Why you should work with a recruiter when moving from the Private Sector to the Civil Service
There are hundreds of different departments and agencies within the UK Civil Service, covering a range of activities to make the country run efficiently and effectively.
Applying for a job within the Civil Service might seem like a straightforward process, but when you are considering a move from the private sector to the public, you need a strategy that will set you apart.
Here, we look at how you can maximise your chances by working with a recruiter who understands exactly what the Civil Service wants and needs.
What kinds of jobs does the Civil Service offer?
The remit of the Civil Service covers everything from the Crown Prosecution Service to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, from the Department of Health and Social Care to His Majesty’s Land Registry. It requires professionals in sectors as diverse as Digital, Data and Technology, Knowledge & Information Management, Data Management, Project Management and Delivery, and Commercial and Procurement, among others.
A role within the Civil Service offers training and career development, plus the opportunity to make a real difference to the prosperity and wellbeing of the population of the UK.
Today, the number of Civil Servants in the UK stands at 510,080, the majority of whom work in the Department of Work and Pensions (94,160), the Ministry of Justice (86,900) and HM Revenue and Customs (71,370).
The median salary for Civil Servants is £30,110, but this varies by grade from £21,380 for administrators to £117,800 at Senior Civil Service level. A career in the Civil Service also offers a range of benefits, including flexible working, a generous pension scheme and career development opportunities.
No wonder then that competition to join is fierce and, with almost 70,000 entrants in 2021/22, you need an approach that will enhance your prospects and increase your potential for success.
How to go about getting yourself noticed
The first and most important thing you can do is to seek out a recruitment agency with an expertise in the public sector, and a record of successfully placing candidates specifically within this area. With over 25 years’ experience of placing digital, data and technology talent in the public sector, Global Resourcing should be your first port of call.
A specialist recruiter will be able to offer you the benefit of their expertise and guide your recruitment process to its required destination, firstly by evaluating your CV. They’ll look at the skills and experience you’ve gained in the private sector and give you advice on how best to highlight what Civil Service hiring managers really want, offering you career coaching should you need it.
Luckily for candidates whose strengths are digital, data and technology, these skills are in high demand and look set to remain so for the foreseeable future.
A report by Deloitte, entitled 'The State of the State 2021/22' - which is an annual report on government and public services, now in its 10th year - notes that public confidence in government and local services varies by administration, sector and capability, with the UK government having a neutral score on ‘taking care of personal data’ (% Net Trust) and a score of only 15% on using ‘up-to-date technology’.
Clearly, there is still a long way to go before the Civil Service becomes fully digitally transformed, and if you have the skills and abilities to help make the changes that are needed, you will be in a strong position to apply for appropriate roles.
There is a huge focus of Equity Diversity and Inclusion, as part of the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda. ‘Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: 2022 to 2025’ focuses on the need to 'have a truly diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity' in order ‘to give depth to our understanding of contemporary society’, and promises to enable people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, and people from less-advantaged backgrounds, to flourish in their careers.
If you are a member of an underrepresented community, you need a recruiter that’s on your side too; one who treats every candidate as an individual and one who is committed to diversity and inclusion to help address an imbalanced society and improve opportunities for all. Global Resourcing’s commitment to diversity and inclusion underpins everything we do.
Of course, the Civil Service website has its own application page, here, which guides applicants through the process and offers some advice on what to expect. However, that’s no match for the human touch that an experienced and empathetic recruitment consultant can offer you. It goes beyond simply matching a candidate to a job description, and encompasses the sum of all the candidate’s parts, as well as the expectations of the client, and that’s something that can’t be replicated by an algorithm.
Get in touch
When you are ready to make the move from the private sector into the Civil Service, make sure that Global Resourcing is your first step. Contact us here or call us on 020 8253 1800.