Civil Service job application frustration

[IPartridge]

I've been applying for lots of CS jobs that are well within my capabilities, I'm mid 50s and applying for EO roles. But I'm just getting rejections.

The latest one, I scored better than 98% of candidates on the test, have a CV that shows I would be a perfect match, but all they looked at was the Personal Statement which obviously wasn't good enough. I've read things about using the STAR method, which I tried to do, although there were 6 different criteria that I had to show I met so it wasn't easy to cover everything.

I'm really disheartened as I was made redundant earlier this year and thought this was my chance to try something different. I've also applied for non CS jobs, that just require a CV and no luck there either.

Does anyone have any tips/advice?

Was your previous role similar to a Civil Service EO role? Maybe it's perceived that it's a bit of a stretch?

My previous job was in private sector and at a much higher level than an EO.

@IPartridge Note that the test results of “98% higher / better” doesn’t really mean that you scored ‘better’ than other candidates, but that you had a very good results at the 98% point of a ‘representative group’ at the required grade on that test.

I haven’t been the primary recruiter for many years, but at that time I would have no knowledge of the test results - only that applicants passed.

It does mean that your judgement and reasoning fits the bill very well as far as psychometric testing is concerned.
(I’d say that with a result like that then you should also be thinking of widening your range by applying for some higher grade roles as well)

The real hard part is getting through the sift, interview and selection.
Civil Service recruiting often gets suspended and any advertised role usually gets a lot of applicants

There is no magic solution to application writing and interview performance. It comes down to the personal judgement of the primary & independant interviewers.
They will both read applications and assess the experience, statements etc against the advertised criteria, scoring those and comparing their outcomes
Everyone reads them in a different manner, some will be looking for certain words to match the criteria definitions, others won’t care about whether or not you used the exact key word but whether or not you could convince them that you handled a situation in a suitable manner.

I knew a manager that would read the criteria highlighting key buzz words, then look in the application and highlight those words, and finally count them - that was then the applicant’s score - you wouldn’t need to actually describe your ability, eg “I always do buzzword” scored one point with no substance

Some may read an application in sections
if it is structured by each criteria and only assess a specific section for a specific criteria.
I have often felt that a candidate has best expressed multiple criteria in only one or two parts rather than a particular example that they had titled for a specific element.

(Noting that different government departments do have some different criteria, take a look around various adverts and always download the critera documents for each. Look at the criteria for the grade and also compare the wording against other grades for the same criteria. Remembering to ensure that you can see that you have focused the particular grades criteria.

The STAR format is recommended, but can be quite simple.
You need to quickly and simply explain the SITUATION and TASK, focus the bulk on ACTION (especially making clear your actions - but it could be a team effort so you need to show your contribution in the team) and finish with RESULT with a touch of how you felt about the outcome - would you do something different in hindsight / if there was more time etc

Get some people to read your applications, ask for feedback from previous applications.
But remember that they are all subjective and everyone has their own opinion

If you're applying for jobs that are lower level than your work experience that might be part of the problem. Any particular reason you're targeting EO roles?

For example - I am currently a G6. My experience fits that grade and actually above to the next. I wouldn't get through an EO sift because my experience is too far out of grade - it doesn't work to assume you'll get a junior CS jobs because you're used to working more senior.

I had exactly the same experience when looking for a role - same situation - well able to do the job and rejected again and again. Got something elsewhere in the end.
Have you been claiming new jobseekers allowance? I ask because I claimed it for a couple of weeks (non means tested) and when I was chatting to the officer there he mentioned the civil service jobs website. I told him I'd had zero success and couldn't understand why. He said if I saw a job I was interested in to get in touch as the job centre can arrange 1 to 1 coaching to help you complete the application. Maybe worth considering.

If it's any comfort, my adult child (works in the field) reckons the three most difficult application forms are (in no particular order) NHS, Local authorities and CS.

What sort of positions are you applying for at EO level compared to what you were doing in the private sector?

