A civil service CV is not quite the same as a private sector CV. Most UK Civil Service jobs are advertised on Civil Service Jobs and assessed against Success Profiles, so the panel scores your CV against the experience and behaviours listed in the advert. Strong civil service CVs are short, factual and easy to sift: a clear personal statement, roles with grades and departments, and examples that prove the behaviours being assessed.
Whether you are applying for your first AO or EO role, moving up to HEO, SEO or Grade 7, or joining the Fast Stream, the format below works for UK government departments and agencies. Choose one of the civil service CV templates above for a clean, ATS-friendly layout, then follow the example, behaviour guidance and FAQs on this page to tailor it to each advert.
A complete example you can use as a starting point. Pick a template above and the builder will pre-fill similar content for you to edit.
Katherine Ashby
Higher Executive Officer – Policy and Delivery
Birmingham, UK · katherine.ashby@example.com · 07700 900996
Personal statement
Higher Executive Officer with five years in the Civil Service across DWP operations and Department for Education policy. Experienced in drafting ministerial submissions, analysing consultation responses and leading a small team through change. Strong on Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace and Working Together, with a record of meeting tight parliamentary and private office deadlines. Holds SC clearance.
Experience
Policy Adviser (HEO), Department for Education
Jun 2023 – Present
- Drafted 35 ministerial submissions and briefings on further education funding, all cleared to deadline by private office.
- Analysed 900 consultation responses with analysts and wrote the summary chapter of the government response.
- Set up a monthly forum with 12 college leaders, giving the team early warning of delivery risks.
- Line manage one EO, agreeing objectives and coaching her through a successful promotion application.
Team Leader (EO), Department for Work and Pensions
Apr 2021 – May 2023
- Led a team of 12 Universal Credit work coaches supporting a caseload of around 1,500 claimants.
- Raised quality check scores from 88% to 96% through targeted coaching and weekly case reviews.
- Introduced a shared tracker for vulnerable claimants that cut missed follow-up appointments by a third.
Education
Level 4 Policy Officer Apprenticeship, Distinction, Department for Education
2023 – 2024
BA (Hons) Sociology, 2:1, University of Birmingham
2017 – 2020
A levels: Sociology A, English Language B, History B, Solihull Sixth Form College
2017
Key skills
Ministerial submissions · Policy analysis · Stakeholder engagement · Team leadership · Performance management · Excel and data analysis
Contact details (and what to leave out)
Many Civil Service adverts use anonymised sifting, so check the guidance before uploading. You may be asked to remove your name, address, photo and other personal details from the CV itself. Never include a photo, date of birth, nationality or marital status; eligibility and security vetting are handled separately in the application.
Personal statement linked to the advert
A short statement at the top should name your grade or level, your area of work and the two or three things that make you a strong fit for this specific role. If the advert also asks for a separate personal statement (often 500 to 1,250 words), do not paste it into your CV: keep the CV summary to four or five lines.
Employment history with grades and departments
List roles in reverse chronological order with the job title, grade (AA, AO, EO, HEO, SEO, Grade 7) and department or agency. Outside applicants should describe the equivalent level of responsibility, such as team size, budget and decision-making. Use bullets with specific results, not lists of duties.
Evidence of the Success Profiles behaviours
Read which behaviours the advert assesses, such as Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions or Working Together, and make sure your CV bullets show them in action. Behaviour statements are usually written separately in the application form, often around 250 words each using the STAR method, so your CV should support them rather than repeat them.
Qualifications, training and clearance
Include degrees, apprenticeships and professional qualifications relevant to the role, such as PRINCE2, APM, CIPD, CMI, Green Book training or a Level 4 Policy Officer apprenticeship. If you hold current security clearance (CTC, SC or DV), it is fine to say so in one line.
Success Profiles behaviours
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Policy and delivery skills
- Ministerial submissions and briefings
- Parliamentary questions and correspondence
- Consultations and evidence analysis
- Casework and decision-making
- Project delivery and governance
- Workforce planning and performance data
Professional and digital
- Stakeholder engagement across departments
- Clear, plain English drafting
- Excel and Power BI
- Data protection and information security
- Line management and coaching
Entry level (AA / AO)
Reliable and organised customer service assistant with two years in a busy retail contact centre, handling 50+ customer queries a day by phone and email. Accurate with records and systems, calm with upset customers and used to working to targets. Looking for an Administrative Officer role where I can deliver a high-quality public service and develop a Civil Service career.
Mid level (EO / HEO)
Executive Officer caseworker with four years in UK Visas and Immigration, deciding complex applications and mentoring new starters. Maintain quality scores above 95% while meeting weekly output targets, and have led two process improvements that reduced decision times. Ready to step up to an HEO role leading casework quality or operational improvement.
Senior level (SEO / Grade 7)
Grade 7 policy lead with 12 years in Whitehall across housing, energy and local government. Lead teams of five to eight, advise ministers directly and have taken two statutory instruments through Parliament. Experienced in spending reviews, cross-government negotiation and building capable, inclusive teams that deliver at pace.
- Read the advert line by line. Civil Service panels score you against the criteria in the advert, so mirror its essential criteria and behaviours in your CV and statements. Anything not evidenced is unlikely to score.
- Use STAR for every example. Situation, Task, Action and Result keeps examples focused. Spend most of the words on what you did and the measurable result, and use "I" in behaviour statements, not "we".
- Keep it to two pages. Many adverts limit CVs to two pages, and some set word limits on uploads or employment history fields. A tight two-page CV is the safe default.
- Explain grades and jargon. Outside applicants should translate their roles into Civil Service terms, while internal applicants should expand acronyms so a panel from another department understands them.
- Check what is being sifted. Some roles sift on the CV, others on the personal statement or a lead behaviour. Put your strongest effort into whatever the advert says will be assessed first.
What is the Civil Service CV format?+
There is no single official template, but most adverts expect a short CV covering your employment history, key achievements and qualifications, often limited to two pages. Many sifts are anonymised, so you may need to remove your name and personal details. The CV is usually assessed alongside a personal statement and behaviour examples, all marked against the Success Profiles criteria in the advert.
What are Success Profiles?+
Success Profiles are the framework most Civil Service departments use for recruitment. They assess five elements: Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills. Each advert lists which elements and which behaviours, such as Delivering at Pace or Working Together, will be assessed at application and at interview. Your CV mainly evidences Experience and Technical skills.
How do I write a civil service CV with no experience?+
Focus on transferable experience from work, education and volunteering: customer service, handling data accurately, working to deadlines, teamwork and solving problems. Match these to the behaviours in the advert and use specific examples with results. Entry-level AA and AO roles, apprenticeships and the Summer Internship Programme are common routes in for people with no Civil Service background.
What do the Civil Service grades mean?+
The main grades, from junior to senior, are Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Officer (AO), Executive Officer (EO), Higher Executive Officer (HEO), Senior Executive Officer (SEO), Grade 7 and Grade 6, followed by the Senior Civil Service. Some departments use their own band names, but adverts usually show the equivalent grade so you can judge the level.
Should I put security clearance on my CV?+
If you currently hold Counter Terrorist Check (CTC), Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) clearance, a short line on your CV can help, as some roles require it and it can speed up onboarding. Never include classified details about your work. If you have no clearance, leave it out; departments arrange vetting after a conditional offer.
Should a civil service CV include a photo?+
No. A photo is never needed on a UK Civil Service CV and can undermine anonymised sifting. Also leave out your date of birth, marital status and nationality. Eligibility, including nationality rules for reserved posts, is checked through the application form and pre-employment checks rather than your CV.
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