The civil service is shedding its dull, staid image and is seeking out bright, ambitious, open-minded and flexible recruits.

School-leavers are recruited to the civil service as either clerical officers or executive officers depending on their Leaving Cert results. Clerical officers must have a "general level of education or life experience". Executive officers need to have five honours in their Leaving Cert, including maths, English and/or Irish. They could also be degree holders, have a two-year certificate or diploma or have passed the first years exams of a recognised degree course.

"Clerical officers are recruited on an ongoing basis, while executive officers are recruited about twice a year," executive officer Aoife O'Sullivan says.

Those applying for a clerical officers position will be called into the civil service testing centre at Merrion Row, Dublin, to sit a series of tests. These include a skills and experience questionnaire, a verbal comprehension test, a numerical test (candidates may use a calculator), a classification test and a clerical checking test.

Waiting to discover if you were successful in the tests used to be a long, nail-biting experience. However, the process has been expedited considerably, says O'Sullivan.

"You used to have to wait quite a long time for the results, but now we try to give them on the same day or within two days at the very latest. It's not like the old days."

Clerical officers will end up doing a variety of jobs, which can be encompassed under the heading of general office work. "They could be working as a personal assistant, in customer service, in business supplies, in accounts or in putting together the civil service tests."

Clerical officers can apply for promotion to executive officers after two years experience. Direct entry executive officers must sit the civil service exams and an interview. They then enter the job at trainee-manager level, working in staff management or project management.

"Executive officers need to look at the bigger picture. We're all interlinked in delivering public service," says O'Sullivan.

After recruitment clerical and executive officers are signed to one of the 33 departments and offices of the civil service, depending on their skills and the recruitment needs at the time.

Newly appointed officers may not get their first choice of department, but once they have gained some experience they can apply for transfer to another department or go for a another job if a vacancy arises.

The civil service supports staff who wish to further their education through night courses, says O'Sullivan. "They really encourage you to develop yourself. There's a refund of fees scheme for those who study at night and they also get study leave."

Typical courses include, marketing, IT, public administration, personnel development and business studies. However, says O'Sullivan, as long as the course is related to the job or the skills learned can be brought into the work people are encouraged to develop their own interests and ideas.

One of the greatest benefits of the job, she says, is its flexibility as career break and jobshare opportunities are readily available and promotion on merit is civil service policy.

"Ambitious people who are open to change are welcome. There is a great embracing of change in the civil service at the present time."

In general, financial remuneration is not as good as in the private sector, but the civil service offers excellent working conditions and good long-term prospects, O'Sullivan says.