Civil Service behaviour statements: how to write them, with examples
Updated · 5 min read
Most Civil Service jobs are recruited using Success Profiles. Instead of one long application form, the job advert tells you which elements will be assessed, and at which stage. For many roles that means a CV, a personal statement and one or more behaviour statements: short examples, usually 250 words each, that show you've done the thing the behaviour describes.
The good news is that behaviour statements are predictable. There are only nine behaviours, the advert tells you which ones it wants, and the same examples can be reused across applications once you've written them well.
The five elements of Success Profiles
- Behaviours: the actions and activities that lead to effective performance in the job.
- Strengths: the things you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. Usually tested at interview.
- Ability: tests of aptitude, like verbal or numerical reasoning.
- Experience: the knowledge or experience you've gained, often shown in your CV and personal statement.
- Technical: specific professional skills or qualifications, where the role needs them.
Not every job uses all five. Read the advert carefully: it lists exactly what's assessed at application and what's saved for interview.
The nine behaviours
- Seeing the big picture: understanding how your work fits the wider goals of your team, department and the public.
- Changing and improving: looking for better ways of doing things and being open to change.
- Making effective decisions: using evidence, weighing up options and being clear about why you decided what you did.
- Leadership: showing pride and passion in public service, creating an inclusive environment and setting direction. You don't need to have managed people to show it.
- Communicating and influencing: getting your message across clearly and with respect, and changing minds.
- Working together: building relationships, sharing information and supporting others.
- Developing self and others: learning continuously and helping others grow.
- Managing a quality service: planning and delivering a service that meets people's needs, while managing risk.
- Delivering at pace: getting results on time, keeping focus under pressure and taking responsibility.
Each behaviour is described at different levels for different grades, so an Executive Officer and a Grade 7 are judged against different indicators. Find the behaviour descriptions for the grade you're applying for on the Civil Service Careers site, and use their wording as a checklist.
How behaviour statements are scored
Each statement is scored on its own, usually against a numbered scale, and the scores are added up. Some departments sift on a lead behaviour first: if that one doesn't reach the minimum, the rest may not be read. The advert will say if there's a lead behaviour, so put the most effort into that one.
Assessors look for evidence of what you did, matched to the behaviour's indicators. A vivid story that doesn't show the behaviour scores lower than a plain one that does.
How to write one
- Pick a recent example where you did most of the work. Within the last two or three years is ideal.
- Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep the Situation and Task short and spend most of your words on Action.
- Write in the first person: "I", not "we". Say what you decided, did and said.
- Echo the behaviour's wording where it's true. If the indicator mentions risk, show how you managed risk.
- Finish with a result you can measure, and what you'd do differently if that's honest and useful.
- Count your words. Most are capped at 250, and anything over is often ignored.
In my role as a customer service adviser, our team was given four weeks to clear a backlog of 600 refund cases after a system outage, alongside normal work. I was asked to coordinate the clearance. I sorted the backlog by value and age, so the oldest and largest refunds, where customers were most affected, were handled first. I agreed a daily target of 30 cases with my manager and set up a shared tracker so everyone could see progress and flag blockers early. When two colleagues were off sick in week two, I moved simple cases to newer staff with a checklist I wrote, and kept the complex ones with experienced colleagues, so quality didn't drop. I checked a sample of five completed cases every day for errors, and fixed a recurring mistake in how refund dates were recorded by adding a step to the checklist. I gave my manager a short update every Friday, including risks to the deadline. We cleared all 600 cases three days early, with an error rate under 2%. Complaints about refunds fell by half the following month. I learned to set up tracking at the very start of a deadline, and I now do this for every project.
- Short situation, most words spent on actions
- Shows prioritising, keeping focus and taking responsibility
- Ends with measurable results and a lesson
Reusing your statements
Once you've written a strong statement for each behaviour, you'll reuse them again and again, adjusted for the grade and the role. Keep each one tagged by behaviour, with a 250-word version and a shorter one for forms with tighter limits. If you're short of examples, our list of common competency questions is a good prompt for things you've done that would fit.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a Civil Service behaviour statement be?
- The advert will tell you. 250 words is the most common limit. Use most of it, but don't go over.
- Can I use the same example for two behaviours?
- You can, but it's usually better not to. Assessors may read all your statements together, and a different example for each shows a wider range.
- What if I've never managed anyone? Can I still show Leadership?
- Yes. At most grades, Leadership is about owning your work, setting an example and making others feel included, not managing a team.
- Do behaviours come up at interview too?
- Often, yes. Interviews usually ask about the same behaviours, alongside strengths questions, so your statements double as interview preparation.