Tips for Applying

Please complete all sections of the application form.

Initially you will be asked if you have the right to work in the UK and meet Civil Service nationality requirements and your personal details. (if you are successful after interview you will be asked to provide documentation to prove this. This will include proof of ID, including photo ID or equivalent biometric passport/share code and proof of address)

These jobs are broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals.
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland.
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK.
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families?_ga=2.26790964.884827562.1671461149-344924071.1670604899.
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status in accordance with the requirements of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families?_ga=2.26790964.884827562.1671461149-344924071.1670604899. Where that EUSS application has been accepted as valid, as evidenced by a certificate of application, a failure of such a person to obtain EUSS status may result in the job application being rejected or contract terminated.
• Nationals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before the 31 December 2020.
• Turkish nationals, or certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service

Nationality rules (opens new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration

Personal Statement

For Civil Service roles, we use Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). For these EO roles you will be asked to provide evidence against the Success Profile Behaviours at level 2

For your personal statement you will be asked to provide 500 words which demonstrate your ability to communicate and influence effectively (Level 2). Please ensure you have read and understood the application criteria within the advert. The layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc.

Unfortunately, once an application has been submitted it cannot be amended so please take time to complete your application as accurately and completely as you can.

You should only apply once for any specific campaign/advert. If you apply for a campaign/advert more than once, only the first application will be considered and any duplicate applications will be withdrawn.

A NOTE ON ANONYMISATION
DWP operates an anonymised recruitment process, you should remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your Personal Statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.

Further information can be found in the resources section.

Plagiarism

The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn.

Examples of plagiarism are:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content from an online/published source
• Using content generated by forms of artificial intelligence

The same applies to all stages of your application.

After successfully completing and submitting your application, you may be invited to take a Situational Judgement Test. You must complete and submit the test by the deadline notified to you in the invitation. If you do not complete and submit the test before the deadline, your application may not progress.

The test consists of multiple-choice questions with work based scenarios. The test is timed and will usually be limited to 40 minutes but there is an opportunity to ask for a reasonable adjustment of a further 10 minutes if a candidate has specific requirements due to a disability.

You can do this by contacting the SSCL Customer Hub to discuss any adjustments you may require. You can also request a reasonable adjustments on your application form. Please contact the SSCL Customer Hub via:

• Live Chat
• DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com
• 0345 241 5365

There will be one test per vacancy and if you apply for multiple vacancies then you will need to take the online test for each one.

Before you begin, please ensure you are in a suitable environment with a stable internet connection and there are no issues with your device. If your test is interrupted for any reason, you will not be able to retake it.

You must pass the Situational Judgement Test to progress to your written evidence being sifted. You will receive a notification to advise you have moved on to the next stage.

Written Evidence Sift

The results of the sift will be released once all applications have been reviewed. You will receive a notification to advise if you have been successful and moved on to the next stage.

Please note, feedback is not provided at sift stage but you will receive your sift score.

Depending on application numbers we may progress all candidates who have been successful at the online test through to interview without assessing the written application evidence.

If you have passed the initial selection stages, you should be invited to a pre-recorded interview.

Your interview will be conducted via a pre-recorded video interview. Full interview details will be in the advert, along with any other additional requirements at interview.

You will receive an invitation by email to your pre-recorded interview. This will include a link to access the interview at any time in a 5-day period. You will also receive an alert in your Application Centre and via SMS if you enabled this communication option with us.

The interview is a recording of a person asking questions to test your experiences and from January 2024 requirement will change and consist of 3 Behaviour questions. There will be 1 question on each behaviour. The 3 Behaviours we will be assessing on are; Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service and Making Effective Decisions (Level 2). Further detail can be found here.

You will be asked to complete the video interview within 5 days of receiving the invitation. The 5 days begins at the point you receive the invitation and will expire once the 5 days has lapsed. Please note, in the unlikely event of experiencing technical difficulties, we will inform you of who to contact on your invitation. Our recruitment delivery partners recommend you record your responses using an up to date web browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or an equivalent. You will be given some time to familiarise yourself with the approach and practice question before starting to record your responses.

It is the applicants responsibility to ensure they have a stable internet connection and test their equipment before they commence with the interview to ensure the picture and sound quality are suitable.

