How Government Job Applications Work

Quick answer

The post is advertised, you apply to the department that advertised it, the department screens applications against the requirements, shortlisted candidates are assessed, and a selection decision is made. Appointment follows the department's process. Times differ by department and by post.

Publication

Many national and provincial vacancies appear in the Public Service Vacancy Circular. Departments may also advertise on their own sites or, where the advert says so, in a newspaper. The DPSA publishes the circular. The hiring department writes the advert and answers questions about it.

Read amendments in later circulars. A link or a closing date can change after the first publication. Applying to the old address after an amendment has been published is a common way to miss a post.

Application

You apply by sending the Z83, the CV and the documents that advert requests, with the reference number, before the closing date. The circular says applications must reach the advertising department on or before that date. An application sent to the wrong department is not transferred for you by the DPSA.

Screening

After the closing date the department checks applications against the advertised requirements. A missing qualification, a missing signature on the Z83, or a missing reference number can remove an application before anyone compares candidates. Screening is about whether you meet the advert, not about how much you want the post.

If the advert distinguishes a minimum requirement from an advantage, the minimum is what screening uses. An advantage may matter when several people meet the minimum. It does not replace the minimum.

Shortlisting

Shortlisting is the department's choice of applicants who will be assessed further. Some departments publish shortlists. Others contact people directly. The advert often says that correspondence will be limited to shortlisted candidates. That sentence means you may hear nothing if you are not shortlisted. It is not a timeline.

Assessment and interview

Assessment can include an interview, a test, a presentation or a technical exercise. The department decides which method fits the post. Senior posts can have extra requirements. The circular points candidates for Senior Management Service posts to the National School of Government's pre-entry certificate. Read that note only if the post is an SMS post. It is not a requirement for every clerk or intern.

Arrive with the documents the invitation lists. The invitation is the department's instruction for that day. A general article cannot tell you the questions.

Selection and appointment

The circular says candidates must be assessed and selected in accordance with the measures that apply to public-service employment. Where a post is advertised to promote representivity, the advert should say so. A selection decision is the department's. It is not made by the person who answers the enquiry line, and it is not made by a paid agent.

Appointment can include verification of qualifications, citizenship, and previous public-service employment. If the declaration on your Z83 and the documents do not match, the offer can fail at this stage. Do not resign from another job until you have the department's written appointment and a start date.

What this guide will not predict

• How many weeks a department will take. Departments and posts differ.
• Whether you will be shortlisted. That depends on the applicants who met the requirements.
• That a relative, a party, or a payment can move an application forward.

What to do while you wait

Keep a copy of the advert, the Z83, the CV and the submission proof. Note the enquiry number from the advert, and use it only for a question the advert does not answer. Do not phone every week to ask for a result.

Apply for other posts you qualify for. One application is not a plan. If you are shortlisted, the invitation may give only a few days to attend, to write a test, or to bring certified copies. Keep those copies ready if the original advert warned that shortlisted candidates must produce them.

If a message asks you to pay to attend the interview, or to send a certified identity document to a new private address, stop. Go back to the advert and the department's published contact. The Department of Employment and Labour's warning about fees applies to public-service recruitment as well as to private offers.

Common mistakes

• Phoning the DPSA to ask why a provincial department has not replied.
• Assuming silence for two weeks means the post was cancelled.
• Sending original certificates with the first email.
• Treating a shortlist publication on social media as official when the department has not published it.

Information can change

Rules, forms, closing dates and programme requirements change. Treat this guide as a way to prepare and to know what to check. The official page for the institution, employer or funder is the version that applies to your application.

Official sources

• Public Service Vacancy CircularThe DPSA directions to candidates and to departments.
• National School of Government SMS pre-entryThe course the circular points to for Senior Management Service posts.