overview

CAST or cast: the expre...

The EU Civil Service Tribunal recently handed down its decision in the Pachtitis v. European Commission case - brought by an unsuccessful candidate in a previous EPSO pre-selection. Although details are not yet clear, the decision may have far-reaching consequences with regards to how EPSO organises it selection procedures and may even force EPSO to offer a second chance to candidates who were not pre-selected in the recent AD competition.

Highlights:
 - Pre-Selection is part of the competition
 - EPSO is not competent to make sele...

Where are the people who understand what "online communication" or "digital tools" mean in Brussels? It seems that EU institutions and the majority of lobby organisations are stuck with Web 1.0, or let's be generous, Web 1.1.

Is the situation really that bad? After all, EU institutions do use Facebook and Eutube, Commissioners have blogs and the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) even uses Twitter from time to time and most public and private lobby bodies are present on the internet. A Brussels consultancy has released a Blog...

If you are aiming to get an EU affairs job in Brussels, you must act by the classic job market rules: you shall convince an employer that only you have the specialist knowledge they are seeking. This requires horizontal (generalist) and vertical (specialist) knowledge. Neither of the two is enough these days, so we decided to share some great ideas in the coming months on how to get an EU affairs job.

Let's see the first crucial element: find your niche.

What is a niche? It refers to a special segment of EU issues or a specialty that m...

When EPSO announced its new selection procedures, it was welcomed by many with enthusiasm. Lowering the barrier to entry while selecting more suitable candidates via the Assessment Center by removing EU knowledge tests was a big relief for most people. But recruitment is not limited to EPSO: consider the (s)election of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the European Commission President and other senior politicians. Maybe a change of procedures is the answer to the EU's problems?