I applied online. The process took 5 months. I interviewed at Defra (London, England) in Sept 2018
Interview
The interview itself was average but the process was long and protracted. There were a number of forms and tests you have to do in addition before you get selected.
It took around 4 weeks to find out I was shortlisted. After the interview, it took 4 months of checks before salary was discussed. Despite already earning the middle of the pay band, I was only offered the lower end with no explanation as to why they couldn't match my existing pay or offer the top of the band. I declined as the pay was lower and the benefits worse than my current employer.
Disappointing experience and a waste of time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Competency based questions with focus on project management i.e. stakeholder management in a project.
The interview was well structured and I knew where I stood throughout. It was clear when they wanted more from my question, or when I'd misunderstood what they were trying to get out of me with the question. They asked me comptency based questions, most of which related to project management. They didn't do any intro pleasantry question, just got straight into it.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us about a project that you have worked on and how you worked with stakeholders?
I applied online. I interviewed at Defra (London, England)
Interview
civil service behaviours and strengths - a mix of both, its key to use the key words highlighted in the doc on their site. 3 people on the panel, now the good practice is that they have an external non departmental person on panel, to provide a balanced view
