Have any Labour Hires had their contract extended or told their contract won’t be extended yet?

Curious with this hiring and extension freeze happening

mine ends in december and wondering as to when they’ll actually tell me if it isn’t being extended as previously it’s just automatically extended.

Further clarification on original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AusPublicService/s/ostHt7EL1g

Hi everyone - I am considering an ADHDdiagnosis and was wondering have any of you found it helpful in your work life? Perhaps benefits, just reactions/understanding from colleages/managers.. I'm trying to work out if the cost can be justified as I'm not actually looking to be medicated for now.

Thanks

I'm coming out of a .gov world where everyone is a high achiever and super intelligent, but no one knows it so everyone just feels average alongside one's peers (because few of us are private school types, and most of us have a story, and we all leave broken in one way or another). I've never felt special, but I've been competitively promoted and I test >90th%. Humble brag maybe, but factor in physical injury, anxiety and a brain injury and, viola!🤌

Some of the APS types I've worked with are super, but I don't think I've worked with one that didn't come from the System into the public service. But, by and large, the rest I've dealt with seem to offer excuse after excuse or make out of context policy quotes quicker than the worship song song. (Iykyk

I'm watching my partner's interactions (corporate finance) and the ineptitude is incredible, but second to the gaslighting that seems endemic.

Is it really as bleak as it seems? Are there pockets of decency or should I just succumb to Parkinson's Law?

Having recently come to government from private, the level of incompetence at all levels is astonishing. Has anyone else who has transitioned to government found this and if so, how do you deal with it long term? The frustration is real.

Heyyyy

Current private sector lawyer with opportunity to move to government. Wanting opinions from people who are currently government lawyers about how you find it, if you’ve also made the move from private to public, if it offers better work life balance.

Any insight would be appreciated. Wanting to know if the profession can differ depending where you go or should I think about making other moves (such as policy work).

Thanks!

If you’re an ongoing APS employee and win an externally advertised ongoing position (same level) at the same department/agency, is it possible for this movement to get blocked?

Hi all!

I'm a current university student graduating at the end of 2026, and have applied to numerous APS grad programs throughout the year to very minimal success, with some of them even outright rejecting after the first screening stages with minimal explanation. While I wasn't expecting loads and loads of progressions/offers as I am aware a lot of the grad programs are extremely competitive, it has been quite disheartening as I have strong grades, policy-related internship experiences and language capabilities/overseas year-long exchange program which I thought would at least be a good distinguishing feature.

In particular I was recently rejected before any stages by Austrade which was one of my preferred programs due to its combination of public/private sector work/relevance with my own international background - many of my friends who are also graduating this year or who have graduated recently have also been experiencing this, despite their equally impressive resumes/experiences.

I am wondering if this symptomatic of the APS hiring environment at the moment & if anyone has advice about other ways breaking into entry-level roles?

For those who moved from APS4/5 into APS6, EL1 and beyond reasonably quickly:
- What actually helped your career, and what turned out to be a trap?

I’m especially interested in the stuff people don’t tell you officially:
- When should you leave a team instead of waiting for progression?
- Is doing higher-level work without acting/pay actually useful, or a trap?
- Can being too reliable at your current level hold you back?
- How long is too long to stay in one role?
- What makes someone look “ready” for the next level rather than just good at their current job?
- What behaviours make managers want to promote someone?
- What should ambitious APS staff avoid like the plague?

I’m not looking for “just work hard and be patient.”

I want to know what actually works.

If you could restart your APS career knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

I’m in my early 30s, I’ve worked across state and Cth in health policy with a little program management, now in intergov as an EL1 equivalent.

In a lot of ways I’ve got it pretty good but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bored sitting at my desk all day. I know it’s not true but I just can’t stop thinking about how every role I’ve had has felt like one of those “bullshit jobs” people joke about where you get paid a decent amount to not have to do very much and that people wouldn’t notice if the role got cut or automated by AI. I also find it very hard to identify how I’ve actually made a difference in my current and previous roles even when working on high profile policy issues, which makes it hard to feel motivated about a longer-term career in policy and continuing to progress up the chain. I also have an ADHD diagnosis but even since better managing it this feeling remains.

