Senior Civil Service recruitment: candidate guide

Our application process

We use a 3-stage application process:

• stage 1: online application
• stage 2: assessment
• stage 3: offer and pre-employment checks

Further information about each of the stages is included below:

Stage 1: online application

To apply for a job at the Scottish Government, you will need to complete the online application which is accessed through the job advert for the position. Job adverts can be searched and viewed on our careers website.

The online application consists of completion of personal details, upload of your CV and a personal statement.

For the CV, we are looking for information such as contact information, qualifications, work history and skills. Read our guidance on how to write a CV.

In both personal statements and evidence sections, we are looking for you to provide information about how you meet the essential criteria for the role. You can find the essential criteria specific to the role listed in the job advert. Online applications will be scored in accordance with evidence provided and the highest-ranking candidates will be invited to the next stage.

It is recommended that you spend some time in advance, considering what evidence to include. You should save the text in an offline version - this will allow you to keep a copy for your records and will also ensure that you do not lose any work if your connection to the system drops during application.

You will be asked to provide some diversity information in the online application. Please note that this has no impact on your application, it is captured for monitoring purposes only and is not shared with Hiring Managers.

Stage 2: assessment

Candidates invited to the next stage will be assessed against the Success Profile, experience and technical skills required for the job.

Candidates will take part in psychometric testing which will review cognitive ability, personality and behaviours. As part of this stage, some candidates may also be invited to participate in engagement panels with either staff or stakeholders.

A panel interview will then be held where candidates will be asked, usually to provide a presentation and to answer specific questions to provide further evidence of how they meet the requirements for the role.

Details of the assessment, location, date and time will be provided in advance to candidates.

Offers will be made to the highest-ranked candidates in accordance with Civil Service recruitment principles.

Stage 3: offer and pre-employment checks

Successful candidates will receive an e-mail with a provisional offer of employment and details of the next steps.

You can find out more about the type of pre-employment checks undertaken in the relevant section of this guide (Pre-employment checks).

On successful completion of pre-employment checks a final offer will be made and a start date will be agreed.