If you are searching for Civil Service competencies, you are using terminology that still appears in older advice, historic recruitment documents and plenty of online discussion. For current Civil Service recruitment, however, the main framework is Success Profiles.
The old Civil Service Competency Framework was replaced by a broader approach. Behaviours are the closest modern equivalent to competencies, but they are only one part of Success Profiles.
Do Civil Service competencies still exist?
Not as the main current recruitment framework. The Civil Service now recruits using Success Profiles. The framework has five elements: behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical.
You may still see the word “competency” used informally or in older documents. Some professions and specialist schemes can also use their own competency language. But for a normal current Civil Service Jobs vacancy, follow the terminology and criteria in the advert rather than relying on an old competencies list.
What replaced the Civil Service Competency Framework?
Success Profiles replaced the older approach that relied much more heavily on competencies. The change gave recruiters a wider set of ways to assess candidates instead of treating past behaviour as the only major source of evidence.
The five Success Profiles elements are:
- Behaviours – actions and activities associated with effective performance.
- Strengths – things you do regularly, do well and that motivate you.
- Ability – aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard.
- Experience – knowledge or mastery gained through involvement or exposure.
- Technical – specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.
See our complete Success Profiles guide for how those five elements are used at sift and interview.
Are Civil Service behaviours the same as competencies?
They are similar in purpose but should not be treated as identical. Behaviours focus on the actions and activities associated with effective performance and are defined by grade. Recruiters choose the behaviours that are relevant to the particular job.
The current behaviours are:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Developing Self and Others
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
You will not normally be assessed on all nine behaviours in one vacancy. The advert identifies the ones being used.
What happened to the old competency names?
Older Civil Service recruitment material used competency names such as Collaborating and Partnering, Leading and Communicating, Delivering Value for Money, Achieving Commercial Outcomes and Building Capability for All. These should not simply be copied into a current application unless the vacancy itself uses that terminology.
Some ideas carried forward into the newer behaviours, but the framework and wording changed. For example, “Building Capability for All” is broadly related to the current Developing Self and Others behaviour, while “Leading and Communicating” was separated more clearly across Leadership and Communicating and Influencing.
The safest approach is to stop translating from an old competency list and instead read the current behaviour description at the grade of the vacancy.
Civil Service competency examples: what should you use now?
If a current application asks for a behaviour example, choose evidence against the current behaviour rather than searching for an old “competency example”. Your example can come from work, volunteering or another relevant setting as long as it lets you demonstrate the required actions clearly.
A good example should make your own contribution obvious. Explain what you did, why you did it and what happened. Do not rely on the panel to infer your role from what the team achieved.
How are current Civil Service behaviours scored?
Many recruiting organisations use the familiar 1–7 Civil Service rating scale, with 4 representing an acceptable demonstration, 5 good, 6 strong and 7 outstanding. Rating arrangements can vary between organisations and campaigns.
Read our Civil Service Behaviour Scoring guide for a full explanation.
What are Civil Service strengths?
Strengths were not simply a renamed part of the old competency framework. They are intended to explore what you naturally do well, use regularly and find motivating. They are not defined by grade.
That difference affects interview preparation. The official guidance advises candidates not to rehearse strength answers because the recruiter is interested in the initial response. This is very different from preparing a detailed evidence-based behaviour example.
See our Civil Service Strengths guide.
Why do job adverts still feel competency-based?
Because many vacancies still ask candidates to provide structured evidence of past performance. Behaviours and experience can therefore feel familiar if you previously applied under a competency framework.
The difference is that recruiters can now combine several kinds of evidence. A role might assess experience from your CV, behaviours in written statements, ability through an online test, strengths at interview and technical knowledge through a presentation.
How to apply when an advert mentions “competencies”
First, check whether the advert genuinely uses a profession-specific competency framework or whether the wording is simply informal. Then look at the selection-process section and identify exactly what will be assessed.
If the advert explicitly says Success Profiles behaviours, use the current behaviour guidance. If it names a separate technical or professional framework, follow that framework. The advert is more important than generic internet advice.
Old terminology versus current terminology
| Older search term | What to look for now |
|---|---|
| Civil Service competencies | Success Profiles and Civil Service Behaviours |
| Competency example | Behaviour example or experience evidence, depending on the advert |
| Competency interview | Behaviour, strength, experience and/or technical interview |
| Competency score | Civil Service rating scale used for the relevant assessed element |
| Competency framework | Success Profiles, plus any profession-specific technical framework |
The practical takeaway
If you are applying for a current Civil Service role, do not prepare from an old competency list just because the language is familiar. Start with the advert, identify the Success Profiles elements being assessed and use the current grade-specific guidance.
For the current behaviour framework, go to Civil Service Behaviours. For the wider recruitment framework, use our Success Profiles guide.