Open competitions organized by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) are published in annual cycles for administrators (AD), assistants (AST and SC) and linguists. Other competitions for more specialized positions are held throughout the year. The indicative plan for upcoming competitions and testing stages can be found here.
The selection procedure consists of these stages:
- Pre-selection – CBT tests that assess your verbal, numerical and/or abstract reasoning, situational judgement and/or professional competencies. This stage eliminates a large number of candidates in order to admit to the assessment centre a maximum of four candidates per post.
- Assessment centre – this stage tests your key competencies: analysis and problem solving, communicating, delivering quality and results, prioritising and organising, resilience, working with others, and leadership. These are assessed by means of tests such as structured interview, group work, oral presentation and case study.
- Successful candidates are placed on the Reserve List, from which institutions recruit them for specific jobs. Reserve lists are generally valid for about one year.
Competitions for temporary and contractual positions published by EU offices and agencies are not as complex and there are fewer applicants because competition requirements are more strict and specific.
Based on our trainers’ own experience from different competitions, you can get useful advice and learn some tips and tricks about how to successfully prepare for the selection tests.
