The Selection Procedure
Career Planning for the Public Services
In this leaflet I will be talking about two public services the Police service and the The British Army. I will be talking about the selection procedure and the qualities required to join these forces.
P1
Entry requirements for the police
To join the Police force you need to go through a selection process where you will be looked at if you match the entry requirements for the police service. There is a wide range of different requirements for the police service because you are required to look after the public and make a good impression. They include Fitness, Medical, educational, age and so on.
Here are the fitness requirements to join the police service:
- Your fitness level must be very good to undertake the police duties on a daily base. So before you join you will have a bleep test which you have to score level 5 or above. This is the endurance test which is a test of your heart and lungs to see if they are strong enough.
- The second test is the push/pull test. This is a test which tests your strength to pull weight and your strength to push a certain amount of weight.
Age requirements for the Police:
- To join the Police service you have to be at a minim age of 18 and no less.
- There is no max age to join but the normal retirement age is 60.
Education requirements to join the Police Service:
- To join the Police Service there is no formal education requirements needed but you have to have a basic understanding, because there is a written test which you have to pass to join the service.
Past criminal record to join the Police Service:
- To join the with a criminal record will mean that you can not apply for the service.
- But if you have had Minor convictions/cautions in the past you are still eligible to join the Police service if you still meet the services conditions.
Being a British citizen to join the Police Service:
- To join the Police Service you have to be a British Citizen or a commonwealth citizen.
- You can be a foreign national but you have to indefinite to remain in the UK.
Heath requirements for the Police Service:
- Being a Police officer can have an impact on your health at times when you have long hours shifts and a lot of other stressful situations. So being under all this pressure it is important for you to pass the health test before joining the service.
- So there will be a medical examination to ensure you meet the police health standards that are required.
To join the British Army there are also similar entry requirements for you that you have to meet so you can join the service. Things like fitness test in the British Army come across a lot of hard situation in there time in the service. Here are the entry requirements for the British Army:
Fitness Requirements for the British Army:
- You need to be in a really good physical shape because there test for the British Army are really challenges and push's you to your limits. There are different fitness test depending on which job you want and all of them have different challenges that you will face. These different fitness test for these different jobs are very important because they won't be that different form the job you will be doing after you have passed the whole course.
- To join the British Army you have to be a certain age. To join as a regular soldier you need to be at least 16 year old.
- But to join as a regular officer you need to be between the age 18-25.
Education to join the British Army:
- Joining the British Army you don't need any formal education unless you are applying for a certain role which requires you to have a some sort of education.
- But to be a solider you don't need to have any formal education but need base understanding .
- While being in the British Army you can still get education barbecue The British offer a wide range of courses which you can do while doing your job.
Past criminal records to join the British Army:
- To join the British Army, having a past criminal convictions doesn't effect your entry into the service.
- But they say you have to be honest about your past criminal acts and then they will decide if you can go to the next stage in applying or not.
Having Tattoos in the British Army:
- Having tattoos in the British Army is not a problem.
- But the tattoos have to be looked at because if they are offensive or racist you will not be able to join the service.
- Having small which are not offensive is not a problem but depending where they are on the body.
P2
Police application process
Different types of application forms:
There are a few different types of application forms which you could apply from to get the job you want. When you go on the police website there are application forms which you could download and complete and then send to the address given. You can also fill in the application form by hand and send it to the address given.
Requirements for the application form:
- The form needs to be completed in black or blue ink
- The form needs to be completed neatly so it's easy to read.
- Sections that don't apply to you, you must put N/A
- Only fill in the sections that apply to you.
- Complete the form in block capitals.
- Keep your signature within the box provided.
- Don't use correction fluid to correct a mistake put a line through it and put the correct answer next to it.
- Answer the question with a honest answer because you will be asked questions on them later in the interview.
Letter of application:
You need to write a cover letter when applying for the job role you want. This letter needs to include why you think you are the best person for the role and include you past experience like voluntary. you need to include what you are doing at the moment, if your employed or not.
Personal statement:
When applying for the police you need to include a personal statement so when the employer reads it he/she will have a little idea about the kind of person you are. Include things like the things you do in your spare time like paying sports or riding horses etc. A personal statement will help your application stand out from the rest if it is written to the right standards. Also write about why you have an interest in the police service and what made you apply for it.
Curriculum vitae:
This is the part where you will need to add things like your qualifications, education, previous occupations. This is because it will show the employer what past experience you have and what different skills you might have gained form you background. Things like you grade in college and university degrees will really improve you application for because it will show your knowledge and your capability to do something you want.
Police Selection process:
Equal opportunities:
In the police service there are equal opportunities for everyone, it is a mixed environment to work in and you get people form different backgrounds coming in the force. So you can have
- women join
- People with disability
- People from mixed ethnicity
- people from different faiths
- Members of the gay or transgender community
Physical tests:
when you are joining the Police force there will be a wide range of physical tests which you have to get a certain score to reach the right requirements to join the police force. There will be two categories that you will be tested on and that is endurance and strength test.
Bleep/shuttle test - this is a test where you have to run to and from a 15 meter course and when you hear a electronic bleep will be going to the other side. to pass this stage successfully you have to get level 5 shuttle 5.
