Patent examiner recruitment — Frequently Asked Questions

Benefits
Employment equity
- Do I have to indicate that I am a: male or female, a member of a visible minority group, a person with a disability, an aboriginal person?
Official languages
- Do I have to become bilingual?
- Do I receive training to become bilingual?
Training
- What type of training does CIPO offer for its staff?
Staffing
Recruitment system

Benefits

What is compensation?

The entry level for patent examiners is at the SG-PAT-2 or SG-PAT-3 level, commensurate with experience. The rate of pay that would apply to you will be discussed during the selection process.

For more information, please refer to the annual rates of pay for patent examiners.

What is generally included in the Federal Government's benefits package?

The Federal Government offers a wide range of benefits for its employees. These include:

A pension plan which provides employees with income for a lifetime
Life insurance
Disability insurance which provides for a monthly income benefit for employees who are unable to work for a lengthy period of time due to a disabling illness or injury
A dental care plan for employees and their families
Sick leave benefits
Vacation leave
Maternity leave
Parental leave
Family-related leave

Are there flexible work arrangements?

With the approval of your Section Head, you will be able to adopt flexible hours (start time is between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.) and the flexible work week (over a period of four weeks, you can work extra hours on some days to accumulate time off but you must expend those hours before the end of the fourth week). Although on a training program, employees at the SG-PAT-2 and SG-PAT-3 levels may adopt these flexible work arrangements under certain conditions during their second year of training. Once you are promoted to the SG-PAT-04 level, you will, also with the approval of your Section Head, be able to work from home one day per week, and after one year at this level, up to a maximum of three days per week.

Each month, you earn vacation leave credits and can request vacation leave. However, while you are still on training, you have to make sure that you will be able to attend the different courses and exams.

Do I have to work weekends or travel for extended periods of time?

Overtime work is on a voluntary basis. We do not expect you to work overtime if you do not want to. The patent examiners who are involved with projects outside patent examination work might be expected to travel and again this is done on a voluntary basis.

Employment equity

Do I have to indicate that I am:

a male or female?
a member of a visible minority group?
a person with a disability?
an Aboriginal person?

While self-identification is not mandatory, you are encouraged to do so. CIPO is committed to have a workforce that is representative of the Canadian public. Self-identification is the only way CIPO can determine whether or not it is meeting its employment equity objectives.

Official languages

Do I have to become bilingual?

The language requirement of the position dictates if the incumbent has to know the other official language. Certain positions require a bilingual capability prior to appointment (bilingual imperative).

Do I receive training to become bilingual?

If you are offered a position that is bilingual you have to meet the linguistic requirements prior to appointment (bilingual imperative).

CIPO employees who are not bilingual and would like to learn the other official language can request language training.

Training

What type of training does CIPO offer its staff?

New Patent Examiners are faced with a unique employment environment that necessitates the need for a sustained and viable training program. The Patent Examiner Training Program provides them with the specific knowledge, abilities, and skills needed to perform the duties of the position and ensures quality and timely service to our clients.

Formal training for new examiners comprises courses covering:

Orientation, overview, the basic components of a patent application, and the classification of patents;
The Patent Act and Patent Rules, basic patent examination practices, andwriting an examiner's report;
Complex patent prosecution practices; and
Court proceedings, licensing and jurisprudence.

In addition, on-the-job training and self-development is included in the training program.

During the first three months with CIPO, new trainees must complete courses (1) and (2) in a formal classroom setting and must subsequently pass the exams that cover this material. If successful, trainees are assigned on-the-job trainers (SG-PAT-05) for the next nine months, during which time they are required to work on patent applications of a particular subject matter specifically determined by the Section Head (SG-PAT-06).

During this period, the trainer and Section Head review all of the trainee's work. After this 12-month training section, participants are assessed against the SG-PAT-03 qualifications and standards of competence.

At the 13- or 14-month point, trainees return to the classroom for a period of one month in order to complete courses (3) and (4), and must then successfully pass the exams related to this material. Upon completion of this portion of the training, trainees continue under the guidance and tutelage of the trainer until they meet the required standards of the SG-PAT-04 level and are subsequently promoted.

Staffing

I have already applied to CIPO and my application is presently in an inventory. Do I have to reapply?

Applications generally expire after 90 days. It is the responsibility of the applicant to maintain their application active.

How long before I get a response?

We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

How many vacancies are there and where are they located?

For more information see Hiring Targets

The positions are located minutes from Ottawa, at CIPO in Gatineau, Quebec.

Are these indeterminate jobs?

In this campaign, all positions for which CIPO is recruiting are indeterminate.

If I am offered and accept a position, and in view of the fact that I reside elsewhere in Canada, would CIPO pay for my relocation?

If you are offered a position, relocation assistance may be provided if this is a first appointment in the Public Service.

When would I be expected to report to work, if I am successful?

Your reporting date would be negotiable and would depend upon such factors as relocation considerations, obtaining the necessary security clearance, training schedule, etc. Security clearance can take several days.

Recruitment system

I am having problems logging in with my username and password.

You may be using an incorrect user ID or password. To get your user ID or password, click on "Forgot your password?" Complete either the User ID field or the Email Address field. A new password or the correct user ID will be sent to the email address you provided upon creation of your account in the recruitment system. You may change the password after you log in.

I have changed my password and user ID but I still can't log in.

The new user ID or password might be entered incorrectly when trying to log in. To ensure accuracy, copy the user ID or password from the email and paste into the applicable fields.

The system tells me that there is already an account with my email address, but I have not created an account yet.

Click on "Forgot your password?" and complete the Email Address field to obtain your user ID. You can then enter the system and verify that it is your account.

I am trying to attach my résumé but keep getting this error message: "Please upload files with extensions .doc, .txt, .rtf or .wpd only."

The recruitment system will only accept résumés in these formats. Resave your résumé in an acceptable format and reattach it.

Even when I have the correct file extensions, I keep getting this error message when I try to attach my résumé.

Make sure your file name does not contain spaces or special characters (such as: ?, %, &, (, ), $, @, *, #, /, \, ^). The recruitment system may accept the file; however, your document could become corrupt and unusable in the future.

Also, make sure that your file was saved with the proper software and not just renamed with the appropriate file extensions.

How do I submit an updated résumé? Will the previous résumé be kept on file?

After logging into the system, click on "Modify your application" from the Account Options screen. Scroll to the section where you can attach your résumé. If you previously attached a résumé, it will be replaced when you attach a different résumé. The previous version will not be kept on file.

How can I view the résumé I attached to my application?

After successful log in, click on "Modify your application" from the Account Options menu. Once on the application form, scroll down to the section for attaching résumés. If you have submitted a résumé, there will be a link to it. Click on the link to open and view only. To go back to the application form, click on the browser's "Back" button.

What is the cut off date to submit my application?

Cut off dates vary from discipline to discipline and may change at CIPO's discretion, based on our current operational needs. For more information, see Hiring Targets.

If I send my résumé by email to a CIPO Information Officer, will they forward it to Human Resources for me?

We strongly recommend that you apply using our secure, online recruitment system, to ensure that your application and résumé are up to date and on file; this also allows you to access your application at any time to make changes. We cannot guarantee that applications sent via an Information Officer will be entered into the system.

I still need help. Whom do I contact?

You can either submit a Technical Problem Report form or contact us for further assistance.