The reason I am applying for EO posts is that the higher posts generally want department specific knowledge. So I was hoping to get in at a lower level and move up.

The most recent one was a trainee role, 2 year's training whilst working and it sounded really interesting. I just don't understand why they ask for a CV and then not even look at it when assessing your application 😣

You need to look at the Success Profiles expectations for the different behaviours and what they want for each different one. Make sure your example fits the different behaviour requirements. Avoid generalities- chose specific situations and always give the outcome. Data/quantifiable outcomes are very useful or demonstrate exactly what the outcome was/how you improved something.

There will also be a lot of internal applicant for EO positions who will understand how the process works/have the department specific knowledge (which will still be looked upon favourably if there are lots of applicants).

I've just started a job at the CS and I found getting 'interview-ready' for it a nightmare!!

Did you write a STAR example for each of those 6 criteria? Because that’s what you need to do, and sorry but when you say it was hard to cover everything it sounds like you didn’t write an example for each point in the spec.

@IPartridge I do lots of recruiting for that area - very happy to look at your behaviour examples etc and advise. It might be that you're going in too low - EO vacancies, dependent on department etc., can attract hundreds of applications. Location too is a big factor.

You use the STAR method for each competency you are trying to show, not to show all 6 I one example.

Sorry, x post with @howmanyottersonaplane

In my department the test is just a check box and to make sure you are a decent standard. The recruiting team don't know your score, just that you passed.

The CV isn't normally scored but is used to put you in the best fitting role once you have passed the sift and interview.

Always spend the most amount of time on the personal statement. This is what my department look at. What scores have you been getting? Sometimes if there is a large amount of applicants this will get raised.

For that job in the personal statement you had to say how you met the essential criteria. It wasn't a competency one.

I think it was 6 criteria in 750 words.

So what you need to do there is write one STAR example for each of the 6 criteria, within the 750 words. Not write a general summary of all your experience. I know this might feel counter intuitive as it’s not how it’s done elsewhere but it really is how to get a CS interview. The best thing you can do is use each point in the spec as a heading with the example underneath.

So basically treat the points in the spec like competencies.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b27cf2240f0b634b469fb1a/CSBehaviourss_2018.pdf

This is useful.

EO isn't considered "lower level"- AA and AO are. You'll be facing competition from many of those looking for internal promotion. Your previous positions don't guarantee you an interview if you can't prove how you fulfil the criteria. I'm at HEO/SEO level (my department's grading system straddles the two for my role) and would favour a strong internal lower level applicant who could demonstrate they understood what we were asking for than an external senior manager who failed to write an appropriate application.

That's why I never apply to these jobs.
They either already know who they want or someone with exact experience already in that sector.

This is not how to write a personal statement. You do not need to use the STAR method in a statement- you need to evidence the essential and desirable criteria that is listed in the advert. Give short examples of what you have done that meet the criteria. You will send yourself utterly insane trying to write it in the STAR method within 750 words!!

I’m a G6 in a large department and do a fair bit of recruitment. CS applications are an art form (a torturous one) - get someone to show you how to do them. But even then, as you can see from the advice, it’s a bit of a Wild West when it comes to consistency of approach from both applicants and recruiting managers!

Sorry; I meant examples, not necessarily full STAR ones. My point was that a general statement that doesn’t address each spec in turn is the wrong approach.

I’ve given up with them! I made 6 applications - spent ages on all of them, tailoring them to the job spec etc. They involved a variety of CVs, personal statements and behaviours. Definitely the longest I spent on any applications. I received a score of 4 on every single individual item on all the applications and wasn’t invited to a single interview. So frustrating!

i think it’s just not meant to be - while I think the policy areas I was applying for would have been interesting, friends tell me that I would have found the pace in the CS frustratingly slow and it would have involved a substantial pay cut. Do think that if they want to be less of a ‘closed shop’ they do need to overhaul their application processes though!