Here you can learn how to formulate your public service application correctly!
Regardless of whether you are a school leaver or a career changer, a civil service application must be complete, correct in form and language, and meaningful. O. K., admittedly, I’m not telling you anything new now, am I??
Don’t worry, of course, it does not remain quite so general in this blog article! In the following, you will learn why so many people fail with their applications to public authorities. There are a few points to keep in mind. If you do not know them, you lose your chances. Knowing them gives you an advantage.
Every German has equal access to every public office according to his suitability, qualification and professional performance.
Article 33 paragraph 2 of the Basic Law
A Public service application Theoretically, it is quite simple to write a letter of application for a job in the civil service. That’s it, at least until the moment you sit down at home and start formulating your cover letter. Formulating cover letters for job applications is one of those things. There are countless instructions, tips and samples on the Internet to help you with this. This all has its justification, but especially the people who want to apply to authorities should consider the following points.
In the following video I have summarized the most important information about the application:
Now let’s move on to the eight best tips for your Civil service application:
Tip no. 1: Choose jobs from the right career path for you
The career paths are something like the career paths in public service
The career paths are something like the career paths in the civil service. Depending on your educational background, different opportunities will open up for you. There are the simple, the middle, the higher and the higher service. In each career, a distinction is made between the technical and the non-technical service.
The following careers are possible for your civil service application..
As a prerequisite for the simple service will be a main or. High school diploma required. In fact, the lower service has become rare these days. Often it is still messengers or employees in the mail room of a public authority, who are employed in the ordinary service.
The Intermediate Service requires the completion of the "Mittlere Reife" or alternatively a "Haupt- bzw. Middle school diploma. If you want to apply for an advertised position as a career changer, you must have completed vocational training in addition to your high school diploma.
For many of you, the intermediate service will be your entry into the civil service. School leavers from secondary schools and high schools in particular will find vacancies for training as an administrative clerk here. Civil servants in the middle service can be found at various authorities. The fields of activity are incredibly diverse. Mainly clerks are employed here, who usually do not take on management tasks.
Last but not least, for many of you the higher service interesting. If you want to enter the higher non-technical service after school, you need the general higher education entrance qualification or the subject-related higher education entrance qualification. the advanced technical college entrance qualification.
If this requirement is met and you can also show a good result in the civil service test, interesting dual courses of study await you at state and local authorities, such as the dual course of study to become a Diplom-Verwaltungswirt (FH), which I myself completed in Bavaria. The higher technical service, on the other hand, also requires a completed bachelor’s or master’s degree. Interesting activities for career changers can also arise here.
In addition, there is the higher service. In the higher service are mostly full lawyers or medical doctors employed. For most of you, either the intermediate or the higher service is interesting.
So from the beginning you have to find out if you are suitable for the advertised position or the. the training or study place fulfills the relevant requirements. If you have done this, we can move on to the next step.
Tip no. 2: Try to achieve as good a result as possible in the civil service test
AttentionThis tip is less interesting for career changers. Most lateral entrants do not have to take the selection exam described below in this form.
In the civil service test, you will have to stand up to other competitors…
If you are seriously interested in training or studying in the public sector, you should prepare yourself intensively for the selection exam! This exam is a special recruitment test for all people who want to enter the civil service.
In this article, I go into great detail about the contents of this exam. You will learn how to prepare yourself for the many questions you will be asked during the selection process. In other words: You will learn how to successfully master this hiring process.
I am of the opinion that everyone can achieve a good result in the selection exam, if he or she effective prepared for this test.
Especially for this selection procedure, it is worthwhile to prepare specifically, because..
… the selection examination for the training and study places in the public service is structured in the same way every year. You can prepare yourself very well for this exam!
This is the structure..
The selection test always starts with the language part. Here you will have to present an issue in a formal and linguistically correct manner. In other words: this is about text comprehension.
The ability to think logically and deductively will also be tested. Furthermore, sufficient knowledge of grammar and spelling as well as text comprehension and the ability to compose texts are tested.
That sounds quite a lot and complicated at first, doesn’t it?? Well, let me put it this way: In this selection process, you will decide who you want to be diligence about victory and defeat. There is nothing that you cannot prepare for.
I myself took this selection test for the third qualification level in Bavaria in 2014. Thus I know that without sufficient preparation it is not possible to achieve a good result in this test.
