WPC

[holly123]

Hi I have a interview in two weeks for a wpc has anyone had it ,any advice welcome ,I feel I have a lot to give to new starters and fellow workers, of which who know me know i'll help them out anytime with anything and know I'm not a grass , it just feels its a job I will be good at , so if any info on questions in interview would be great thanks

[Himaggen]

Anyone who needs to prepare suitable responses to the exact questions asked is not the right person for the job, the right candidates will, by providing the correct responses 'in that moment', prove they have the skills needed.

The jobs are given based upon a scoring system for your answers so it is imperative that you can make an honest assessment of yourself as your only preparation. Look at the attributes you have, lack or need to improve on for each of the defined WPC roles. You should then be able to apply that which you've identified to any questions asked at your assessment.

[holly123]

Cheers ,I know what you are saying ,its just first interview in 22yr thanks

[rubberbond]

Hi I have a interview in two weeks for a wpc has anyone had it ,any advice welcome ,I feel I have a lot to give to new starters and fellow workers, of which who know me know i'll help them out anytime with anything and know I'm not a grass , it just feels its a job I will be good at , so if any info on questions in interview would be great thanks

You need to get hold of the job description, you can then work out likely questions from that.

[arnold cheshire]

Hi I have a interview in two weeks for a wpc has anyone had it ,any advice welcome ,I feel I have a lot to give to new starters and fellow workers, of which who know me know i'll help them out anytime with anything and know I'm not a grass , it just feels its a job I will be good at , so if any info on questions in interview would be great thanks

wpc ? woman police constable ?

[enskied]

You interview for them ! Since when ?

Our three were just selected and given the position. I was asked but turned it down as I am only PT and saw it as interfering with my duty.

[Edward Hunter]

The interview i had quite recently was fairly comprehensive. I actually said to the fella i m not here for CEO you know! Questions i remember were "outside of RM describe a situation where you have shown leadership/helped someone/made a difference, that sort of thing. As the other poster said, if you get a copy of the job description it gives you a pointer to what you may be asked. Previously i think the role was just given out to the DOMS pals. £35 quid a week is very nice, and all wpc tasks should be undertaken in duty time.

[Himaggen]

Information for you.

What to Expect at your Interview/Assessment
You may be asked to sit a structured interview only, or you may be asked to sit a structured interview with additional assessment centre exercises. You will be notified of the assessment process before the day.
What Is An Assessment Centre?
The interview is the most commonly used method for assessing whether a person has the right kind of strengths to meet the needs of a job. Often called an Assessment Centre, the process is multiple in many ways. A group of participants take part in a variety of exercises observed by a team of trained assessors who evaluate each participant against a number of job-related behaviours. Decisions are made by pooling shared data.
Why Use This Process?
This approach predicts how well a person will do when their previous experience is less relevant to the new job. There are also benefits for you:
• Everything is standardised so everyone has the equal opportunity to show their ability
• The process is far more objective than an interview, which depends entirely on the interpretation of one person.
• It is fair. The centre allows you to show a range of abilities in various scenarios; your preference in all of these situations is taken into account in the final assessment.
What Do I Need To Do Before The Centre?
There is very little you need to do in advance (unless you are instructed otherwise). Make sure you have prepared any questions you have about the employer (or if internal the business unit/area) in advance.
Think about you, your strengths and your experiences in and out of work. Prepare examples of situations that illustrate your strengths and be sure you describe them fluently.
Don’t arrive feeling unprepared or tight for time on the day.
What Should I Expect To Happen?
During the course of the centre, you may be asked to participate in a number of exercises that simulate major parts of the job you are applying for:
• Group Exercises
• One-to-one exercises, eg Presentations, Fact finding exercises, interview simulations.
• Written (working alone) exercises
You will also have an interview and may be asked to complete psychometric tests. You may be interviewed or observed by more than one specially trained assessor in any particular exercise.
Group Exercises
Group Exercises are timed discussions in which your group will work together to make decisions about work-related situations. The discussions typically last 40-60 minutes and an assessor will observe you throughout. There are no right or wrong answers, the assessors are looking at how you interact with other people in a team environment.
One-to-one Exercises
One-to-one exercises with other people cover some quite different situations, depending on the nature of the job you are being assessed for. The main forms are:
• Oral Presentation or Briefing. These may be in a formal or informal format. In either case you will have to analyse and interpret information and present a case. Normally you will be questioned afterwards.
• Fact finding exercise. In this situation, you are asked to make a decision starting from limited information. The main point of the exercise is to find out more so you can be confident of making the best decision.
• Interview Simulations. These simulations replicate the kind of thing a manager may do behind closed doors, for example coaching or counselling an individual. The individual concerned is trained to play the role of team member, boss, colleague or even customer.
Written Exercises
Written exercises can take a variety of forms. The In-Basket (or In-Tray) exercise is the most popular form. This involves working through the contents of a manager’s in-tray which will contain memos, letters and other items. You will be asked to respond to the items and make decisions against a defined time deadline.
Another form is the Analysis Exercise which requires you to analyse and interpret a dossier of information and make a report on it and/or prepare a presentation for delivery to the assessors. Where the In-Basket has a number of discrete items, the Analysis Exercise is all about one complex situation.
Structured Interview
You will be asked to give examples of how you have behaved in particular past situations which are the most important for successful performance in this role. The questions are written to measure the indicators that sit below the six Royal Mail Leadership Behaviours. You will only be assessed against the indicators relevant for the role. Part of the interview will also assess the technical skills required for the role.
The interview will last about an hour. There will be two assessors present who will alternately ask you questions about different areas. Having two interviewers ensures that the evidence you provide is recorded accurately and that different standpoints are taken into account during decision making.
Interview Preparation
You will be asked to provide examples of what you have done in the past. It will be much easier for you to present yourself well if you have thought through what kinds of experiences you have that can demonstrate your ability to carry out this role.
Think about which Leadership Behaviour indicators and what technical skills will be most important. Think about past experiences you could talk about to demonstrate your abilities in these areas. Be prepared to tell the story of this experience – what the situation was, what you were trying to achieve, who you dealt with, what you actually did and the resulting outcome. You can’t anticipate what actual questions you will be asked but by thinking ahead about what relevant examples you can draw upon, you will find it much easier to respond to the questions asked. Bear in mind though that it is very important to answer the question you have been asked rather than the question you’ve prepared for!
There will also be time at the end of the interview for you to ask the interviewers questions about the role. Think in advance what you would like to know about the role in order to decide whether this is the job for you.
During the Centre
During the centre, listen carefully to instructions and ask if you are uncertain. Centres can be perplexing and you will not be judged for requesting clarification about procedures.
The most important advice is to be yourself. Trying to guess what assessors are looking for can damage your chances.
Take each exercise as it comes. Remember that it is a multiple process which will give you an opportunity to show what you can do.
Try also to remember that you are being assessed against a standard, not against other people who are there on the day.
The Assessment Centre process has been designed to enable you to demonstrate your full abilities and our best advice is to relax, be yourself, enjoy the process and most importantly ensure you get as much out of the event as you can.

