Civil service grade 7

[blCkmagic]

Hi all, I’m currently a SEO in civil service and have a job interview for a grade 7 role in same department. Does anyone have any advice? I will be assessed on strengths, behaviours and technical skills AND have to prepare a presentation to send them in advance and present on day of. Interview is only in 2 weeks, and I’m currently working in a shitty environment so finding it hard to prepare

There are lots of resources online for preparing for civil service interviews (you’ve probably already seen them).

Use the STAR method for preparing your behaviours. Remember to say “I” rather than “we” when you talk about what you did. Rehearse these so you can talk about them fluently.

The difference between SEO and Grade 7 is often about leadership strengths and amount of autonomy in decision making so make sure you have lots of examples of these. It’s also good to have examples of where you have been proactive and made process improvements and influenced strategy.

Hood luck!

Focus on the 'action' - the scoring starts here. Actual things you did to deal with situations and your choices/decisions and how you made them. I printed out 5 one page summaries of situations that I could use as prompts. I read directly from them at times and it wasn't a problem. Strengths- just give examples as you agree - eg yes I am a very organised person. For example, I always take time to plan my projects at the start etc etc. Good luck!