EO Behaviour Statements

EO Application Help Behaviour Statements
EO behaviour statements
Show judgement, coordination and impact within a focused example
EO and HEO share the same published behaviour criteria. Your statement should demonstrate the specific criteria selected for the vacancy through a real situation where your own decisions and actions are clear.

A behaviour statement is not a list of the criteria and it is not a description of how you usually work. It is evidence from a specific situation. The advert may set a 250-word limit, identify a lead behaviour or give additional instructions, so always check the live application before drafting.

The nine EO behaviours

Seeing the Big Picture
Connect day-to-day delivery to wider objectives, stakeholder needs and emerging issues.
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Changing and Improving
Review how work is done, propose practical improvements and help people adopt change.
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Making Effective Decisions
Gather reliable information, compare options and take accountable, fair decisions.
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Leadership
Take visible ownership, create an inclusive environment and help others deliver confidently.
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Communicating and Influencing
Choose effective channels, explain ideas clearly and manage challenging conversations sensitively.
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Working Together
Build useful relationships, listen actively and change ways of working to achieve shared results.
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Developing Self and Others
Identify capability gaps, act on feedback and create practical learning opportunities for others.
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Managing a Quality Service
Understand customer needs, plan a reliable service and solve recurring problems without losing value for money.
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Delivering at Pace
Set clear responsibilities, track delivery and remove barriers while maintaining quality and support.
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What makes an example strong at EO level

1
Relevant scope
The situation gives you enough ownership to show judgement, coordination or influence without exaggerating your authority.
2
A real challenge
There is a deadline, risk, competing need, disagreement, service problem, change or capability gap that required action.
3
Evidence-led action
You check information, consult relevant people, compare options and make a reasoned choice.
4
Visible communication
You explain, listen, update, support or challenge people in a way that contributes to the outcome.
5
A specific result
The reader can see what improved, was delivered, was prevented or became more reliable because of your actions.

Use the criteria as a selection tool

Before writing, place the official criteria beside each potential example. Mark the criteria that are demonstrated by a concrete action. If most links depend on phrases such as ‘this shows I understand’ rather than events in the story, choose another example or identify missing actions.

Criterion claimed
I considered the wider impact and communicated effectively with stakeholders throughout the project.
Criterion evidenced
I compared completion rates by customer group, found that rural organisations were dropping out and changed the referral process so the programme measured reach as well as processing volume.

A practical 250-word structure

Approximate spacePurposeContent
35 to 50 wordsSituation and taskContext, challenge, your responsibility and what was at stake
150 to 175 wordsActionsChecks, reasoning, decisions, communication, coordination and response to difficulty
25 to 45 wordsResultOutcome, benefit, feedback, measure and sustained learning

The split is not a rule, but it prevents background from consuming the statement. Most marks are normally earned through the actions and reasoning, so that is where most words should go.

Members can unlock the complete EO behaviour statement guide below. It includes the exact criteria for all nine behaviours, example-selection advice, nine complete EO examples and a scoring breakdown showing where each example earns its value.

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