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Original poster

Any Civil Service appliers or recruiters?

227 replies

Lightninginabox · 23/02/2023 15:40

Trying desperately to get into Civil Service.

Am 45 - do you think there's ageism in hiring externals?

I have a lot of G6/7 type experience but earlier in my career. I am more than happy to start from scratch again in the departments that are in my area (Belfast) but I wonder am I flunking the interview?

I have done about 12-15 applications, getting up to 6s and 7s in application forms and have had three interviews, two turned down and one I think will be turned down as they shouldn't have posted it as available for Belfast, and one awful press/ministerial briefing in which I got a 4.

Any interview advice?

OP posts:
TalliskerMcSpeculate · 13/03/2023 14:01

I applied to the CS just before lockdown. Was told I was on the reserve list so I thought that was a polite 'thanks but no thanks'. However I was offered two jobs with a fortnight.

The onboarding process takes forever. They lose lots of great candidates because it can take over six months from offer to start date.

I didn't come across any ageism in the recruitment process, but oh my god it's massive in the actual job. Nobody can hear a word I say. They're all very nice and kind but I just don't get listened to and it's clear I'm considered ancient. I'm mid 50s and a lot of my colleagues are under 30 (unusually high proportion of younger people). I don't really fit in and it's damaging my confidence.

But that's just in my small area. Could well be very different in other areas. The flexibility to work from home is precious to me, as is the flexi time and annual leave. Pay is crap! No chance of progression. All the development opportunities are for early careers, not end of life like mine 🤣

NotMyDayJob · 13/03/2023 14:23

How does the scoring work for applications? Is it always out of 7? So if my CV got 6 it's 6/7?

namchangeanxious · 13/03/2023 19:22

@TalliskerMcSpeculate Oh that's so disappointing to hear. I'm desperate to leave my job and been thinking of looking at CS but been worrying a bit about the ageism issue. Do you like the actual work you're doing?

Hawkins003 · 13/03/2023 23:22

namchangeanxious · 13/03/2023 19:22

@TalliskerMcSpeculate Oh that's so disappointing to hear. I'm desperate to leave my job and been thinking of looking at CS but been worrying a bit about the ageism issue. Do you like the actual work you're doing?

when it's serving king and country, for the civil service, it's always worth it.

Poblano · 14/03/2023 05:23

TalliskerMcSpeculate · 13/03/2023 14:01

I applied to the CS just before lockdown. Was told I was on the reserve list so I thought that was a polite 'thanks but no thanks'. However I was offered two jobs with a fortnight.

The onboarding process takes forever. They lose lots of great candidates because it can take over six months from offer to start date.

I didn't come across any ageism in the recruitment process, but oh my god it's massive in the actual job. Nobody can hear a word I say. They're all very nice and kind but I just don't get listened to and it's clear I'm considered ancient. I'm mid 50s and a lot of my colleagues are under 30 (unusually high proportion of younger people). I don't really fit in and it's damaging my confidence.

But that's just in my small area. Could well be very different in other areas. The flexibility to work from home is precious to me, as is the flexi time and annual leave. Pay is crap! No chance of progression. All the development opportunities are for early careers, not end of life like mine 🤣

I'd agree that the onboarding process is a nightmare. But the ageism probably differs from department to department.

I've come in as an SEO from outside the CS. I'm in my 40s. My G7 line manager is in his 50s, the G6 is coming up to retirement. I've not seen any ageism so far. In fact quite the opposite, I'm being actively encouraged to undertake CPD and go for promotion once the opportunity arises. Perhaps I've been lucky with my department.

TalliskerMcSpeculate · 14/03/2023 09:41

@namchangeanxious the work I'm doing is ok. I'm an EO so I'm seen as very junior, but I'm a professional executive PA so I'm rather under utilised! So it's very easy but a bit boring. But my team are really lovely and do appreciate me. It's the younger contingent of the wider directorate who discriminate. For example I was on a course recently and we had little quizzes as we went along. The only time the early-20s note taker wrote my answers down was when someone else had corroborated what I said. She wouldn't just accept that I knew what I was talking about. I asked her if it was because I was blonde, and she just looked blankly at me. We do so much unconscious bias training, but the age bias passes them by.

