The Student Room Group

Policy advisor heo civil service

Hi guys,

Has anyone been successful in getting a job as a policy advisor at HEO level within the civil service?

I graduated last year with a degree in history, politics and economics from KCL and I studied a lot of British politics and I’m very passionate about working in policy. However, it seems extremely difficult in getting a job there. Most jobs have 1-2 jobs available and I assume hundreds apply. I’m writing my answers for the behaviours but just can’t seem to score high enough so wondering if anyone has managed to get a job and if so what tips and advice you have and if possible to share any ‘model’ answers.

Thanks
Reply 1
Original post by Tanvir11
Hi guys,
Has anyone been successful in getting a job as a policy advisor at HEO level within the civil service?
I graduated last year with a degree in history, politics and economics from KCL and I studied a lot of British politics and I’m very passionate about working in policy. However, it seems extremely difficult in getting a job there. Most jobs have 1-2 jobs available and I assume hundreds apply. I’m writing my answers for the behaviours but just can’t seem to score high enough so wondering if anyone has managed to get a job and if so what tips and advice you have and if possible to share any ‘model’ answers.
Thanks

What experience have you got working in policy?
Reply 2
Original post by Quady
What experience have you got working in policy?

Haven’t got any experience working in policy. I studied it a lot and want to go down this route. I have working experience in finance but want to transition over. HEO seems like the best job grade however I have applied for EO too but haven’t got anything and most policy roles seem to be HEO but I can’t crack it
Original post by Tanvir11
Hi guys,
Has anyone been successful in getting a job as a policy advisor at HEO level within the civil service?
I graduated last year with a degree in history, politics and economics from KCL and I studied a lot of British politics and I’m very passionate about working in policy. However, it seems extremely difficult in getting a job there. Most jobs have 1-2 jobs available and I assume hundreds apply. I’m writing my answers for the behaviours but just can’t seem to score high enough so wondering if anyone has managed to get a job and if so what tips and advice you have and if possible to share any ‘model’ answers.
Thanks

I did a policy internship with the civil service. The team I worked with had very strong experiences. It’s either they came in through the grad scheme, internship, external agencies like FDM, or had prior experiences related to policy whether from civil service or an outside organisation. My recommendation is to get some experiences- maybe consider working for a charity or check out the civil service grad schemes. In regards to applications they also score the quality/relevance of your experience to the role.
Reply 4
Original post by Sweetchocs_
I did a policy internship with the civil service. The team I worked with had very strong experiences. It’s either they came in through the grad scheme, internship, external agencies like FDM, or had prior experiences related to policy whether from civil service or an outside organisation. My recommendation is to get some experiences- maybe consider working for a charity or check out the civil service grad schemes. In regards to applications they also score the quality/relevance of your experience to the role.

Thank you that’s helpful! I’m applying to other places like charities and think tanks too for roles in policy but have never heard of FDM so I’ll be checking them out. Thats very insightful so thank you

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