To be terrified of civil service job interview

[user1991]

Ok admittedly a slightly shameless shoehorn into aibu there, but still no idea where to start on prepping for civil service interview next week. It's for a SIO level role so mid-seniority, and I usually get jobs based on being the 'wild card' candidate and being hired on personality/ attitude etc rather than "well when I worked on this project I (blah blah blah very clear example about how I'm the bee's bollocks).
What to wear? What weird wildcard questions will I get? Should I be a humourless robot to the panel of po-faced beaurocrats?!
Really really want this job - would like to "make an impact" ~and I have my nanny share all sorted to start in a month~.
Any advice, wise mumsnetters?

Was it a competency based application form? If so then it will be a competency based interview, based on the examples you used on the form and maybe asking for additional examples of when you demonstrated those particular competencies.

I have conducted loads of interviews for the civil service. Wild card questions are generally not allowed!

Happy to chat over pm if helpful

I’m not sure why you want the job if you think the civil service is a load of po-faced bureaucrats and you’re an oh-so-whacky wild card candidate.

But assuming you don’t open the interview by calling them that, i would recommend preparing some standard answers along the lines of:
An eg of when you have delivered a successful project
An eg of when you have overcome an obstacle/ faced a difficult situation
An eg of when you have influenced someone/changed someone’s mind
An eg of how you have worked with some difficult people

That type of thing. What’s the job? What department? They can be subtly different so others might have more info (health/cabinet office/treasury here)

You're very unlikely to get any wild card questions. You'll probably get asked right at the start why you want the job and what you'd bring to it so prepare that answer in advance and think about all the unique skills you can mention.

Other than that it's likely to be competency based but ask them if you're unsure.

Try to avoid calling them po faced bureaucrats in the interview

Thanks Nuts - I'd love that. The questions were competency based indeed, but of course I had all day to think up 'really good' answers to the questions on paper. When I'm put on the spot I tend to blather on a bit - that's not going to help is it?!
Have to head out for my gym class but I'd love to PM you a couple of questions afterwards if that's ok. Thanks for the offer!

@Hobbes8 - so they aren't going to be exactly like the audition panel in Flashdance? I wouldn't say I'm the 'wacky' candidate at all, more that i never seem to know if the interview went well or not and I've been told I was the "wild card" hire before. Not sure if that's a compliment.... maybe the other person declined the job! Thank you for your examples - I will try to prep answers to those and pray they come up! Probs shouldn't say the department in case too outing but I expect the Work will be affected by the current brexit negotiations. Perhaps that's true of all c service jobs at the mo?

Thank you ladies - I didn't expect a response and those have been really helpful already. Late for my class now! Back online later xx

Here's a link to the Civil Service Competency Framework:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436073/cscf_fulla4potrait_2013-2017_v2d.pdf

It shows what behaviours are expected for each competency for each grade. So if you know which competencies you're being assessed against, then this is the best place to start in terms of preparation. Each candidate will be scored on how many of the behaviours they can demonstrate. Although personality can play a part, the evidence you provide is much more important, so focus on that rather than on personality/attitude.

Definitely dress smartly.

Take your time answering the questions. Ask for clarification if you're not sure. At the end, ask if there is anything that you haven't covered.

They'll ask about the examples you gave on the form, so make sure you can elaborate/provide more info on HOW you demonstrated the competency and what the outcome was. What would you do differently next time? Make sure you take about 'I' rather than 'we' (so it's clear what you did individually rather than what your team did overall).

Also, line up another detailed example for each competency.

Definitely happy to chat, just send me a message when you're back :)

Prepare your answers.

A civil service interview will be competency based so prepare your scenarios for different questions. So think about your work experience and things you have done that you can discuss for a range of questions, e.g...

'Tell me about a time you've developed a solution to a problem'

'Tell me about a time you've delivered excellent customer service'

'Give me an example of a time you have worked as a team to achieve a goal or complete a task'

Use the STAR model to structure your answers:

S - Situation - describe the situation/problem
T - Task - what was the task required to solve the problem/reach the goal
A - Action - What action did YOU take? (This should be the longest part)
R - Result - what was the end result? Was the goal met/problem resolved? If not why? And how could you improve for next time.

If it was a competency based application you will be asked competency based questions and be expected to be able to respond with competency based answers. Very generally speaking (in the cs departments I have worked in) and in the spirit of fairness and transparency, all candidates are asked the same questions and scored against them accordingly. Therefore, I wouldn't bank on the wildcard thing working out for you in a civil service interview. As a PP has suggested brush up on the framework. Good luck with your interview, Let us know how you get on!