And that is exactly the point:
The result in the selection test is one of the most important criteria in the selection of applicants! Intensive preparation is always worthwhile!
Please do yourself a favor and prepare sufficiently for this selection test. If you don’t do this, you don’t stand a chance in the hiring process and your journey ends here.
Tip no. 3: Do an internship in your desired authority
This tip is particularly suitable for students who still have some time before they have to complete their studies Civil Service Application have to submit. An internship at a government agency is a good way to find out if public service is right for you. Do the internship, if possible, before you apply for a job at the public authority.
I will tell you later why you should do this. If possible, I would do several internships at the same time at different authorities. Your goal should be to get a profound insight into the daily work in the public service.
Before you call the next district office or city council, you should definitely take a look at their homepage. Find out what subjects and departments are available and decide what appeals to you.
Most authorities inform the citizens on their homepage, what they are responsible for and what the individual areas have for tasks. Use this information for your research!
When you contact the public body, you can already express your wishes as to what you would like to see in the next one or two weeks. Emphasize in the phone call/email that you have already done some research online and that you are particularly interested in a few specific areas. Concentrate on two, up to a maximum of three, different subject areas that you want to "get a taste" of. I always recommend you a two-week internship! This will give you a much better insight.
For the next step, all you need is a pen and a piece of paper. Sit down at home and think about what questions you would like to ask the people to whom you are assigned. In the internship you have a unique opportunity to get rid of all your questions.
In the internship, always be interested in new things that are shown to you. Even if you are not very interested at first, do not make a summary until the end!
Tip no. 4: Submit your civil service application in good time!
What follows is primarily of interest to those of you who would like to enter the public service directly after school. As already mentioned above, you must achieve a good result in the civil service test if you want to have a chance. For you: register in time for the civil service test!
Even if you are the most suitable applicant of all, you have no chance of being hired if you apply too late for the selection test.
The deadline for registering for the civil service test is already a few months before the test is administered. Be you thereby safe that one for you also no exception will make&
If you’re smart, you’ll find out in advance about possible deadlines!
I had some classmates at the time who would have liked to take the selection exam, but simply neglected to register for the test in time.
As soon as you have the results of your selection test in your hands, you should use them to approach public bodies that are of interest to you. Better you are then just once too early, than that you miss a deadline. Submit your Public service application so in due time!
Please do yourself a favor and don’t let this derail your future…
Tip no. 5: Formulate the perfect cover letter for your civil service application
There is no such thing as the one "perfect" cover letter. There are, however, very good cover letters that are convincing even after the first few sentences. Now you finally learn how to write such cover letters! Ask yourself the following question:
Why are you applying to this particular authority now??
Your cover letter must be able to answer this question! It can also do that if you follow the steps below:
Step 2: In the blog article, right at the beginning, under the heading "Becoming a civil servant – is that something for me?" you will find?" a very important list of key points. Use this checklist to find out if working in the public sector is right for you.
Step 3: Pick out four key points from these that apply to you.
Step 4: Incorporate these four qualities into your cover letter.
If you proceed this way, you will automatically formulate a cover letter that presents you as a qualified applicant! In your cover letter, list the qualities that are equally important for civil servants and employees in the public sector.
Tip no. 6: When in doubt, always remain formal
This tip is based on what I learned during the hiring process. O.K., first I would like to give you the following, please keep it always in the back of your mind:
If you are applying for a job with a government agency, you are likely to be interviewed by people who will take a dim view of your casual manner.
Note: You can find out how best to prepare for the interview in this YouTube video:
You have mentioned in tip no. 4 already experienced that you should not let it fail by missing a deadline.
Now there is another circumstance that can break your neck: Your appearance
Make a grown-up impression
Of course, this does not only apply to job interviews with public authorities, but especially to this one.
Just put yourself in the role of your future employer. This is looking for someone who will be paid by society and will give something back to that society with his or her service.
What type of person would you choose for this job?? In any case, you would prefer the conscientious, disciplined type.
I don’t want to give the impression that it is not allowed to laugh internally in authorities! No, it is actually more familiar and often more relaxed than in companies. For the interview, however, you should try to make a mature, trusting impression!
Especially in the interview with the authorities you will be sitting in front of people who attach a lot of importance to such an appearance.