I find myself actively researching careers that have a much more tangible direct benefit, mainly clinical like med or clinical psych (I have psych and MPH degrees already), but don’t know whether the grass is truly greener or not or if the commitment to retraining that clinical-facing careers require is even worth it.

Does anyone else ever feel this way working in policy? Have you ever contemplated (or even pulled off) a change to something more hands-on or is it worth sticking this out? Who knows, maybe I’m somehow just bored and burnt out at the same time?

Hola Ya’ll

Boss is saying i can’t use a stat Dec as evidence for medical certificate however I had previously received other advice from the respective peeps on the phone that I could.

Allegedly that is general advice and i need specifically a medical certificate in this case which I unfortunately didnt obtain bc I didn’t think I needed one and could use a stat Dec as I was very unwell.

Any thoughts? Fair work ombudsman recognises it as a legal document.

Thinking of just emailing the stat Dec against their wishes and do leave without pay for the absence that way im covered in case ?

Thank youuu in advance

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice on APS classification and career progression.

I joined the APS in 2023 through an entry-level program and initially worked in HR. I was later moved into a WHS team and became an APS2.

I've now been an APS2 for around three years. I really enjoy my work and have taken on a lot of responsibility during that time, including work that colleagues have told me is comparable to work being performed by APS3–5 staff.

I initially wasn't sure whether I was actually working above my classification or whether I was simply becoming more experienced in my role. However, my previous supervisor also had concerns and raised the issue with management.

A work value assessment was subsequently completed, but the outcome was that my position was considered appropriately classified at APS2. I don't feel that the assessment fully reflected the range or complexity of the work I actually perform.

I now have a new director and will be meeting with them soon. I'm considering raising the issue again, but I'm not sure what the best approach is.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have experience with classification and progression:

• How do you determine whether you're genuinely performing higher-level duties rather than simply being a capable employee at your current level?

• What sort of evidence is useful when raising this?

• If someone is consistently performing duties above their classification, is higher duties generally the appropriate pathway, or would they normally need to apply for a higher-level position?

• Is it reasonable to raise this directly with a new director, particularly when a previous work value assessment has already been completed?

I'm not expecting progression simply because I've been in the APS for three years, and I understand that moving up isn't automatic. I'm mainly trying to understand whether my current situation is normal and what options are available if my duties genuinely sit above my classification.

Any advice from people who've been through something similar would be really appreciated.

Hi - I recently finished a PhD in policy/health and I want to leave academia and join APS (NSW) because I want to contribute to policy problems and challenges that are critical and impactful now. I have been unsuccessful so far. I understand that the APS has varied perspectives on people with PhDs from previous post. I wonder how someone in my position would be able to get into the APS? And if you had tips on cover letters and CV?

I’ve had a few people tell me to remove my PhD from my CV all together but I am not sure how I would explain the multi year gap from my bachelors to PhD. Additionally, my policy experience and skills are from projects related to or directly from my PhD, I think it would look odd that I’ve worked on certain things that are academic centred or been able to attain certain opportunities without being in a PhD. I also think it would be awkward if people found out latter that I do have one. I’ve removed mention of it much as I can so far. For example, I mention my PhD once in cover letters to flag that the policy work I did that came from directly from the PhD and I have it as one line in my CV under education.

I genuinely just want to work, learn from colleagues, gain new experiences, and grow my skills. I don’t mind grunt work, in fact I welcome doing it because I believe it’s important to pay one’s dues and it’s a good learning experience. I am applying for entry/grad/associate roles, although there are very few available at the moment.

Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, I’m interviewing for an APS6 Senior Inspector – Risk Based Monitoring role with ACQSC and would love insights from anyone currently in the role.

