24 Hour Crisis and Referral Centre Telephone Counsellor

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 specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

***** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLOSING DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO JANUARY 11, 2019. *****

***APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH JOBS.GC.CA. ONLY APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED ON LINE WILL BE CONSIDERED.

**** VERY IMPORTANT NOTES***
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) by RESPONDING TO THE SCREENING QUESTIONS IN THE ONLINE APPLICATION. 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. Lack of EXAMPLES and DETAILS may result in your application being rejected as the Assessment Board will have insufficient information to determine whether or not you meet the qualifications.

Your Résumé will only be used as a secondary source to validate the experience described in your answers to the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) questionnaire, and will not be used as the source document for candidate screening.

Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information in their PSRS screening questionnaire.

Your questionnaire answers should clearly identify your role in the noted example. A job title alone does not demonstrate that you have the requisite level of experience, so be sure to explain relevant responsibilities and/or actions that you took. Additionally, please be sure to provide sufficient information regarding timelines & duration; scope of work; project or job complexities (as appropriate); etc. You MUST provide verifiable, relevant and concrete examples from your work history that clearly demonstrate how you acquired the required experience. Relevant and concrete examples MUST include substantiating details that clearly outline the breadth and depth of your experience, as well as relevant timelines. It is NOT sufficient to only state that the qualification is met, or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities.

Failure to clearly demonstrate in your responses HOW you meet the screening criteria ( Essential Education and Experiences) may result in the rejection of your application. Inconsistencies in the application package MAY result in your submission being rejected.

In your PSRS questionnaire responses, clarity, coherence, conciseness as well as appropriate attention to detail (spelling, grammar and relevance to the factor being substantiated) may be used to evaluate your ability to communicate effectively in writing and attention to detail as personal suitability.

Part of the assessment may be conducted through a take home exam. Candidates are expected to be available for written tests. Tests would only be rescheduled under exceptional circumstances and a strong rationale and evidence would be required to support any reschedule request.

Intent of the process

This process is an ANTICIPATORY selection process, as no position is to staff at the moment. However, a pool of fully or partially qualified candidates may be created and may be used to staff similar positions at an identical or equivalent group and level with various languages proficiencies (Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB, Bilingual Imperative CBB/CBB, Bilingual Imperative BBC/BBC, Bilingual CBC/CBC), various security profiles and various tenures using various staffing activities for positions within Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. If you are interested in this type of work, you are encouraged to apply on this process.

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:

ED1: Successful completion of a Master’s degree from a recognized university in counselling, social work, psychology, sociology or another discipline relevant to work of the position.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:

EXP1: Experience in psycho-social counselling.
EXP2: Experience in client case management.
EXP3: Experience working in a team environment.

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

ASSET EXPEIRENCE:

AEXP1: Experience in telephone counselling.

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

Bilingual - Imperative (CBC/CBC)

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:

K1: Knowledge of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
K2: Knowledge of Crisis Assessment and Crisis Intervention Techniques
K3: Knowledge of Critical Incident Stress Management and trauma debriefing techniques
K4: Knowledge of basic principles of counselling

ABILITIES:

A1: Ability to maintain accurate and complete case notes about clients (such as client reports and files), utilizing tools such as computerized systems
A2: Ability to handle stress while making important decisions within short timelines
A3: Ability to employ crisis intervention techniques in defusing potentially volatile situations
A4: Ability to maintain effective working relationships with the public and/or with the Mental Health Professional network
A5: Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
A6: Ability to manage changing priorities

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES:

PS1: Good personal relationship
PS2: Flexibility
PS3: Judgement
PS4: Attention to detail
PS5: Dependable
PS6: Respectful of diversity

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

ASSET ABILITY:

AA1: Ability to communicate effectively by «chat».

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS:

Employment Equity may be used to address demonstrated under-representation of designated groups.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Willingness and ability to work overtime occasionally.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

- Willingness and ability to work any of the rotational day and night shifts: 0:00am-8:00am, 6 :00am-2 :00pm, 7:00am-3:00pm, 7 :30am-3 :30pm, 8 :00am-4 :00pm, 8 :30am-4 :30pm, 9 :00am-5 :00pm, 9 :30am-5 :30pm, 10 :00am-6 :00pm, 11 :00am-7 :00pm, 12 :00pm-8 :00pm, 3:00pm-11:00pm, 4:00pm-0:00am, 11:00pm-7:00am

- Willingness and ability to obtain a membership from a recognized Canadian professional association or college of counsellors, psychotherapists or social worker and be in good standing.

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 designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

At Management discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience may serve as an alternative to the minimum post-secondary education stated above. Whenever the minimum education is met via this alternative, it is met for the specific positions being staffed only and must be re-assessed for other positions for which this alternative may be specified by the manager.

You must provide proof of your education credentials. Candidates with foreign educational credentials are required to provide proof of Canadian equivalency. You may consult The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at http://www.cicic.ca for further information.

Foreign educational credentials must be assessed by a recognized credential assessment service. If you have been educated outside of Canada, it is your responsibility to have your certificate(s) and/or diploma assessed against Canadian educational standards. Guidance may be found at the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) at http://www.cicic.ca/.

Asset education & experience criteria MAY be used to assist with volume management and/or right-fit justifications, and may be evaluated at any phase of the assessment process.

To assist with volume management, the selection board may elect to use a top-down methodology to select candidates for progression through each stage of the assessment process. Please note that achieving a pass mark on any of the assessments conducted does not mean that you will move forward in the selection process. Management may decide to use a cut-off mark that is higher than the pass mark on any evaluation used throughout the process.

Please identify clearly your substantive group and level and your employment status on your resume and/or application form.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Candidates are advised that their exam or interview would only be rescheduled under these exceptional circumstances:
o Medical reason with certificate
o Pre-arranged travel with proof
o Pre-scheduled training with proof
o Pre-arranged exam/interview for another Government of Canada staffing process with proof
o Pre-approved vacation with proof
o Death in the family
o Other exceptional reason deemed acceptable by the Selection Board (e.g. Jury Duty, etc.)

All candidates who apply in this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and ensure that this address is functional at all times and that it accepts messages from unknown users. Failure to do so may result in important messages not being received.

Most of the communications for this selection process will be conducted via the e-mail address provided in your application. It is your responsibility to ensure that you check for messages regularly. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REGULARLY VERIFY YOUR E-MAIL AND PSRS ACCOUNT FOR ALL COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS SELECTION PROCESS.

Failure to respond to key messages may result in your application being automatically withdrawn from this process unless you have previously identified alternate arrangements for accommodations measures. In the event of email delivery failures, the selection board may elect not to pursue candidates through other avenues.

***IMPORTANT***: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE SENT.

Any false and/or fraudulent information you may provide in relation to this selection process may result in your elimination from the process, removal from the pools of qualified candidates created by this process and/or revocation of any employment offers which may result from the process.

A Candidate Achievement Record may be used
A written test or written tests may be administered.
An interview may be administered.
Reference checks may be sought.

The Public Service Commission Middle Management Situational Exercise (MMSE 840) may be administered.

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are committed to Employment Equity. In order to ensure a diversified workforce, preference may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one or more of the following Employment Equity groups: aboriginal people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minority groups, provided that the candidate meets all essential qualifications listed on the job opportunity and any applicable asset qualification(s).

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.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

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