Competition for appointment to the position ofSTATISTICIAN/ANALYST

in the Central Statistics Office

APPLICATION FORM SECTION 1 - PERSONAL DETAILS

Name

Address

Email address

Telephone number

Date of Birth(for statistical purposes only)Gender(for statistical purposes only)

Ref ID (Official use only)

*Note: All correspondence relating to this competition will issue by email. Applicants should provide an email address at which they can be contacted for the duration of the competition. In addition, if applicants need to be contacted by phone, this contact will be made to a mobile phone number. All applicants are asked to supply a mobile phone number at which they can be contacted.

Completed application forms for this competition should be forwarded by e-mail only to competitions_statistician@cso.ie, not later than 5.00 pm on 20TH March 2018.

Applicants are advised to submit applications 24 hours in advance, in case of any unforeseen events. No late applications can be accepted.

Candidates should note that the information in the application form will play a central part of the short-list process. The decision to include you on the short-list of candidates going forward to stage 2 of the process may be determined based on the information you supply at this stage. This information may be discussed in more depth, should you be called to interview.Location of Positions

Statisticians/Analysts appointed from this competition may be assigned to the CSO (offices in Cork and Dublin- Rathmines and Swords) or assigned for a specific period to carry out statistical work in other Government Departments/Agencies, in the context of the broader Irish Statistical System. Please indicate your location preference:

CORK DUBLIN BOTH

EDUCATION INCLUDING ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL OR TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MOST RECENT FIRST)

Date obtained and Full Title of Degree(s)/

Qualification(s) Held, Grade obtained (e.g. 1,

2.1, 2.2, Pass,etc.)

Please list each subject

taken and result in final examination*

Please give title of thesis/dissertation, if applicable

University, College, School or Examining

Authority

Period of Study

From To

DATE:

TITLE:

GRADE:

DATE:

TITLE:

GRADE:

DATE:

TITLE:

GRADE:

DATE:

TITLE:

GRADE:

Add more qualification lines if required.

* Please note that information on subjects taken is essential especially in relation to numerate/statistical modules/electives undertaken.

SECTION 3 – EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

SECTION 2 – EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY (MOST RECENT FIRST)

From ToName and address of Employer

Title and brief description of duties, salary etc.

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The information you provide in Section 4, Section 5 and Section 6 will form part of the short listing process and may also be used to help structure your interview, if you are invited to one. In this instance the interview board willquestion you in detail about the information you provide.

SECTION 4 – SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT

A Statistician/Analyst in the CSO is required to display a breadth and depth of specialist skills. These skills may include areas such as sampling & survey design, data linkage & integration, data processing, data modelling & quality assurance. Other skills include working with programming/scripting languages associated with statistical computing such as R, SAS, SPSS or equivalent. He/she is proactive in keeping up to date on issues and key developments that may impact on his/her own area and considers learning new skills to be a key part of his/her job. He/she is adaptable and flexible in his/her own work and is willing to work outside of his/her comfort zone. He/she consistently reviews own performance and sets self challenging goals and targets.

Please outline briefly details of your specialist knowledge and expertise in the following areas:

(a) Technical Statistical Skills (max. 200 words)

(b) Programming/scripting languages associated with statistical computing (max. 200 words)

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

SECTION 5 – KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

NB Please consider carefully the information provided in the Candidate’s Information Booklet before completing this section

In this section of the application form we are interested in finding out what you consider to be the key strengths and achievements, which makes you particularly suitable for the role of Statistician/Analyst in the context of the specific competencies identified for the role.

For each competency heading selected, you are provided with a description. You are asked to describe a situation, from your own experience, which you think is the best example of what you have done and which demonstrates or provides evidence of this competency. It is essential that you describe how you demonstrated the competency in question.

For each of the examples you provide in the following section, please provide the following information:

(a) Briefly describe the background/the nature of the task, problem or objective

(b) What you actually did and how you demonstrated the skill/quality

(c) The outcome or result of the situation

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

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A. Analysis and Decision Making (max. 300 words)

A Statistician/Analyst in the CSO will use strong analytical skills to collect, organise, analyse and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy. He/she will quickly get up to speed with a complex situation, rapidly absorbing all relevant information/data and have the ability to extract the key messages and underlying trends present within data. He/she will check and quality assure work to ensure accuracy and ensure data confidentiality is maintained at all times. He/she is resourceful and creative, generating original approaches when solving problems and making decisions.

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

B. Delivery of Results (max. 300 words)A Statistician/Analyst in the CSO will assume personal responsibility for and deliver on agreed objectives and goals. He/she manages and progresses multiple projects and work activities successfully and ensures that all outputs are delivered to a high standard and in an efficient manner. He/she uses available resources effectively and challenges processes to improve efficiencies. The Statistician/Analyst maintains a strong focus on meeting the needs of customers and works effectively under the pressure of competing deadlines.

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

SECTION 6 – PERSONAL STATEMENT (MAX.700 WORDS)

NB Please consider carefully the information provided in the Candidate’s Information Booklet before completing this section

Please explain your reasons for wanting to be a Statistician/Analyst with the CSO, and reflect on your qualifications and work experience and their relevance for the role. You should also describe and provide an example of what makes you suitable for the role in terms of the following key competencies ‘Leadership Potential’ and ‘Interpersonal and Communication Skills’

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.

SECTION 7 – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

We are interested in finding out how you became aware of this position so please outline in the box below how and where you heard about this position (e.g. Social Media – LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., Newspaper, Public Appointments Service, Word of Mouth or Other)

Social Media: indicate system -:

Newspaper: specify newspaper -:

3rd Level Careers Service: specify 3rd level institution-:

Websites: please specify -:

Other: please specify -:

Before you return the form please ensure that you have completed all relevant sections of it and that you have signed the declaration below.

Please do not forward any certificates or references with this form. Misstatements or canvassing will render an applicant liable to disqualification.The personal data supplied by you on this application form will be stored on computer and will be used solely for the purposes of processing your candidature and should you be successful certain information will be retained by the CSO’s HR division for employment purposes. Such information held is subject to the rights and obligations set out in the Data Protection Acts, 1988 & 2003. Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, are extracted from records for general statistical purposes.

Declaration:I hereby declare that I fulfil all the requirements set out in the Information Booklet, that the information given in this form is correct and give my permission for enquiries to be made to establish such matters as qualifications, experience and character and for the release by other people or organisations of such information as may be necessary to the Central Statistics Office for that purpose. This may include enquiries from past/present employers. The submission of this application is taken as consent to this.

Name: Date:

CSO is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to principles of good recruiting practice. This competition will be run in compliance with the codes of practice prepared by the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). Codes of practice are published by the CPSA and are available on www.cpsa.ie.

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Candidate Name: ________________________________ Ref. ID.