Your application will consist of six stages:
Stage 1 - Application Form
Please complete the first stage short application form.
Stage 2 – Tests
After you submit the first stage of your application, you will be invited to take a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass this, you will be invited to take the Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass both tests, you will be invited to complete the final stages of your application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). The deadline for the tests is 23:55pm on 18th February 2025. Please allow sufficient time to complete the online tests and your full written application before the deadline. Failing to complete the test before the deadline will result in withdrawal of your application. Guidance will be provided when you are invited. The tests are online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
- IMPORTANT: After the test deadline, we will look at all applicant scores to decide what the job’s pass mark will be. We will consider the impact on protected groups and the number of invitations to the next stage. We may decide to raise the pass mark for the job - if so, you will be informed, and you will be told if you have passed or failed at the raised standard. Meeting the minimum test requirements for a job level is no guarantee of an invite to continue the selection process.
Stage 3 – Written Application and Sift
Following successful completion of the tests, you will be asked to submit a personal statement (maximum 750 words) detailing your relevant skills and experience.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
You should address the following when constructing your personal statement.
- Explain how you would conduct a challenging interview to determine the accuracy and correctness of information provided
- Please tell us why you would like to undertake the Public Sector Compliance Apprenticeship
- Describe your commitment and passion for learning
Please consider the job description and person specification when providing your evidence.
Your personal statement should show how your skills and/or experience meet the requirements listed. You can use any format you like: narrative, bullet points, etc. You can use one example to cover all the requirements. Focus on what you have done or would do, and the skills and experience you used or would use. Tell us why you are suited for this role, what skills you have, and any relevant life experiences or passions.
If you don't have work-related examples, you can use examples from school, college, clubs, volunteering, or other activities.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead question. If so, we will sift on:
- Explain how you would conduct a challenging interview to determine the accuracy and correctness of information provided (Lead question).
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to the eligibility check.
You will also be asked to complete a CV with details of your education, professional qualifications and full employment history. Your CV will not be formally assessed so please put the evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement and to check eligibility by the external provider.
**Please note the closing date for your full application is 23:55 on 18/02/2025**
The sift is scheduled to be held from 24/02/2025 to 07/03/2025. These dates may be subject to change.
Stage 4 – Apprenticeship Eligibility and Skills Check
Candidates who reach the required pass mark at sift will progress to ‘Interview 1’ and their details will be passed to our external apprenticeship provider Central Training.
Central training will contact each candidate and undertake a check of the following.
- Qualifications
- Eligibility
- Functional Skills (if required)
- Skills Scan
The Eligibility and Skills check is scheduled to be held from 10/03/2025 to 21/03/2025. These dates may be subject to change.
Please ensure you engage with Central training to enable this check to take place as failure to do so may result us being unable to progress your application.
Stage 5 - Interview
If you pass the written application sift with the required score and you are eligible for an apprenticeship with DWP following the provider check, you will be invited to a blended interview ‘Interview 2’ . You will receive an electronic notification to your Civil Service Jobs account.
The interviews will be conducted face to face. Where possible the interviews will take place at the locations listed in the Candidate Pack (slide 2), however candidates may be expected to travel to an alternative location as required. If you require any reasonable adjustments to attend a face-to-face interview, please ensure you state those on your application form when asked to do so.
Interviews are scheduled to take place from 07/04/2025 to 18/04/2025, please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. Interviews will be scheduled Monday to Friday, between 09:00 to 17:00.
Communications will be electronic and/or by telephone therefore it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder. Telephone calls may show as a withheld number, it is important that you answer so that your interview can be confirmed.
Preparing for the interview
The interview will take approximately 40 minutes where you will be asked a mixture of behaviour and strength-based questions. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation offering a more inclusive approach. The behaviour and strength-based questioning explores what you, the candidate, can and have done, but also your potential.
Behaviours
You will be assessed against the Civil Service Behaviours listed above at level 2.
To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behavioural questions in advance of the interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions on behaviours, and those about your strengths.
An example of a behavioural question would be “Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a difficult customer.”
It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:
- WHO - What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? or
- STAR - What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?
Strengths
It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.
While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.
If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.
If you withdraw your application at any stage, it will not be progressed any further.
Stage 6 – Offer
Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email.
Successful candidates will be posted in strict merit order based on their location preferences and the geographical requirements of the business. Dependent on their position on the merit list, if none of their location preferences remain at the point we make a job offer, DWP may offer a role at an alternative advertised location. If we are unable to offer a role in any of the preferred locations, and candidates are unable to accept a role at an alternative advertised location, we will add them to the reserve list.
Subject to successful pre-employment checks, candidates will be notified of a start date, which is likely to be during May/June 2025.. Please ensure that you are available to start in these months.
Please note:
- If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances*.
- If we make an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.
- Note: exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual part time working pattern and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered, or in cases of serious ill health.
Please Note- that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post until you complete your apprenticeship before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP.
Important information
Candidate pack
It is important that you take time to read the candidate pack which can be found at the bottom of this job advert. This provides further information about the role and working in DWP.
Location
Please see slide 2 of the Candidate Pack for the location addresses for these posts.
You should only apply for suitable posts where you can travel to and from your home office location daily within a reasonable time. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.
Hybrid working
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Working pattern
Part-time, part-year, term-time compressed hours and job-sharing working patterns within working hours will be considered but must meet business needs and fulfill the requirements of the apprenticeship. We will do our best to let people with existing part time contracts retain their contracted hours provided they are in line with current business needs and apprenticeship requirements. Please note that successful candidates with agreed alternative working patterns will be required to work full-time for specific periods to complete all technical training and consolidation which is expected to last 12 weeks.
Hours of work
The full-time working week in DWP is 37 hours. You may be required to work at any time between the hours of:
- 7:45am and 8:00pm on any day between Monday to Friday, and
- 8:45am to 5:00pm on Saturday.
Managers will agree working patterns with successful applicants within these business hours and review these as appropriate. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including tax free childcare. To find out if you are eligible visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:
- Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
- Copying content from an online/published source
- Using forms of Artificial Intelligence to produce application content which you present as your own.
Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
Learning and development
DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified – as determined by the business. To support this aim you are required to complete an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time. You agree to take this job on the basis that you will be required to undertake a work-based qualification; your failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, will be a breach of your employment contract.
If DWP decides that it is no longer a requirement for you to undertake and attain a work-based qualification, it will release you from this obligation. Any decision to release you from this obligation will not be a breach of contract by DWP.
Important
If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.
Reasonable adjustments
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
