CRA Hiring Process: Job Application, Interview, and Employment

CRA Hiring Process: Job Application, Interview, and Employment

The CRA hiring process consists of various stages, including the job application and interview processes that you must complete successfully to gain employment with the Company.

Please, keep reading to discover the CRA recruitment process and improve your chances of being hired by the Company:

CRA Company Overview

The Canada Revenue Agency, abbreviated as CRA, and previously known as Canada’s Customs and Revenue Agency, is a federal agency in Canada that provides tax laws for the Canadian Government and for almost all the provinces and territories, multinational trade legislation, different economic and social benefits, and incentive programs brought via the tax system.

The agency also supervises the charity registration in Canada, scientific research, and experimental development (a tax credit program).

It is one of the most significant and relevant agencies in Canada, with thousands of trained and well qualified personnel, making it possible for the agency to offer Canada a flawless and uninterrupted service.

The CRA Hiring Process

The hiring process at CRA is pretty different from those in other similar organizations. Applicants are expected to undergo the process, in order to get recruited.

Here are the stages involved in the Canada Revenue Agency’s hiring process:

1. The Job Application Process

To be part of the personnel at CRA, you have to first begin your journey with the submission of an online application, which is pretty simple and straightforward.

Just visit the agency’s official website, click on the “careers” button to begin.

The application process will require you to upload your resume, as well as to provide some of your confidential and vital information, and maybe some special documents.

Don’t fail to provide any detail that is required so that your application would be handled in a serious manner.

Some important questions regarding your decision to work for CRA might be asked while making your application.

Your answers to the questions will help the recruiting team to know how determined you are to be part of the agency.

2. Assessment Test

After submitting your application, it would be reviewed by the recruiting team, and you might be asked to sit for an aptitude test, which will be used to thoroughly assess your ability to do the job.

Depending on the position you are seeking, you may need to participate in some of these tests:

• Accounting Level 1 – multiple choice test: Using the answers you offered to questions in the particular assessment test conducted by CRA, the recruiting team will assess your skill in basic accounting principles, practices, and techniques.
• Accounting Level 3 – multiple choice test: Through this test, the recruiting team will evaluate your aptitude for other accounting principles, practices, and techniques, such as books of account and GAAP.
• Auditing Level 1 – multiple choice test: During this assessment test, the recruiting team will test and discover how proficient you are in basic auditing principles, practices, and techniques.
• Auditing Level 2 – multiple choice test: As an applicant, the recruiting team will assess how proficient you are on other auditing principles that are complex, practices and techniques, such as accepted audit standards, manual and procedures, and risk evaluation.
• Competency – Based behavioral questionnaire: Based on the work-experiences that you possess, the recruiting team will assess your potential to give in your very best in typically work scenarios.
• Competency – based organization questionnaire: Based on the work-related experiences that you possess, the recruiting team will assess your organizational aptitude.
• Competency – based situational questionnaire: This particular test conducted by the CRA, is to assess the following five capabilities in you: service excellence, effective interactive communication, adaptability, and cooperation and team work.
• Problem solving – multiple choice test: Based on the answers you have provided to some work-related problems and scenarios, the recruiting team will assess your ability to solve problems.
• Situational judgment: With this particular test, the recruiting team will evaluate your ability to make judgment in some scenarios relating to your work as a manager.
• Wonderlic personnel test (form B): The recruiting team utilizes this test to assess your ability to understand instructions, learn, and then get problems solved.
• Writing skills test: This particular test is very important and compulsory; every CRA applicant must take the test, to help the recruiting team assess the grammar, spelling, vocabulary, capitalization, punctuation, and sentence sequencing skills of such applicant.

Learn more about Job Assessment Tests and how to make top scores in them.

Prior to the test, the CRA recruiting team will get across to you with detailed information on how to be a participant in the assessment test.

The agency also gives advice to all applicants to make very good preparations for the test in order to succeed.

You can begin your preparations by enquiring from some current CRA employees about how the interview session goes.

This would give you an in-depth knowledge about the interview process, so you can know how to prepare for it.

