Check your Civil Service application against the job advert
Civil Service adverts tell you exactly what will be assessed. The skill is reading that list and giving clear evidence for each item, in the format asked for.
Most Civil Service jobs use Success Profiles. The advert lists which elements will be assessed at each stage: behaviours, experience, technical skills, strengths and ability. Read it carefully: only what's listed is scored.
Start with your advert
Every Civil Service advert is different. The list below is what adverts for this job usually ask for, not what yours does. So start with your advert:
- Read the advert and copy out every "must have" or "essential" line, then the "desirable" ones.
- For each one, find the line in your CV that proves it. If you can't point to a line, that's a gap.
- Fill the gap with something true: a duty, a setting, a qualification or a result you really have. If you don't have it, say what you have that's closest, or leave it out.
Our guide to matching your CV to a job description goes through this in more detail.
What Civil Service adverts usually ask for
The behaviours named in the advert
Why they askAdverts list behaviours such as Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together or Making Effective Decisions, at the job's grade.
How to show itGive one strong example for each behaviour listed, using STAR, and pitch it at the grade. Use the behaviour's own wording in your example where it's true.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Situation: [where and when]. Task: [what you needed to achieve]. Action: I [what you did, step by step]. Result: [what happened, with a real number if you have one].
Your CV, as asked
Why they askMany Civil Service applications ask for a CV or employment history, sometimes assessed against the essential criteria.
How to show itMatch each essential criterion with a clear line, and keep to the format and length asked.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- [Job title], [organisation], [dates]: [one line that shows an essential criterion].
Personal statement
Why they askMany adverts ask for a statement of a set length, assessed against the essential criteria.
How to show itTake each criterion in turn and give evidence. Stay within the word limit.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- [Criterion]: In my role as [job], I [action and result that shows it].
Technical skills and qualifications
Why they askSome roles list technical requirements, such as a professional qualification.
How to show itName it exactly as the advert does.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- [Qualification or technical skill], [year].
Only use a line if it's true for you. Swap each [gap] for your own detail: the setting, the number, the tool or the result. If you can't fill a gap honestly, cut that part of the line.
Mistakes that cost Civil Service applications
- Writing about "we" instead of what you did.
- Using examples pitched at the wrong grade.
- Going over the word limit, or ignoring the format asked for.
- Writing about elements the advert doesn't assess.
Questions
What is a Civil Service behaviour example?
A short STAR story showing one behaviour from the advert, at the right grade. Many adverts set a word limit for each.
Should I use the same examples for every application?
You can reuse strong examples, but adjust each for the job and grade, and check it matches the behaviour's description at that level.