TELECOMMUNICATIONS OPERATOR TRAINEE

Important messages

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

If your application is selected for further consideration, you will be invited to attend in-person testing. Test sessions will ONLY take place in cities where the Operational Communications Centres (OCC) have available resources to assist (St. John’s (NFLD), Truro (NS), Fredericton (NB), Charlottetown (PE), Westmount (QC), Ottawa (ON), Regina (SK), Edmonton (AB), Red Deer (AB), Kelowna (BC), Surrey (BC), Prince George (BC), Victoria (BC), Iqaluit (NU), YellowKnife (NT), Whitehorse (YT)).

IMPORTANT MESSAGES REGARDING THE SCREENING QUESTIONS:

1. The purpose of these screening questions is to help you submit an application that is clear, complete and demonstrates that you have all of the required essential education and experience qualifications and some or all of the asset education and experience qualifications.

2. The screening of candidates will be conducted only on the basis of these screening questions. The resume you have sent with your initial application will be used only if the Assessment Board considers it needs to validate the information provided in this questionnaire.

3. Each question is divided into two parts. The first part consists of a simple question requiring a YES or NO answer. If your answer is "yes", the second part will ask to fully demonstrate how you obtained this qualification by responding to some sub-questions.

4. Responses will not be considered satisfactory if you simply state that you have the required qualifications or provide a list of current or past responsibilities or paraphrase the qualifications

Please consult the "Other Information" section to learn more about this process.

Work environment

A telecommunication Operator is responsible for responding to both Police and Emergency 911 calls for service while dispatching RCMP and other emergency responders to incidents in their respective province. This requires a level of multi-tasking simultaneously on a computer with multiple screens/programs while responding to calls on a radio/phone of which some may be highly stressful “life or death” situations. Telecommunication Operators are often exposed to emotionally charged clients and incidents which may be traumatic, violent and disturbing. Telecommunication Operators work shift work and must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

Intent of the process

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies in Truro, Nova Scotia ONLY. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

The intent of the process is to establish a pool of qualified at the TCO-01 and TCO-02 group and level.

Candidates who are qualified at the TCO-01 level and who are selected for the Telecommunications Operator Training Program will be appointed to a determinate (term) appointment at the TCO-01 group and level.

Only the TCO-01 Trainees who successfully complete the training program* will be placed in a pool of qualified TCO-02 which may be used to appoint determinately (term) or indeterminately (permanent) at the TCO-02 group and level.

* The Training Program is comprised of in-class training followed by field coaching. The duration of the training program varies according to the location of the position.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

EDUCATION: (TCO-01 and TCO-02)

A secondary School Diploma or employer-approved alternative*

* Employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma are defined as a satisfactory score on the PSC test approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma; or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience**.

**acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience must consist of at least 2 of the following:

Education: successful completion of two years of secondary school and/or

Training: successful completion of acceptable level of training courses and/or

Experience: a minimum of 2 years work experience

Degree equivalency

OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING (TCO-02 only)
Successful completion of a Telecommunications Operator Training Program recognized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

OR

Successful challenge for RCMP National Telecommunications Operator Training Program credits, in accordance with RCMP National Telecommunications Operator training policy.*

*The term "Successful challenge" means candidates from other police agencies (not police officers) who have been doing this type of work (call-taking and/or dispatching) and who have gone through a training program can take the exam without attending the in-class training. They will, however, need to participate and be successful in field coaching.

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

ASSETS:

EXPERIENCE:
Experience working as a Telecommunications Operator in a Public-Safety Operational Communications Centre (OCC) or Administrative Communications Centre (ACC) (TCO-02 only)

ABILITIES:
Additional spoken languages, other than French or English.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Be able to type/keyboard at 40 net w.p.m. with less than 5% error rate.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Various language requirements
Bilingual imperative (BBC/BBC) OR English Essential. (TCO-01 and TCO-02)

First consideration may be given to qualified candidates who meet the language profile of Bilingual imperative BBC/BBC. Candidates who identify as being Bilingual on their application may be assessed ahead of other candidates who have submitted their application for consideration of English Essential positions only. There are various language requirements, therefore, non-bilingual candidates should still submit their applications for consideration.