And yes, my directorate is unusual in its proportion of under-30s. I'm sure you'll be fine. As I mentioned earlier, I love the WFH, the flexitime, the annual leave etc. just disappointed that the advertised salary scale isn't actually a scale at all, you start on the lowest advertised rate and there you stay. I expected to be appointed to the top of the scale as has happened in previous public sector times, but nope.

Maybe the strikes will make a difference to the pay.

namchangeanxious · 14/03/2023 10:12

@TalliskerMcSpeculateThanks for the response. I've always been private sector so it would be quite a leap for me but there's so many interesting looking positions that come up, And private sector brings a whole set of problems of its own as well, as I've discovered over the years.

TalliskerMcSpeculate · 14/03/2023 13:03

@namchangeanxious someone who retired recently said in his leaving speech that there are few jobs in the country where you can influence governments and really make a difference to people's lives.

He meant that it is a good thing, and indeed it can be, but you do get areas of blindness and so-called political correctness (known as 'woke' these days). A lot of the erosion of language around women's issues, for example, is being driven by 'inclusive' terminology and written into legislation by well meaning but inexperienced people. I'm a lone voice at times.

namchangeanxious · 14/03/2023 13:45

@TalliskerMcSpeculate Ah, now that does strike a chord with my workplace!

tommika · 14/03/2023 18:00

TalliskerMcSpeculate · 14/03/2023 09:41

@namchangeanxious the work I'm doing is ok. I'm an EO so I'm seen as very junior, but I'm a professional executive PA so I'm rather under utilised! So it's very easy but a bit boring. But my team are really lovely and do appreciate me. It's the younger contingent of the wider directorate who discriminate. For example I was on a course recently and we had little quizzes as we went along. The only time the early-20s note taker wrote my answers down was when someone else had corroborated what I said. She wouldn't just accept that I knew what I was talking about. I asked her if it was because I was blonde, and she just looked blankly at me. We do so much unconscious bias training, but the age bias passes them by.

And yes, my directorate is unusual in its proportion of under-30s. I'm sure you'll be fine. As I mentioned earlier, I love the WFH, the flexitime, the annual leave etc. just disappointed that the advertised salary scale isn't actually a scale at all, you start on the lowest advertised rate and there you stay. I expected to be appointed to the top of the scale as has happened in previous public sector times, but nope.

Maybe the strikes will make a difference to the pay.

….. disappointed that the advertised salary scale isn't actually a scale at all, you start on the lowest advertised rate and there you stay

The pay is still a scale, it’s just that now you have to wait a few decades for the minimum to work its way until it catches up with the ‘higher’ steps
One day it will be one rate per grade

When increments stopped I was hovering at one short of the top of the scale until I was promoted, and am now hovering at the bottom

tommika · 14/03/2023 18:04

I did have a go time series forcasting as practice on a course by going back a few years to see how long it would take for the minimum to catch up

You had to be in the lowest grades to have a small enough minimum to maximum range to have any prospect of closing the gap

tommika · 14/03/2023 18:08

Having said that you won’t get rich in the civil service, there is job satisfaction to be had

I’ve spent my time in management grades being able to see that what I have done makes a difference somewhere.
Even now where I’m reporting on data/information it is actually getting used to make decisions, and achieved obtaining good quality evidence for additional funds and investment

StatsNerd · 15/03/2023 09:58

I interviewed yesterday and whilst I am confident I didn't get the job, the interviewers were really great and really put me at ease. I enjoyed talking to them and feel confident to apply again for other posts. Good luck everyone!

Original poster
Lightninginabox · 15/03/2023 18:17

I have four outstanding applications now and three of them were supposed to be interviewing this/next week. Does that mean I haven’t made the interview list or is it likely to be delayed (no notifications yet)

Is it hideously inappropriate to email the hiring contact and ask?

