It’s a recruitment myth that hiring managers and HR are trying to trip you up. We actually want good candidates to succeed! The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) recruitment team here at BIST support candidates right through the journey, from application to onboarding.
As the Head of DDaT Recruitment, I see first-hand how candidates can demonstrate that they have the necessary skills, experience and behaviours for our roles.
I have been demystifying the Civil Service application process and sharing my top tips for succeeding at the application stage.
Hopefully you are reading this because your hard work has paid off, and you have been invited to an interview. Don’t be nervous. We're in this together. Here are my top tips for giving us a really strong interview.
What to expect at interview
One thing that can help settle the nerves is knowing what to expect.
DDaT interviews are structured around Success Profiles and assessment methods listed in the advert. Depending on the role, this could include technical skill questions, behaviour questions, a presentation, a technical test, or a combination of these. Everything you'll be assessed against should be outlined in the advert, so read all your documentation carefully before the interview.
Remember, we're not trying to catch you out. The panel wants to understand the experience, skills and potential you can bring to the role. You'll often be given opportunities to expand your answers through follow-up questions, so don't panic if you realise you've missed something. Prompts are there to help you demonstrate the evidence we need to assess.
How to prepare for your interview
Technical Questions
Technical questions are based on the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework or Government Security Profession Career Framework. They are designed to assess your professional knowledge and experience against the skills required for the role.
For example, if you were applying for a role within the Delivery Management profession, you could be assessed against the technical skill Agile and Lean Practices. A question might sound like something like this:
"Tell us about a time when you changed or improved the way your team worked in order to deliver better outcomes for users. What was the problem, what changes did you introduce, and what impact did those changes have?"
Although this example is based on Agile and Lean Practices, the same approach applies to pretty much any technical question you're likely to get in a DDaT interview.
A good approach is to prepare at least 2 examples for each skill, thinking about how you identified an issue, what approach you took and how you measured success. It's less about getting the "perfect" answer and more about showing your thinking and your experience in action.
We're not looking for textbook definitions or someone who can recite a framework back to us. What we're really interested in is hearing about your experience and how you've applied your skills in real situations.
The strongest answers usually explain what the situation was, what you did, why you took that approach and what happened as a result. Don't be afraid to talk about challenges along the way either. Sometimes hearing how someone dealt with a problem or adapted their approach tells us far more than hearing about a project where everything went perfectly.
One thing I always say is that we can only score what you tell us. Don't assume the panel will automatically understand how complex a piece of work was or how significant the outcome was. Take the opportunity to explain your role, the decisions you made and the impact you had.
Technical questions are there to help us understand how you think, how you approach your work and how you've used your skills in practice. That's often much more valuable than giving a polished answer that doesn't really tell us anything about you.
Technical tests and presentations
Technical skills may be assessed through presentations or tests. For example, in some of our recent Cyber interviews, we gave a technical case study to candidates and asked them to present their findings. Data Engineering candidates are sometimes given code and asked to present anything they would change, assess and investigate.
If you've been asked to prepare a presentation, focus on answering the brief clearly rather than trying to produce the most polished set of slides. We're more interested in your thought process, your communication style and how you structure your ideas than fancy formatting.
Be sure to practise your presentation out loud. What looks like a 5-minute presentation on paper can quickly become much longer once you start talking. Especially if you are a chatterbox like me!
Technical exercises can vary depending on the profession and role, but the same principle usually applies: explain your thinking and process. If you're solving a problem, talk through your approach. If there are risks, trade-offs or assumptions you've made, say so. Showing how you analyse a situation can be just as important as arriving at the final answer.
Behaviour questions
Most behaviour questions are structured to suit the the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Structuring your answers around the STAR method keeps you on track and helps you give a clear, focused and well-rounded response.
It also makes it easier to prepare some behaviour examples in advance that you can then adapt to fit the questions you are asked.
An example of a STAR question could be:
“Tell me about a time (Situation) where you had to change a process (Task), how you achieved this (Action), and what was the outcome (Result)”.
It is good practice for interview panels to add the question in the chat box. This means that you can mentally check off each of the aspects of the question whilst answering it.
I would recommend you add an extra R which stands for Reflection. This works especially well when the question has a negative slant, for example "Tell me about a time you didn’t meet a deadline and why?”. Reflection would be to state that in hindsight if you had put certain controls in place, the deadline would have been met, and you learned from the experience.
You don’t need to have a perfect example for every question. We’re not looking for perfection; we’re looking to understand how you work and what you bring.
Help the panel understand your experience
Whether you're answering a technical question, delivering a presentation or sharing a behaviour example, the same rule applies throughout the interview.
We can only assess the evidence you give us.
Don’t underestimate the importance of detail, and don’t assume the panel will know how difficult a challenge was or what impact your work had. Explain it. If you've improved a service or a process, delivered a project, reduced risk or solved a difficult problem, tell us about it.
The more specific you are about your actions and the impact you made, the easier it is for the panel to assess your suitability for the role.
Make sure you're clear about what you did, not just what the team did. Interview panels are interested in understanding your specific contribution, decisions and impact. That said, don't be afraid to talk about how you worked with others or led a team to achieve a result. The key is helping the panel understand both the wider team effort and the part you personally played in making it happen.
A few final tips for the day
On the day itself, give yourself time to settle in. Joining a little early, checking your tech, and having your notes and a glass of water nearby can make a big difference.
Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable and confident. There’s no expectation to be overly formal. Just be yourself, but remember first impressions always count.
Remember that prompts from the panel are a good thing. It means they’re listening and giving you the chance to build on your answer.
Equally, don’t panic if you aren’t asked any follow-up questions. It might be that your answer was just very comprehensive.
If you need a moment to think, take a drink of water.
And lastly, be positive, be yourself, and have a couple of questions ready for the panel. It shows genuine interest and helps you get a feel for whether the role is right for you too.
Most importantly, remember that the panel wants you to do well. You've already gained the skills and experience needed to get to interview stage. This is simply your opportunity to show us what you can do.
Ready to apply?
If this has helped you feel more confident about interviewing with us, take a look at current DBT Digital, Data and Technology roles and consider applying. We are looking forward to hearing what you could bring to the team.
The Department for Business and Trade is changing. It is now the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. At the time of writing, this change was not yet reflected on the Civil Service Jobs platform.
