Any Civil Service SEO interview tips please?

[Tikitaka20]

Hi all,

I’m currently an HEO in the Civil Service and I’ve got an SEO interview soon. The panel will give me a couple of behaviour questions (Communicating and Influencing and Seeing the Big Picture), a strength question and perhaps an experience question.

For behaviours, I’ll focus on answering the question, answering in the STAR format and showing how I faced challenges and overcame them.

My behaviour answers often sound too process-y (eg I did X, I did Y). I think one way to avoid this is to focus on why I did what I did, rather than on the what/how, but grateful for tips to avoid lapsing into process-y answers!

I also struggle to be concise with my behaviours, as I find it hard to quickly think of a relevant example that answers the panel’s question and then get into the substance of my answer (ie what I did and why) as soon as possible. One tip I had was to write down the question - and use that as thinking time and to ensure I answer the question - then take a sip of water whilst I quickly plan my answer. Grateful for any more advice though!

For strengths, I know I’ll need to show enthusiasm and interest in my answer and give a clear example of where I’ve done what they’re asking in the question.

I’ve not had an experience question at interview before, but I’ve heard I should approach these by using a STAR answer (like a behaviour).

Very grateful in particular for any general tips you have please, and any specific ones about how to avoid my behaviour answers sounding too process-y.

I would try to concentrate on the result/ outcome and try to make this as strategic as you can - so for example coordinated a finance task - bla bla outcome - contributed to the Govt Spending review/ my orgs top line budget / kept spending within my departments targets! All that seeing the bigger picture stuff which might not be the behaviour they are asking about but demonstrates the sort of stuff they want at SEO Level!
I’ve never been asked an Experience question at an interview - I would normally get that from the CV/ qualifications on the form when I’m recruiting.
I have however used the bit at the end - anything else you want to tell us to give a brief overview of any experience relevant to the role!
Good Luck!

There’s a guy on YouTube called Jac Williams who’s done some great videos on the CS Behaviours. I found them very useful.

I’m currently an SEO, but it took me a few attempts! I agree with keeping it as strategic as possible, reference the strategic aims of your department, and how you make decisions based on there. Build some challenges into your answer, and describe how you dealt with them. Remember to add the result at the end of your example, but then go past that to say how you reflected afterwards, and made changes to XYZ as a result.

Good luck!

Use the STAR system but make sure that your answer including the result is related to the behaviour and not get too carried away with your story, so the result should show how the activity improved communication and influencing.

As above, SEO is a strategic grade so ensure that you show how you thought ahead not just resolved the issue at hand.

As an SEO you should not be doing the tasks but leading them, keep telling me what you did not the team (lots of I and not we), but instead of I did, I lead, I directed etc (unless you are going for a specialist role with no staff eg accountant).

Have 3 examples prepared for each behaviour including one when things didn’t go so well and you rescued the situation, make sure when you speak you have the behavioural indicators in front of you and you hit each indicator.

When we were recruiting I interviewed a lot of people for SEO and the work I wrote most of papers of people who were unsuccessful was HOW. I don’t want a shopping list of tasks I want to see how you overcame resistance, how you endured quality or whatever the indicators are at SEO level.

The indicators are the same at HEO and SEO but your example needs to be more strategic and less operational than an HEO response.