The ‘unofficial guide to Civil Service applications’

Nathan White, Senior Policy Adviser at the Department for Education and Joe Oakes, Policy Adviser at HM Treasury joined forces in 2022 to help non-civil servants apply to roles in government.?Nathan tells us where the inspiration for this guide came from.

When Joe and I published our “unofficial guide to Civil Service applications” in early 2022, we wanted to share some of the key lessons and advice that helped us secure roles in the Civil Service. Neither of us were application experts by any means and only had two and a half years’ experience between us when we wrote it. So, the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve had and the application workshops we’ve done since were completely unexpected.??

The guide came from our desire to help those who didn’t have people in their lives who could support their applications, especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds or ethnic minorities.

It gives access to information to improve their chances of completing a successful application. This was not only about helping a more diverse group of people secure their dream roles, but also stopping countless people missing out due to not understanding the application process rather than their lack of talent or ability.?

Where did this desire come from?

It was firmly rooted in our?awareness that our networks played a critical role in our journeys into the Civil Service.??When I left university, I had no plan. I knew I wanted to work in the public sector to ‘help people’, but beyond the Civil Service Fast Stream (which I failed twice applying for) I was unaware of what opportunities were out there. For the next year, I spent countless hours scouring the internet to find work experience or internships in politics, policy and the charity sector.

Whilst I did have luck finding roles I was interested in, the most formative opportunities I’ve had in my career so far all came from being pointed in the ‘right’ direction by various people I’ve met.???

One example was at the first and only careers fair I’ve ever attended. I met someone who shared a similarly strong disinterest in pursuing a role in finance as I did. Near the end of the fair, they recommended that I speak to a stall which was ‘doing something in prisons’ for ‘Unlocked Graduates’. From this one interaction - the result of a stranger’s advice - I ended up getting a place on the two-year leadership development programme and working as a prison officer in the Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution which has shaped me more than anything else in my life so far.??

When I applied to the Civil Service at the end of my time with Unlocked, I was lucky to have Joe (the co-author), a lifelong friend, to tell me about the ‘direct entry’ route into the Civil Service. He had just secured a role in HM Treasury and took the time to coach me through what I needed to do at every stage of the application process. Without his support, I wouldn’t have known this was an option, nor would I have had any realistic chance of getting in when I did at the grade I did.??

I really do believe that the position I am in today probably says more about the fantastic opportunities, guidance and support that I’ve received from so many people across my life, than it does about my intelligence or talent.

It’s an immense privilege to have people around you who can help you work out what path was right for you and support you every step of the way.??

But what matters here is that not everyone in our society has access to these invaluable networks. I see our guide as a small way of trying to level the playing field for those who can’t access this level of support by sharing any lessons that has helped us with as many people as possible.??