The Global Affairs Canada (GAC) formerly known as GAC, is one the departments in the Government of Canada that receives the largest number of job applications each year.
In any given Post Secondary Recruitment (PSR) year, Human Resources at GAC can expect to receive 10 000 or more applications (approximately 13 000 in 2011) . This number has been steadily increasing over the past years and at a faster rate in light of the global financial slowdown.
With this increase in job applications, individuals with doctorate or extensive work experience have also started to join the ranks of job seekers. As a consequence, a detailed plan on obtaining a position in GAC has become even more important.
Apart from the information required in the job poster, you will need to tailor your resume to perfectly match the statement of criteria of the job position(s) that you are applying to. I highly recommend that you print out the GAC job poster and highlight every requirement and instruction that is provided and ensure that it is reflected in your online application. Remember to reflect your international profile and your experience with client service delivery. Connect the dots for HR managers as they do not have time to fo it for you. Even today, many applicants forget to mention specific information requested such as the job stream to which they are applying to in Government Of Canada job positions.
After you have finished your resume and GAC online application put it aside for a day or two and revisit it with a pair of fresh eyes. You will be able to identify missing links, grammatical errors and places for improvement or more information.
Your next step will be to prepare for the Public Service Entrance Exam (PSEE). The PSEE was launched in the 2011 PSR and is used as a pre-selection tool. Given GAC’s solicited positions it should not come as a surprise that they will request a high cut-off mark from participants. Keeping this in mind, it is imperative that you find relevant resources to obtain the highest mark possible.
Once you have passed the PSEE your next challenge will be the Graduate Recruitment Test (GRT), the Written Comprehensive Proficiency Test (WCPT) and the Situational Judgement Test (SJT). The same situation applies here, job applicants with the highest scores ( determine by compiling a ‘z score’ for each exam) will move to the next stage.
A “z” score is achieved by comparing a candidate to the other job candidates who presented the exam at the same time. Hence, last year’s z-score may be a good determination of the cut-off score for this year as it may give you an idea of what to expect from the others.
After you have been given notification that you have passed the exams and are being advanced to the next stage, you need to take a proactive stance. If you are not bilingual (CCC) for DFAIT, you need to start working on improving your second language. With the uncertainty around budgets in Government of Canada departments and the increasing need to “do more in less” it is in your best interest to prepare to yourself for the future language exams ahead of time.