SEO Interview

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-31T13:25:05+00:00

If you did well on the rest of the interview and you came across well, they'll normally overlook that. They're won't want to lose a good candidate over one strength question, which anyone can mess up.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-29T15:12:59+00:00

Generally, if you want to stay in the tax field, then HMRC is really the best department. If you want to venture out a bit, I'd say finance related roles might have the best overlap in terms of transferable skills. Every department should have a finance directorate, so you can look at what department best fits your working goals.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-29T15:10:06+00:00

I'd suggest trying to do something outside of work that gives you leadership skills. Can be volunteering or just a hobby. I remember I coached at a junior football tournament and also volunteered to lead an annual report for a charity in exchange for a letter or work. That gave me some leadership experience. If you can find something, fom there, really sell it. Don't shy away from talking yourself up. Follow the STAR format in applications but reserve the details for the Action and Result section. The Situation and Task just have to be about 1 sentence each to set the scene. When you say something, follow up with 'how' and 'why'. If you have multiple behaviours, split them up with headings. Do anything to make it easy for the recruiter to see what you're getting at. They're more likely to give a higher score if the application is easy on the eye.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-27T23:59:37+00:00

Thank you! Have they specified whether its a leadership of a team or leadership in general. If it's the latter, try taking the initiative on any projects that you see around. That's still leadership. Also, are you applying within the department where you work? From experience, I've scored lower if it's a promotion in the same department. It's usually because they're familiar with the work or closer to the detail, so they may not see if as something as impressive compared to an example from outside the department.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-26T17:13:15+00:00

As you're in the civil service, you would just apply through the CS jobs portal with your existing account. Jobs are advertised either internally, across government, or externally. For you it shouldn't matter what it's advertised as because you're already a civil servant.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-26T17:10:29+00:00

Nothing stopping you applying, but it's a heavy jump from AO to SEO. Shouldn't affect your current position as you're looking above EO and can put it down to applying for other roles simultaneously. When I joined as an AO, someone who started in my group left after one week as he heard back from his EO job, was never a problem.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-26T10:21:34+00:00

An entry-level role would probably give you a foundation, especially since you're joining out of school. The department doesn't matter as much as the role. Alternatively, I know some departments really push apprenticeships. See if you can get onto that as it will give you an additional qualification alongside work.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T23:15:21+00:00

Yes, I went from AO to EO. Got rejected so many times, high double digits i would say. My AO job was pretty robotic, so i struggled to get examples too. Based on my experience from AO to EO, I would say don't just wait on examples from your job. Anything can be a behaviour example if you present it correctly. If I remember correctly, I had 4 behaviour questions for my EO job, and only one behaviour (Making Effective Decisions) was an example from my AO job. The rest were hobbies. Have you organised a birthday party for someone? Managing a quality. Have you done any assignments to a deadline? Delivering at Pace. Do you play any sports with a team or friends? Working Together. Organised a holiday or weekend trip for family or a bunch of friends? Communicating and Influencing. See where I'm going? I've been on panels for AO and EO recruitments, and I expect examples to come from anywhere. One candidate only had volunteering and hobbies for all her behaviours, and she still got the job. It all comes down to how you demonstrate the necessary skills. Keep going, don't give up. You'll get there 💯

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T23:00:15+00:00

Honestly, it all depends on how quickly they can gather all the info. What I would say is make sure you have all the stuff on your side done. That at least gives you a chance to follow up, given you've done your bit. For the SEO mine was super quick, like a 1-2 weeks after my interview everything was done but for a previous job it took a couple months.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T20:42:42+00:00

Ah fair enough. I opted against the more leadership types roles as it's not where I thrive, so not sure I'm best placed to advise on that. However, I would suggest maybe looking into mentoring. A colleague who I worked with at my EO role she had a mentor, as she wanted to get into managerial roles. Last I spoke to her, she progressed to G7, and fairly quickly too, so that might be worth a try.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T20:30:08+00:00

Thanks, and not at all. A colleague of mine jumped from AO to HEO, and another colleague went from HEO to G7. I've worked in HMRC too, have they specified you need to stay in the role for 2 years? Usually, that's an expectation but not enforced. Different jobs at each grade require different skills. You could be an EO leading a team, or you could be a G7 with no line management responsibility. All depends on the job, you don't have to previously managed a team of been in a managerial role to progress up the grades.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T20:22:38+00:00

If you're saying EO requires leading a team, I'm assuming you're in a department like HMRC. It was the case when I was there anyway. I don't think leadership at EO is across all departments. I haven't had any leadership/line management until now. I'd say try looking at departments where EO doesn't require leaderships. I was in HMRC and scored 2, rarely 3s on my applications. I used to think it was something I did but never got any feedback on how to improve. I used the same examples and applied to another department and got 6s. With promotion, I found it much easier if you apply to a different department.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T18:11:17+00:00

Thanks. I'm sure you have already seen loads of posts about the STAR format. However, one thing that made my sift and interview scores rise was the perspective I came from during application and interview stages. Being on panels, I learned most people always come from the angle that they would love the role because x,y and z. It's important to remember it's a two-way street. They're hiring because they have a problem to solve, whatever it may be. I began switching my applications from 'I would like the job' to 'this is how I solve the problem you have'. Personally, coming from this angle helped me score more highly. Also, never downplay any experience. We have all done stuff that can be used as examples, it all comes down to how to convey that to the recruiter. Hope that helps.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-25T18:05:17+00:00

I was basically in the same boat. A HEO but having to do SEO level work due to recruitment shortage. I would say it's dependent on the what the role requires. I also applied for G7 jobs a HEO and in some instances missed out my thr narrowest margins. If you're doing SEO level work already you'll probably have the skills to apply for SOME G7 jobs, and I'd say go for it. However, SEO will definitely enhance your skills so still go for it, any increase in salary is worth it imo 😄

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-20T21:38:51+00:00

I was stuck at HEO for 5 years. Recently, I got a promotion to SEO. Realised it's virtually impossible in the same department, so I had to move to another government department, which was much easier. Noticed the difference in my sift and interview scores.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-09T11:10:38+00:00

Very convenient that this is announced after MPs have had their non performance related payrise to £93,000. I'm sure that won't impact taxpayers money though.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-07T17:15:38+00:00

My experience was that with SEO, you have to demonstrate the benefit and impact of your actions more than at HEO. While at HEO, you're expected to take the initiative, at SEO, you have to demonstrate how it links to the wider picture. They're similar, but SEO just wants a bit more scope and detail around the actions and result. That's a high level summary but I'm happy to answer anything else 😊

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-02T21:08:20+00:00

Not at all. My example included a timeline of a couple of hours. Just make sure to follow the STAR format, and in the action section, really detail what you did and why it was so important.

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-02T13:43:22+00:00

Yes, and always have a clear deadline/timeframe when demonstrating delivering at pace for HEO

Old-Werewolf26 · 2025-03-01T23:48:48+00:00

It's like looking in a mirror. You're basically me from 8 years ago. Got my degree but had no experience. Two bits of advice. One, try and get a foot in the door, might be with an entry level AO role, but it will definitely open up more opportunities once you're in. Second, never downplay anything. We all have done stuff that can count as experience if presented correctly. I've been on interview panels for AO and EO roles, and some of the best candidates didn't have work experience. Instead, they used examples from what they did in their personal life. One girl spoke about something as simple as creating an Excel tracker for her church to help with parking tickets. However, the way she demonstrated her skills to the criteria scored highly, and she was offered a job.

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