For strength you have a push and pull test where you have to push a certain weight and pull a certain certain to pass the tests. On both of these test you need to achieve a minimum of 34kg. There is also a 1 minute press up and sit up challenge where you have to achieve 40 reps on each to pass.
Psychometric tests :
There is a skills test which are done on paper including a numerical skill and a written test. To complete these test you will have up to 30 minutes. this test is to see if you have a base standard of maths and English understanding.
Perpetration for interview:
When going in for a interview you want to answer all the question honestly and be open so go into detail with your answer. Before you go for the interview you want to have knowledge about the role you are applying for, so if you get asked anything about the job role you will have the answer. Before going to the interview make sure you have the right paper work like any certificates, achievements or any references from previous employers. This will be beneficial because it will back up what to have write in the application form and you will be able to talk about them. When in the interview you need to make sure you keep eye contact with the person you are getting interviewed by because that shows that you that you are paying attention. Before going to the interview make sure you know the location so on the day you don't get late just because you couldn't find the address. Make sure you remember any questions you have and you want to ask that you are not sure about.
British Army application process
Application forms:
For the British Army you could fill in the application online. When you go on the website you can search for the job you want and then the application form comes up which you can then fill out. You can also go to your nearest Army base and pick up a application form which you can fill out by hand.
Requirements for application form:
- You must use capital letters.
- you must use black ink
- The form needs to be completed neatly so it's easy to read.
- Sections that don't apply to you, you must put N/A
- Only fill in the sections that apply to you..
- Keep your signature within the box provided.
- Answer the question with a honest answer because you will be asked questions on them later in the interview.
Letter of application:
A cover letter is your chance to explain to an employer why he or she should consider you for the job because before anything he will look at the cover letter first. When writing the letter make sure you are linking it to the role you are wishing to get. Your cover letter is a targeted sales tool which should be tailored to the specific position you are seeking.
Personal statement:
The personal statement is something that is directly linked with you so things like what you like doing what interests you have and why you are interested in the role you are applying for. So in this part make sure you include things about yourself because that will tell the employer what kind of a person you are.
curriculum vitae:
This part is important because it allows you to show the employer what skills or qualification you have achieved in the past which could help you get the jobs role you want. So if you have past medical qualifications and you are applying for a medic in the army it will help with your application.
Selection process for the British army
Equal opportunities:
In the British army there are opportunities for everyone form all different backgrounds. it doesn't matter if your female, disabled or from a different background.
Physical test:
There are different tests for different roles in the British Army it doesn't matter if you want to be a medic or a driver you still have to do fitness test just because of how surprising the job can be. The test are similar to the police tests but much harder and there is much more to activities. The test also carry on for a long period of time for example some are for 6 weeks and after you can get qualified.
Psychometric tests :
This is a test where you will be tested on your weakness and strengths by doing different physical test. Here you will be judged on your weakness like your written skills might not be that good but your physical strengths might be stronger.
Perpetration for the interview:
When going for the interview it is similar to the police service you just have to know where you are going to be interviewed and know the location. you need to be well prepared when going for the interview so have all the right paper work that can proof what you are saying. Make sure you know the answer to the main questions that will pop up and try to go more in depth when answering a question.
P3
Police Service
3 Skills:
1. Cooperation – this skill is a type of skill that is used by every type of public service. Cooperation is about working together to achieve a similar goal and supporting each other to achieve that goal. Cooperation could be a team doing something physically or mentally to complete a certain task. This is beneficially for the public service because it helps the services do the task quicker. The police service does a lot of cooperation because a lot of the times they are working with other services to complete a task or a problem. For example when the police service want to do a drug raid they have to plan before they do anything and that planning thatches place within a team. They also have to do their research about the place they are going to raid they have to have different teams doing different things to get the right target.
2. Communication- is a skill which allows you to communicate with others in your team or from other services and share any useful information. This skill is important in any of the public services. Being in the police force you are communicating nearly all of the time. One of the best example are radio communicating every police officer has a radio on them to communicate with other in their team. This is very useful because it allows the officer to share useful information or advice other officer what to do in an emergency situations
3. Behaviour -the Police service needs to know that their behaviour will represent their service and will impact the public. So if police officers are not performing to the right standard, for example they are play fighting with each other or ignoring problems because they are too busy on their phones it will show the public that they are not behaving in the right manners.
3 Qualities
1. One of the qualities a police officer should have is to remain calm in situation that are very heated. For example if the is a fight a a police officer is trying to break that up, the police officer needs to remain calm otherwise the situation could get even worse. The police officer could call for back up so he could get ore help but if the police officer starts getting angry, starts shouting or gets aggressive that could make the fight even worse.
2. A police officer should be able to assess a situation and take action if any is needed because being a police officer selflessness is very important. So for example if there is small groups of gangs getting together on the streets a police officer can assess that situation and can try and prevent anything from happening like fights or drugs being sold. A police officer could spit that group up and keep the community safe.
3. Teamwork is very important in the police force because a lot of the time you are working with other officers or you are working with other services to deal with a situations. So working in a team helps you to get betters idea from other people in your team and allows keeping an open mind. It also allows you to share your ideas with other people in your team and can help you to improve on your ideas.