Information on language requirements

ABILITY (TCO-01 only)*

Ability to read full written paragraphs and accurately enter that text word-for-word using a keyboard. (Keyboarding)

Ability to read written data (such as name, telephone number, license plate sequence, etc.) and accurately enter that data using a keyboard. (Data Entry-MT)

Ability to hear audible data (such as name, telephone number, license plate sequence, etc.) and accurately enter that data using a keyboard. (Data Entry-MT (Audio))

Ability to hear and comprehend audible information while accurately entering that information using a keyboard. (Call Summarization 2-MT)

Ability to hear data, retain it in memory, and then use a keyboard to accurately recall and enter the data. (Memory Recall: Numeric (Audio))

Ability to use maps to for determining routes and locations. (Suburban-Rural Map Reading)

Ability to correctly spell words that sound similar but are spelled differently and have differing meanings depending on the context in which they are being used. (Spelling (Audio))

Ability to read and comprehend written passages. (Reading Comprehension)

*These qualifications will be assessed using the software, CritiCall. Each qualification is directly linked to a test module in CritiCall and applicants must meet the established pass-mark of each test module to continue in the selection process. If you fail one of more of the test modules, there is a 90 day waiting period before you can rewrite the test. Applicants must re-apply if they fail the selection process in order to be retested.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY: (TCO-01 only)

Develops self

Flexibility

Problem Solving

Conscientiousness and reliability

Meeting client needs

Communication (oral and written)

Teamwork

Self-control and composure

Conditions of employment

Top Secret security clearance - RCMP Top Secret (TCO-01 and TCO-02)

The successful applicant will have to obtain an RCMP Top Secret Security Clearance. The process requires a Security/Reliability Interview, a field investigation in matters of Criminal Activities, credit / finances, education, employment, references, etc.

Conditions of employment (TCO-01 and TCO-02):

Ability and willingness to work shift work (24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year)

Ability and willingness to travel and testify in court of law.

Ability and willingness to travel for mandatory operational training.

Ability and willingness to work on short notice and overtime to meet operational needs.

Exposure to emotionally charged clients and incidents which may be traumatic, violent and disturbing.

Meets and maintains the medical profile standards established for the position.

Meets and maintains any additional medical requirements for isolated posts, in accordance with Treasury Board policy and definitions of locations.

Work in a confined or restrictive workspace, wear a headset, and exposure to multiple computer screens, and noise disturbances for extended periods of time.

Other information

Persons with a priority entitlement may self-refer if interested in the TCO-01 and TCO-02 position and will be considered in priority to all other applicants.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to clearly outline that they meet each of the screening criteria (i.e. Education and Experience Qualifications, both Essential and Assets) in the screening questions. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the requirement is met or to provide a listing of current responsibilities, rather the candidate must provide concrete examples that illustrate how they meet the requirement. Failure to do so could result in the application being rejected from the process

Candidates must be prepared to provide original proof of education (including equivalencies), citizenship and references when requested. Failure to do so, by the deadline requested, will result in your candidacy no longer being considered for this pool.

You MUST select ONE test location (in your application) from the following cities:
St. John’s (NFLD), Truro (NS), Fredericton (NB), Charlottetown (PE), Westmount (QC), Ottawa (ON), Regina (SK), Edmonton (AB), Red Deer (AB), Kelowna (BC), Surrey (BC), Prince George (BC), Victoria (BC), Iqaluit (NU), YellowKnife (NT), Whitehorse (YT)).

Candidates will be required to pay for their own travel expenses associated with the assessment as well as relocation expenses, if applicable.

Depending on the number of applicants, Department needs and HR plans, volume management strategies such as random selection, top-down approach, and/or cut-off scores MAY be used for the purpose of managing applications/candidates.

Our means of communication with applicants is via e-mail. Please ensure to include a functional e-mail address, which will accept messages from unknown users (some e-mail systems block these types of e-mails). It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A test may be administered.

A situational exercise may be administered.

Successful candidates will require a valid RCMP security clearance prior to appointment and throughout the tenure of their employment. The process to obtain RCMP security clearance involves a security/reliability interview and a field investigation regarding matters of criminal activity which includes reference checks, verification of credit/financial status, education, employment, etc . As such, the process may take several weeks or months to complete.

To be granted RCMP security clearance and to maintain the ethical standards of the RCMP, candidates must not be, or have been, involved in certain criminal activities*, have been dishonourably discharged, have pending personal bankruptcies, etc. For additional information and a complete list of activities, please visit http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/qualifications-and-requirements and read the section titled “To apply as a police officer, you must not have”, as well as the applicable considerations. The security requirements are the same for all employees of the RCMP.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.