this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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I don't know what's worse, the APS or the VPS job process. While the APS one seems lighter-on (most of the ones I've been applying for simply need a 500 word statement related to work you've done), it means there's far more pressure on making sure you're exactly what they're after. The VPS ones often ask for KSC so you can at least weave a narrative explaining why you'd be a good fit, but can take forrreeeevvveeerrr to complete.
Here's hoping something comes along, mate. And that the anxiety eases up somewhat. It can be debilitating to deal with, so consider this a reminder to be kind to yourself and accept what you can (and can't) do. At least that's what I keep telling myself when my head is in my hands thinking that there's no way I can do all of this with all the extra noise going on in life.
The process really is shit. Call me a masochist but writing KSC is so much easier because it mostly about regurgitating their language back to them, where as you said the 500 word ones it's all about trying to say exactly what they want with no real framework to follow.
It also doesn't help that a lot of Departments have moved from in person interviews to one-way video interviews. While for some that might work, for me (and probably many others) who's a little different, the lack of physical and verbal feedback in the moment is a huge struggle for me.
I suspect they'll review their interview process eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) - I can't imagine it would help the various departments and procurement processes to limit themselves in such a way. Granted not everyone does well with interviews, but having a one-way video seems really limiting compared with face-to-face for a multitude of reasons. Then again, I've been saying for a long time that interviews themselves aren't the best since you can have someone who says all of the right things but still not be the right fit, where as someone who has a perfect resume may get overlooked because they didn't perform well under stressful circumstances.
What the alternative is I don't know, but I'm tired of the dance. I know I can do the job, just give it to me and let me do it, damn it.
VPS ones are basically using a bog standard template these days, changing only one or two KSCs per position, so at least once youve done a couple you can do a bit of tinkering, rathering than doing the whole thing over and over again
Yeah that's the way I usually approach it - I have a "database" of answers so that the time spent on writing them up isn't always wasted. Little tweaks or adjustments here and there to make sure I'm utilising as much of their vernacular as possible always helps. There's ones that ask you to answer the KSC in your cover letter, then limit the cover letter to 2 pages which are handy and usually quicker to respond to. It's those that ask you to actually answer the KSC in a separate document that have me wondering whether it's worth the time. I know there's Gretzky's saying of missing 100% of the shots you don't take, but sometimes you gotta be selective with your time and energy.
Of course, I say all of this without ever being successful, save for a couple of interviews I've managed to get in easily over 100 applications, so yeah... lol.
APS is much the same if you're applying at level.