OP posts:
tommika · 15/03/2023 19:13

Lightninginabox · 15/03/2023 18:17

I have four outstanding applications now and three of them were supposed to be interviewing this/next week. Does that mean I haven’t made the interview list or is it likely to be delayed (no notifications yet)

Is it hideously inappropriate to email the hiring contact and ask?

It shouldn’t hurt to ask

If you haven’t been sifted in then you should have a rejection, and if sifted in there should be an invite to interview

They may of course be delayed, but it’s better to enquire and find out then to not turn up because a notification has been lost

Original poster
Lightninginabox · 17/03/2023 19:28

UPDATE: I have another interview for one of the two jobs I really, really want!

3 behaviours and then some strengths.

It’s at EO level.

Now for a week of revising behaviour questions!

OP posts:
spacechimp79 · 17/03/2023 23:54

Good luck @Lightninginabox 🤞🏻 Let us know how it goes.
After a truly hideous week at work, I am going to do some more applications tomorrow.

StatsNerd · 18/03/2023 08:08

Best of luck! I found out I wasn't successful but did get reserve list for 12 months. However three more jobs to apply for so back to the application forms for me!

MabelMoo23 · 18/03/2023 08:22

Lightninginabox · 17/03/2023 19:28

UPDATE: I have another interview for one of the two jobs I really, really want!

3 behaviours and then some strengths.

It’s at EO level.

Now for a week of revising behaviour questions!

Good luck @Lightninginabox - great news!!

I’m waiting to hear back about a HEO level job - I had two applications that I was waiting to hear back from and I wasn’t successful for the other one - in the end the 4 behaviours they said they were assessing, they only assessed one and I only got a 2 which is SO frustrating- but it was the behaviour I’d never written a statement for before (changing and improving) so it obviously let me down. The feedback said I never got assessed by the others (they’ve scored me 4’s on other applications)

so waiting to hear back from the other one.

NotMyDayJob · 18/03/2023 09:24

I have an interview for the role I applied for. It's presentation, to cover two of the behaviours and then competency questions and also strengths. Does anyone know if they will also ask questions related to the behaviours covered by the presentation? Or if the presentation will cover those behaviours

NotMyDayJob · 18/03/2023 09:25

Oh and good luck @Lightninginabox ! It's a week swotting for us!

Original poster
Lightninginabox · 18/03/2023 10:08

StatsNerd · 18/03/2023 08:08

Best of luck! I found out I wasn't successful but did get reserve list for 12 months. However three more jobs to apply for so back to the application forms for me!

But well done in getting reserve list, it seems lots of people get jobs from that!

Good luck to all the appliers and revisers! STAR STAR STAR 🤔 reflection.

Anyone who wants to come and explain strengths to me again is very welcome.

And I have two more jobs to apply for this weekend.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lightninginabox · 18/03/2023 10:10

NotMyDayJob · 18/03/2023 09:25

Oh and good luck @Lightninginabox ! It's a week swotting for us!

I know! Aargh it’s so tough!

I mean COME ON universe, I just want an interesting, reasonably paid job with great pension and work life balance I mean is that TOO MUCH to ask?!?

OP posts:
StatsNerd · 18/03/2023 16:40

Lightninginabox · 18/03/2023 10:08

But well done in getting reserve list, it seems lots of people get jobs from that!

Good luck to all the appliers and revisers! STAR STAR STAR 🤔 reflection.

Anyone who wants to come and explain strengths to me again is very welcome.

And I have two more jobs to apply for this weekend.

Show quote history

Thank you! There was only one role and I definitely wasn't on best form, so wasn't a surprise to not be successful. Now fingers crossed on either reserve list or one of the others I am going for 🤞

NotMyDayJob · 23/03/2023 16:46

I had my interview today. I got a bit confused between behaviour and experience questions but otherwise it seemed to go well.

I found the strength questions not that hard to be honest although I did watch some good YouTube videos so I had an idea about them.