During a pre-recorded interview, you will be asked a question and given a minute to consider how you want to respond. You will have 3 minutes to provide your response. There will be 3 questions in total and you can refer to notes at any time during the interview. The evidence you provide must relate to your own thoughts and experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn. If you have completed your response and there is time remaining you can fast forward to the next question.

It is essential that we can clearly see you throughout the pre-recorded interview, if we are unable to see you we won’t be able to assess your interview which could result in your application being withdrawn. We must be able to clearly see you when you are giving your answers and we will use this to confirm your identity and verify that you are the person applying for the job. Please contact the recruitment team before undertaking your interview if you have any specific personal concerns about this.

You can request an adjustment to the pre-recorded interview by contacting the SSCL Customer Hub to discuss any adjustments you may require. You can also request a reasonable adjustment on your application form. Please contact the SSCL Customer Hub via:

• Live Chat
• DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com
• 0345 241 5365

If you have made a request for a reasonable adjustment and have not received details of this in advance of your interview, please contact the email address on the invite.

Please refer to the Success Profiles which will provide more detail on Behaviours and the levels we will be assessing you against. Further information can be found in the resources section. We recommend you familiarise yourself with this framework, however please remember the most important thing is to answer the question and provide lots of detail relevant to the question asked.

Your completed interview will be assessed and we will get in touch with your outcome.

Merit List

Successful applicants will be placed on a merit list and offers will be made in strict merit order taking account of location preferences, where applicable.

Once a provisional offer is made, we will confirm this via email and you will have 5 days to accept this offer. If you do not accept the provisional offer within 5 days, your offer may be withdrawn. If you have any issues in accepting your offer, please contact our recruitment team for assistance.

You may be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you accept an offer of a post, you will be expected to withdraw from any other campaign reserve list you are on with DWP, at this grade
• If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances*.
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

When an offer of employment is made to you there are some additional requirements that must be completed satisfactorily before you can start. The additional requirements are known as pre-employment or vetting checks and you must satisfy the requirement to prove your identity and your right to work in the UK and the Civil Service initially.

When you successfully pass this first stage, you will be asked to provide information to enable further checks to confirm criminal records, health and employment history.

If you pass the ID and Right to Work checks, there is a possibility we could speed up your start date and we could offer you a conditional appointment. This means you may be able to take up post before certain security and personnel checks have been completed, however please be aware;

• If you fail the checks your employment will be terminated immediately.
• This is voluntary you can wait for checks to clear if you prefer.
• Important that if you accept a conditional appointment that you still respond to requests for information to clear checks as quickly as possible

As part of pre-employment vetting stage, you will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty as their details will be captured on the IFD database, even though they have resigned. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

An applicant is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

You will need to provide DWP with various documents to prove who you are and where you live. Document checks can either be carried out by digital checks using Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) or a physical document check in person. IDVT is a form of technology that can establish the authenticity of documents presented for identity verification purposes. If you experience any problems with your documentation, please do not hesitate to contact us.

When asked to provide documentation during the vetting process within the application platform, you will also receive an email. This is to ensure you are aware of the required actions. Please provide information and any document requested within the timeframe given. Failure to do so may result in your application being withdrawn.

Once all your pre-employment checks have cleared (if you are on a conditional appointment), or you have agreed a suitable start date with the business you have been allocated (if you are not on a conditional appointment) a formal offer will be made. We will confirm this via email and you will have 5 days to accept this offer. If you do not accept the formal offer within 5 days, your offer may be withdrawn and your permanent role is not finalised. If you have any issues in accepting your offer, please contact our recruitment team for assistance.

There may be more than one location listed on the advert.

In this case, you will be asked for your preferences for up to 3 locations (from those available in the vacancy) telling us where you would prefer to work if you are successful. Please do not select a location unless you are prepared to accept a role in that location.

Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles here.

Job offers made will be in merit order and there is a possibility that your preferred locations may no longer be available depending on your position on the merit list. If none of your location preferences remain at the point we make a job offer, DWP will try to offer you a role from available locations within a reasonable daily travelling distance of your home. If we are unable to offer you a role in your preferred location or an alternative location in reasonable daily travelling distance of your home, we will add you to a reserve list.

We embrace diversity in DWP and promote equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you require any further information or assistance or reasonable adjustments with your application, please contact: DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com or call 0345 241 5365.