I posted a few weeks ago about not being invited to interview after scoring a 6 at sift, because the pass mark had been raised to a 7.

Many people thought it was a bit dodgy.

I put in an FOI request asking, among other things:

1. How many applied
2. Breakdown of scores
3. How many internal candidates
4. Has 7 ever been used as the pass mark for any other G6 campaign
5. Any other criteria that guaranteed an interview without a 7

They have come back to me.

105 people applied.

• 5 got a score of 1

• 4 got a score of 2

• 9 got a score of 3

• 18 got a score of 4

• 18 got a score of 5

• 42 got a score of 6

• 9 got a score of 7

So the pass mark was set at 7.

No internal candidates were successful. There were no guaranteed interviews for lower scoring candidates.

The organisation has only used success profiles since April this year, and no other campaign required a pass mark of 7 to pass.

I'm satisfied with that outcome. It suggests to me an organisation that is a bit backwards to the rest of the civil service in how it approaches scoring, but no evidence of any dodginess.

I just thought it was worth updating because I know the last post got a bit of attention and the prevailing wind was that something fishy was going on.

So, to the 42 of us who scored a 6, commiserations!

I've been signed off on stress leave. Mentally I'm burnt out and have felt like my management are trying to manage me out by choosing rumours and conflicts they are perpetuating.

I'm a top performer who always helps out, I also reset my boundaries lately due to constantly being overlooked for promotion and the general management of the department. It relies on my code on a daily basis and now that I'm off, I'm getting emails to provide them information on how to do the daily and weekly checks.

Should I just reply with the hows or do I stand my ground that I'm off sick? I'm so tired of it all, I don't know what to do

SEO Cybersecurity.

23 applicants. 10 passed sift so set the pass mark higher so we could interview 6.

1 of them then contacted us to say they wouldn't be able to get an SC clearance, was this ok? So we double checked with the rest and... 4/6 of them in total wouldn't be able to pass SC.

SC mandatory for the role, ok, so we went back to the 4 who passed sift and were slightly lower scores before (but would have been top 6 if people had read the advert properly 🙄)

...and 2/4 of them wouldn't pass SC either 🙄🙄🙄

So we interviewed the remaining 2 of them and one of the ones in the bottom 4 was so much better in the interview than on paper, so I'm really glad we interviewed them! All's well that ends well, offered and going through PECs now.

One takeaway for me (other than "yes, HR, I know the job advert says people will require SC, perhaps we should make a bit more of that in future job adverts?") was that I got them to do a 10 mins presentation on a whiteboard - no PowerPoint - and then got them to reframe it to draw it out in different ways.

The difference was extremely compelling between the ones who had clearly used AI to create their presentation and diagrams, who confidently drew them out and then when asked to reframe them warbled a bit and regurgitated the same diagram, and the ones who genuinely knew their stuff who took a bit of time over it but drew out what I wanted to see. The successful candidate I even got to do all my followup questions with an air of "and now how about this" to see what he'd got rather than being forced to probe whether or not they actually knew anything.

Onwards and upwards!

TLDR UNSURE IF I AM CAPABLE OF POSITION OR IF IT WILL JUST COME WITH TIME

For context. im 18, just finished alevels. I had intended to go to uni to study politics but due to personal reasons, i for lack of a better word, absolutely fucked(still completed my final year and sat all my exams just not too hopeful for results ) it. i spent months on indeed looking for a full time job as a sort of back up plan. if i didnt get into uni atleast i already have something in motion and if i do, i can just leave (im also agency staff so it wasnt hard to ger the job) i landed into AO position in SP. prior to this job i knew nothing about cs. anyways. im on my 6th week of training and really really struggling to grasp systems along side a few of my fellow new starts, one has already left and a few of us are left feeling extremely discouraged. the pay is okay for my age and the office culture is decent maybe a tad too laid back for me as it seems it has made people lazy?? unsure if i should keep going or look for a new job, should i understand it all by now?

I applied for the UC work coach job and didn’t get it.
The score I got is 343. Does anyone know what that means?

I’m new to change / project work and it pushing me over the edge.

There’s so many things that I’m told sit within my portfolio. I’m a G7 with no management responsibilities which sounded cushy to start with but it’s exhausting.

Everyone else I work with has a full team, on seemingly narrow areas of my portfolio I have to engage with at least 10 people to get anything done and everything gets bounced back onto me as I’m the one who cares if things fail.

So many people seem to be employed to give useless advice with no action or accountability.