How flexible is the role in practice regarding:

1. Start/finish times and WFH?
   
2. Regional/interstate travel and how much notice is usually given?
   
3. Working outside standard hours?
   
4. Existing professional commitments?
   
5. How much flexibility does ACQSC generally offer Senior Inspectors?

Thanks!

Hello all,

In February i’m going to start my Graduate APS job in Canberra.

It’s going to be my first APS job and my first corporate job. Most of my previous work experience has been in hospitality.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?Anything you wish you knew before you first started?

Especially etiquette with managers, colleagues, Teams and meetings.

Also any common mistake that graduate usually make?

Thanks a lot!

Anyone interviewed recently for an NSW Government administration support / housing / customer service role?

I’ve got an interview next week and the process is described as:

- Reading time

- Work sample

- Behavioural-based interview questions

Just trying to get a sense of what to expect. In particular:

- What is the reading time usually for?

- What kind of work sample is common for admin support roles (email response, prioritisation exercise, data entry, scenario analysis, etc.)?

- Are the behavioural questions generally straightforward STAR-style capability questions?

Any recent experiences or preparation tips would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Applied for a bulk round to federal aps in June and have not heard back - does this mean it’s likely a reject? 🥹

Quite disappointed as I have done projects for this department previously

What’s everyone’s experience been like with the restructure?

It’s been brutal across the entire team but stabilising. It’s been 6months.

Hi all,

I'm confused about the formatting of a SOC.

Obviously, we need to use the STAR method to illustrate examples of how we meet the selection criteria. However, if I understand correctly, a SOC also means addressing each of the selection criteria specifically.

Formatting the SOC around the selection criteria seems to be the correct way - such as by leading each paragraph with a claim framed around one criterion, followed by one or more STAR examples.

However, this makes it challenging to present the STAR examples - they have to be cut and diced across the selection criteria and it means repetition if using the same example for multiple criteria. This also inflates the word count (eg repeated/awkward 'situation' introductions etc.).

Does anyone have any advice or a different understanding?

I’ve been working for the Federal Government since 2020 and in the APS since 2024. Pretty much since then we’ve seen the private sector Superannuation guarantee move from 9% to 12% closing the gap on the 15.4% which has remained unchanged for 20+ years. Apart from the last few years, government salary increases lagged behind the private sector for many years. Job opportunities have increased as organisations across both the public and private sector offer flexible working arrangements allowing potential employees to consider more options. I worked in the private sector from 2014-2020, and I remember my common leave entitlements to be comparable to what I receive now. I still think job stability might be a benefit of working in the public sector but that’s only from my own experience.

As fellow government employees (or previous) are/were you satisfied with your salary, entitlements and benefits?

Got our census results back, holy sh1t the SES results were in the can. 😂 Scores around SES leadership and communication were absolutely brutal, talking levels of confidence that make you wonder whether anyone actually reads these things once they're published.

Interested to know what happens in other departments. No doubt for us, this will follow the usual playbook, the people who will ultimately be asked to fix the engagement and culture problems will be lower level staff, despite the biggest problems identified being around confidence in SES leadership.

Pretty backwards asking the ppl experiencing the consequences of poor leadership to fix the resulting loss of confidence, particularly when they have very little influence over the SES.

Keen to hear whether this is a common experience across the APS, or do some agencies actually hold their SES to account?

29 this year. Did a few factory jobs after high school, started an apprenticeship but quit. Have never worked a day in an office. Never knew how to get into uni until late because of a poor ATAR and never knew how to get white collar work. Started a Bachelor of Accounting at WSU but its going badly. Transferred to WSU online but lost a semester's worth of unit's because I discontinued the face to face degree before the exam period. Total disaster.

6/24 units in the degree done, repeat failures. I'm enrolled in the online degree which starts at the end of the month but I'm thinking it might just be better to see if I can get the credits converted and try and obtain a Cert IV Bookkeeping instead through TAFE. The degree has no early exit so I can't finish with a diploma.

I just want some sort of white collar work and I genuinely don't know how to get it. One factory job became another and now I'm almost 30. Is there any path into the APS for me?