Recruitment Process
The recruitment process will consist of an online application, interview and assessment which are expected to take place on 8th & 9th January 2025.
Your interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. A member of our recruitment team will be in touch with further guidance. If you have any queries about this please contact stephen.oneill@cps.gov.uk
You should keep these dates free or notify us if you are not available. We will make every effort to accommodate you in your preference for dates; however we cannot guarantee that they will be met.
Assessment
Please note, you will be asked to undertake an assessment as part of the recruitment process for this role, details of which will be provided immediately prior to your interview.
Personal Statement
You will also be asked to complete a personal statement of no more than 1250 words setting out how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, match the requirements as detailed in the Candidate Pack. You will also need to address the core behaviours for this role, detailed in the behaviours section of the candidate pack, which are;
- Making effective decisions
- Delivering at pace
In addition, you will need to demonstrate the following experience/technical skills required for this role, detailed in the experience/technical section of the candidate pack, which are:
- Previous experience of working in a communications environment.
Government Communications Service’s professional competency framework. This will be assessed against level 2 of the GCS professional competency framework. Please be advised that the panel reserve the right to sift applications on the below criteria only:
Insight – Gather insight on communication usage, needs and preferences. Use this data to inform selection communication channels.- Ideas – Develop communication plans, identifying the most effective channels and tools to engage audiences and maximise reach
- Implementation – Design and select appropriate content to improve the impact of communication (for example, video, photography, and infographics).
- Impact – Support the design and delivery of techniques to assess the effectiveness and impact of communication.
In addition you will need to demonstrate the CPS or Civil Service Values.
CV
You will not be required to upload your CV however, when submitting your application there is a ‘CV section.’ You will be required to provide information regarding your employment/academic history for the past 3 years.
Please note that it is the candidate’s responsibility to provide the specified application information in the requested format to ensure that they are considered for the post.
Please note, if you are unable to cover 3 years through employment/ academic, a character reference will be required for clearance purposes.
Strengths
Please note, strengths will be tested at interview stage, the strengths being tested will not be shared in advance of the interview.
Use of AI
Candidates must ensure that their applications, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note, that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
Other
This is a full-time post. However, requests for flexible, part-time working and job share will be considered, considering at all times the operational needs of the Department.
Clearance Required
The successful applicant will be required to secure DBS clearance.
If successfully appointed, you will be asked to complete the Character Enquiry Form and Nationality and Immigration Questionnaire.
(If you are an internal member of staff, you will not be required to undergo this DBS check as you will already hold this clearance).
The job you are applying for is covered by Article 3(a) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, consequently Section 4(2) of that Act does not apply.
For the reasons outlined above you are required to disclose all previous convictions and cautions, including spent convictions. Failure to make a full declaration will result in the withdrawal of an offer of employment if our checks reveal convictions that have not been disclosed.
Waiting List
Candidates who are recommended by the selection panel but not appointed to the current vacancy will be placed on a waiting list for 12 months and may be offered another post, should any further vacancies for a Communications Officer arise in their chosen location. CPS may also approach candidates on the waiting list to fill other roles requiring similar knowledge and experience, including in other locations.
Feedback
Feedback will not be provided until the vacancy is complete, please note that written feedback will not be provided for candidates who do not pass the application stage.
Fair Processing Notice (FPN)
From April 2018, the CPS will provide a Fair Processing Notice (FPN) to all new applicants after they have been successful at interview. These candidates will be informed that, as one aspect of pre-employment screening, their personal details – name, National Insurance Number and date of birth - will be checked against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) and that anyone included on the IFD will be refused employment unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
The Strategic Resourcing team in the CPS will, on behalf of the vacancy holder, inform applicants when they are refused employment because of their inclusion in the IFD.
Civil Service Commissioners
If you are dissatisfied with the recruitment process and wish to make a complaint, please contact Strategic.Resourcing@cps.gov.uk with your concerns.
If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a further complaint, please click on the following link to the Civil Service Commissioners complaints page https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/
Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles can be found here –
https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/
Details of the Civil Service Nationality Rules are located at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements. For the most up-to-date information on the requirements of working in the UK, please go to the UK Visas and Immigration website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
