The nine behaviours explained, how grade level changes the evidence, and where behaviour statements fit into a Civil Service application
Civil Service Behaviours are one part of the Success Profiles recruitment framework. They describe the actions and activities associated with effective performance, and the level of evidence expected changes with the grade of the job.
You will not normally be assessed against all nine behaviours in one recruitment campaign. The vacancy tells you which behaviours matter for that role and how they will be assessed. They might appear as written examples in the application, behaviour questions at interview, or another assessment method.
If your application asks for a written example, go straight to How to Write a Civil Service 250 Word Behaviour Statement. If you want to see worked examples first, use Civil Service Behaviour Statement Examples.
Do not prepare an application around a generic list and then force it into the vacancy. Read the advert carefully. It tells you which behaviours are being assessed, the grade, the word limit and whether the same behaviours will be tested again later in the process.
What are Civil Service Behaviours?
The current Success Profiles framework contains nine behaviours. Each has a broad definition, then grade-specific examples showing what that behaviour can look like at different levels. That grade detail matters. A good EO example can still be too operational for HEO or SEO, while a Grade 6 example normally needs wider ownership, judgement and influence than a junior-grade example.
Behaviours are only one part of Success Profiles. A vacancy can also assess strengths, experience, ability and technical requirements. Not every campaign uses every element.
For the official framework and grade descriptors, use the Civil Service Behaviours guidance on GOV.UK. For strengths, see the Civil Service Strengths guide.
The nine Civil Service Behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture
Understand how your work connects to wider organisational objectives and Civil Service priorities. Strong evidence shows that you considered the wider context rather than treating the task in isolation.
Read the Seeing the Big Picture statement guide and example.
Changing and Improving
Look for better ways of working, suggest useful changes and respond constructively when change is needed. Strong examples show what you changed, why you changed it and what improved.
Read the Changing and Improving statement guide and example.
Making Effective Decisions
Use evidence and knowledge to reach sound decisions, considering options, risks and consequences. The strongest examples make your reasoning visible.
Read the Making Effective Decisions statement guide and example.
Leadership
Give people clear direction, create commitment around a shared purpose and treat people fairly. The evidence expected becomes broader and more strategic as the grade rises.
Read the Leadership statement guide and example.
Communicating and Influencing
Communicate clearly, adapt to the audience, listen to other views and help move people towards understanding, agreement or action.
Read the Communicating and Influencing statement guide and example.
Working Together
Build effective working relationships, share information and support colleagues and partners. Good examples usually involve genuine collaboration rather than simply being part of a team.
Read the Working Together statement guide and example.
Developing Self and Others
Keep learning, use feedback and help other people develop. Strong evidence shows a deliberate development need, action taken and a practical improvement.
Read the Developing Self and Others statement guide and example.
Managing a Quality Service
Deliver reliable services that meet user needs while paying attention to quality, efficiency and improvement. Your example should show ownership of the service, not just completion of tasks.
Read the Managing a Quality Service statement guide and example.
Delivering at Pace
Take responsibility for timely, high-quality delivery, prioritise properly and keep work moving when pressure or priorities change. Pace without quality is not enough.
Read the Delivering at Pace statement guide and example.
How behaviour expectations change by grade
The behaviour name stays the same, but the level of responsibility behind a strong example changes. Do not make the mistake of thinking a senior-grade statement simply needs more complicated vocabulary. The difference is usually in scope, judgement, ownership and impact.
| GRADE | WHAT STRONG EVIDENCE USUALLY SHOWS |
|---|---|
| AA / AO | Reliable delivery, following guidance, taking responsibility for your own work, dealing properly with customers or colleagues, spotting straightforward problems and asking for help when needed. |
| EO | More independent judgement, ownership of pieces of work, coordination with other people, sensible challenge and practical improvements rather than only following an established process. |
| HEO / SEO | Leadership through others, competing priorities, more complex stakeholders, wider risks, service or process ownership, evidence-based recommendations and decisions with broader consequences. |
| Grade 6 / 7 | Strategic ownership, cross-organisational influence, senior stakeholders, ambiguity, significant risk or resources, leading through others and decisions that affect wider organisational outcomes. |
A junior-grade example does not need to sound like a director chaired it, and a senior-grade example should not rely on routine task completion. Choose evidence that genuinely matches the level of the vacancy.
