HMRC Customer Service Consultant Job Advert

My thanks to a loyal reader, who sent me a link to an HMRC job advert for a customer service consultant in Stockton-on-Tees.

According to the advert it pays £20K per month!

I have posted the full job advert at the end of this article. However, aside from the fact taxpayers are not customers, there is something else that is a little flaky about the advert.

My loyal reader points out that a jobholder would expect to work no more than their contracted hours for the year, and expect to balance any peak working periods and/or long working days with corresponding time off.

The jobs advertised are full-time and will be on a five out of seven day contract including Saturdays and Sundays. The customer service centres are open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. The working pattern will fall within these times. The work will be a combination of daytime and evening shifts; this may include three late shifts per week. In addition work on Saturdays and Sundays will be on a rotational basis.

What is left unsaid in the advert, in the opinion of my loyal reader, is that the candidates must jump through hoops to even get an interview for a call centre job that is not called a call centre job because it is based in a "normal" office.

• The hours worked will be those that current HMRC staff won't work, hence HMRC is trying to get rid of these "non flexible" staff without the cost of redundancy. 
• Tax knowledge is not essential, 5 weeks training will just about get the applicants through the many, many software programmes they will be required to use simultaneously over two monitors when on the phones.
• The priority is to keep the phone waiting times out of the media.
• Calls will be monitored and "customer service" is not required.
• Never ask the taxpayer ‘if there is anything else you can do for them’.

In the event that this sounds like the job of your dreams, then here are the details in full:

Job ID

30137870

Posting Date

19/05/2016

Company

HMRC

Location

UK-Yorkshire-Stockton-on-Tees

Industries

Government and public sector

Job type

Full time

Career level

None

Salary

18,415.00 - 20,074.00  per month
Pension schemes are available and more information will be provided to successful candidates.

Hours of Work

Flexitime

Annual hours

HMRC

Customer Service Consultant

Job description

Must Read:
Please ensure that you read The Candidate Pack attached to this vacancy before you apply.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority. We do much more than just collect tax as we administer benefit payments, pay out tax credits as well as collecting tax.

As a Customer Service Consultant you will:
• Handle incoming calls from customers effectively and efficiently;
• Identify, record and resolve customer complaints or issues professionally;
• Use various computer systems to update/maintain and create customer records accurately;
• Handling some more complex queries and issues, making sure they are all resolved quickly and efficiently;
• Provide accurate information in a professional and helpful manner by collecting and assessing relevant data and information from various sources such as departmental guidance, customer records/systems, managers and other relevant business units;
• Process electronic work & digital information;
• Reply to internal messages;
• Be responsible for identifying your own learning needs;
• Help with general administrative duties.

To do this we will require you to have good
• IT skills – you will need proficient basic skills in using a range of computer systems including Microsoft Windows & Office and be able to navigate comfortably around internet based programmes.
• Communication skills – You will need good communication skills both verbal and written.

Full training is provided so that you have an in depth knowledge of the services, which you will be providing, to enable you to positively contribute to the customer experience.

Successful candidates must be able to commit fully to their initial training. Training will last up to 5 weeks and requires full time commitment between 8.30am and 5pm.

Operational Delivery Apprenticeships:
Within this recruitment campaign we also hope to be able to offer a number of apprenticeships to successful applicants. There will be opportunities in each of the location(s) listed above.

If you accept an offer of an apprenticeship you will be on the same pay and terms and conditions of employment as Customer Service Consultants, and will enjoy the same benefits whilst also benefiting from being able to study for an internationally recognised qualification.

Competencies

You will be asked to supply evidence of meeting these competencies when you apply.

1.    Delivering at pace

Benefits

Pensions

may be available for successful candidates.

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must pass .

Nationality statement

Candidates will be subject to requirements as well as .

If you're applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.

Selection process details

Selection will be by Test, Sift and Interview.

After submission of your application you will be invited to complete an online test that takes up to 25 minutes to complete. Example questions are available once logged in. Please complete the online test at your earliest convenience as you will have until midnight on 02/06/2016 to submit your completed test. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

We do not require any formal qualification for this role, however you will be asked to take standardised tests in both English and Maths

If there are more candidates than roles available a sifting exercise will be undertaken based on the Delivering at Pace competency that forms part of the application.

During your application you will be invited to take an online Civil Service Initial Sift Test (CSIST) as part of your application – please see the candidate pack for more information.

If you are successful at the CSIST Test you will be invited to complete a standardised online test in English and Maths. Should you be successful at this you will be invited to attend an interview.

At interview candidates will be asked situational questions that test the competences Delivering at Pace and Managing a Quality Service with the competence leading and communication assessed through consideration of candidate's performance at interview

The following competencies will be tested at interview. Please see candidate pack for more information:

Delivering at pace
Managing a quality service
Leading and communicating
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, and and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available .

Eligibility

Candidates in their probationary period are eligible to apply for vacancies within this department.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's . There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

For further information about these roles please contact:
info.ptrecruitment@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Online Test Deadline Instructions

Please complete the online test at your earliest convenience as you will have until midnight on 02/06/2016 to submit your completed test. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

Online Test Deadline

2 Jun 2016

Sift/interview dates and location

Sift dates to be Confirmed

The interviews will be held in a Government office and will take place from 27th June onwards. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

Working pattern

These posts are full-time and will be on a five out of seven day contract including Saturdays and Sundays. Our customer service centres are open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Your working pattern will fall within these times.

You will work a combination of daytime and evening shifts; this may include three late shifts per week. In addition you will work Saturdays and Sundays on a rotational basis.

The working patterns will be flexible and subject to change in line with business needs; we will ask you to work a variety of shift patterns between the office opening hours detailed above, but we will not make any changes without giving you a suitable notice period. We would normally tell you two or more weeks in advance.

A jobholder would expect to work no more than their contracted hours for the year and expect to balance any peak working periods and/or long working days by corresponding time off.

Further information

Over the next 10 years HMRC will be reducing the number of its offices and will be located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon and Stratford. There will also be a small number of offices where we will retain some specialist roles in Dover, Worthing, Gartcosh (near Glasgow) and Telford, as well as our headquarters in central London. If you are recruited into an office that is not one of these locations, you will be expected to move to one in the future.

Some of HMRC Terms and Conditions of employment changed on 1st May 2013, these will apply to people who are new recruits to HMRC or who take a new job in HMRC on promotion. The document attached to this advertisement provides more information on the changes we made, please note this is not a full list of HMRC's terms and conditions. If you need to discuss how these changes might affect you, please contact the vacancy holder. For further information on terms and conditions please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/about/recruitment#annual-leave

If you are currently working for an OGD and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Pay on Transfer from OGD" for further information.

Working for HMRC
If you would like to learn more about HMRC, please visit our YouTube page HMRC.gov.uk and search Tax Facts: About HMRC

Please ensure that you read The Candidate Pack attached to this vacancy before you apply.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 3 months from which further appointments may be made.

Tax does have to be taxing.

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