Additionally:

[holly123]

Thanks all

[thehobbit]

well we had 4 part timers start just before christmas guess how many made it to christmas give you a clue it was less than 1

[PHARRY]

Hi I have a interview in two weeks for a wpc has anyone had it ,any advice welcome ,I feel I have a lot to give to new starters and fellow workers, of which who know me know i'll help them out anytime with anything and know I'm not a grass , it just feels its a job I will be good at , so if any info on questions in interview would be great thanks

What a woman police constable

[masterblaster]

I think you can pick up many good tips from Carry on constable (movie).

[Mezza]

Had the exact same interview just this morning.

It's split into sections. The first being questions about your suitability to the role ie what would you look for in a wpc? what do you think you could offer to the role etc?

Your experiences of certain tihngs, like give an example of when you assisted someone at work.

Another bit on what you know of the business and it's procedures - nothing too complicated ie what tools are used to measure efficiency and performance? how do you keep informed of performance in your office? simple answers are work time learning, the Courier, you may have those large performance graphs all over the walls in you office somewhere as well.
How would you go about implementing new ideas to improve things in your office?

It's pretty straightforward really and nothing to worry about. Just ensure you don't waffle, they want you to be fairly straight to the point and to answer without too much thinking or hesitating.
Don't worry if you can't relate Royal Mail experience to every question, they don't care if you have to relate answers to experiences outside of RM.

Your answers are then scored and a total mark given for you. The applicant with the highest score will be offered the position and is then sent on a 3 day course at some point.

Good luck.

[jagger]

Surely 3 1/2 hours OT is an easier way to earn £35.
WPC = Doing managers work for postmans pay.
Just my opinion though

[Mezza]

Just a quick update on how our WPC vacancy ended up.

3 of us had interviews.
1 a postie of 11 years experience - all on delivery and some callers experience. A blemish free history and one of our better posties.
Me - 14 years experience including deliveries, Dom Support, Callers Office and RLE. Only issue i ever had was to lodge and fail a stage 3 grievance against my current DOM.

3rd a postie of less than 12 months experience. No prior experience and very little knowledge of the job - but bends over backwards to keep management happy every day.


yep, you guessed it...the 3rd applicant got the position.

According to the bloke that held the interviews the vacancy was to be filled by the applicant who got the highest score at the interview...........well if you know the questions that are asked, you would know there is little chance of anyone with such limited experience scoring higher than 2 posties with 25 years experience between them.
There was also no involvement from management as it is apparently a closed process and management would only hear who scored highest and so who got the job.

I'm in no way bitter, good luck to the bloke, but when the next person asks me how to clear down a PDA i will be sending them his way.
Apparently i can ask my lino for feedback on my interview - haven't decided if i'll bother yet.

In summary good luck with your interview - despite what your told there is obviously some input from your management team in the final decision and it's pot luck if you get it.