Tips for Applying

DWP use Success Profiles If we require a personal statement we will then ask you to provide this using 500 words which demonstrate your ability against one of the behaviours at the level appropriate to the role you are applying for.

Once an application has been submitted it cannot be amended. You should only apply once for any specific campaign/advert, any duplicate applications will be withdrawn.

Anonymisation

Remove any personal details such as name and contact details or your application will be withdrawn.

Plagiarism

The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own

The same applies to all stages of your application.

We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the page on Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.

DWP use Success Profiles If we require a Statement of Suitability we will then ask you to provide this using between 500 and 1250 words which offers you the opportunity to outline why you are ideal for the role against the key criteria specified in the advert at the level appropriate to the role you are applying for.

Once an application has been submitted it cannot be amended. You should only apply once for any specific campaign/advert, any duplicate applications will be withdrawn.

Anonymisation

Remove any personal details such as name and contact details or your application will be withdrawn.

Plagiarism

The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own

The same applies to all stages of your application.

We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the page on Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers ( https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-recruitment/) to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.

After successfully completing and submitting your application, you may be invited to take a Situational Judgement Test. The Situational Judgement Test is a timed exercise designed to see how you would naturally react in situations and how you would communicate with others. It consists of multiple choice scenarios. You do not need any knowledge or experience specific to DWP to be able to complete the exercise, nor do you need any specific knowledge or experience relating to the scenario presented.

You should allow 30-45 minutes, you should be able to complete in one sitting and this must be your own work. Reasonable adjustments can be requested if a candidate has specific requirements due to a disability. Once you submit your answer at the end of the test you will not be able to change or update your response. If you do not complete and submit the test before the deadline, your application may not progress.

There will be one test per vacancy and if you apply for multiple vacancies then you will need to take the online test for each one. Before you begin, please ensure you are in a suitable environment with a stable internet connection and there are no issues with your device. If your test is interrupted for any reason, you will not be able to retake it.

You must pass the Situational Judgement Test to progress to your written evidence being sifted, if we have asked for a personal statement. You will receive a notification to advise you have moved on to the next stage.

If you have not been asked for a personal statement candidates who have reached the agreed pass mark will be invited to an interview.

The SJT scoring is a fully automated process based on the sum of your individual responses.

The benchmark score may differ from vacancy to vacancy as it is dependent upon several factors. These include the number of candidates who applied for the campaign, the range of scores achieved and the number of vacancies available within the campaign.

If you need a reasonable adjustment or have any technical issues you can contact the SSCL Customer Hub:

• Live Chat
• dwp-customer_hub@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• 0345 241 5365

After successfully completing and submitting your application, you may be invited to take a Role Suitability Assessment.

This comprises of 2 elements, A Value Based Assessment and a Capability Based Assessment.

You will first be taken to The Value Based Assessment which tests your response to a number of questions focused on the DWP Values and Standards and is not timed. You should allow approximately 15-20 minutes for this assessment.

You will then move on to the Capability Based Assessment which tests your response to a number of realistic situations which you may encounter in the role you are applying for. This test is timed and there is between 20 - 28 minutes allowed, depending on the role test you are taking. The Capability Based Assessment can be either a Situational Judgement Test, a Scenario Based Assessment or Simulated Role Play, depending on the role you are applying for. Specific detail of the assessment that is relevant for the job role will be held within the advert.

Both assessments give response options to each question that you rate for most appropriate/least appropriate and some question responses require to be rated on a scale between strongly disagree to strongly agree.

You do not need any knowledge or experience specific to DWP to be able to complete the assessments, nor do you need any specific knowledge or experience relating to the scenario presented.

The test must be completed within the timeframe given which is 3 days from the date you are invited to take the test up to a maximum of 48 hours after the campaign closes. If you miss the test completion deadline you will be withdrawn from the campaign.

You should allow approx. 40-50 minutes depending on the role you are applying for. You should be able to complete in one sitting and this must be your own work. Reasonable adjustments can be requested if a candidate has specific requirements due to a disability please refer to the Reasonable Adjustments section of this site to understand in more detail what might be available.

Once you submit your answer at the end of the test you will not be able to change or update your response. If you do not complete and submit the test before the deadline, your application may not progress.

There will be one Role Suitability Assessment stage per vacancy and if you apply for multiple vacancies then you will need to take the Role Suitability Assessment for each one. Before you begin, please ensure you are in a suitable environment with a stable internet connection and there are no issues with your device. If your test is interrupted for any reason, you will not be able to retake it.

You must pass the Role Suitability Assessment stage to progress to your written evidence being sifted where we have asked for this as part of the process.

Where we have not asked for written evidence as part of the process, if you reach the agreed pass mark you will be invited to the next stage of the process.

For all roles, your results from the Values-Based Assessment and Capability Based Assessment are combined to produce an overall score. The scoring is a fully automated process based on your individual responses. The Role Suitability Assessment score is scaled so that both assessments contribute equally to the combined score, which has a maximum of 480.

To progress to the next stage of the process, candidates must achieve the required minimum score on each assessment. This means that a high score on one assessment cannot compensate for a score below the minimum requirement on the other. The scores must also meet the campaign’s pass mark considering the impact on protected groups and the number of candidates required to be taken through to the next stage of the process.