Also, take notes. When I have candidates come in with notes I'm always happy as I know I'm going to get a good interview from them. Better than those that sit there mute as they can't remember anything! Obviously don't sit there ready from a sheet of paper but some cue cards would be ideal to give you a nudge if you need it

At SEO level they will probably want to see evidence that you can link the work you will be doing and/or the skills you can bring to the job with your department’s overall strategic objectives and business plan, so if you can research this and shoehorn references into your answers it should help

What’s an SIO?

Prepare examples and spend most of each one talking about what you did and the impact - don’t waste time setting context etc.

Prep a couple of questions that show you’ve researched the work area.

Take your time in answering. Remember they want to know about you and your actions not others, so even when you're talking about teamworking for example make sure you talk about your role and contribution eg the team had to deliver a workshop on creative thinking. My role was to research different models for running the workshop. I did x y and z and prepared a summary of the pros and cons of each option for the team. I then.. blah blah. If you can, remember also to say what the end result was and what you learned from it or would do differently next time. It really helps to do as many practice interviews as you can -last time my husband and then teenage niece spent an evening grilling me, which made the actual interview much more bearable. Questions we often ask include things like "can you tell me about a time when you had to come up with a creative solution to a problem /had to manage competing priorities /had to work with stakeholders to deliver a project /had to manage a difficult situation(or difficult member of staff) /had to deliver a project despite financial constraints etc etc. (the good news is that most of the usual starting questions are similar regardless of grade. The bad news is that the evidence you will be expected to hit in your answers will vary - the competency framework should help you to work out the level that you need to pitch it at. So for example if I was asking someone coming in at the lowest levels about teamworking, they would get points for an example where their contribution was a small part of the overall project. At a senior level I would expect you to be able to talk much more about leading teams or steering teams from within.

I went for one this week, same level. Had all my competency examples well rehearsed based on my application and the competency framework and the interview was not based on these at all. Totally not what I expected. Was given 30 mins to prepare and deliver a presentation then all of the questions were of the 'what would you do if' variety. Interviewers weren't bereaucratic at all, were very personable and professional. Good luck.

Wear something you're comfortable in. You will be asked questions based on the competencies in the application and probably be asked what attracts you to the job. Make sure you are clear what you did as opposed to what your team did - lots of "I did this and the result was that" instead of "We did this". You can use the same examples as in your application, and take notes in with you if you think it will help. Not War and Peace, but bullet points to remind you of key phrases. Good luck!

Oh and we use STAR as above, but with an extra R for reflection after.

Good luck!

Oh and they asked me absolutely nothing about my competency examples on the application. What department is it? Will probably give a better idea of how to advise you.

By your reference to SIO I suspect I know both the department and the section of said department that you are applying to. Are you currently in the private sector?

Prepare examples where YOU have done something.

Is SIO equivalent to SEO?

Clothes - depends on department, and role type. Can be anything from Boden bright (though nothing too bright and flashy for an interview), to very much navy. Where I am the AA/AO/EO tend to be typically office (navy skirts, pastel blouses, pretty trad), whereas SEO/HEO and above are more dress, mismatched jackets (so not a skirt suit), or trousers with an interesting top. But I'd say we're at the less traditional end of the CS. Other departments are very sober.

@user1991 you should definitely try and shoehorn in a dance offs. I’m confident that I have never given better advice.

And personality-wise we're very involved with stakeholders, presenting at high profile events etc. Almost without exception my policy colleagues have a lot of character, charismatic, clearly bright, friendly, it's not a place for wallflowers, except perhaps in the operational sections.

Bear in mind though, if from a private sector background, that a certain level of gravitas is required - you're likely to have to represent the government at some point, and if you're really wacky, swearing, indiscreet, unprofessional, people will be concerned that you can't be sent out to represent the government.

What AlexandraLeaving said, in spades. Dress neatly, erring on the conservative. We don’t want to see tits or tats - save those for when you’ve got the job. Which department is it? Dress code can really vary eg Home Office and MOD are smart - suits for men, smart dress for women. DCMS are all jeans and designer trainers. FCO frankly a bit of a scruffy bunch - men in shirts, no tie and chinos. DFID embrace linen and look quite relaxed. Cab Office and Treasury similar to MOD and HO but slightly less smart. BEIS and DIT cheap suits and a bit salesman flash.

I've never seen cleavage, tattoos, false eyelashes etc in my dept.

Love the sartorial classifications MrsS I work across may of the depts so I'm going to keep my eyes open now.

mrss can I add, DfE are social worker chic

I have mermaid hair, vintage style and am a G7. Dress isn't much of an indicator of grade in my department though.

I'm in the civil service. The interview is still going to be very much competency based so don't go off point too much (if at all). Also don't try to be the wild card! Your potential line manager may be on the panel and a wild card isn't often a desirable person to manage.