3. The Interview Process

After succeeding at the assessment test, you are likely to be called for an interview weeks later, which will also be a form of test to assess your competency.

The interview session occurs more than once most times, probably two rounds. Candidates who make it at the first round will be able to sit for the second interview which occurs the same day.

You might not be asked so many questions during the interview, as long as you are able to provide accurate and quick answers.

You will be interviewed by one of the CRA employees who occupy a very high position in the agency, and also belong to the recruiting team.

The interviewer is always expecting a specific answer from an applicant, which clearly shows how competent the candidate is.

The CRA interview questions are based on the role you applied for, but here are some definite questions to expect:

• For how long are you willing to travel for work-related purposes?
• Tell me about your salary expectations.
• Is there something exceptional you would love me to know about you?
• Give a tangible reason why you should be a CRA personnel?

Even though most people feel the CRA interview is very tough, you can effortlessly pass the interview successfully, provided you prepare immensely for it.

Here are some vital tips to note when preparing for the interview:

• Some questions during the interview might prompt you to give a nasty comment about a staff or employer, but try as much as possible not to do such. It would only give the interviewer a bad impression about you.
• After answering a question, you can go ahead to ask if you have given enough detail, or if you should elaborate.
• When asked about your work experience, never make the mistake of telling a lie. The interviewer might figure out your lies, and this would give a bad reputation.

4. Training/Orientation

Employees who just got hired at CRA must undergo a training/orientation before they can start performing their official duties.

The training/orientation is highly compulsory, and it is being conducted in the working premises of the agency.

Depending on the role, this training/orientation can last for days in order to ensure that the new employees have comprehensive knowledge about their duties/responsibilities and the Canadian Revenue Agency.

It is a process that involves practical learning with videos, some paper work, and lectures from other employees that are well experienced in their roles.

How Long Does CRA Hiring Process Last?

After you have been interviewed, it doesn’t usually take a long time for CRA to get back to you. The agency has a team that is in charge of interviews, who will send you a response two or three weeks after your interview.

Most times, applicants receive a response from CRA, which informs them about the outcome of their interview.

They will also be informed on how to conclude the hiring process (only for those who passed the interview successfully).

CRA Jobs and Careers

The jobs and careers that are available at CRA are many, but here are some of the major ones:

• Research specialist: This employee is responsible for delivering in-depth, specialized and difficult research to auditors, appeal officers, investigators, and ruling officers in the aspect of difficult tax, industry, and commercial matters.
• Public environment analyst: This employee is responsible for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and giving data/information reports to aid the Canada Revenue Agency in understanding taxpayers’ requirements and behaviors. He or she also helps the CRA to be current on the recent mainstream and social media activity.
• Income tax auditor: This employee is responsible for conducting income tax audits of huge businesses that are complex, including partnerships, corporation and trust. He or she also guarantees cooperation with the laws given by the CRA, by working alone or as a member of an integrated team.
• International tax auditor: This employee is responsible for conducting income tax audits of huge international businesses that are complex, including partnerships, corporation and trusts that involves multinational tax matters to ensure cooperation with the laws given by the CRA.
• Tax avoidance auditor: This employee is responsible for conducting income tax audits of national and multinational violent tax avoidance schemes of huge businesses that are complex, including partnerships, corporation, trust and wealthy persons.

What to Expect Working at CRA

The CRA is a great organization to work for. Employees at the agency enjoy flexible work hours and several benefits that make their career a pleasant one.

The CRA is a suitable place to work, if you really care about work-life balance, comfortable lifestyle and frequent pay checks.

As a CRA employee, you will have the opportunity to meet and network with co-workers who are very intelligent and supportive when necessary.
However, a few employees do complain about CRA not having a very good management, and the job being strenuous.

CRA is also known for not offering promotion when due, and doesn’t have a pathway for career advancement as well.

Conclusion

There are so many individuals who desire to be a CRA employee, but probably have no idea how to go through the hiring process of the agency.

This article has provided detailed information that can help anyone who wishes to work for the CRA

All the major steps and processes involved in the CRA’s hiring process are made available here. It’s only left for you to understand them and correctly apply them to get recruited by the agency.