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Civil Service Interview Coaching

Specialist Civil Service Coaching | Success Profiles | NOCS | Scottish Civil Service
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Civil Service Interview Coaching

Coaching For Civil Service Interviews

Interview Skills Clinic are specialist and approved Civil Service Interview Coaching with over a decade of proven expereince providing Civil Service application and interview coaching.We have three specialist Civil Services Coaches: Elizabeth Conley, Matt Eastlake and Claire Hodgson.

  • We coach candidates at all levels from AO level to Director General
  • We coach across all roles and departments  and across all departments
  • We coach external candidates and internal candidates supporting candidates for he Future Leadership Scheme, Senior Leadership Scheme or promotion.
  • If you are at G6 level within the Civil Service you might be able to get internal funding for coaching.

Specialist In Civil Service Coaching

Whether you are applying for a Civil Service role in England, Northern Ireland or Scotland we are able to support you. NICS and Scottish Government jobs used a competency based framework to assess candidates at application and interviews. In England the Civil Service uses Success Profiles to asssess candidates.

Coaching Options

We offer flexible coaching to meet your needs:

  1. One-to-one Application coaching for support with Personal Statements or 250 word Behaviour examples. The time neeed and cost varies depending on your objectives.
  2. One-to-one Interview coaching. Generally, most clients will benefit from two-three coaching sessions. Coaching is delivered online on Zoom or Teams with video recordng so you can replay the coaching back as needed.
  3. Online interview training. If you are applying for entry level roles in the Civil Service at AO or EO level then you can have instant access to our 2.5 hour prerecorded interview training webinar with downloaded preparation resources to help you succeed at interviews. This is just £99+vat, to help make interview training accessible to everyone.
  4. 6 Hour Career Change Coaching Programme. If you are planning a mid level career change you might want to join our 6 hour Civil Service bespoke one-one coaching programme to support you with both applications and interviews at a discounted price.

Civil Service AO-EO Interview Training

Coaching Fees

The coaching rate varies depending on the level of role you are applying for and the number of coaching sessions. To learn more click coaching fees.

Civil Service Candidate Testimonial

Proven Success

Interview Skills Clinic have been successfully coaching candidates for Civil Service interviews for over 10 years, both privately and across the Civil Service Departments. Transform your interview result. Over 500 reviews added by clients. Read Reviews.

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Relevant Posts

You might find our posts helpful when applying for a Civil Service role and preparing for an interview.

Common Civil Service Interview Problems 

  • Promoting your transferable skills from other sectors and roles to the Civil Service
  • Getting invited to interviews but not being offered the role
  • Writing behaviour examples
  • Preparing for strength based questions
  • Getting promotion to leadership roles G6 and above
  • Preparing behavior examples for the interview

Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours

There are 9 Behaviours which you can be assessed against in the application and interview:

  1. Seeing the big picture
  2. Changing and Improving
  3. Making effective decisions
  4. Leadership
  5. Communicating and influencing
  6. Working together
  7. Developing self and others
  8. Managing a quality service
  9. Delivering at pace

The criteria under each competency vary depending on the grade of the role. Some specialist roles will have their own version of the competency framework, such as Government Legal Services or the Government Communication Professional Competency Framework which needs to be used together with the Civil Service Competency framework.

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EO Training Webinar

Civil Service AO-EO Interview Training Webinar

Chloe on February 18, 2025 at 11:36 am

Hi Elizabeth, I just wanted to let you know that my interview took place yesterday and today I was offered the role! According to my new G6, the panel agreed that I ‘knocked it out the park’ in the interview, and I beat nine other interviewees to the position. A huge thank you for your coaching, advice and encouragement. Without it, I can categorically say I wouldn’t have been offered the role. I’ll be back in a few years’ time, when I’m looking for my next role!

