How do you hear back about a civil service interview?

[Trumpetoftheswan2]

Is it phone, email or no hard and fast rule?

TIA

Did you apply via civil service website? It will update there ( mines currently says awaiting interview results 🤞) they also said they’d email next week when interviews complete. I always ask at end of interview about next steps.

Yes. They said Monday or Tuesday this week, although there was talk of having to write a report for the board about the interviews. I was surprised that they suggested a time so soon, but I guess optimism is a powerful thing!

Just checked - the last entry on mine is the invitation to interview. I guess they're moving slowly.

Depends on each department- mine phones to offer before making the offer on CS jobs but my last dept did it all through CS jobs 🤷‍♀️

I wouldn't worry at this stage - based on my experience it ALWAYS takes longer to make official offers than we optimistically hope 🤣

Good luck!

Generally speaking via email, although I have had a phone call a few times from the hiring managers going rouge knowing how long the offer can take on line (single post roles). They were successful offers but I've equally had to wait for the system to update before being told yes so basically, no news is no news but you will get an answer!

I has an email

Thanks all. I shall sit tight. Good to know that I will hear one way or the other!

I didn't get the job, but have been placed on a reserve list for six months. This was my first civil service interview, and I would like to know what my scores were and where I can improve for next time.

Is it okay to ask this and will they give me any more information?

Firstly, that's brilliant well done, it means you met the threshold and essentially passed the interview, so whilst you didn't score the highest that's still really good!

Was it through the civil service jobs website? If so, there should be a feedback button, press that and it'll give you your scores for the questions and hopefully some summary feedback.

Yes, I'm disappointed but recognise that it's not bad for a first grade 7 civil service interview. I spent so much time preparing but hopefully that prep will come in useful at a later date.

It wasn't through the civil service job portal but I'll email HR and ask for some more detailed feedback. I've never really had anything more than 'someone else had more relevant skills and experience before', and after 15+ unsuccessful interviews, I'd like to know what I need to do to improve!

Do people get jobs through a reserve list? Six months doesn't seem long with all the recruitment freezes happening throughout the civil service.

Well done - it's very hard to pass a G7 interview as an external candidate!

Yes, people do get selected off the reserve list but I would still keep applying for G7s you're interested in. Reserve lists only apply to specific departments I think, so if you see a G7 that has the same success profiles in the department that you passed on it's worth a direct email to the hiring manager to point out you're on a reserve and would be happy to have a teams call to see if you're right for the role

Thanks, but as I'll always be an external candidate, that's made me wonder if it's even worth applying again.

Yes if it's not the CSJ portal absolutely ask the question. So in my experience reserve lists appointments are more common at lower grades, bulk recruitment, higher turnaround etc, being a specialist myself I personally don't know anyone who has got a role at G7 or above from the reserve list, though it could happen if the person who was appointed doesn't accept the role or withdraws in the next 6 months. And not to say it doesn't happen elsewhere; but in my specialism it doesn't seem to be utilised very much for some reason.

Thanks, that is good to know to manage my expectations.

Back to the drawing board for the umpteenth time, I guess!

Same happened to me. I did email the hiring manager and she said she was sure I had got it until they added scores up and I was 1 mark short.

She said she was committed to finding me something and just 2 weeks later she introduced me to my now boss! I started my post on 1st May.

So I'd definitely email. I asked what my position was on the reserve list as that would inform my next steps. Incidentally that job came back up as the successful candidate didn't go through the clearance procedure.

Thanks. I've just emailed HR. I would like to get some proper feedback from this process if nothing else!

Another thought... It seems that people are usually put on the reserve list for 12 months.

So six months is the bare minimum they have to do if you 'pass' but someone else scores higher?

If your job isn't on CSJ chances are they do things slightly different so not worth comparing, the job advert usually advertises what the reserve list will be if you can go back to that. But essentially it's not about a bare minimum, the department will have a reserve list length (that should be advertised in the advert) those that pass the interview but aren't the highest scorer getting offered the job will be put on the reserve list, that could be all of you, some of you, none of you. Your performance won't have any influence on the length of the list, that will have already been determined.

Thanks so much for taking the time to explain that to me pietut. That's helpful, I'm just overthinking things.

As someone in the civil service, would you say it's worthwhile continuing to apply to 'not lower grade' roles as an external applicant? This one was grade 7 although the salary was about £10,000pa less than the grade 7 ones I looked at yesterday following your advice so, like the application and reserve list, slightly different to the main CS scales.

It was the salary that I was going by rather than the grade iyswim.

@Trumpetoftheswan2 if you've passed a G7 interview I'd definitely say you're pitching yourself at the right grade. By all means go for lower if you want to try to get in faster as it won't take you long to get to the next level likely, and sometimes the pay discrepancy can be small between grades and departments. It's worth remembering that grades mean different things to different organisations, G7 can be more senior (and thus harder to get) in one department vs another, but it's very hard to assess that on the outside. So I wouldn't give up hope yet, but no harm broadening your search if something at SEO peaks your interest.

Thanks again.

I've just got a G6 job from a reserve list, but as an internal candidate - I think the extent to which they are created and used is quite haphazard, at least in my department. There's no obligation to create a reserve list, so the fact they have done so suggests they thought it was worth doing.
Definitely keep applying - civil service applications are awful, but if you've done this well at your first shot you have a great chance of success next time with the benefit of (hopefully) some feedback.

It's often the case that the selected candidate(s) don't accept the position, at which point they work their way through the reserve list.

This happens when there are issues with passing vetting, people get other jobs, or they can't accept the salary offered, because it's not clear that the starting salary will almost always be the bottom of the range and people from outside think the scale means they might start on somewhere other than the minimum, which is rare.

Thanks again all. I really appreciate people taking the time to explain all these details.

So, a SEO position has just been advertised with a very similar remit through the main CS job portal in a different department. The department is one of my current organisation's key stakeholders.

The salary is more or less in line with the G7 role that I'm on the reserve list for, so about the same 'level' even if it's a different grade, I think?

The criteria for the role I'm on the reserve list for were knowledge and experience, planning and organising, interpersonal skills, communication skills and working with others.

The criteria for this post are communicating and influencing, delivering at pace and working together.

Is it worth emailing the recruitment manager and, if so, any suggestions for what I should ask or how I should word it?

I'll apply anyway, but as an external candidate any tips to navigate this would be much appreciated!

TIA

@Trumpetoftheswan2 why do you want to contact the recruiter exactly? (Just trying to understand why you're asking in order to answer the question)