Administrative Positions

Important messages

Please note that if you have applied to process #17-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-310, there is no need for you to apply again to this process unless you wish to be considered for the new locations.

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. If you meet the qualifications listed below, you may be contacted for further assessment for specific jobs as they become available. We have a regular need for CR-04 positions across the organization so it may not take long after the inventory is established for us to contact you.

In order to be considered to meet the criteria of belonging to one of the Employment Equity groups (Aboriginal persons or persons with disabilities), please complete the Employment Equity section of the application.

Work environment

At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), we take pride in what we do. We are an organization dedicated to serving the public. We are here to provide support to both our clients and colleagues. We are committed to delivering high quality service because we understand the importance of agriculture to our economy, communities, environment and human health. At AAFC, we are dedicated to making a continual effort to improve our services.

We also have employment opportunities in a variety of offices across the country from being located on a farm, in a lab, in a rural community, in an urban area… basically we have all types of opportunities!

Intent of the process

To establish an inventory of qualified candidates by September 30th.

This process is anticipatory and will be used to staff similar CR-04 positions (or equivalent) with various tenures as well as various linguistic profiles and security requirements.

Depending on the position being staffed, additional qualifications may be required by the hiring manager(s). Applicants will be provided the opportunity to submit information relevant to any additional qualifications that may be applied.

In the event that an employee of the public service is qualified through this process, the employee may be considered for acting, assignment/secondment or deployment opportunities.

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)

A secondary school diploma (high school)

We will send you an e-mail later to request a copy of your proof of education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcript. Please click on the link below if you went to school outside of Canada.

Degree equivalency

Experience providing a range of administrative support services with at least three of the following:
• formatting documents
• data entry
• managing agendas for senior managers
• scheduling and organizing meetings and teleconferences
• preparing and collating meeting information and background materials
• procuring office equipment and supplies
• maintaining a filing system
• drafting and editing correspondence

Experience in the use of Microsoft Office Word and of Microsoft Office Excel

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

Degree/diploma from a recognized post-secondary institution in office support or a related field (examples: secretarial, paralegal, office clerk)

We will send you an e-mail later to request a copy of your proof of education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcript. Please click on the link below if you went to school outside of Canada.

Degree equivalency

Experience providing human resources support services
Experience using PeopleSoft outside of employee and/or manager self-service module
Experience providing financial support services
Experience in accounts payable or procurement
Experience using a financial management system (for example SAP)
Experience coordinating travel arrangements and travel claims

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

Various language requirements
English essential
French essential
English or French essential
Bilingual imperative BBB/BBB

Information on language requirements

Client focus
Teamwork
Ability to prioritize
Written communication
Oral communication

Ability to perform essential clerical tasks quickly and accurately
Ability to use reasoning skills to solve problems

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities

Information on employment equity

Ability and willingness to work overtime

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - OR Secret security clearance

Other information

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. Please apply through the "Apply online" link below.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

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

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

HOW WILL YOU BE ASSESSED?

All communication relating to this process, including email correspondence, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

We are providing assessment timelines for your information so you can start preparing now as we will work quickly to complete this process. Note that timelines may need to be revised due to unforeseen circumstances. We will advise those impacted should timelines change.

STEP 1 - TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF (end of July 2017)

Tell us about you! We want to know why you would be a great candidate for AAFC’s CR-04 positions! You will be happy to know that a cover letter is NOT required for this process. But you are not completely off the hook… we need to learn a little about you. We need you to complete the screening questionnaire and provide us your resume before we have you run through some standardized tests and an interview. We will review your application and determine whether you meet the education and experience requirements, with a vision of notifying all applicants of results by end of July.

STEP 2 – DO THE TESTS – End of July to late August 2017

Phase 1: General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT1-207) and Office Skills Test (OST-200)
The GCT1 – 207 will evaluate your ability to use reasoning skills to solve problems and the OST-200 will evaluate your Ability to perform essential clerical tasks quickly and accurately. If you have previously taken these standardized tests and wish to use previous results, please note the following minimum pass mark have been established:
• GCT1-207: 30/50
• OST-200: 45/75
A higher cut-off score may be used depending on the number of applicants.

For more information, please visit the following links:
General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT1-207): https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/staffingassessment-tools-resources/human-resources-specialists-hiringmanagers/human-resources-toolbox/personnel-psychologycentre/consultation-test-services/public-service-commission-tests/generalcompetency-test-level-1-1-207.html

Office Skills Test (OST-200): https://www.canada.ca/en/public-servicecommission/services/staffing-assessment-tools-resources/human-resourcesspecialists-hiring-managers/human-resources-toolbox/personnel-psychologycentre/consultation-test-services/public-service-commission-tests/office-skillstest-ost-200.html

Phase 2: E-mail Exam
A take-home exam assessing written communication and the ability to prioritize will be sent to you by e-mail to be returned to us within 24 hours of receipt. Don't worry, we will let you know the exact date a week prior to sending the exam.

STEP 3 – PHONE CALL - September 2017
We will contact you to talk about your client focus; teamwork; and see how you do with oral communication. This will be done through a combination of behavioural and situational questions over the phone.

If you fail to submit the exam on time OR fail to complete assessments without a valid reason and reasonable notice, you will be eliminated from the selection process. The following reasons will be regarded as valid:
-Medical reasons with doctor’s certificate;
-Death in the immediate family;
-Confirmation of pre-approved travel plans;
-Religious reasons.

We also expect you to inform us as soon as possible after you obtain the e-mail that you meet the education and experience if there are periods for which you are unavailable during the assessment phases (if have pre-approved beach or Europe vacation for example). We would prefer you invite us but we will try to accommodate your vacations when possible if you let us know in advance.

IMPORTANT

Please note that if you have applied to process #17-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-310, there is no need for you to apply again unless you wish to be considered for the new locations.

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.