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Original poster

Civil Service Questions

16 replies

LexMitior · 29/03/2023 22:45

I have just had very odd and rather tough interview with the civil service and I wondered if anyone could help? Pretty sure I fluffed it but really confused.

Most civil service interviews are based around strengths and competencies. Use STAR etc...

But this one was all hypothetical- how would you? No competencies. The questions were very specific to particular management situations.

I am pretty sure I screwed up here but I am also very confused. Every single interview I have had with the CS has been competency and example based on showing the how. Now it's not? These questions were very detailed and closed.

There were strength based questions too - understood that but really, really confused by the new system.

OP posts:

Polarbearyfairy · 30/03/2023 00:43

This is success profiles in action, the relatively new recruitment framework.

There is no rigid format for questions anymore. We can use a range of tools so you can't be sure they will use the behaviours + strengths combination.

Recruiters can use hypothetical questions as you describe, they are suggested as an option in the recruitment training.

Original poster

LexMitior · 30/03/2023 08:12

Thanks @Polarbearyfairy. I did think they would ask one hypothetical- but not the whole interview! I didn't have experience in the particular situation they asked about even generally so couldn't leverage any example. This made it very hard to answer it and it felt very subjective.

I guess I am annoyed as all the intelligence I had was that you still need behavioral examples and lots of them! I don't know how hypothetical questions get scored but it was so specific I got prettt flummoxed.

OP posts:

MabelMoo23 · 30/03/2023 13:33

They are always “tell me about a time” - that’s how to demonstrate the competency and the behaviour

owiz · 30/03/2023 15:00

I've not come across this as a CS recruiter but I don't profess to keeping up to date with guidance preferring to stick to behaviours and strengths.

I was given a hypothetical question at my last interview and yes I completely stumbled, I just wasn't expecting it. It was a good question and a good way of testing me, but one that would have been better given in advance, like when they say give a presentation on X, if giving hypothetical questions on how you would approach a broad subject it's not fair to expect people to do it on the fly, if it's a question on how you would transform a team for example that isn't a real life situation you would do on the spot.

It may be new guidance as said above but would be good to warn candidates in the recruitment pack, worth saying as well done organisations do just go rogue and despite being on CSJ may just have their own way of approaching interviews.

Original poster

LexMitior · 30/03/2023 16:36

@MabelMoo23 - that was the issue. None of those questions and all hypotheticals instead.

A draining experience given the prep.

OP posts:

PlainJanePerfect · 30/03/2023 17:23

Was it a tech role? Those might have some behaviours and technical competencies. The tech ones could be hypothetical.

PlainJanePerfect · 30/03/2023 17:23

Tell me how you would ensure your research is inclusive?

Original poster

LexMitior · 30/03/2023 17:52

No this was a legal role and clearly the tech part was clear.

The hypothetical stuff was on management. It was very specific.

I feel very pissed off - I hate doing STAR and behaviour by example but I had it done inside out.

Instead these were questions done on a best guess scenario and I could never have passed them with any certainty- it felt rather calculated to ensure I couldn't use what I knew already. And if that was the criteria then I would have prepared for that more carefully

OP posts:

PlainJanePerfect · 30/03/2023 19:08

You had strength based ones too. I hate those and refuse to do them when I hire. I don't find them useful and they eat into time. Hopefully you hear tomorrow and don't have to sit all weekend.

What grade was the role? Our team doesn't do strength in SEO and above. HEO did but we probably won't again.

If it wasn't a very senior role, the hypothetical questions could have been to try to give as many people as possible a chance. If it was senior it might have been to test your critical thinking on the spot.

I try not to have more than six people max to interview and you've clearly at least met essential min criteria so your odds aren't bad. Try not to worry.

Finally, don't be put off by being put on a merit list. Both my BAs were merit candidates and we are likely pulling another person off one into an adjacent role. Lots can happen with a post in 12m.

Original poster

LexMitior · 30/03/2023 20:53

This was grade 6 role. I have a month to wait which is pretty awful but I really did fail it, I know I did. I could have given better answers, even if I was caught off guard. Presumably doing this was to see exactly how I would react, and rule me out quickly.

All I can hope is that everyone got the same questions. Then at least it was fair.

OP posts:

owiz · 30/03/2023 20:56

@LexMitior mine was a G6 role too, thankfully I got the next role (which just had a traditional behaviours interview!) hope you get the answer you want but if not do try again, they're not all like that.

Original poster

LexMitior · 30/03/2023 21:09

Thanks @owiz - I hope so, but these are quite rare vacancies. I feel as if I wasted my time really on this occasion, if only because the preparation I did do was irrelevant and so too was my experience. I could have attended the interview with no preparation and probably had the same outcome or answers. That does leave a pretty sour taste.

OP posts:

owiz · 30/03/2023 21:23

@LexMitior yeah I'm sorry that's really frustrating, one of the benefits of the CS process is that it is really transparent, they shouldn't be trying to catch applicants off guard. I know it's said a lot and not comforting in the situation, but it may be a blessing in disguise, they might not be nice people to work for if that's how they approach recruitment.

PlainJanePerfect · 31/03/2023 09:53

Let us know OP. We just had two G6s out. One get several dozen applicants and one got two. The market is bonkers right now and some roles are very popular and competitive and others we send out over and over and no one wants them.

Fingers crossed!!

Original poster

LexMitior · 17/04/2023 17:55

Well the results are in and... I failed on managing a quality service. This was one of the hypotheticals. I am quite pissed off as that is one mark off being accepted.

OP posts:

PlainJanePerfect · 17/04/2023 18:39

Sorry about the interview 😔

If it was a 3, you were close. Those often have components people miss. We rarely use that behaviour in IT but delivering at pace has a point about checking in with the stakeholder that people often miss and puts them at 3. It was probably one small thing you'd have done in real life or something so obvious it was a given and you'd kick yourself over it.

One missed question is hardly a fail though. My colleague had someone cry in theirs!

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