Civil Service - HEO to G7?

[letstryagainnow]

Just wondering if anyone has successfully jumped more than one grade, going straight from HEO to G7 for example?

I know people who have jumped more than one grade. But I think the jump from SEO to G7 is notoriously hard and I know a lot of SEOs who have been trying to make G7 for many years.

It is difficult to see how a HEO could demonstrate they could meet G7 competencies / behaviour in their role. They would have to be leading on some pretty exceptional projects outside work. And then they would likely be up against some very strong SEO candidates.

It might be worth going for, for the application / interview experience but chances would be very slim. Maybe slightly better in a very specialist area where there would be less people to compete against with the relevant skills.

One of my friends did the HEO to G7 jump. But he was working in a job that was notoriously undergraded and had effectively been doing SEO work (and chunks of the G7 role) for years. Everyone knew it and there was no surprise when he got it.

If you were relying solely on typical HEO examples then you are likely to struggle in the competition for a G7. But it's not all about what your current job is- if you have experience of comparable work that is relevant to the role, or have been doing some very stretching projects that would meet G7 then stick your hat in the ring. Is there a friendly G7 or above who would be willing to give you a steer on whether your examples are of the right standard?

Thanks for the replies. In the role I'm in then there are lots of circumstances where we operate outside of grade. The role is in the general field that I currently work in. I've only been in the civil service for two years as I was previously in a managerial position in a completely different profession.
It does feel a little like within the CS I might be seen as too big for my boots if I were to float this idea. But I'm mindful that I have a lot of experience from my previous career, though not directly linked to the advertised role in the same was as my CS experience.

I wouldn’t worry about being seen as too big for your boots, the way things are scored there is little room for that to be taken into account. It will be purely down to whether you can demonstrate you meet the competencies.

I would study the Success Profiles competencies for G7 for the role and see what previous experience you have that can demonstrate the skills. The fact that some of the examples are more than two years old shouldn’t be a problem. If it doesn’t work out for you then at least you should hopefully get some useful feedback and will have a stronger understanding of what you need to work on going forward.

That's really helpful. Thank you!

I have been on loads on interview panels and I am very happy to hear experiences from outside the CS. I would say though you need to assume the panel knows very little about your previous roles outside the CS and really explain the context etc ...

I think your examples outside CS might carry more weight if your current grade has limited opportunities to work at higher grade.

I say - have a go.

It’s perfectly possible, particularly if you have external experience. I often found that when people joined CS they joined at a lower level than they were capable of, either because they didn’t understand the grading or they found the recruitment so difficult they ended up going for lower level job just to get in.

absolutely apply, don’t be put off by other people. Civil service tends to be very “pay your dues” and frowns upon anything except linear progressions going through all the grades in turn.

These are very encouraging. Thank you so much! Yes-I feel the pay your dues culture but also agree lots join at a lower grade than they maybe could do to get the feel of civil service first.