Other candidates may pass with a lower combined score if they have met the minimum requirement for both elements.

The combined score required to progress to the sift may vary from vacancy to vacancy depending on several factors such as the number of candidates who applied for the campaign, the range of scores achieved and the number of vacancies available within the campaign. All candidates applying within the same campaign will be assessed consistently against the same score. Meeting the minimum scores does not automatically guarantee progression, as only the highest-scoring eligible candidates may be invited to the next stage.

After the assessment deadline, we will look at all applicant scores above the minimum to decide what the job’s pass mark will be. Meeting the minimum test requirements for a job level is no guarantee of an invite to continue in the selection process We will consider the impact on protected groups and the number of candidates required for the next stage. You will be told if you have passed or failed and provided with your score.

If you need a reasonable adjustment or have any technical issues you can contact the SSCL Customer Hub:

• Live Chat
• dwp-customer_hub@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• 0345 241 5365

If you pass the Situational Judgement Test or Role Suitability Assessment (whichever is applicable) and we have asked for a Personal Statement or Statement of Suitability, this will now be reviewed and sifted. The results of the sift will be released once all applications have been reviewed. You will receive a notification to advise if you have been successful and moved on to the next stage.

Please note, feedback is not provided at sift stage but you will receive your sift score.

Depending on application numbers we may progress all candidates who have been successful at the online test through to interview without assessing the written application evidence.

If you have passed the initial selection stages, you should be invited to an interview.

We use a range of Interviews depending on the specific assessment requirements for the role you have applied for. You may be taking a Pre-Recorded Video Interview (PRVI), a Live Video Call (over Microsoft Teams) or a Face to Face Interview at a designated location or some roles there may be a combination of interviews. The specific assessment elements will be clear on the advert.

Pre-Recorded Video Interview (PRVI)

If your interview will be conducted via a pre-recorded video interview and you will have 5 days from receipt of the email invitation that contains the access link and any information required to complete the interview. You will also receive an alert in your Application Centre and via SMS if you enabled this communication option with us. You will see a recording of someone asking questions and have a set time to respond. You will be asked a number of questions from the Civil Service success profiles . This will be behaviour or strength questions or a mix of both at the appropriate level for the role that you have applied for. The specific behaviours being tested will be highlighted within the advert and whilst you will be advised if you are going to be asked strength questions as well, the strengths tested are not notified in advance as these are designed to test your immediate response.

Please ensure you are using an up to date web browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or an equivalent. It is your responsibility check you have a stable internet connection and test equipment before you start making sure picture/sound quality are suitable. You will have time to become familiar with the platform and get a practice question. In the unlikely event that you experience any technical issues during your Interview, please report these promptly, before the deadline for completing your Pre-Recorded Video Interview expires so we can rectify before your application is withdrawn. Please use your contact details [application ID and username] within all correspondence. You will not be able to retake any elements of the PRVI that have already been completed.

You will be asked a practice question to settle in and then you will be moved in to the scored interview questions.

For each behaviour question you will be given one minute thinking time to consider your response and 3 minutes to provide your answer

If you have completed your response and there is time remaining you can fast forward to the next question.

For each strength question, as this is testing your immediate response, you will be given 2 minutes 30 seconds to provide your answer.

It is essential that we can clearly see and hear you or we won’t assess your interview as this will confirm your identity.

If you have completed your response and there is time remaining you can fast forward to the next question.

Live Interviews

If your interview will be conducted via a live interview either by Live Video Call on Microsoft Teams or face to face, you will be invited to book this in your Applicant Tracking Centre and will have a choice from the dates and times available.

You will be sent a reminder of your booked interview slot and either a link to access the interview and details of how to access the interview, or if face to face, details of where to attend. If you have a Teams interview, you will also be asked to send in photographic identification at least 24 hours before your interview and will be expected to show this to the panel at the start of the meeting. This is so the panel can clarify the correct person is attending the interview. If face to face you will be asked to show your ID to the panel. During the interview, to begin with you will be asked to show your ID. You will then be asked a general question that is not scored to help you settle in.

You will be asked a number of questions from the Civil Service Success Profiles. This will be behaviour or strength questions or a mix of both at the appropriate level for the role that you have applied for. The specific behaviours being tested will be highlighted within the advert and whilst you will be advised if you are going to be asked strength questions as well, the strengths tested are not notified in advance as these are designed to test your immediate response.

If the interview is via Teams, please ensure you are using an up to date web browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or an equivalent. It is your responsibility to check you have a stable internet connection and test equipment before you start, making sure picture/sound quality are suitable. It is essential that we can clearly see and hear you throughout the interview and be alone in a suitable environment.

In the unlikely event that you experience any technical issues you should try to leave and re-enter the meeting. The panel can arrange for your interview to be re-scheduled to another available slot however you will need to rectify the issue as we can only re-schedule once. If you have technical issues during your interview the rescheduled interview will ONLY cover the missed elements of the interview.

If your interview is face to face, you are advised to attend the location at least 15 minutes before your interview time and make sure you bring the ID you provided previously.

Plagiarism

The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own.
• Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own.

The same applies to all stages of your application.

We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the page on Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.

Reasonable Adjustments

If you need a reasonable adjustment or have any technical issues you can contact the SSCL Customer Hub:

• Live Chat
• dwp-customer_hub@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• 0345 241 5365