How Civil Service Behaviours can be assessed
Written behaviour examples are common, but they are not the only way behaviours can be assessed. The Civil Service can assess behaviours at application, interview or through exercises and other assessment methods. Always follow the process described in the vacancy.
For written examples, you normally need one clear piece of evidence showing what you personally did. At interview, the panel can probe the same behaviour in more depth, so you need to understand the example rather than memorise a script.
Behaviour statement or personal statement?
Civil Service applications sometimes ask for both, which is why the two get mixed up. If the application gives you a named behaviour such as Making Effective Decisions and asks for an example within a set word limit, you are writing a behaviour statement. If the application asks for a personal statement or statement of suitability, that normally asks you to demonstrate the essential criteria in the advert.
Do not use the same writing plan for both. A behaviour statement is usually one focused example. A personal statement may need several examples across several criteria.
See Civil Service Personal Statement: Complete Guide for the separate personal-statement approach.
Can you use examples from outside work?
Yes. Official guidance allows examples from work, work experience, volunteering and activities outside work. The important question is whether the example genuinely demonstrates the behaviour at the level required.
A strong non-work example is better than a weak work example. As the grade rises, however, it usually becomes harder to show the required scale and organisational impact without using substantial professional evidence.
Choosing the right behaviour example
Start with the grade-level behaviour description, then look for situations where you personally made meaningful decisions or took meaningful action. The example should give you enough material to explain what you did and why, not simply prove that you were present when something happened.
☐ Choose a situation where your contribution changed the outcome.
☐ Make sure the challenge actually relates to the behaviour being assessed.
☐ Prefer evidence where you had choices to make, not a task that ran exactly as expected.
☐ Use an example with a clear outcome, impact or lesson.
☐ Check that the scale of the example is credible for the grade.
Written statements and interviews are connected
A behaviour statement gets you through the sift. An interview answer lets the panel explore your judgement in more detail. That means the strongest preparation is to understand the evidence, decisions and trade-offs in your example rather than memorising 250 words.
If the same behaviour appears at interview, prepare more than one example. You may be asked about conflict, a difficult decision, a failed approach, a change of direction or another angle that does not fit your written example neatly.
Need examples written for your grade?
How the nine behaviour pages fit together
This page is the parent guide. The individual behaviour pages go deeper into what good evidence looks like for each behaviour and provide examples. The writing guide explains how to structure the statement, while the examples page helps you compare different types of evidence. That split keeps each page useful without repeating the same article nine times.
Civil Service Behaviours FAQ
Are there nine Civil Service Behaviours?
Yes. The current Success Profiles framework lists nine behaviours. A vacancy normally selects only the behaviours relevant to that role.
Do I need an example for every behaviour?
No. Prepare for the behaviours named in the vacancy. For interview preparation, it is sensible to have more than one usable example for each behaviour being assessed.
Do behaviour statements always have a 250-word limit?
No. 250 words is common, but the vacancy and application form set the actual limit. Follow the limit you are given.
Can I reuse an example in another application?
Yes, if it still fits the behaviour, grade and role. Reusing evidence is different from submitting the same generic wording everywhere. Tailor the emphasis to the vacancy.
Should I use STAR?
The official candidate guidance suggests STAR as a useful way to structure behavioural evidence. Interview Detectives also uses B-STAR as an optional adaptation, explained in the writing guide.
Can one example show more than one behaviour?
Often, yes. Real situations can demonstrate several behaviours. For an assessed statement, focus the wording on the behaviour actually being scored rather than trying to prove everything at once.
Ready to write? Continue with How to Write a Civil Service 250 Word Behaviour Statement or go straight to Civil Service Behaviour Statement Examples.
