Civil service behaviours - job application

[backaftera2yearbreak]

Evening all,

im usually a pretty competent human. I’m trying to apply for what I think would be an EO grade in the civil service (I’m B3 in Scottish government) and these questions about behaviours are pushing me over the edge!

Im struggling with working together and delivering at pace. It’s a policy role, and I don’t work in policy but have been told my previous experience will help me.

any advice/tips/websites to help would be grateful received

Always use the STAR format and use your behaviours to demonstrate experience or competence in some of the responsibilities of the role.

That’s the one thing I do know. I've hit a wall trying to find suitable examples!

dont go!
the sg is much better. they get progression and better pay. A B1 is an EO and a B2 is an HEO so you need to be applying for SEO jobs.

What are you struggling with exactly? What do you mean by questions?

Thanks all, I’m actually just about to throw the towel in I don’t have the patience for this. I’m not that desperate for a new job! It’s the most ridiculous process for applying for a job. They can keep it lol!

I’m just curious though what’s the issue? Does the application have questions? Or is it asking for evidence of set behaviours?

The working together behaviour is whats
got me. It does not make any sense. But anyhow, time to move on! It’s just not meant to be.

If you go on the CS success profiles gov.uk page it gives you the indicators for each of the behaviours. Surely from that you can think of examples of when you've demonstrated a number of the indicators (you don't need to hit them all, just as many as possible)?
Delivering at pace is all about managing multiple tasks and deadlines...time management, prioritisation, delegation etc. HEO and SEO include more management of a team and keeping them motivated and focused on a goal.

Ok, well if you ever want to look at again feel free to come back to this thread and I’m happy to try to help.

It's an enormous waste of public money. Just recruit people the normal way. I've read than they are realising this.

Just put the behaviour in to AI and ask for examples and stretch something you’ve done so it meets the indicators. EO level interviews will be straightforward. No trick questions. Will be something like ‘tell me about a time when you collaborated across teams to achieve a goal’

Working together - have you worked within a team to deliver a piece of work? Been a member of a committee, or volunteered? Managed a team? Had to collaborate with other teams for a common goal?

The Scottish Parliament behaviours are even worse and don't have the million YouTube videos, Reddit boards etc., dedicated to them.

Have a look at Jac Williams on YouTube- he’s done some really good videos on behaviours.

I'm glad because I have tried, for quite specialist roles, and given up. I can't anonymise my experience, it'll make no sense without me saying where I worked.

The process isn’t all that abnormal, behaviours are just competencies.

I’m glad I’m not the only one! It’s been exhausting. When I was recruited they did things differently. I really appreciate all the comments. But life’s too short!

I’m a specialist in the CS, I don’t entirely anonymise my experience, job titles and employers are important for context. I just don’t name my educational institutions usually. I do a lot of recruitment and most people take this approach.

The process isn’t all that abnormal, behaviours are just competencies.

I do know. I've applied for these jobs. Making someone's employment based on how well they can write an answer rather than their actual skills is a waste of time and money and it means the internal civil service churn continues as no one can in.

Almost every person I’ve hired has been an external candidate (against other CSs), I got in as an external candidate. I’m not saying the process is perfect, it isnt, but I think you’re being a tad dramatic.

Absolutely. My friend is a director in the civil service and says that she has endless numpties working for her because they pass application and the interview but they can't do the job whereas conversely, I think i would be more than able to do my job/profession within the civil service but could not in a million years get through the competency stuff at interview.

OH applied. They found words associated with the behaviours on the CS website along with exactly what was expected at EO, HEO etc. That might help.

I’ve worked in the civil service, I had to leave due to some personal circumstances. I’ve been applying for the past year and cannot pass any of the sift. I’m a strong candidate and have no issues getting employment in the private sector. The people who pass the sift and interviews just know how to pass those the actual job part they aren’t the most suitable as the recruitment is on being able to pass the sifts / interview not looking at the wider picture and context of whether the candidate would be a great fit to the organisation. The whole process is laborious.

The point of the behaviours is exactly to explain your skills and how you have applied them in a real life scenario.
It's easy to say 'I'm experienced in x and y and and have skills in z'...CS recruitment just asks you to prove it by giving an example. It's really not rocket science.

If it's not rocket science why is getting through the application process a whole industry in itself? Reddit boards, seminars, guides, YouTube videos ...

It's testing how well someone writes. They could be making it all up.

The Reddit board is interesting reading.