5 Top Tips When Applying for The Civil Service

Author: Mahek Mehta

Mahek has worked across the Civil Service in three government departments, and completed the Summer Diversity Internship Scheme (SDIP). She currently works at HM Treasury on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Mahek has a BA in History and International Relations from Loughborough University, including an ERASMUS at Maastricht University, and a MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from UCL.

A few months ago, I discussed my UK Civil Service Career at a panel and it threw me back to a time when I was writing applications for my first official Civil Service job. I didn’t have a clue what the recruiters were looking for and this meant, regardless of my best efforts, the end result was always rejection. This confusion ranged from what the “grades” meant, to how I should answer questions on the application forms; the Civil Service has a very unique process that previous career guidance hadn’t prepared me for. 

In the wake of recent events, including Black Lives Matter, light was brought onto the unequal accessibility of some careers. One step towards improving institutional equality is to make access to certain careers more accessible, by making ‘insider knowledge’ public knowledge. This includes the Civil Service, where it can be hard to get your foot in the door as a young graduate, especially in minority communities where representation is low. So this article will go through five top tips that I would have given my younger self. My tips are derivative from various experiences, including being on recruitment panels. Through these, I hope to create some transparency around the recruitment processes which opens up the Civil Service as an option for your career. 

1. Fast Stream: Not just for graduates

There are multiple ways of entering the civil service and the most well publicised one is the “Fast Stream”. It is not unusual to enter the Fast Stream from a completely different career field or as a new graduate. A lot of people who I met on the graduate scheme had a few years of experience outside of the Fast Stream. Seeing people a lot older than me start a new career taught me that it’s completely normal to shift career paths, and decisions you make at 21 do not have to define you. In fact, the Civil Service website states: “it is not unusual to succeed after 2 or 3 attempts” - which yes, does mean it is completely normal to fail one, two, even three times.

The application process has the usual steps from graduate schemes, such as verbal/numerical tests and video interviews. The key hurdle is the assessment centre, where the day is split into three activities: writing a policy brief, presenting how you will manage a project and a group activity. 

There are 15 different ‘streams’ (pathways to choose on application to the Civil Service Fast Stream), and the entry requirements for each one can vary. Usually, a stream would require you to have a degree equivalent qualification. Given the variety of streams, from Science to Economic to Diplomatic, some will require additional interviews or tests.

This is a great option for those who want to get a taste of different roles through rotations, and a great way to specialise if you’re choosing a technical stream. However, I personally found the graduate stream too constraining, and wanted more choice over my roles.  

Therefore, I opted for direct entry through applying for interesting sounding roles on Civil Service Jobs.

2. Direct entry: The first step is figure out the grading system

Each institution has its own grading system, and within the Civil Service grading systems can vary from department to department. Generally they range from Administrative Assistant going up to SCS, however vary for departments like HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. The Institute for Government has a great table laying out departmental structures. 

The key thing to remember is that the grades are quite interpretative so you should go for where you think your experience meets the behaviours or any additional criteria. 

After you pass probation in your first role, you get access to internal jobs across government. By access, I mean being able to view and apply for a wider range of vacancies compared to those advertised to the public. One significant benefit of getting your foot in the door through a direct entry role is the opportunities it provides to move around Government.  So once you get in it’s easier to transfer onto a wider variety of roles.

3. Application time: Follow the STAR Format

Whether you’re answering questions on your Fast Stream video interview, or for a direct entry role, don’t forget to follow the STAR format. Clearly lay out a Situation, your Task, Actions you took to achieve it and the end Result. 

A piece of advice I got early on what to keep a 70/30 ratio, where 70% of the answer should be focused on Action, and the rest should be fairly short. When focusing on your actions, avoid using “we” and keep the spotlight on what you did. Ensure you’re letting the behaviours guide your answers and showcase how your actions demonstrate requirements of the post. 

A barebones example for a “Delivering at Pace” behaviour could be:

Situation - I had a lot of competing priorities at stake

Task - I had to deliver a lot of them during a short amount of time

Action - This meant having to consider what I may re-prioritise, or how to manage my time better. There may have been a few things which I could have moved around, and I decided to consult my seniors as to how I could handle this. 

Result - As a result of my excellent skills, I was able to deliver my task to a high standard. 

4. Keep it direct

In most Civil Service applications you only have 250 words to play around with, or five minutes for a verbal answer. Don’t waste them with unnecessary detail such as describing how the situation was, or your team structure. Use active words, such as: managed, lead, expanded, streamlined, transformed, negotiated. 

One mistake I would see in applications is the candidate trying to demonstrate how incredibly complex and technical a task was through descriptive language. It would lose the assessor, who would have 20 other applications to read. 

A great read would be one which showcases your responsibilities from the get go. For example: I was leading on negotiation objectives for widgets. This simple starting sentence demonstrates leadership, and a clear idea of your role in this scenario.  

You should be able to use layman's terms to demonstrate your effectiveness, if worried get a friend who works in a different industry to give your application a skim.

5. Speak to previous post holders

Whether it be the fast stream or direct entry, try to find contacts within the department through the hiring advertisement or LinkedIn. Ask what advice they would give themselves if they were in the same position as you, and if there is anything they would change in their career path. People are always willing to help!

If something isn’t clear to you, like what the hiring manager is asking for in an application, you should ask. The worst case scenario is not getting a reply, and the best case scenario is a clear understanding of what the recruiters are looking for in a candidate, and how you can demonstrate this. 

I hope this article made the recruitment process for the Civil Service more accessible, because working for the Government  has been so rewarding for me. I’ve felt an immense amount of impact through my work, and learnt so much through my roles. 

I do not envy graduates from the class of 2020, or those looking for a career shift, because the job market has been severely impacted by the financial impacts of the pandemic. The Civil Service is a great choice at the moment, as it is a nurturing and challenging environment where you will help society deal with pressing issues of the day. 

It took over 30 applications and 10 interviews for me to get my first official role in the Civil Service, despite being a part of the summer internship scheme - I also fell at the final hurdle at the Fast Stream assessment centre. 

I couldn’t imagine my career path not including a stint working in the public sector, so I hope you as the reader succeed in getting the role you want. 

If you don’t, take heart in knowing success is waiting in some form on the other side of all your efforts.

Edited by Lauren Matthews

Published 19th September 2020