The tough civil service interview questions includes questions specific to working in civil service.

The following are just a few of the answers to tough civil service interview questions included in the Complete Civil Service Interview Guide.  

Civil Service

What challenges do you anticipate in moving from private industry to civil service?

This question provides a great opportunity to tie your qualifications to the behaviors and qualities the interviewers will be scoring you on (review the job bulletin or vacancy announcement.  For example, let’s assume that teamwork and the ability to work well with others are listed on the job bulletin.  

“I don’t anticipate any challenges.  I’m adaptable.  I’m confident that my transition will be seamless.  I’m already successfully working in a team-oriented environment  and I’ll bring the same focus to the position of title of the job you’re interviewing for.  In addition, I’ve been successful in establishing a positive working relationship with a diverse group of co-workers and customers.  I enjoy working with people and I’m looking forward to doing the same as a title of the job you’re interviewing for.

What makes you think your management experience in the military will transfer over as experience in the civilian workforce?

Besides being a question you may be asked, this is one that you should answer for yourself. Interviewer is looking for transferable skills.  Make a list of all the skills and experiences you are offering…match them to the job opening requirements.  Many skills such as communications, budgeting, managing, training…are transferable.  Give an example (on your list) of how you acquired and used each of these transferable skills.  Be prepared to tell (short) stories to illustrate how you used skills in military and how you can see yourself applying these same skills in the civilian workplace. This exercise will help you to focus on your ‘selling’ points as well as boost your confidence (you do have a lot of skills and experience to offer).

Goals

What are your short and long term goals?

No one can make goals for you. It comes down to where you are in your professional life and what you want to do. Most people have 5-6 careers in their working lifetime—some with 2 careers going at the same time (like us).

The best advice is to be certain to relate your answers to the organization that interviews you. Do not make a point of having goals that cannot be realized there (“I want to work in Paris.” Organization is strictly domestic.)  If you do your research into the organization, and into what you truly want to do in the future, you will be able to come up with reasonable responses.  No one is going to come back to you in five years and chastise you for not meeting these goals!  You will not be held to them…it is only an interview and they are interested in how you see yourself (and they want to see you in the job.)

Work Situations/Challenges

What are some of the things you find difficult to do?

The interviewer is looking to determine how well you know yourself, how you react to difficult situations/tasks and credibility.  Look back over your work experience for examples of challenges…speaking in public at a meeting, disagreeing with a manager over an important issue, being asked to use a software program you have not had an opportunity to learn…

These ‘stories’ should illustrate a lesson learned, a problem overcome or a weakness being dealt with. 

“I always seem to need a day or two to prepare myself to give a presentation to department heads.  When I know I have to give a report on my projects, I plan out all the details in advance and rehearse.  One time, there was a problem with a supplier and I was asked to update senior management…immediately.   The supply chain was crucial to the completion of an important project we had been working on for 5 months and decisions had to be made based on the information I had to prepare and present on a moment’s notice.  I gathered the information and presented it simply and in detail.  It was much easier than I thought without the hours of concern and practice.  The facts spoke for themselves.  Since I understood the situation, I was able to make it clear to management and get a rapid decision.  I still prefer advance notice but I know I can deliver when asked to.”

Tell me about a time when you tried and failed?

Has this ever happened to you?  No one expects perfection actually, employers are more interested in your ability to cope, to learn from mistakes, and to deal with others who are less than perfect.  If you have an example, certainly pick one that happened a while back, was not earth shattering in the results, and one which you learned and applied this knowledge recently.

This is a version of ‘damning with faint praise’ by picking an incident that was minor in scope but, since you are so wise and are always willing to learn, has taught you a valuable lesson.

How do you handle conflict?

On the job, there are many possible sources of conflict. Conflicts with:

• fellow employees

• management

• rules, procedures

• clients, customers

• demands of work vs personal life, family

The best way to approach a good answer is to look at if from the employers point of view—they want to be your first priority and they want you to solve problems (not bring them any). 

“I know everything cannot run smoothly at work all the time.  When there is a conflict I usually try to determine the source of the problem and see if it can be solved.  This might involve other members of the work team discussing the problem and offering possible solutions.  I would then try to pick the solution which appears to have the best outcome and put it into action.”

A natural follow-up to this would be: Tell me when you solved a conflict at work.  So, have a brief example…a short story…to illustrate your approach.  Even if not asked, you can offer your story! If it proves your point and accentuates a skill needed for the position, go with it.