Civil service interview

[Devonish]

Hoping for advice. First interview in a while. It will be done via MS teams so I can have some strategically placed notes.

Civil service position (EO) HMRC intelligence officer. Questions will be asked about:

Making effective decisions
Delivering at pace
Working together

Also strength based questions to demonstrate things I do well and/or are motivated by.

So I need examples for the first 3 using the STAR method. Just one example? Should I maybe have a couple prepared for each?

But what kind of questions would be the second example? What are my strengths? As basic as that?

Also do I need much knowledge of HMRC itself? I think extensive training will be given. Will a general overview of HMRC be sufficient? From the gov.uk website.

Anyone with inside knowledge? Thanks

For the behaviours use the same examples you gave in your application but expand on them further, yes use STAR. 1 example per behaviour.

You can't really prepare for strength based questions, these are relatively quick fire questions designed to measure your natural response. Maybe have a look at the strengths dictionary for the words associated for for the tested behaviours to guide you a bit. If you get a "are you more X or more Y" type question pick a side, don't try and say you're a bit of both and pick the side that more naturally aligns with the job spec (unless it's simply not true of course!) These do not need to be STAR and should be answered in about 2 mins each, but some brief/high level examples are good to add weight to the answer.

It's definitely advantageous to research the organisation first, try to link your answers to the job spec and organisation if you can to really demonstrate what you will bring. Show off your research in the questions you ask them "I noticed this on your website, can you tell me more about X" for example.

Maybe do a strengths-based profile such as the VIA signature strengths. Or go to strengthsprofile.com where you can get a free report (it's a basic one - you have to pay for more detail). But that would get you thinking about your strengths. Think about what energises you rather than just what you're good at. And good luck!