The Department of Justice and Corrections Victoria (which is a business unit of the Department of Justice responsible for the Victorian adult correctional system) have developed an online application process in order to provide a more efficient and equitable process for all applicants. All applications for the position of Community Corrections Officer must be made online via this website. The application process will also require you to provide a personal email address. If you do not currently have a personal email address, go to www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com where you can set up a free email account.
Corrections Victoria is an ‘Equal Opportunity Employer’ and selects recruits based on ability, knowledge and skill level. Corrections Victoria aims to ensure that fair, equitable and non-discriminatory consideration is given to all applicants. Women, people from non-English speaking backgrounds and Indigenous Australians are all encouraged to apply.
Please note: due to the nature of the assessment process, if you are notified that your application has been unsuccessful in the recruitment process up to the suitability testing, you will not be eligible to apply for vacancies with Corrections Victoria (which are recruited with HOBAN Recruitment) for a period of three months. If your application is unsuccessful in the recruitment process after the suitability testing you will not be eligible to apply for vacancies with Corrections Victoria (which are recruited with HOBAN Recruitment) for a period of twelve months. We therefore recommend you only apply for particular vacancies that you are interested in. This does not exclude you from applying for other Corrections Victoria vacancies which are advertised on www.careers.vic.gov.au.
Recruitment Process for Community Correctional Services Officers
These are optional sessions that are held regularly in various locations. We encourage you to attend an Information Session because it will provide you with an opportunity to hear from ’people in the job’ and to ask questions. The Information Sessions are open to individuals who have applied (by completing an online application form), are considering applying, or would like to support someone in their decision to apply. You are not obliged to proceed with an application once you have attended an Information Session.
The Information Sessions will include the following topics:
If you would like to know when the next Information Sessions are being held, select Information Sessions. To register your attendance, phone 1300 304 128 and follow the prompts. You must register your attendance, to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided.
Candidates must hold the following legal right to work:
OR
OR
You will need to provide original documents as evidence of your right to work.
Applicants who have previously taken a voluntary redundancy - If you are a previous Victorian Public Service employee and have taken a voluntary redundancy package, you cannot be employed within three years from the date of your voluntary retrenchment.
Offence History - If your application progresses through the assessment centre you will be required to undertake an Offence History check which examines National Police records via Victoria Police. Results from these checks will be reviewed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Further information will be provided at the Information Sessions. Candidates may also speak confidentially with Department of Justice Human Resources staff on (03) 8684 0015.
To apply for the position of Community Corrections Officer you must complete an online application form. The online form should take about 20 minutes to complete. The online technology enables you to:
Once you have ‘submitted’ your application form you are no longer able to make any changes. So make sure that you check your application before submitting it. The application process will also require you to provide a personal email address. If you do not currently have a personal email address go to www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com where you can set up a free email account. If you would like to access the application form now select this link.
You must demonstrate that you satisfy the requirements for the position of Community Corrections Officer, Leading Corrections Officer or Senior Corrections Officer. You will benefit from preparing adequately before submitting your application. Tips to help you get a position:
HOBAN Recruitment will determine the progress of your application at various stages of the recruitment process in line with Corrections Victoria selection criteria, which looks at your past experience, skills, knowledge and ability. Some of the skills, attributes and behaviours that will be assessed throughout the recruitment process include:
If your application progresses to the telephone interview stage, you will receive an email message which will provide comprehensive details, including when to expect the telephone call, along with details of what is involved during this stage.
What is involved?
The telephone interview will take approximately 10 - 15 minutes and will include clarification of some of the topics on your online application form along with two questions, one of which are behavioural-based questions. To familiarise yourself with a behavioural-based question approach refer to the ‘Individual Interview’ section in Stage Three – Assessment Centre.
If you are unable to participate in a 10-15 minute telephone call within the timeframe outlined in the email, respond via return email or contact HOBAN Recruitment on 1300 304 128, to arrange an alternative time.