Fabiula Rifiski on October 16, 2024 at 09:16 am

Elizabeth is truly amazing. She has not only helped me stand tall but also completely transformed how I approach interviews and view my skill set. As an interview coach, she goes beyond the basics of preparing for a role. She helps you tailor your skills to fit the specific roles you’re applying for, but more importantly, she opens your eyes to what you’re truly capable of. Sometimes we underestimate our natural abilities because they come easily to us, but Elizabeth shows you how to express these in a way that highlights their full value. She helps you see beyond tasks and focus on the big picture - especially on soft skills, which are crucial in today’s job market. When I first worked with Elizabeth, I received offers from three major companies immediately after our sessions, and I was able to choose the role that was the perfect fit for me. When I later went through a career change, she helped me again, and I successfully landed the job I was aiming for. I highly recommend Elizabeth. Her insights and guidance are invaluable!

Emily Stroud on September 24, 2024 at 11:06 am

Coaching with Claire Hodgson was the best decision I made to kick start my career. Warm and approachable and also punchy, she challenged me to improve much more than I believed I was capable of, and then built up my confidence to perform optimally at interview. I know I would not have got my dream job in the Civil Service without her help. She’s a great coach, so do not waste another second thinking about hiring her. Do it. If you want the job, she is the key to get you through the door.

Jon on September 04, 2024 at 11:40 am

I highly recommend Elizabeth and the interview skills clinic. Elizabeth helped me prepare for an interview for a Civil Service Grade 6 role and the three sessions gave me the confidence and skills needed to get the job. As someone who has struggled with interviews in the past I now have the skills to confidently tackle senior Civil Service interviews for the years to come. Elizabeth has a complete understanding the civil service behaviours and interview format so it felt like getting insider knowledge which proved to be essential. Thanks again to Elizabeth and the team.

Ivana on March 25, 2024 at 08:43 am

Elizabeth is an outstanding interview coach whom I highly recommend. Her sessions helped me overcome insecurities as a non-native speaker working in higher education, boosting my confidence and highlighting my skills and abilities. Elizabeth’s calm and kind attitude helped me to stay grounded, but also guided me back to my strengths when I felt lost during the interview, ultimately leading to the attainment of my dream job. I am immensely grateful for her support and look forward to future collaborations.

Sonal on February 22, 2024 at 13:04 pm

Elizabeth is a very supportive coach. I was applying for a Business Analyst role and within an hour of a second interview I was called back by the company to let me know that they really liked me and offered me the job. I thought I knew how to use the STAR approach before but Elizabeth has a unique interpretation of it and I was complimented on my response. What really helped me was the way she broke the STAR up for me in a way which was relevant to the role and sector I was going for. My interview felt much more like a conversation. I learnt a lot and feel so much more confident in interviews

Aashna on February 20, 2024 at 12:50 pm

After five years abroad,I decided to re enter the London job market. Having used Elizabeth's services before, I did not hesitate to contact her again. With her guidance and support I was successful in getting offers from multiple companies. Elizabeth is sincere and cares about her clients and their job satisfaction beyond the remit of her role as an interview coach, her many years of experience give her a discerning eye and she can predict in a very short space of time what her clients need and how to get them from A to B. I would recommend her wholeheartedly. She also goes out of her way to make time for her clients and is very punctual and organised.

Alexia on February 11, 2024 at 16:38 pm

Interview coaching with Matt was exactly what I needed. My skills were rusty and I'd lost confidence. I really liked Matt's direct but supportive approach. I was out of my comfort zone during the sessions (which was good!) but through practice my confidence grew and learning took place. I now have an excellent structure to work with for future interviews. I'm very grateful for Matt's help. Thank you.

Kris on January 30, 2024 at 12:43 pm

I was feeling insecure in my communication skills when I met with Elizabeth for a mock interview. Her knowledge paired with her straightforward approach meant that in one hour we had covered a number of actionable insights that instantly boosted my confidence. I walked into the interview with a clear plan (and renewed belief in my competence) and dare I say I even enjoyed it! Thank you for doing what you do!

Yasmin on January 21, 2024 at 22:50 pm

Matthew has been incredibly supportive and helpful throughout my application process (on multiple occasions. With his support, I was able to land my first civil service role. He put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into every session. His techniques were incredibly helpful and I have learnt skills that I will continue to use throughout my career. Couldn’t recommend more.

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