These guides explain how to prepare an application. The original vacancy and its recruitment authority decide eligibility, required documents, selection stages and deadlines. Role suggestions use published job titles and simple matching rules; choose another guide when a title is ambiguous.
Your application, step by step
Identify the recruitment category
Read whether the vacancy is for a permanent official, temporary agent, contract agent, seconded national expert or trainee. A central EU Careers listing can direct you to an institution’s own procedure; its notice determines the application route.
Use the correct account and notice
For EPSO procedures, start from the competition page and follow its current instructions. EPSO’s guidance uses EU Login and the Single Candidate Portal for new competition applications; CAST or other procedures may have their own instructions.
Prove the eligibility and experience you claim
Record the exact diploma, experience, language and nationality conditions in the notice. Fill in dates and responsibilities carefully and prepare the supporting documents it requests. For secondments, check whether employer or national-authority nomination is required.
Complete both selection and recruitment steps
Prepare the tests and interviews actually listed. A CAST profile is not an application to every contract vacancy, and entry on a reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. Follow any employer-specific application and later contact instructions.
Prepare for selection
- Use the current official test resources for the specific procedure, rather than a generic account of an older EPSO model.
- Map examples to the duties and competencies in the notice, including working across languages or institutions where relevant.
- Keep checking the designated candidate portal and email for document requests and invitations.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming EU Careers, EPSO, an agency and an international organisation all use one application system.
- Assuming that a reserve-list place or database registration is a job offer.
- Treating a later supporting-document deadline as a new application deadline. The competition notice specifies each separately.
Official guidance
Check the current instructions from the recruiting organisation before submitting.