Please note, if the consultant calls at an unsuitable time, you should advise the consultant, and they will arrange a more convenient time for you. If required, a telephone interview time can be scheduled outside the office hours of 8am-6pm Monday to Friday.
What are Suitability Assessments?
Suitability testing is the use of relevant tests designed by psychologists which can provide additional information that will help measure unobservable attributes for example, what motivates you to form an overall profile of you. The tests that will be used for this recruitment process have been adapted for Australia, and have been subjected to rigorous Australian studies to ensure that they are measuring abilities and personality traits that are directly related to the position of Community Corrections Officer.
How will I take the assessments?
Suitability tests are most commonly timed tests, taken under standardised conditions. For this recruitment process you will be required to undertake a series of assessments, some of which are timed, while others are not. Some assessments will be taken in paper and pencil format and others may be conducted ‘online’ using computers.
What types of questions will there be?
One test measures your ability to solve problems. There are right and wrong answers and you will receive a score. This is a timed test.
Questions will become more difficult as you progress through this test. Some items will be very difficult and we do not expect anyone to answer every question correctly. If you are unsure of an answer, it is acceptable to guess and there is no penalty for guessing.
Sample questions:
In the items below, the first word is printed in capital letters, followed by four other words. You will be asked to indicate the one word that means the same thing, or most nearly the same thing, as the first word.
For example:
1. SMALL |
blue |
little |
noisy |
dry |
2. OBVIOUS |
abstract |
local |
sharp |
clear |
3. PUNITIVE |
weak |
rewarding |
retributive |
erroneous |
ANSWERS - 1. little 2. clear 3. retributive |
||||
There will also be questions where you are asked to fill in either a letter or number for each dash (_____).
For example:
1. D E F G _____
2. 2 4 6 8 _____
3. 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 3 4 5 6 7 4 5 6 7 3 5 6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9_____.
ANSWERS - 1. H 2. 10 3. 5
Explanation for question 3:
In the second set of numbers, the first number (from the first set) has been moved to last place, while still keeping five numbers.
In the fourth set of numbers, the first number (from the third set) has been moved to last place, while still keeping five numbers.
The correct answer is 5 as it follows the pattern of taking the first number (from the immediately preceding set) and placing it last.
The next part of the profiling is an untimed questionnaire about you. This will be conducted online using a computer. There are no right or wrong answers.
You will be given a series of statements, and asked to indicate whether the statement is True or False as it applies to you. Some statements will be about your background. Others will be about your opinions or attitudes.
For example:
1. People who know me would usually say I am pretty even-tempered. T F
2. When I’m working I find that I get easily bored. T F
3. During secondary school I found that most teachers were fair when it came to enforcing the rules. T F
4. In my opinion the government should bring back the death penalty for certain crimes. T F
5. I grew up in a city or a very large town. T F
Will I get a copy of my results?
You will not receive a copy of your Suitability test results, and you will not be able to obtain any feedback – either verbal or written. We are unable to provide feedback on your report as there is a duty to protect the applicant from harm arising out of reading the report without a psychologist present; a duty to protect the assessors from harm which might arise out of an aggrieved applicant reading (or misinterpretation) the results of their profile; the need to wisely use organisational resources, as providing feedback properly would require a large expensive team of psychologists; and finally the need to protect the integrity of the profiling system.
If your application then progresses to the Assessment Centre stage, you will receive an email message that will invite you to attend an Assessment Centre. This email will provide comprehensive details, including confirmation of the date and location of the Assessment Centre. If you are unable to attend at the allotted time, you must notify HOBAN Recruitment via return email or by calling 1300 304 128 as soon as possible so that you can be given a more suitable date and time.
What is involved?
An Assessment Centre is a process that allows participants to demonstrate skills, attributes and behaviours specifically related to the role they are applying for. This is done through engaging a group of candidates in a variety of structured individual and group-related exercises designed to identify specific job-related skills, attributes and behaviours.
Trained assessors observe and evaluate your performance in these tailored activities. An objective assessment of a candidate’s predicted success in the role is made based on their combined results.
