Prepare for your interview
Success Profiles are a recruitment framework used within the Civil Service to find the right person for the job.
To begin preparing for your interview, take some time to familiarise yourself with the five key elements:
| 1 | Ability | Aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard. |
| 2 | Technical | Demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge, or qualifications. |
| 3 | Behaviours | Actions and activities that result in effective performance in a job. |
| 4 | Strengths | Things you do regularly, do well, and that motivate you. |
| 5 | Experience | Knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement or exposure. |
The use of AI in recruitment
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini can be helpful when preparing your application, but they must be used responsibly. These tools can support you in structuring your responses or checking grammar, but your application should reflect your own voice and experience.
The Civil Service is looking for real people with real stories. AI should never replace your authenticity. It’s fine to use it to help express your ideas more clearly, but the content must be your own.
During interviews or live assessments, AI use is strictly prohibited. These stages are designed to assess your judgement, communication, and thinking – qualities AI cannot replicate.
Find out more about the use of AI in recruitment
An inclusive recruitment process
We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within our workforce.
Our efforts focus on attracting talent from a variety of backgrounds through inclusive recruitment methods and support initiatives like the Women in Digital Network.
We also offer internship programs designed to develop the skills of civil servants and create pathways for individuals from underrepresented communities to progress and thrive.
One such example is the 2024 Interns initiative, which aims to provide access to opportunities for diverse talent. We also partner with other departments to collectively recruit and promote gender and ethnic diversity in the tech field.
Another example is the Civil Service Care Leavers Internship Scheme offering care leavers an 18-month paid job role in a central government department or agency.
As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we partner with a diverse range of organisations to reach talent from all backgrounds. These include Manchester Digital, techSPARK, and Handshake to connect with emerging tech talent.
We also partner with Ex-Military Careers to support veteran transitions and Women in Tech, Diversity in Tech, and Colorintech to ensure representation and equity in our talent pipeline.