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Any advice?
I worked in retail for a long time, worked up from sales assistant to finally an Operations Manager before I left to join the Civil service at an operational level (£28k plus car). I’ve been trying to get to the next grade up - a team leader position (£34k) for a long time now but with no success. I’ve had a couple of temporary stints as a TL covering for other people (3 months each) which have been really successful but they haven’t given me the development points I need to use in interviews for a TL position as I haven’t been in them long enough.
I struggle with competency based interviews as I don’t work well remembering a speech about something I’ve done - I’ve practiced and practiced for them and worked on examples to make sure I’m ticking the boxes but demonstrating all the other abilities they want. I’m better in conversations though and it doesn’t look like they are going to change the interview styles any time soon.
I am starting to things it’s “the face fits” syndrome or maybe they just don’t want me as a TL now. I’ve got lots of managerial experience in the past but that is becoming less relevant every year as I left retail 10 years ago.
So I’m looking to move out but I’m not sure where. Not sure what to do next. Civil service is nice to work for but it’s a dead end now for me I think and the pay, while ok, is getting worse and wasn’t a lot to start off with.
I have a professional qualification in my field but I’ve always worked on the enforcement of regulations rather than the other side so don’t have commercial experience in my field.
Any ideas?
Use your people management skills in a HR role?
Whatever you do don't quit until you have another job lining up.
Hang in there but look around for something else. Who knows you might find something you like not even in the same industry.
In a bureaucratic organisation you need both technical and brown nosing skills to progress.
Civil service is changing to a new interview method, might be worth till that arrives?
If its UK civil service then you should be interviewed under the new 'Success Profiles' framework. Its still likely you'd have to answer a competency style question but its largely dependent on the hirer and vacancy. If they're stuck in the mud then likely to use core comps but if younger and fwd thinking and role is vaguely technical then more likely to ask 'real world' questions. I had an interview last month and much preferred it as I also hate core comps!
I'm in the same boat OP. In the civil service and getting nowhere. It all turns on those damned competency questions!
A lot of folks seem to be splashing the cash and going to coaches / consultants and getting results. The trick seems to be to prepare your answers and then refine them until they have the perfect schtick down to the 7 minutes per answer.
A few folks I know were repeatedly unsuccessful but got a result having spoken to a coach. Seems the thing is a lot of grafters look at things they are doing as part and parcel of their mundane work but successful candidates know how to talk things up.
Then, of course, there is the honesty issue. Until the civil service actually starts linking promotion to your actual performance and the complexity of work you have demonstrated you can handle, the snake oil merchants can run riot.
I agree face fitting is a big part of it but don't forget the Peter Principle either! Maybe you're so effective at your grade they can't afford to lose you from it!
If its UK civil service then you should be interviewed under the new ‘Success Profiles’ framework. Its still likely you’d have to answer a competency style question but its largely dependent on the hirer and vacancy.
Yes I’ve heard that it’s supposed to be changing but I haven’t seen much change in the place I work.
It’s frustrating as I like being on the side of the law I’m on but they seem to be doing their best to drive the best people away at the moment.
Get out of the public sector - it's an awful combination of hopeless bureaucracy and creeping early 90s corporate culture. It really is the worst of both worlds these days.
JP
IMHO for the civil service you need to get hold of as many successful forms as possible and adapt your experiences to fit the criteia, it’s always been a creative writing competition you just need to get your examples to fit. I’ve helped a fair few people get promoted in a couple of departments/ agencies and it is a lot of work getting the form sorted
Can you say what department you are, most regulatory branches seem to have a better paid opposition!
I don’t seem to have a problem with the application forms it’s the interviews I can’t get past. Applied for around 8 positions in the last 3 years, had 4 or 5 interviews but no luck.
Have you asked for mock interviews and sought feedback? It took me a while in this agency to get up a level but I also didn’t put in enough prep when I had a couple of interns I wasn’t too bothered. You need to go through the form line by line with the competencies and identify what point you are trying to get across, it’s also handy to get lists of questions which can be achieved by volunteering on sifts and interview panels.
I have a professional qualification in my field but I’ve always worked on the enforcement of regulations rather than the other side so don’t have commercial experience in my field.
Don’t know what your field is but often the commercial people are willing to pay a premium for those who know how the rules are actually interpreted or enforcement decisions applied. Either in a direct advisory / consultancy role or helping train new people. So long as you are happy to think “good enough if I was spending my own money to comply” rather than “absolute best practice at all times”.
That said, don’t underestimate the value of you Civ Service pension when comparing packages...
Kilo - yes I always get feedback. Not done mock interviews, not sure that would help as every interview is very different.
I’m not senior enough to have a part in interviewing others I’m afraid. Bit annoying as my role in retail involves hiring who I wanted!
Don’t know what your field is but often the commercial people are willing to pay a premium for those who know how the rules are actually interpreted or enforcement decisions applied. Either in a direct advisory / consultancy role or helping train new people. So long as you are happy to think “good enough if I was spending my own money to comply” rather than “absolute best practice at all times”.
That said, don’t underestimate the value of you Civ Service pension when comparing packages…
Pension isn’t as good as it used to be but yes it’s ok.
I’m quite commercially aware due to working in the real world for a long time - in fact I’ve been able to get results as I understand the way businesses think a lot more than my colleagues. I have no problems selling ideas to companies!
What Civil Service job comes with a car?
I have a professional qualification in my field but I’ve always worked on the enforcement of regulations rather than the other side so don’t have commercial experience in my field.
Have you looked at many positions in the private sector within your field? Most of the people I have come across within policy and regulation roles have past experience working for a regulator or governing body.
It may be worth putting some speculative applications out. As a growing company, that's how we appointed our Policy and Regulation Analyst.
What Civil Service job comes with a car?
One where you have to go out into businesses and check stuff they are doing is legal.
It may be worth putting some speculative applications out.
Not sure where to start with that but it’s a good idea, thanks.
I have been offered a job a couple of times with companies I have been checking but they haven’t been companies I would work for unfortunately.