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.
Using Bullet Points in Civil Service CV and Previous Skills Boxes Hello, I am applying for a HEO role and the form has separate Employment History and Previous Skills and Experience boxes. My current draft is made up of short bullet points under each job and each essential criterion. The bullets are easier to read…
Reusing CV Evidence in a Civil Service Personal Statement Hello, I am applying for a SEO role that asks for an employment history, Previous Skills and Experience, and a 750-word personal statement. My strongest example is a service improvement project that matches several essential criteria. I have already included the project in the CV section….
Tailoring Previous Skills and Experience for a Senior Civil Service Application Hello, I am applying for a Grade 7 role after working in programme delivery for about 15 years. The essential criteria cover strategic leadership, commercial management, governance and senior stakeholders. My current Previous Skills draft goes role by role and is over 2,000 words….
Why the Same Civil Service CV Produces Different Sift Results Hello, I have used almost the same HEO CV for six applications. It passed three sifts and failed three, even though the roles all involved operations and service delivery. The successful applications did not seem obviously closer to my experience, and the feedback only gives…
Providing Detailed Evidence When a Civil Service Application Only Asks for a CV Hello, I am applying for an EO role. The application asks for Employment History and Previous Skills and Experience, but there is no personal statement or behaviour box. The advert says the sift will assess experience against the essential criteria. I am…
What to Expect in a First Civil Service Success Profiles Interview Hello, I have been invited to my first HEO Civil Service interview after working in the private sector. The invitation says I will be assessed on three behaviours and four strengths. My previous interviews have mostly been conversational questions about my CV, motivation and…
Choosing the Right Length for a Civil Service Behaviour Interview Answer Hello, I am preparing for a HEO interview and each of my behaviour answers takes between seven and eight minutes when I practise aloud. I have included the full background, every action and a detailed result because I do not want to miss any…
Using Notes in a Civil Service Interview Without Sounding Scripted Hello, I have an online SEO interview next week. I have prepared six pages of notes containing full STAR answers, likely follow-up questions and wording from the behaviour criteria. I was planning to keep the notes beside my screen and read the answers so I…
Adapting When a Civil Service Interview Question Does Not Fit Your Prepared Example Hello, I am preparing for an EO interview and have one main example for each behaviour. In a mock interview, my Working Together question was about resolving different priorities, but my prepared example was mainly about explaining a process to another team….
Reusing Civil Service Application Examples at Interview Hello, I passed the sift for a HEO role using three behaviour statements. The interview assesses the same three behaviours, so I planned to deliver the same examples almost word for word. I know those examples scored well, but I am worried the panel will expect completely new…