Administrative Assistant

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request special accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Information on accommodation for persons with disabilities

IMPORTANT NOTES
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When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to a pool for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.
Please see POOL definitions under section «Other information» at the end of the advertisement.

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

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
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In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position as this is an essential merit criteria for the position and you will be evaluated during the hiring process, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

To access the Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment, please visit this link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/staffing-assessment-tools-resources/human-resources-specialists-hiring-managers/unsupervised-internet-testing/unsupervised-internet-test-second-language-writing-skills.html

Duties

An Administrative Assistant is driven to go above and beyond for the team, someone who is dedicated to delivering quality administrative service and support.

On any given day, you will have the opportunity to work on a variety of tasks and develop your skills in many areas. You will work to build relationships, have the chance to collaborate with talented people and develop a rich network of colleagues with different backgrounds.

Work environment

ABOUT THE PRIVY COUNCIL OFFICE

The Privy Council Office (PCO) is the hub of non-partisan, public service support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet and its decision-making structures.

Led by the Clerk of the Privy Council, PCO helps the Government implement its vision and respond effectively and quickly to issues facing the government and the country.

Because it is a small department of less than 1000 employees, you have the chance to work with all sub-delegated managers (including Deputy Ministers) and the opportunity to develop in-depth organizational awareness.

Intent of the process

A partially assessed pool will be created to staff similar positions within Privy Council Office as well as within the Treasury Board of Canada and the Courts Administration Service with various language requirements (bilingual imperative BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC), various tenures (indeterminate, specified period) and various security requirements for both classification.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
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You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be considered for current or future appointments.

It is your responsibility to provide appropriate and concrete examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification (Education and Experience).

Failing to do so will result in your application being rejected.

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
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You do not need to answer the screening questions for the assets qualifications.

However, if you meet one or more, you are strongly encouraged to answer Asset Qualifications questions in your online application as they may be used at any stage in the process or be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be considered for an appointment.

Not answering them will not result in your application being rejected.

PRESCREENING - RÉSUMÉ / SCREENING QUESTIONS
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Take the time to answer the questions.

For example, when responding to an experience criteria, you must provide concrete examples of situations. These may be part of the same example however, you must ensure to provide sufficient details to cover the actions as they are all required.

Should you indicate in your responses “See my résumé”, “I have 5 years’ experience in the field”, “I acquired this experience working at XYZ Store”, “I meet this qualification” or similar statements will not be accepted. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or missing information.

Finally, if the examples you provide speak of experience that was acquired in a team setting, please be specific as to your exact role within this team as it is your experience the board will be looking to assess and not that of your team.

Lack of concrete examples and details will result in your application being rejected.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

EDUCATION:

Secondary school diploma or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:

Recent* experience of one year (12 months) or more coordinating administrative activities in an office.

Experience proofreading, editing or formatting various types of correspondence.

Experience organizing meetings or conference calls / videoconferences.

*Recent is defined as experience obtained within the last two years.

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

EDUCATION ASSET:

Post-secondary education diploma in a related field of study.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE ASSET:

Experience in developing and maintaining filing systems.

Experience in performing tasks related to financial information or financial documents (e.g. budget tracking and forecasting, acquisition card reconciliation or petty cash).

Experience scheduling and organizing travel arrangements, or processing claims.

Experience providing contracting or procurement support services.

Experience working in a fast-paced or high volume environment (e.g. call center, help line, marketing, sales, or surveys).

Experience working in a human resources environment.

Experience in using a financial system, such as SAP (Systems Applications and Products).

Experience in coordinating requests regarding Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP).

Experience working in a security or emergency operation centre.

Experience working with PeopleSoft.

Experience using an electronic filing system such as GCDocs or InfoXpress.

Experience in customer services.

Experience supervising employees.

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

Various language requirements
Bilingual – Imperative BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC

Information on language requirements

COMPETENCIES:

Communication

Work Organization

Technical Expertise

Innovation

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:

Teamwork

Discretion

Judgement

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

Top Secret security clearance

Tests

PSEE - Test of Judgement UIT

Applicants must complete the Public Service Entrance Exam: Test of Judgement Unsupervised Internet Test as part of the screening for this selection process. This test assesses the judgement required for solving problems in work-related situations. You will have 75 minutes to complete the test. You must complete the test before you submit your application for this position.

For more information, please consult: Public Service Entrance Exam - Test of Judgement Unsupervised Internet Test

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the targeted groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Reference checks will be sought.

An interview will be administered.

A written examination will be administered.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

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

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

DEFINITION
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A pool consists of a group of applicants which have been assessed to some degree. In the case of a fully assessed pool, all essential merit criteria have been assessed in order to staff positions as they become vacant. For partially assessed pools, some essential merit criteria have been assessed, requiring that individuals be further assessed prior to being eligible for appointment.

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.