How to get a civil service job: applications, Success Profiles and STAR answers

Civil service jobs are advertised on the government’s official site, Civil Service Jobs, and you apply online for each vacancy. Most applications ask for some combination of a CV, a personal statement and short written examples of the “behaviours” listed in the advert, which you answer using the STAR method. Shortlisted candidates then take online tests or go to an interview, and successful ones complete security and pre-employment checks.

The process is fair and structured, but it has its own rules, and good candidates can miss out simply by not answering in the way the panel scores. This guide explains how civil service recruitment works, from the grades and eligibility rules to Success Profiles, STAR answers and the CV the panel will read.

What counts as a civil service job

The civil service is the workforce that runs central government, so its vacancies are government jobs in the strictest sense. That covers departments such as HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office, and agencies such as the DVLA and HM Prison and Probation Service. Jobs range from admin and contact centre roles to policy, digital, finance, legal and operational work such as prison officers.

Worth knowing before you search:

• Many roles are based outside London, in offices across England, Scotland and Wales, and some adverts offer a choice of locations.
• Teachers, NHS staff, police officers and council workers are part of the wider public sector, not the civil service. Those public sector vacancies are advertised by their own employers or on sites such as NHS Jobs.
• The Northern Ireland Civil Service is separate and recruits through its own website.

On Civil Service Jobs you can search by location, department, grade and type of work. The Civil Service Careers site explains the different professions, apprenticeships and the Fast Stream graduate programme, which opens and closes in cycles, so check its current status there.

Civil service grades explained

Every advert shows a grade. From junior to senior, the usual grades are:

1. Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO): entry roles such as admin support, contact centre and processing work.
2. Executive Officer (EO): often the first level that manages a small team or a caseload of more complex work.
3. Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO): middle management, policy and specialist roles.
4. Grade 7 and Grade 6: senior managers and experienced specialists.
5. Senior Civil Service (SCS): directors and other senior leaders.

Some departments use their own names for these levels, and pay for each grade varies by department and location and changes over time, so rely on the salary in the advert. If you’re new to the civil service, aim at the grade that matches the responsibility you’ve actually held.

Who can apply

Before you spend time on an application, check three things in the advert:

• Nationality. Under the Civil Service Nationality Rules, many posts are open to UK nationals, Irish nationals, Commonwealth citizens and some other nationals with the right immigration status. Some “reserved” posts, usually for security reasons, are open to UK nationals only.
• Right to work. You’ll be asked to prove it before you start, as with any UK employer.
• Security clearance. Every new starter goes through the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Some roles need higher national security vetting, such as Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV), which can require you to have lived in the UK for a set period. The advert says what level is needed.

Recruitment must be on merit through fair and open competition, so you don’t need contacts to apply. If you’re disabled, read the advert’s section on the Disability Confident scheme and reasonable adjustments.

The civil service application process, step by step

1. Read the whole advert. Note the essential criteria, the behaviours assessed, what you must submit and the closing date and time.
2. Apply on Civil Service Jobs. Depending on the role, you’ll be asked for a CV, a personal statement, behaviour statements, or a mix. Some roles start with an online test instead.
3. The sift. A panel scores your written application against the advert. Often the panel doesn’t see your name or personal details at this stage. When there are many applications, sometimes only the lead behaviour is scored first.
4. Tests or assessments. Many roles use online tests such as the Civil Service Judgement Test. Some add a written exercise, a presentation or a role play.
5. Interview. Usually by video or in person, with a panel asking behaviour, strength and sometimes technical questions.
6. Result. The highest scorers are offered posts; others may go on a reserve list.
7. Pre-employment checks. Identity, right to work, references, criminal record and any higher vetting. Don’t resign from another job until these are complete.

Success Profiles and the nine behaviours

The civil service assesses candidates using a framework called Success Profiles. It has five elements, and each advert chooses which ones to test:

• Behaviours: how you act at work, shown through real examples.
• Strengths: what you do well and enjoy, usually tested at interview.
• Ability: your aptitude for the job, often tested online.
• Experience: your work history, judged from your CV and personal statement.
• Technical: professional skills or qualifications for specialist roles.

The nine civil service behaviours

Each job picks only a few of these, and the descriptions differ by grade, so read the version for your grade.

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

The advert may name one behaviour as the “lead” behaviour. Give that one your strongest example, because it may be the one used to shortlist.

Writing STAR answers that score well

A behaviour statement is a short written example, within the advert’s word limit, of one time you showed that behaviour. The clearest way to structure it is STAR: the Situation, the Task, the Action you took and the Result. Our guide on how to get a job in the UK has a spoken STAR answer. For civil service applications, a few extra rules help:

• Spend most of your words on the Action: it shows what you did and how.
• Say “I”, not “we”. The panel needs to see what you personally did.
• Pick an example that fits the behaviour’s description for your grade, and echo its wording where it is true.
• Use one recent, specific example from work, volunteering, study or home life.
• Finish with a result you can describe: what changed, and what you learned if it helps.

The weak answer makes claims with no example. Here is the strong one in full:

Draft each statement in a document, check the word limit, then paste it in. Copy the structure, not this example.

Your CV and personal statement for civil service jobs

When an advert assesses “Experience”, the panel usually judges it from your CV, your personal statement, or both. It wants clear evidence against the essential criteria, without your employer’s jargon.

What civil service panels look for on a CV

• Job titles, employers and dates in a simple, reverse-chronological order, with no unexplained gaps
• Bullet points that show what you did and the result, matched to the essential criteria in the advert
• Evidence of accuracy, following procedures and handling information carefully
• Systems and tools you have used, such as case management systems, Excel or CRM software
• Qualifications, licences or memberships only where the advert asks for them

If the advert asks for a personal statement, it is not the three-line profile at the top of a CV, or a cover letter. Take each essential criterion in turn and give short, specific evidence for it, within the word limit. Our guide on how to write a UK CV covers the CV basics, and our cover letter guide explains how a letter differs from the statement a form asks for.

Civil service interviews and tests

Interviews

A panel scores each answer against the behaviours and strengths in the advert. Expect:

• Behaviour questions, such as “Tell us about a time you improved the way your team worked”. Prepare a STAR example for each behaviour in the advert, plus a spare.
• Strength questions, such as “Do you prefer to plan your day or respond to things as they come up?”. Answer honestly and naturally rather than reciting a prepared story.

Online tests

The Civil Service Judgement Test asks how you would handle realistic workplace situations. GOV.UK’s Civil Service online tests page has free practice versions to try first.

Your application checklist

• I’ve checked the nationality rules and vetting level in the advert
• I know which behaviours are being assessed, and which one is the lead behaviour
• Each behaviour statement uses STAR, says “I”, puts most words into the Action and stays within the word limit
• My CV or work history shows evidence against each essential criterion, in plain language
• My personal statement, if asked for, follows the advert’s instructions
• I’ve tried the GOV.UK practice tests
• I’m submitting well before the closing date and time

Civil service jobs reward preparation more than connections. Read each advert carefully, match your evidence to the behaviours and criteria it lists, write clear STAR examples, and practise the tests. If you don’t succeed first time, ask for feedback where it’s offered, improve your examples and apply again. Each application makes the next one quicker and stronger.

Frequently asked questions