The Civil Service is changing the way it recruits, making it more modern, fairer and more inclusive.
The elements
This is the Success Profile. It consists of 5 distinct elements which can be assessed to find the best candidate for a job.
Each element has been defined specifically for the Civil Service. The 5 elements are:
- Behaviours
- Strengths
- Ability
- Experience
- Technical
Not all elements are relevant to every role, so the makeup of the Success Profile should be different for different types of job to improve the chances of getting the best person for the role.
The introduction of Success Profiles will enable the use of a wider range of elements than the existing, most frequently used Civil Service recruitment tool, the Competency Framework.
The Competency Framework will become the shorter, clearer Civil Service Behaviours.
Behaviours
Behaviours are the actions and activities that people do that result in effective performance in a job.
They are similar to competencies but they are not the same. The competency framework has been refreshed and rewritten to better reflect the behaviours needed in a modern Civil Service. It is not a ‘tick list’ you do not need to demonstrate every part of each example behavior.
Strengths
Strengths are things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us.
Strengths consider the potential of candidates and how well the individual will fit in with the job role and the organisation. There won’t be a list of the strengths being assessed within job adverts, as the idea of the assessment is to get a true indication of what the individuals’ strengths are.
Ability
Ability is the aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard.
Usually assessed using psychometric tests. Can be used as part of an assessment centre.
Experience
Experience is the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.
Usually explicitly related to the job role.
Technical
Technical is the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.
These are outlined by each profession, normally within their professional development framework.
Why the move to Success Profiles?
Enables assessment of the whole person through:
- using best practice in recruitment
- allowing flexibility
- providing a consistent approach across Civil Service
Success Profiles will increase diversity and inclusion.
You can find out more about Success Profiles on Civil Service Learning and GOV.UK.