Tip no. 7: Send your civil service application to smaller agencies as well
Even small towns and communities can be attractive employers.
The following tip is equally interesting for school leavers as well as for career changers. Those who want the government as an employer first apply to larger agencies with hundreds of employees.
This is especially because such large employers advertise more aggressively than smaller, municipal positions. In large offices, assessment centers or structured recruitment interviews are then conducted. If you are not convincing here, the dream of a civil service job is over, or?
Wrong thinking! While most applicants have to reorient themselves after a rejection, you still have an ace up your sleeve. Numerous government agencies offer you varied and often well-paid jobs close to home. I’m talking about cities and towns with less than 10 inhabitants.000 inhabitants, which hardly anyone has on their radar as a potential employer.
Even the small ones have a need for personnel
Check with the municipalities and cities in your area to see if there is a job opening somewhere. You can also call there at any time and introduce yourself.
The great advantages of such service employers are the following: They offer you a job close to home and particularly varied.
Just like the large government agencies, smaller, municipal service agencies also have a need for personnel.
As a school leaver, however, you must first find a municipality or city that will pay for your three-year training. However, during my studies I got to know some people who were employed by small municipalities.
The possibility of getting a job with such a service provider exists in any case. Considering the current shortage of personnel in many public offices, you have a good chance of being hired, especially nowadays!
For one thing, you first have to find a municipality that will take your two or. three-year apprenticeship paid, that’s right. On the other hand, these municipalities have far fewer applicants than the larger ones. The advantages and disadvantages balance each other out.
It happens in a small community that a public official retires in a few years and there is no replacement. In fact, especially nowadays, many municipalities are facing a real problem when it comes to finding new recruits.
You can benefit from!
If you apply in time, you have a good chance to take the position after graduation. For such positions in particular officials of the general internal administration are in demand!
Tip no. 8: Have yourself explicitly noted as a latecomer
It always happens that the desired candidate cancels and the personnel office has to rely on a replacement at short notice
I hope that you have already been able to take away some points that will help you in your recruitment process. Should you still get a rejection in the interview, I advise you to get yourself listed as a latecomer.
The following is especially interesting for school leavers!
Even if you have received a rejection, the following procedure will greatly increase your chances of being hired.
Apply to public agencies that are attractive to you. It does not matter if these authorities did not even get in touch with you in the first place. Ask whether the authority maintains a list of applicants for the current training year. If so, you can be registered there.
As a rule, the offices already have a lot of information weeks before the training or job application deadline. Start of study their aspirants. However, it happens again and again that the desired candidate cancels at short notice and the personnel office has to rely on a replacement. I myself arrived at my decision this way.
A rejection can mean your chance
It happens that an authority a few weeks before study or. training start still reject people. The authority must now look for a replacement candidate. Possibly now you come to the fore.
As a rule, all candidates are noted who have applied to the public body. However, if you call them personally and express your interest in the advertised position, you show that you really want it.
Please consider the following, before You let yourself be noted as a successor. First of all, find out in which field the authorities in question train you. First clarify whether you meet the requirements at all!
If you are interested in the financial administration, for example, you ask at the tax offices. Maybe my page about the General Internal Administration has made you curious? Do you see yourself in this field of activity in the future?? Then you best approach municipalities, cities, counties, districts and the governments!
One call is enough..
Call there, if you are interested in the specialty. Introduce yourself briefly and express interest in the field of study.
I would like to give you one thing on the way: act, even if the place number does not correspond to your ideas! Go to public authorities. you still have the possibility to get a foothold in the public sector.
I very much hope that the eight tips above have helped you. Knowing these tips alone, however, will not help you. You must implement it! When and how you should best submit your application, how exactly the endorsement as a successor works and how you can find the right contact person in the authority, you will find out in the Complete Package XXL:
Conclusion for the public service application
If you are applying for an advertised position in a government agency, you need to consider a number of things in order to have a realistic chance of being hired. However, it is not witchcraft, and who follows the procedures described here, is already on a very good way.
In this article you have now been given a whole series of tips to follow. They build on each other chronologically and should be followed in this order. If you proceed in this way, you increase your chance of being hired!
Especially with the last tip I would like to encourage you to do more than the others. Approach various government agencies, share your interest in the advertised position and try to get them to at least note you as a move-up candidate.