The Crown Prosecution Service has frustrated aspiring prosecutors after its hi-tech video interview system failed repeatedly and then deleted their applications.
The CPS advertised 25 trainee positions with a starting salary of £24,296 in London, rising to £33,704 on qualification as a Crown Prosecutor (slightly less than Kirkland's £125,000 for NQs, but you do it for the love). Competition for places was fierce, with the CPS telling RollOnFriday that it received 900 applications.
Applicants were given a week to submit a video of themselves answering four questions in three minutes via Launchpad Recruits, a company offering "video-led HR technology". However, although it claims that video assessments are "six times faster than telephone interviews", not all candidates had a smooth experience. One told RollOnFriday that after "shooing out the cat and telling my husband to mute the football" she recorded and submitted her effort, only to be told that her submission had failed due to "connection issues" at the company's end.
Repeated attempts over the next two hours and on subsequent days also failed, until minutes before the midnight deadline on 27 May her video was eventually accepted. However, the next day she received a message from Launchpad informing her that her application had been "accidentally erased". Others experienced similar issues.
A CPS spokeswoman told RollOnFriday, “We were made aware of some technical difficulties in uploading video interviews as part of our Legal Trainee Scheme application. We acted quickly to try and resolve the issue and we will continue to liaise with applicants who were unable to upload their interviews”.
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The CPS advertised 25 trainee positions with a starting salary of £24,296 in London, rising to £33,704 on qualification as a Crown Prosecutor (slightly less than Kirkland's £125,000 for NQs, but you do it for the love). Competition for places was fierce, with the CPS telling RollOnFriday that it received 900 applications.
Applicants were given a week to submit a video of themselves answering four questions in three minutes via Launchpad Recruits, a company offering "video-led HR technology". However, although it claims that video assessments are "six times faster than telephone interviews", not all candidates had a smooth experience. One told RollOnFriday that after "shooing out the cat and telling my husband to mute the football" she recorded and submitted her effort, only to be told that her submission had failed due to "connection issues" at the company's end.
"Check out InterviewBot. No-one's joining the CPS today" |
Repeated attempts over the next two hours and on subsequent days also failed, until minutes before the midnight deadline on 27 May her video was eventually accepted. However, the next day she received a message from Launchpad informing her that her application had been "accidentally erased". Others experienced similar issues.
A CPS spokeswoman told RollOnFriday, “We were made aware of some technical difficulties in uploading video interviews as part of our Legal Trainee Scheme application. We acted quickly to try and resolve the issue and we will continue to liaise with applicants who were unable to upload their interviews”.
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