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.
Moving a Civil Service Behaviour Statement Beyond a Score of 4 Hello, I am an AO applying for EO roles. My behaviour statements usually score 4, so they pass some sifts but do not feel competitive. I use STAR, keep within 250 words and choose examples that match the behaviour. The result is positive and…
Using One Workplace Example for Two Civil Service Behaviours Hello, I am applying for a HEO role that asks for Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing and Delivering at Pace. My strongest example is a service redesign that required me to analyse a broken process, persuade two teams to adopt a new approach and deliver…
Why a STAR Behaviour Statement Can Still Receive a Low Score Hello, I am applying for SEO roles and my behaviour statements follow STAR closely. I include a short situation, explain my task, describe the actions and finish with the result. Despite that, my scores are often 3 or 4. I assumed STAR was the…
Explaining Personal Actions Within a 250-Word Behaviour Statement Hello, I am writing a 250-word HEO behaviour statement. My feedback says I need more detail about how I achieved the result. When I add the method and reasoning, the answer goes well over the limit. My current draft already uses about 80 words for the situation…
Using a Belief or Approach Sentence in a Civil Service Behaviour Statement Hello, I am applying for EO roles and have been advised to use B-STAR, with a short belief statement before the STAR example. For Working Together, I could start by saying that I believe strong teams depend on listening, respect and shared responsibility….
Allocating the Action Section in a 250-Word Civil Service Behaviour Statement Hello, I am writing a 250-word HEO behaviour statement. My current draft uses about 85 words on the situation and task, 125 on the actions and 40 on the result. The example involves recovering a delayed workstream, so I feel the panel needs the…
Using a Team Result in a Civil Service Behaviour Statement Hello, I am applying for an EO role and my best example is when our contact centre team cleared a large backlog before a service deadline. The result belonged to the whole team, and I did not manage anyone. I reorganised my own cases, shared…
Showing Civil Service Leadership Without Line Management Experience Hello, I am applying for a HEO project role that asks for the Leadership behaviour. I have never been a line manager and I do not approve leave, complete appraisals or manage performance. My strongest example is coordinating a new onboarding process across three teams. I agreed…
Why Working Quickly Is Not Enough for Delivering at Pace Hello, I am preparing a HEO Delivering at Pace statement about an urgent data return. I worked late, processed the information quickly and submitted it before the deadline with no errors. The result was positive, but most of the example is about my personal effort….
Using an Everyday Decision for Making Effective Decisions Hello, I am applying for an EO casework role and cannot think of a major decision. Most of my work involves choosing the right action within guidance and escalating anything outside my authority. One example involved deciding whether an incomplete application could progress. I checked the record,…