Success profiles: candidate guide

Apply for a job using Success Profiles

Read the job advert for the position you are interested in applying for carefully, this will include the Success Profile for the role.

Take note of the different elements of the Success Profile to be assessed, this could include a mix of behaviours, experience and technical skills.

To apply for the role you will need to make an online application, providing some personal information, a CV and supporting statement. The CV and supporting statement is where you will provide evidence of meeting the Success Profile criteria.

Your CV

Your CV is a document that allows you to summarise your education, work history, technical skills and your experience. Your CV will be scored against the Success Profile criteria in the job advert so make sure the information you provide is relevant to the job. 

There is no set format or template for CVs to follow and candidates will not be scored on the presentation or design of CVs, although you should ensure that content included is clearly legible.

Your work history can include paid work, volunteering work and/or work experience through school or college. You can also mention experience you have fromother environments if this is relevant.  For example, if you helped organise a school trip or arranged a charity event you can highlight the skills you used. Your CV does not need to be a full history of all your work and education, it is reasonable to either summarise or not include information where it is not relevant.  For example it is not important to include school information where your more recent experiences provide more evidence against the criteria.

Tips for writing a CV:

• be concise: keep your CV to around 2-3 A4 pages
• tailor your CV: the criteria for the position will be published in the job advert, use this to decide what information to include in your CV
• include qualifications where relevant:  your education or qualifications only need to be included where they are detailed in the criteria, or if they provide relevant evidence for the panel
• include key skills and knowledge: you should provide information on skills or areas of knowledge relating to the role, such as operation of specific tools, software or knowledge of specialist topics
• list your previous roles: provide this in chronological order starting with the most recent, include specific achievements from each role along with key responsibilities (there is no need to include everything, just the most relevant information for the role you are applying for)
• be specific: avoid using too many generic descriptions for example ‘delivered various projects’, instead, provide specific examples and quantify your achievements - if you met a target, provide the numbers, if you surpassed an expectation, explain it, if the project saved money, say how much
• give context: when applying, provide the panel with some context to understand your work, for example, Project Manager is a commonly used job title that will mean different things in different industries, provide a short explanation of the role as well as your achievements in that role
• link your achievements to roles:  it is easier for a panel to understand your achievements when linked to a specific role - an achievements section is difficult to understand for panels without the context of when the achievements were made

Your supporting statement

The purpose of a supporting statement is to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the criteria contained in the job advert.

The statement is your opportunity to give evidence and examples of how you meet the criteria.

When writing a supporting statement it is important that you:

• read the job advert so you are clear about the criteria required
• outline the skills and experience that you have that are relevant to the job and use examples to help demonstrate this, wherever possible include specific facts and figures that demonstrate the tangible results of your work
• keep to the word limit, if your statement is too brief it will not provide the required depth of detail and evidence to be assessed fully
• proofread your statement before submitting it to make sure it is clear, easy to read and relevant

The supporting statement is an opportunity for you to include additional evidence beyond what is contained in your CV.  For example, if your CV contains a reference to a successful outcome, the supporting statement is a good place to describe how you achieved that outcome.

Tips for writing a supporting statement

Here are some points to keep in mind while writing your supporting statement:

• be concise: to allow you to provide as much evidence as possible, try to summarise points in short sentences
• be clear: describe scenarios using plain English, avoid using acronyms or jargon
• tailor your application: the job advert will contain all of the criteria you will be assessed against, select the best evidence to support your application and ensure you have included relevant transferable skills
• provide evidence: the hiring panel are looking for evidence to assess your application against the published criteria, instead of writing “I have excellent communication skills”, describe how you have developed or used those skills in a relevant context such as “I set up a networking forum  across multiple teams to share ideas and solutions for the project”
• consider using the STARR  (situation, task, action, result, reflection) approach: using this approach is not essential but it may help you structure your statement - think about what was needed, what you did and how you did it, what happened and what the outcome was