What Is the Difference Between Employment History and Previous Skills and Experience?
Completing the Two Civil Service CV Sections Without Repeating Yourself
Hello,
I am a long-serving Civil Servant applying for another role and the application has separate sections for Employment History and Previous Skills and Experience.
I am confused about what the panel expects in each box. My employment history already explains my roles and responsibilities, so the skills section feels as though it will repeat the same information.
Should Employment History be a normal chronological CV and Previous Skills and Experience be written against the vacancy criteria? How much detail should I include in each section when there is a word limit?
I do not want to leave out important evidence, but I also do not want the sift panel to read the same examples twice.
Quick Answer
Employment History should normally give the factual chronology of your roles, dates and relevant responsibilities. Previous Skills and Experience should select and explain the evidence that best matches the vacancy rather than repeating the whole career history.
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How I Would Divide Evidence Between Employment History and Previous Skills
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Continue reading to see what I would put in each box, how I would avoid duplication and where I would place the evidence most likely to influence the sift.
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