The Assessment Centre will involve an introduction, a group exercise, and individual interview and computer/report writing assessment which will take approximately 4 hours.
You will be required to bring the following documentation to the Assessment Centre:
Tips
Group Exercise
Group exercises can include a practical exercise, problem solving, or a group discussion or debate.
You will be provided with a fictitious job-related scenario that will require a group discussion. As a group, you will be provided with appropriate documentation which will outline the objective, task and desired outcome of the exercise. The exercise will be structured and timed.
The exercise will be designed to specifically identify job-related skills, attributes and behaviours. Assessors will sit at different points around the room and observe how applicants work together to demonstrate the identified job-related skills, attributes and behaviours.
Tips
Written/Computer exercise
Written/Computer exercises can be used to assess a number of things such as your written communication skills, prioritising ability along with decision making ability. They are usually timed and a typical example would be an In-Tray exercise or a Drafting exercise. An In-Tray exercise could involve reading through information contained in a typical in-tray. It could involve prioritising, drafting replies, writing memos and emails, delegating work and recommending a course of action, all of which is based on the details given to you and your place within the organisation. This exercise allows you to demonstrate your organisational and planning skills.
Drafting exercises not only assess your thinking and drafting abilities, but also your ability to work quickly and act decisively under pressure. You are given the facts about a sensitive issue and have to analyse the information and express your views in a clear but tactful way within a set timeframe. The emphasis is less on analysing a problem, more on whether you can select the right facts and arguments, and present them effectively.
There is no obvious 'right' answer. While the decisions you make are important, how you present your case will greatly affect your performance. As long as your response is clear and concise, there is logic to your report and you demonstrate your awareness of the issues involved. As part of the Assessment Centre Process you will undergo Written/Computer exercise.
Tips:
Individual Interview
You will undertake a behavioural based two-on-one interview of up to 40 minutes, conducted by HOBAN Recruitment and Corrections Victoria representatives. This interview uses past behaviour as a predictor of future performance. You will be asked questions to assess your job-related skills, attributes and behaviours by providing detailed information about what you have done, said, thought and felt in different situations (ideally work-related).
Tips
You will need to think of one or more specific examples around the identified job-related skills, attributes and behaviours which best demonstrate your suitability for the job. For each example that you will give, it is helpful to adopt the following STAR method:
The HOBAN Recruitment interviewer will guide you through this method, asking probing questions that will help you to provide detailed examples.
Please note: you are also required to answer two behavioural-based questions in your online application. You should also adopt the STAR method to respond to these questions.
If your application then progresses to the Offence History stage, Corrections Victoria will coordinate a police record check on your behalf. The information contained in the police record will be taken into consideration in determining your suitability for appointment as a Community Corrections Officer.
There are certain offences that will automatically disqualify your application. So if you have ever been charged with, or convicted of, any offence in Victoria or elsewhere, you must declare it on your application.
Charges and convictions include criminal offences, intervention orders, bankruptcy notices, general arrest or summons procedures and any infringement or traffic notices. The only offences you are not required to declare are parking tickets.
If you are unsure of your eligibility, you may confidentially contact Department of Justice Human Resources on (03) 8684 0015.
If your application progresses to the reference check stage, HOBAN Recruitment will conduct two professional (or personal referee where applicable) references with your nominated referees based on your application. During the Assessment Centre stage, you will be required to complete an Information Disclosure Exclusion Clause with regard to the reference check stage. HOBAN Recruitment reference checks comply with Equal Employment Opportunity and Privacy Legislation. Where appropriate, all qualifications are checked.
Applicants who successfully pass stages one through to stage six in the recruitment process will be required to attend an Administration Session. These sessions take approximately 2-3 hours.
The Administration Day is run by Corrections Victoria staff, and is the final stage in the recruitment process before recruits begin their training course.
At the Administration Day, you will be given details about the training course, including pre-course reading materials and exercises. You will also be given a number of employment forms to fill out.
The Administration Day is an opportunity to meet the training squad coordinator, who is an experienced Community Correctional Services staff member, as well as the other new recruits who you will do the training course with.
