There is good news for people who have been waiting for a chance to join An Garda Síochána. The Public Appointments Service is currently accepting applications for An Garda Síochána on its website www.publicjobs.ie Applications will continue to be accepted until Tuesday January 5 2016. Even better news is that Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, has announced that up to 600 new Garda trainees will be recruited in 2016.
"Getting a career with An Garda Síochána is not as easy as one might think,” said Eddie Nealon, a course director with Career Services. “Once applicants have successfully applied, they must pass a rigorous selection of tests before starting their training in the Garda College in Templemore."
The initial stages consist of aptitude tests. These tests are a series of online and written assessments which can include personality assessments, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, job simulation exercises, and report writing exercises. “A candidate’s performance in these tests is very important for two reasons,” Mr Nealon said. “Firstly, only those that meet the required standard will be called to the remaining stages of the recruitment process. Secondly, successful candidates will be placed into a number of bands (eg, Band 1, Band 2, and Band 3 ). The highest scoring candidates will be placed into Band 1, and the remaining candidates will be place into Band 2 and 3 depending on their performance in the stage 1 tests. The candidates placed in Band 1 will be the first group of people who will be asked to complete the remaining stages, followed by the remaining bands.”
A competency based interview follows the aptitude tests. This is a highly structured interview where candidates are informed in advance of a number of key competencies. “The competencies, which are predefined by the interview board, are key skills deemed necessary to serve effectively as a member of An Garda Síochána. Examples of the competencies could include problem solving, resilience, motivation for the role, etc. When questioned by the interview board on a particular competency, candidates are asked to give an example of an instance when they displayed the competency effectively. Most people pick examples from their previous work experience, voluntary experience, educational experience, or a hobby that they enjoy. All candidates are assessed on the same competencies to ensure that there is fairness in the selection process. Obviously how well candidates prepare in advance will dictate how well they will perform in the interview.”
The final stages of the recruitment process will include a number of physical tests and a medical before successful candidates begin the BA in applied policing in the Garda College in Templemore.
Eddie Nealon is a course director with Career Services, an education company that has successfully prepared thousands of applicants for a career with An Garda Síochána since 1987. If you are interested in preparing for the current Garda recruitment campaign visit www.careerservices.ie for more details.
