Guidance

Success Profiles

Success Profiles are the recruitment framework used within the Civil Service.

Documents

Details

The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles. This means for each role we advertise, we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

A Success Profile is made up of 5 elements:

  • behaviours - the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job
  • strengths - the things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us
  • ability - the aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard
  • experience - the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it
  • technical - the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications

Not all of the elements are relevant to every role, and will vary depending on the profession, level and type of role.

This page provides guidance about each of these elements. They provide information about what and how you can demonstrate specific requirements.

You should read the job description carefully to see what elements are required for the specific job you are applying for.

Updates to this page

Published 18 June 2018
Last updated 14 October 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added translation

  2. Replaced PDF guidance with HTML attachments. Added an extra sentence to the behaviour examples to make it clearer which grade/level the examples relate to.

  3. Accessible versions of documents added.

  4. Added Welsh translation. Cyfieithiad Cymraeg ychwanegol.

  5. Updated attachments: Success Profiles: Candidate Overview Success Profiles: Technical Success Profiles: Experience Success Profiles: Civil Service Ability

  6. First published.

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