European Commission Executive Assistant Interview Questions
& Process

It was a classical question type of interview. They really wanted to know if I had good knowledge of EU institutions and the legislation process. I was asked about the major commissioner and had to show my knowledge of all procedures and legislation in the relevant field, which for me was transport. They also asked in details about development plan and financing possibilities, for example grants and funding for research and for SMEs.

The interview process is divided into two paths. One path is for well-connected graduates from fancy private colleges who get in directly into the ad5 junior professional program (60 people/year) without competition. The other path is for everyone else who have to go through open competitions that take about 2 years, despite current technologies and with fewer spots. The CBT took 1 month, talent screening took 2 months, and the virtual assessment center took 2 months. This whole procedure takes a long time, mainly due to laziness, favoring internal candidates, and discouraging external ones. A major issue is that you need 6 years of EU experience for ad5 or 20 years for ad7 to demonstrate general competencies, according to recent reserve lists. The jury is always composed of internal colleagues. So, even if you're an expert, without fictional examples from within the system, your chances are slim. Both the case study and group exercise were based on internal problems, not the competition's field, giving an edge to insiders familiar with internal bureaucracy. It's better for experts to avoid these internal 'open competitions' and apply to non-EU organizations where selections are shorter and hire from the private sector. If you're not an actor or insider, it's a waste of time. The competition is very opaque and discretionary. Rumor has it they want to scrap ad5 competitions and only keep the junior program. After being on the reserve list, you might wait 2-5 years to be hired. EU agencies are even less transparent, not publishing reserve lists.

First, there were emails and a phone call. The interview was pretty smooth with normal, general questions for the job and institution, in front of seven other candidates. After that, a medical check-up was required, and then a 3-year contract was signed.