1. Is Post Secondary Recruitment open to the general public?
Post Secondary Recruitment is open to recent graduates or graduating students with a post secondary degree. Various additional requirements may apply, depending on the hiring department.
2. Do I require a specific post secondary degree to apply?
Certain departments may require a specialization in a particular field of study. Verify the requirements of each job position before applying.
3. Do I need to be bilingual to be chosen for a Post Secondary Recruitment job position?
While there is an advantage to being bilingual, it is not a pre-requisite for the majority of the job positions.
If you are not bilingual, you should make efforts to practice your second language skills in your free time before starting a position with the Government of Canada. Due to recent budget cuts, training may not be as accessible to the extent that it was in prior years.
For more information on language profiles within the Government of Canada, please visit: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/gui/squn03-eng.asp#second
4. When and where will the Post Secondary Recruitment testing process take place?
The first test in the process is the Public Service Entrance Exam. The Public Service Entrance Exam is taken at a location of the candidate’s choice. For examples of the Public Service Entrance Exam, click here.
If you are successful in the Public Service Entrance Exam, most hiring departments will require that you write at least three exams: The Graduate Recruitment Test (GRT), the Situational Judgement Test (SJT), and the Written Comprehension Proficiency Test (WCPT). Once you have successfully completed the exams, hiring departments will determine the appropriate assessment tools for the positions that they are staffing. You will be informed of any testing or exams that you are required to take, as you continue in the process.
5. Can I use my old test scores?
Although tests administered by the Public Service Commission are valid for an indefinite period, scores obtained from the Post Secondary Recruitment process before 2001 are not accepted.
You may wish to assess the advantages and disadvantages of using past Post Secondary Recruitment test scores, especially if you did not perform exceedingly well in the exam(s).
6. What are my chances of getting screened in?
There are various phases of assessment during the Post Secondary Recruitment process.
Each year, the applications from candidates vary, thus presenting a different dynamic in test results. The cut off scores for any Post Secondary Recruitment exam each year will also reflect these differences.
Your chance of obtaining a position through Post Secondary Recruitment will be directly proportional with your performance on the standardized tests and the assessment tools used by the hiring department.
7. I’m fluent in an official language. Will that increase my chances?
Speaking a foreign language is always an advantage, regardless if an individual is in the private or public sector.
If a job poster is seeking a specific non-official language that you speak this may be to your advantage. However, this linguistic advantage is usually not assessed until after all other criterion is met.
8. How long does the Post Secondary Recruitment process take from the application form to a job offer?
The length of any given recruitment process depends on the needs of the department. I have heard of completed processes in as short as five months while others lasting over two years.