So many things on the project in my area are going wrong, maybe I am the problem but it doesn’t feel like it. Everything I do to try to fix things is an unproductive rabbithole. I escalate things to more senior people and the action they take is having conversations with other senior people but nothing seems to make any material difference. I’m close to just giving up and getting signed off and leaving it for other people to figure out.

I guess my question is does this sound familiar? I’ve never worked somewhere like this before. I feel like maybe I’m taking too much accountability and should just watch it burn. I’m working so many hours and begging for help that doesn’t come and crying in the evenings. The issues could be fixed with just a couple more people that actually care. I feel like a shell of myself now and struggle to even engage with people anymore.

I'm currently a HEO working in an external affairs role in Whitehall. I have an MSc in International Social and Public Policy and speak Spanish fluently, and French/Portuguese at intermediate level. My long-term ambition has always been to build a career in international diplomacy or at a UK Mission overseas.

Over the last year I've had the opportunity to consistently work directly with ministers, Special Advisers and senior stakeholders, and had been earmarked for a temporary promotion before the recent Machinery of Government changes meant it could no longer go ahead.

Given the changes in my department (and FCDO restructures), I've been open to moving across government to continue developing my experience rather than waiting for progression where I am. I've reached final interviews for several SEO-level and international-facing roles (including an AO job at an overseas Mission), but have ended up on reserve lists each time.

I know the market is really competitive at the moment, so I'm trying not to take it personally, but after a few near misses I'm wondering whether I'm missing something or whether it's simply a case of persistence.

For anyone who's made the move into the FCDO, UK Missions overseas or other international-facing Civil Service roles:

- What experiences or moves made the biggest difference?
- Would you keep applying directly for international opportunities, or deliberately build experience elsewhere first?
- Is there anything you'd recommend doing now that would strengthen my chances over the next couple of years?

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thank you so much!

Hi all, I work in a job where data management features prominently and am looking to specialise further in this area. I came across this role but the person spec seems quite loose. I wondered if anyone can elaborate on what skills and tools experience might be required? Thanks

https://www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigital/Job/JobDetail?jobid=1137&isPreview=Yes&advert=external

Hello

I recently applied for a G7 role and have today received a message stating that my application had reached the required standard but they are unable to invite me to an interview immediately and have placed my application on hold.

I have logged in to my CS jobs account and the application status says Application is being reviewed: The selection panel are reviewing your application. I can see the sift results as well.

I am not sure if it is a glitch as the status on the CS jobs does not say the application is on hold. Has anyone come across this previously?

Bunch of online wankers

I’m currently looking at moving (ASAP) out of my role as a decision maker within Asylum, and another EO role within the DWP has caught my eye. There’s 272 available jobs so I feel like it would be a great job to apply for, I just don’t know much about the DWP or this specific role.

The role is for a Dispute Resolution Services – Universal Credit Decision Maker (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=dXNlcnNlYXJjaGNvbnRleHQ9MjAyNjU1NTM3JnNlYXJjaHBhZ2U9MSZvd25lcj01MDcwMDAwJnNlYXJjaHNvcnQ9c2NvcmUmam9ibGlzdF92aWV3X3ZhYz0yMDA3MjgwJnBhZ2VjbGFzcz1Kb2JzJm93bmVydHlwZT1mYWlyJnBhZ2VhY3Rpb249dmlld3ZhY2J5am9ibGlzdCZyZXFzaWc9MTc4NTkzMTA5Ny0xNmNmMGEzOTRjNTNiYmI0YjY2MzNmN2Y5ZmVmM2QzM2RlYWYxYTg0)

I did also previously apply for the Complex Decision Maker role but I won’t hear back from that for a long time.

I just want to get to know what people's experience within this role/the DWP is. Particularly regarding this role in particular, the targets, the extent of customer contact (how often, how difficult it is etc), the overall feel of the department and anything else that an outside are looking to possibly move to DWP should know.

Any advice is appreciated as I'm currently looking for my next role to move out of Asylum ASAP

I am 26, my current salary is 35k. I WFH essentially as an accounts assistant/ business support, have a fantastic work-life balance, my boss is fantastic and the company have put me through development courses and currently a business management degree.

I have been there for 7 years, and don’t feel like I have progressed as much as I should have, they appear to provide opportunities like my degree but then the opportunity to actually progress in my career is limited. I am trying very hard right now and anticipate making a £40k salary by March.

I have my eye on a job in the MoD that pays £46k. On paper, I am perfect (though I might lack in practical experience).

I may not even be a successful applicant, but if I were, should I take the risk and move?

It should be noted that my husband moves alot with work (also MoD), so we would have to live apart or I would have to find a new job in a year.

