HEO Changing and Improving Behaviour Statements

HEO application guidance

Build a focused Changing and Improving statement around the exact criteria, your personal judgement and a result that proves the effect of your actions.

What is Changing and Improving?

Changing and Improving is about finding better ways to deliver work and helping people adopt them safely.

At HEO level, a strong example should show that you can use evidence, technology and ideas from others to simplify work, manage risk and support different people through change. The scale should be a defined service, project, team or workstream where your own judgement is visible, while recognising the authority of senior leaders and specialist colleagues.

The assessor should be able to trace the official criteria through your actions. Mentioning the behaviour or repeating the wording does not prove it.

What are the HEO Changing and Improving criteria?

Official HEO/SEO Success Profiles criteria

Your evidence should make every criterion visible through something you personally understood, decided, communicated, changed or achieved.

Criterion 1
“work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources”
Show how you involved the people doing and receiving the work before choosing an improvement.
Criterion 2
“use technology where possible to increase efficiency”
Explain why the technology was suitable, what risk or limitation you controlled and what efficiency it created.
Criterion 3
“encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources”
Give evidence that different voices could contribute and that useful ideas influenced the design.
Criterion 4
“clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change”
Show how you communicated the purpose and provided practical support for people with different needs.
Criterion 5
“encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely”
Describe the safe route for challenge and how you responded when concerns were raised.
Criterion 6
“take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users”
Set out the impact assessment, safeguards, test or review point used before proceeding.

How to structure a 250-word statement

Use Situation, Task, Action and Result as an editing structure. Do not write the labels into the application unless the vacancy asks for them. Keep the setup short and make the action section carry the Changing and Improving evidence.

Situation

Set the context quickly. Name the service, project, risk or change and why it mattered.

Task

Make your responsibility and decision authority clear. Avoid hiding behind the team.

Action

Use most of the word count here. Show how you use evidence, technology and ideas from others to simplify work, manage risk and support different people through change.

Result

Prove the outcome with credible measures, service impact, reduced risk, learning or sustained change.

Members can unlock the complete HEO Changing and Improving scoring method below, followed by three full statements close to 250 words, detailed explanations of why they work and a final criterion check.

Join our careers service to read more...

If everyone knew the best tricks and tips then they would no longer work! That is why the best guidance is for members only.

Subscribe to open the locked section on this page and get access to the full Civil Service Careers premium library.

Get help with applications, interviews, behaviours, personal statements, CVs, tests, workplace problems, promotions, and career decisions, all written for people who want a better result.

Subscribe

Already subscribed? Log in