Below you’ll find our latest Civil Service advice. Use the search function above to find guidance on your issue, or visit Get Tailored Advice to submit your own question.
Fitting Eight Essential Criteria Into a 750-Word Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a HEO policy role. The person specification lists eight essential criteria, including analysis, stakeholder work, drafting, delivery and knowledge of the policy area. The personal statement limit is 750 words. When I give a proper example for one criterion,…
Repeated Score of 3 on Civil Service Personal Statements Hello, I have applied for several EO operational roles and my personal statements keep receiving a score of 3. I usually reach the online tests, but I do not get through the sift when the statement is scored. I structure each statement around the essential criteria…
Meeting the Essential Criteria but Failing a Civil Service Sift Hello, I am applying for SEO project delivery roles. I only apply where I can honestly say that I meet every essential criterion, and I can point to experience for each one. My personal statements cover the full person specification. I mention programme planning, senior…
Using Essential Criteria as Headings in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a HEO role from outside the Civil Service. The advert asks for a 1,000-word personal statement against six essential criteria. I have seen conflicting advice about headings. Some people say that copying the criteria as headings makes the statement…
Separating Civil Service Behaviour Statements From the Personal Statement Hello, I am completing an EO application that asks for two 250-word behaviour statements and a 500-word personal statement. The behaviours are Delivering at Pace and Working Together. The personal statement asks me to show customer service experience, organisation and the ability to deal with difficult…
Reusing a Civil Service Personal Statement Across Similar Vacancies Hello, I have a HEO personal statement that scored 5 for an operational delivery role. I have now found two similar vacancies in other departments with the same word limit. The responsibilities overlap heavily and several essential criteria use almost identical wording. Rewriting the whole statement…
Turning a List-Like Civil Service Personal Statement Into Coherent Evidence Hello, I am applying for an EO casework role and have drafted a 750-word personal statement. I used each essential criterion as a heading and wrote a short paragraph beneath it. The statement covers everything, but it reads like a list of disconnected mini-answers. Every…
Choosing Between STAR Examples and Wider Experience in a Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a SEO role with a 1,000-word statement of suitability. The person specification asks for leadership, programme delivery, stakeholder management and analytical decision making. I could write one or two detailed STAR examples. I could also give a broader account…
Understanding “Explain How You Did It” in Civil Service Sift Feedback Hello, I recently failed the sift for a HEO role. The only useful feedback said that my examples described what I achieved but needed to explain more about how I did it. I thought I had already covered my actions. For one example, I…
Using a Motivation Introduction in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for my first Civil Service role at AO level. The application asks for a 500-word personal statement against communication, customer service and organisation criteria. My current draft starts with a paragraph explaining that I am passionate about public service, interested in…