AD5 interview at EISMEA
The post I wish I’d read 😜
Context: 8+ years of experience across NGO, consultancy and programme management always in/around innovation.
Saw open call for PM position at EISMEA through EPSO. Thought it would be farfetched (no EC/agency experience and from southern country), but went for it (in terms of fit, it was there).
Filled in the monstrous application using some AI. Got called for online test. They let you know the day and time and it’s take it or leave it. There were two questions, both in the same format: write/reply to an email. There was a bunch of reference materials attached to each questions, so it was interesting to see the direction they were expecting. Though I must say I went for a more corporate approach (maybe less EC/forma) a bit afraid of how it would land, but moved on to the interview (had to score at least 50% - they didn’t share my score). So I guess they liked it?
The interview
You get an email to join the EC Office 365 or whatever the hell that is in order to be able to join the interview. Follow the instructions and wait for the interview invite. Again, they set the day and time and good luck being able to make it.
I consider myself pretty ok with tech, but I did have trouble joining the Team call. I ended up connecting 10m late and using my cellphone (which probably showed my work Teams account). Shitty way to start
There were 5 people on the call (all very white, all very male, all very middle-aged). No small talk, no how are you, no nothing. This is the panel, these are the rules. Manage your own time, dont look away. Good luck, first question is (fantastic for ones morale after almost not making it because of freaking Teams).
Questions:
1 - state 3 reasons why you want to join EISMEA AND two thing you bring to the agency (asked by the panel chair)
2 - you’re at a conference and someone approaches you asking about the difference between three funding mechanism. You have a talk to give in 2m. Explain the difference and the objective of each one in the time you have
3 - also don’t remember but it was very focused on the different funding opportunities within the specific unit
4 - don’t remember 100% (the guy’s English was absolutely terrible, which makes me question who the hell they hire. I even made a clarification question that another person had to answer because the guy didn’t understand). But it was around managing an open call with limited time/resources
5 - talk about a time when a team member didn’t collaborate and how you managed it 🙄
I rushed as hell not sure they’d let me go over the 30m slot, but they didn’t seem to care. At the end the HR representative talked about next steps. The Chair even joked that I could relax 😅 funny chap.
Then after about 3 weeks got rejection email. I asked for feedback (sure they wouldn’t reply) but they did send me my scores! I’d say they were fair though a bit harsh in scoring. The pass score set by the panel was 41.5 (so and avg of 8.3 per question).
Bottom line: do apply. Practice for the interview. Study for the interview! Understand the role and the agency/sector quite well (looking back they should’ve focused more on other aspects, but again, it’s not an interview, it’s a panel, so the logic is different from corp where the context can be taught and interviews are usually for cultural fit/skills. Here they apparently expect you to have more than a superficial understanding of topics even before joining).
Good luck!