Vacancy holder FAQs

• All campaign correspondence should have the campaign name, number and department included in the subject line.
• The final shortlist needs to be sent in a minimum of 10 working days in advance of the report deadline, otherwise delays could occur.

• The date, time and method should be included on the initial request form and then confirmed on the final request form.
• A failure to confirm the details may result in issues with the availability of the psychologist, or will lead to a different psychologist providing feedback to the panel.

• Neither has been designed in relation to a specific role or grade.
• ALAs can be used to assess for Director or Director General roles, as the information it provides is similar information as the ILA. However, it may be more suitable where there is a time constraint.
• Either work well for campaign recruitment, and can be chosen based on how in depth you would like the reports to be.

Assessment reports are valid for up to 2 years, and it is policy to reuse these reports if they are in date. After the 2 years, we recommend  that candidates retake their personality tests and complete a new validation interview.

• It is policy to reuse ILA and ALA reports if they are in date. Candidates can be offered the opportunity to retake tests if they feel that they may be at a disadvantage through reusing an old report.
• Within the 2-year timeframe, reports can be reused for a different role and/or pay band to what it was originally written.

If the shortlist hasn’t been shared with GS, and is cancelled within 3 to 5 working days, the cancellation cost will be based on a prospective shortlist of 3 candidates or 5 candidates if cancelled within 48 hours.

• We advise that the candidate is provided with the main themes, and overall message from the final panel.
• If a candidate specifically asks for their report, this should be shared. However, it needs to be ensured that they receive the “No Probes” copy of their report, so the potential  interview questions are not shared.
• Reports should never be shared prior to the interview for the campaign.

• We do not recommend it as output reports for ILA tests are not written to be interpreted without specialist training.

No. In order to ensure consistency and fairness, all candidates should complete the same tests. Some candidates could be disadvantaged if different reports were used in the same campaign, because the panel would be provided with varying levels of insight which could influence the interview questions.

These timings are rough guides and  the only officially timed tests are the verbal and numerical. Reasonable adjustments can be made for candidates if they require extra time.

• HDS – 20 minutes
• FIRO – 15 minutes
• NEO – 30/ 40 minutes
• Verbal – 24 minutes
• Numerical – 24 minutes
• WAVE – 30 minutes