Home office reserve list

[Computer125]

Hi, i had an interview for AO position in the Home Office. I have been told i have reached the required standard but they are unable to offer me a job immediatly. They wrote saying "We`ve placed you on a reserve list from which future appointments may be made.

The reserve list will last for 12 months from the date of this email.

If you don’t hear from us by this date we haven’t been able to offer you a job.

Im unsure how to take this. Has anyone else received a response like this and will a job come up? Thank you

TIA

My office do this. If they have say 10 vacancies but actually 15 people "pass" the interview they offer the 10 best candidates the job and put the other 5 on a reserve list (numbers purely to give an example). Then if someone doesn't turn up on the first day, or someone decides after 2 weeks to get a job elsewhere, or another similar position comes up, they will go back to the reserve list and offer them rather than going through the advertising & interviewing process again. Sometimes the reserve list is not needed. If I were you I would keep looking for a job, just in case it doesn't happen.

It's quite common. It might take up to 12 months to be offered a position and then another few months for security checks etc before you actually start. Or you might be unlucky and not get offered a position as budgets and priorities change so they often over recruit.

Keep applying for other things. Once you've got a job within the civil service you will then have access to jobs that are only advertised internally so you can progress that way.

I made the reserve list initially with the MOD. I got offered a position about 4 weeks later and it took a further 6 weeks for the security checks to be completed.

Fingers crossed for you. V

You'll be fine - Brexit means that most government departments are calling out for additional staff.

The clearance will probably take a month though so don't expect to start the minute they say a role has come up (ie if you're currently working, don't jack the job in just yet...)

Thank you all for your reply. I am really hoping i get offered a position. There were 2 positions available and there were around 15 interview time slots to book from so im assuming thats around 15 people they interviewed. I have no idea how many on on reserve list.