What the Success Profiles framework actually assesses

UK Civil Service recruitment uses the Success Profiles framework, which can assess up to five elements depending on the role: behaviours, strengths, ability, experience, and technical skills, moving beyond the older competency-only model. Behaviours (such as making effective decisions, communicating and influencing, and delivering at pace) are assessed through structured, STAR-style questions, while strengths-based questions ask about what you naturally enjoy and do well, assessed differently and often with less advance preparation possible.

How behaviours and strengths questions differ

Behaviour questions ask for a specific past example demonstrating a named behaviour, and benefit from careful STAR-format preparation in advance, similar to standard competency questions. Strengths questions ask more spontaneous, in-the-moment questions about what energises you or what you do well, deliberately designed to be harder to over-rehearse, so genuine, quick, honest reflection tends to work better than an overly polished, prepared-sounding answer.

How to prepare

Check the specific job advert and person specification carefully, since it will list exactly which behaviours are being assessed for that particular role, and prepare a clear STAR example for each one listed. For strengths-based questions, reflect honestly in advance on what kinds of tasks genuinely energise you and where you feel most naturally effective, rather than trying to prepare a scripted answer.

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Frequently asked questions

What civil service behaviours come up most often?
Common behaviours include seeing the big picture, changing and improving, making effective decisions, leadership, communicating and influencing, working collaboratively, delivering at pace, and managing a quality service, though the specific set assessed depends on the grade and role, so always check the exact job listing.
Can I prepare for strengths-based questions in the same way as behaviour questions?
Not in the same scripted way; strengths questions are deliberately designed to assess natural, spontaneous responses rather than rehearsed examples. Genuine self-reflection beforehand about what you enjoy and do well is more useful preparation than trying to script exact answers.

Before your next interview, it helps to have the fundamentals down. Our complete guide to preparing for a job interview covers the basics, and the STAR method is a reliable way to structure almost any answer under pressure.

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