TRIBUNE LIBRE: EPSO reintroduces open competitions: a mixed experience for candidates
After a long hiatus, EPSO has finally resumed its open competitions, starting with *Transport* and more recently *Statistics*.
With these long-awaited opportunities now underway, candidates were hopeful that the new technical platform, managed by a different company after the numerous issues with last year’s provider, would ensure a smoother experience. While the most significant technical issues from previous years were mitigated, some candidates still encountered sporadic challenges.
Reports from candidates highlighted various technical issues, including lag, an absent or inconsistent on-screen timer, and immovable tools, such as a calculator that obscured parts of the text-based questions. Additionally, some candidates faced problems with an unavailable note-taking tool, which was meant to be a valuable resource throughout the test.
In response to initial written complaints, EPSO clarified that if candidates did not attempt to contact the TestWe application helpdesk during the test, their complaints would be automatically dismissed. Some candidates chose to proceed without reporting issues mid-test—hoping glitches would resolve on their own—while others attempted to reach support but received no response despite multiple attempts. EPSO’s reliance on candidates to engage with real-time technical support raises questions regarding both accessibility and accountability. This issue has not gone unnoticed, as the European Ombudsman has addressed EPSO’s approach to technical complaints, suggesting that EPSO adopt a more flexible approach.
“If EPSO requires candidates to first have contacted its external contractor’s technical support before submitting a complaint about issues during a remote test, it should clearly set out this requirement in the notice of competition, rather than the instructions. However, it is important that EPSO demonstrates flexibility in investigating complaints, as there may be scenarios where it is not possible for candidates to contact the technical support and/or get tickets.”
EPSO’s current complaint policy has left many issues unresolved, yet these recurring technical problems are potentially avoidable. EPSO could benefit from conducting a brief survey prior to dismissing complaints, possibly uncovering underlying issues tied to candidates’ specific hardware setups. Simple questions could clarify factors such as whether candidates used an external monitor, tested on a laptop, or the operating system and memory capacity of their device. Given the investments that prospective colleagues have made to ensure reliable equipment since the closure of test centres, understanding candidates’ technical setups would improve the testing process. For instance, the Ombudsman pointed out that issues tied to smaller laptop screens require clearer communication to ensure candidates are well-prepared and not disadvantaged by equipment differences.
“EPSO should address this issue, for example by requiring its contractor to optimize the test application or structure, so it is compatible with different screen sizes (including standard laptop screens), or taking other steps to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged due to the equipment to which they have access.”
EPSO itself acknowledged this challenge in the Ombudsman report:
“The test application and the test content is are designed for larger screens, but some candidates may not have access to such screens and have laptop screens only. As EPSO acknowledged, this means that candidates relying solely on smaller laptop screens would have trouble reading the test material and, essentially, be at a disadvantage in taking the test “.
As EPSO has acknowledged, this means that candidates who only use smaller laptop screens will have difficulty reading the test material and will therefore be at a disadvantage when taking the test.
Despite these challenges, it is worth noting the improvements made to the exam structure. EPSO now offers the possibility of taking the exams in 24 different languages, opening doors to many candidates who would previously have been reluctant to register due to language barriers. In addition, written examination material is available two weeks before the test on the EPSO website, giving candidates sufficient time to prepare. During the exam, candidates have 40 minutes to answer a specific question. By having the opportunity to do so in their mother tongue, many qualified professionals across the EU may feel more encouraged to participate.
The dates for 2025 are now available on the EPSO website, accessible via the same test platform, TestWe. Although this platform remains in use for the time being, EPSO has launched a tender procedure to select a new supplier, which promises potential changes on the horizon.Join us in building a stronger Europe – your journey, our future.
Improving selection and recruitment procedures
Why an active and constructive social dialogue is needed to improve selection and recruitment procedures in the European civil service ?
Speech by Georges Vlandas on 11th Dec 2023 trade unions’ seminar on EPSO selection procedures
The first guarantee of an efficient, agile and innovative European civil service is the quality of the selection and recruitment process put in place by the Institutions.
Despite that, selection and recruitment in the European institutions are in crisis, and not a week passes without EPSO, the body responsible for selecting staff, receiving some very severe and varied criticism, even from the institutions themselves.
This crisis affects us in many ways.
- Firstly, the candidates themselves are being badly treated.
- Second, the departments cannot obtain the additional human resources needed to perform their function.
- Next, there are concerns about the validity and reliability of our recruitment and selection procedures.
- The proportion of permanent official staff is decreasing while that of the contract and temporary staff is increasing.
- Finally, this reflects badly on the Commission’s image, not only in relation to other institutions, but also and, above all, in relation to European society as a whole.
The situation is sufficiently concerning that the search for solutions needs a robust collaborative assessment of the various malfunctions in the selection and recruitment procedures.
And this is what our present meeting aims to contribute to.
To mention the most important of these:
– procedures that take too long and therefore fail to attract new talent;
– invalid and unreliable selection tests that fail to recruit the staff we need;
– the time lag between recruitment procedures and job offers;
– issues related to multi-lingualism.
For a new perspective on the content, selection process and nature of competitions, we need an active social dialogue involving all stakeholders – staff representatives, DG HR, EPSO management, including the other Institutions. We also need a broader consultation involving other stakeholders, including those from civil society, such as. former candidates, recruitment and selection experts, and so on.
The challenge is to formulate a new selection and recruitment policy that will attract and recruit the competent motivated European staff of diverse talent that we need.
This future recruitment process would mainly take the traditional, but revised, form of external competitive examinations and the parallel recruitment of contract or temporary staff, with the option of their permanent integration into the European civil service through internal competitive examinations or ad hoc assessment procedures. The future of our European civil service is at stake.