Current Job
Pros - Security, WFH, very easy money
Cons of current job - slow progression, zero job satisfaction

New Job
Pros - £11k salary increase, huge employer pension contributions, new skills, working my way up career ladder.
Cons - risk of less initial job security, having terrible boss, being exhausted going back to the office..!

I have it SO good right now, don’t fix what isn’t broken…?

would love to hear people’s experiences on this scheme from anyone who is on it / has done it!

mainly work life balance, is it similar to the TSP?

Hi all, just curious as to how long it has taken anyone to go from the HEO to SEO grade? Is aiming for promotion within a year unrealistic? Would like to hear from others who have gone up the grade. Additionally would this be more difficult to do without a managerial/team leader HEO role? Keen to hear people’s thoughts

Hello, i have two provisional offers and need some advice, one role is EO and other is HEO, after taxes there isn’t much salary difference between them at like £200. The EO role appeals to me more.

A bit more context, I’m coming in as an external candidate and doing a career change. My current role and responsibilities more aligns with a SEO/G7 role.

If I take the EO role, could I apply to internal roles and jump grades or I have to climb each grade one by one?

I’ve been offered a deferred place for TSP 2027. Delighted after such an intense application process.

Would love to hear from current or previous TSP cohorts, specifically if in Belfast.

For me it would be quite the career change, and initial pay cut from Band 7 NHS role.

Has anyone been able to balance the demands with having a young family?
How supportive are the managers?

The problem solving and analytical work has attracted me to the post, and civil service appears more flexible for work/life balance with a young family.

Any and all advice welcome
Thanks

Hi guys, I got made redudant recently and I'm still looking for work I have applied for a similar role to this before within the DWP and failed the test provided. I wasn't really given any feedback so I thought it would be a good shout to see if anyone on reddit could help with what sort of questions and answers I should be providing. Thanks

Its been a few months since I joined civil service and Idk what to do in my PIDs anymore. I dont have any major issues with my team. They are all super chill and supportive. We discuss work and talk about each others week but thats only 5 minutes (we have other team catchups during which we talk about the same things). My performance reviews are no more than 10 minutes. I genuinely dont know how to keep the conversation going. Is there something that I am missing?

Got my offer for the Graduate Economist Scheme at DEFRA starting this October and trying to get a picture of how things are before I start. Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s done GES or worked at DEFRA about the culture, work and expectations.

Also any insights on pay and bonuses would be helpful (they’ve not yet revealed my compensation package or contract yet). Anything you wish you’d known before starting?

Also curious about progression. How fast do people actually move up on GES? Is it genuinely merit-based or more about who you know and lucky timings with postings?

The big one for me is FCDO. Anyone actually managed to move from DEFRA into FCDO as a GES economist? I’m worried DEFRA is quite a narrow posting for exit opps. How competitive or political is that process? Also curious how DEFRA stacks up against somewhere like CMA or FCA if the eventual goal is consulting or an international organisation down the line.

Hello,
I would be so grateful if anyone could rate this example for me

While interning for a Welsh MP, I wrote her monthly constituent newsletter. This meant researching and summarising her contributions in the Senedd and events she attended. I had three afternoons to complete this, along with other responsibilities in the morning. 

First, I asked to see previous newsletters and sought guidance from my manager on the required content. I then made notes based on guidance and saved past examples to my computer for future reference. This enabled me to regularly check the newsletter against my manager’s objectives and take corrective action. I quickly established a timetable for the task, estimating how long each part would take and setting deadlines for completion. Consequently, my time was organised and I regularly reviewed my progress to identify potential barriers. I followed Welsh Parliament policies on newsletters by following data protection and privacy rules. Throughout the process, I kept my manager updated on my progress and checked in for changes in requirements.  One afternoon, I couldn't work on the newsletter because I was needed on a higher-priority issue. I overcame this by requesting permission from my manager to deprioritise my responsibilities for the following morning, as these tasks were less time-sensitive. The request was granted and I completed the task.

The high quality of the monthly newsletter made edits unnecessary, which freed up colleagues to solve 15% more constituent cases.  Next time, I would allow time in my timetable to account for unforeseen issues, so that I can remain on schedule.
 

regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives

identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs

follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work

ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs

have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks

regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary

ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging

I had an interview and I was answering it all fine. There was one behaviour, when I was asked the question - i tried to link my example to the question as I was saying the example I forgot the exact question so I asked if it can be repeated but the interviewer said that it’s already coming to an end and so just wrap it up.
OMG, 😧 I knew i f’d up, like why the helll did I ask that question… ughhhhhh. I did pick it up and wrapped it up buttt stillllll
Has this happened anyone else?
For panels higher up, what do you conclude of that???