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Work

Help with civil service competencies

21 replies

GRMA · 20/11/2020 09:19

Hi please can anyone help I have been doing a job for 2 years on temporary promotion and now have to apply for my role to be made permanent I am struggling with 2 competencies for my application form, Leadership and communicating and influencing, I have written them but feel they need to be stronger being Civil Service they are needing to be on the Success Profile with the Star format, can anyone help either by reading them or just general advice would be appreciated, thank you in advance

OP posts:

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Levithecat · 21/11/2020 21:31

When’s your deadline, GRMA? I could look next week if that helps. I’m a G7.

GRMA · 23/11/2020 11:34

Hi Lvithecat the deadline is Wendnesday 25th at Midnight

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GRMA · 23/11/2020 11:36

not a good start if I don't even spell your name right or spell Wednesday, apologies Levithecat:)

OP posts:

TabithaTowers · 24/11/2020 07:53

Have you looked at this?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework

GRMA · 15/12/2020 10:48

Update: I failed again at getting through the sift.

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Plonthy · 15/12/2020 17:00

@GRMA

Update: I failed again at getting through the sift.

What were your scores?

GRMA · 15/12/2020 17:27

2, I even had a G7 read it and we were pretty confident

OP posts:

Levithecat · 15/12/2020 20:52

I’m really sorry to hear that GRMA, that sucks. It seems really poor if you’ve been in TRA for the post for so long. Have you had feedback on your performance while you’re there? I hope your LM gives you proper feedback.

Plonthy · 15/12/2020 20:57

Drop me a PM.

Largely free on Thurs, I can try and help.

GRMA · 16/12/2020 04:50

Every year I have received an Exceptional (1) mark for my PMR and have had excellent feedback so I can do the job its just writing it down I am not good at unfortunately. Plonthy I will drop u a message Thursday is a good day for me also thank you.

OP posts:

Plonthy · 16/12/2020 06:42

Cool, no problem.

Albaba · 17/12/2020 11:25

@GRMA I am civil service too. I went for promotion recently and didn't get it. I have been in my position for over a decade and am doing work over and above my grade and always get excellent reports and is suitable for the next grade on my report.

Anyway I went for an internal promotion after sitting two rounds of tests and an interview. I knew my competencies and had examples through my work . I have acted up in to the higher grade. Anyway the email came round "Sorry you have been unsuccessful in your application" which felt like a right kick in the teeth because there were others who did get it who were younger and less experienced than I was. To have them now higher than me I still find very difficult to accept. It just seems like in the Civil Service being good at your job is not enough, you need to be able to talk the talk.

To make things worse my very experienced and knowledgeable manager has just left with no one else in place or no overlap. So this is going to mean extra work and responsibility for no extra reward. Aaagh!

GRMA · 17/12/2020 11:33

Whilst reading your message Albaba it read as if you were living my life this is me and my situation to a T (Only my manager hasn't left) I have been in the Civil Service for 17 years the first 15 years I tried and tried to get promotion but was never successful so 2 years ago I transferred to this department doing my dream job on TP, yes when the email came in and again I was rejected I did nothing but cry my eyes out, I have since found out the Sift has been outsourced to Capita, I really hope we both get what we deserve in 2021

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Alez · 17/12/2020 11:36

I work for the civil service and recently did a sift for HEO. I assume you're following the STAR format and using a specific example? If not, make sure you do! Some key things I've noticed from the sift: you need to make sure you say what you did, that's the most important thing; explain how you did something not just what you did, and why you did it that way. The how and why is what really gets people to 4/5 marks. Make sure your example is complex enough for the grade. Super simple examples can get 4s if written well but higher than that is generally tricky.

Also, when people mark your behaviour they literally go down the bullets included in the behaviour framework. So after you've written it, go through each bullet yourself and make sure it's covered (including the how and why! Look at the adverbs and adjectives in the competency not just the general 'thing')

Alez · 17/12/2020 11:38

It sucks but civil service recruitment is highly formulaic.

GRMA · 17/12/2020 11:54

I honestly thought I had, other higher grades even checked it out for me but obviously i am doing something wrong :(

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Alez · 17/12/2020 12:13

Hmm did you say you got a 2? Did you check that you copied and pasted the right behaviour into the box? I know that's a silly thing but I've seen a few people do that! Can you ask them for any further feedback?

I would perhaps use the example for another job application at the same grade asking for that behaviour - doesn't matter if you don't want the job or even if it's not your area - just to check what score you get again. If it's 2 again maybe ask another manager to help you? Sometimes people do give quite different scores.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 17/12/2020 20:25

This is why I will never bother looking for a job in the Civil Service. DH has worked for them for over 20 years. It was bad enough when he first went in but it gets more bullshit bingo as time goes on. He gets more and more frustrated at seeing people move through the ranks who know how to fill out an application form to get the points and talk the talk at interview but can't actually do the job.

I recently went for a university job having not had a job interview for over 10 years. I was shocked to see they'd gone the same way. The same department years ago had given me a more traditional interview (2 way process, more of a conversation, asking questions about certain things I mentioned, and showing an interest). This new format felt like an audition for Strictly. It was just me giving monologue after monologue, it felt. In feedback I picked up points for this or that and dropped some because I didn't give enough information for 2 particular questions. Apparently now they are not allowed to try and prompt you to give more detail on your answers as it could be seen as them trying to give you the opportunity to get more bloody points, and so not fair or equal to each candidate.

It's ludicrous and mind-boggling and not at all how humans would normally interact. It certainly doesn't bring the best out of people and enable you to choose the right candidate, in my opinion. It's a bit like going on a first date and not showing any emotion or interest in the other person and not picking up on some things they say to enquire more as they've piqued your interest. Instead you're just letting them talk to a poker face till they think they might have impressed you enough. Laughable that we've come to think this is acceptable and reliable.

Anyway......

OP you have my utmost sympathy. You could be the perfect candidate but if you're not a natural boaster or blagger you are going to find it difficult to compete with those who are. Best of luck!

CurlyhairedAssassin · 17/12/2020 20:29

And what is it with the "behaviours" and all the other shit HR speak etc, anyway? It is total bullshit bingo. I actually LOL'd recently looking at a civil service job advert which referred to the successful candidate's "onboarding"! Onboarding!! What the effing hell is wrong with "induction"?! Civil Service HR seems to have got lost in a black hole of corporate speak rather than producing anything logical.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 17/12/2020 20:35

Oh, and in any other sector, if you had been acting up on temporary promotion for 2 years and doing a great job with all your managers pleased with your performance and happy to have you in post permanently, then the recruitment process for the permanent position is simply not fit for purpose if "proven track record", which they have witnessed with their own eyes, loses out to a top blagger/point scorer.

I'm getting annoyed now.....it wants a huge overhaul, the whole thing.

Plonthy · 18/12/2020 11:23

@GRMA

Hi please can anyone help I have been doing a job for 2 years on temporary promotion and now have to apply for my role to be made permanent I am struggling with 2 competencies for my application form, Leadership and communicating and influencing, I have written them but feel they need to be stronger being Civil Service they are needing to be on the Success Profile with the Star format, can anyone help either by reading them or just general advice would be appreciated, thank you in advance

Genuinely hope my efforts have assisted you.

🙏

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