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.
Essential and Desirable Criteria in a Short Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a SEO role with a 750-word statement. The advert has five essential criteria and four desirable criteria. I meet most of the desirable points, including experience with a particular delivery method and knowledge of the policy area. The statement…
Using Volunteering and University Evidence in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for AO roles after finishing university. My paid work has mainly been part-time retail, so some of my strongest examples come from volunteering and group projects. I coordinated volunteers for a community event, handled a difficult issue in a student…
Choosing the Number of Examples for a 500-Word Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for an EO compliance role. The 500-word personal statement is assessed against six essential criteria. I have one strong investigation example that covers evidence gathering, decision making and communication. I also have smaller examples for workload management, accuracy and dealing with…
Using Older Experience in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a Grade 7 programme role. My strongest example of leading a complex transformation happened about six years ago. Since then, I have worked in smaller roles with less scope. My recent examples are relevant, but they do not show the same…
Choosing One Full Example or Several Shorter Personal Statement Examples Hello, I am writing a 750-word personal statement for a HEO project support role with five essential criteria. One major project gives me strong evidence for planning, stakeholder management and risk. I have separate shorter examples for analysis and improving a process. I could make…
How Much Career Background to Include in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I have worked in my current private-sector role for ten years and am applying for a HEO operational delivery post. My draft spends about 250 words explaining my job, the team structure, our customers and the services we provide. I thought the…
Referring to Civil Service Behaviours Inside a Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for an EO role. The application has no separate behaviour statements, but the advert says the personal statement will assess experience alongside Leadership and Communicating and Influencing. I planned to use headings such as Leadership and Communicating and Influencing, then write examples…
Different Civil Service Sift Scores for the Same Personal Statement Hello, I used almost the same HEO personal statement for two vacancies with similar responsibilities. One campaign scored it 5 and invited me to interview. The other scored it 3 and rejected me. The word limits were the same and both adverts asked for stakeholder…
Translating Private-Sector Experience for a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am an operations manager in the private sector and want to apply for HEO Civil Service roles. My experience includes service delivery, complaints, budgets and leading supervisors. The adverts use language such as public value, ministerial priorities, governance and Success Profiles. My own examples…
Making a Polished Civil Service Personal Statement Sound Specific and Personal Hello, I am applying for SEO roles and have used AI and online examples to improve the wording of my personal statement. The grammar is strong and the structure is clear, but the statement now sounds generic. It uses phrases such as drove strategic…