The Application Process

What’s involved in taking your place within GLD? Below we’ve collected some useful information on the application process that we use to recruit people for both legal and cross-functional (non-legal) roles.

Whatever role you apply for we promise you a fair chance. We adhere to the independent Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles, which regulates civil service appointments to ensure that they’re made on merit, after a fair and open competition.

Recruitment in GLD

At GLD we use a range of assessment methods to help us accurately match the right people to the right jobs. As well as completing an application form you may be asked to provide a CV and supporting statement. You could be asked to provide statements against certain behaviours or be asked to complete an online test or written assessment to demonstrate your abilities too. Often a combination of these approaches will be used, and more than one element may be tested. Details of which elements will be assessed, and how we will assess you against these, are included in the job description.

Success Profiles

During the application process you will see references to Success Profiles. The Success Profiles Framework is an inclusive way to assess candidates against a range of experiences, behaviours and strenghts, as well as technical and professional skills. This flexible approach allows GLD to focus on finding the right candidates for our roles. The elements are below:

Not all elements are used for every role, and it can vary depending on the type of role being advertised.

You can find out more about Success Profiles here.

Personal statements and behaviours

For some roles in GLD you may be asked to complete a personal statement alongside providing your CV. Alternatively, you could be asked to complete short statements aligned to the behaviours listed in the Success Profiles. These statements give you the opportunity to showcase your skills and experience against the requirements of the role. We recommend using the STAR model (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when writing your statement or behaviours. Please see here for some tips on how to write a good personal statement, using the STAR model.

Strengths

If you are invited to interview, you may be asked some strength-based questions. These questions are designed to help us understand if you have qualities relevant to the role. It is important to remember that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Do not rehearse your answers, because we are looking for your initial response. The qualities required for the role will be described in the job description. Below you can find the Civil Service strengths dictionary to help you.

Online tests

Some of our vacancies will ask you to complete online tests, for example to test your numerical or literacy skills. You can find advice and practice tests by clicking the button below.

The Disability Confident Scheme and reasonable adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader, GLD welcomes applications from everybody. Our aim is to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, where everybody has the best opportunity to showcase their suitability for the role. We are committed to interviewing all applicants that meet the minimum standards for the essential criteria as advertised.

If you need an adjustment at any point during the recruitment process please contact us, using the email provided in the advert, and one of our team will reach out to support you.

Examples of some of the adjustments we can offer include:

Advice on using assistive technology.

Extra time.

Scheduling that works for you.

Making an Application

In the dropdowns below you can find information on both our legal and cross-functional application processes, as well as for our rolling qualified lawyer campaign, for non-specialist legal applications.

• Specialist Legal Applications

  1. Submit an application form, where the format may vary between a personal statement and behaviour-based statements. You will, however, always be asked to address your legal professional skills alongside a selection of the behaviours. You should refer closely to the essential criteria listed in the advert for technical legal skills, leadership and motivational fit when completing your application, and wherever possible, demonstrate, through your examples, how your skills match the person specification. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements.
  2. Candidates who meet the required standard will have their applications sifted by a GLD panel. Please note, feedback will not be given following sift. However, sift scores will be made available on Civil Service Jobs.
  3.  If you are invited to interview you may be required to complete a written and/or verbal legal exercise immediately before your interview, or in the days leading up to your interview, under timed conditions. This exercise may assess your legal professional skills and other behaviours from the job advert. Full details will be provided if you are selected for interview.
  4. Interviews will be conducted by a GLD panel. All details will be sent to you before your interview, to ensure you are fully prepared ahead of schedule. Any candidate applying must have access to video with audio availability.
  5. Roles are offered at GLD in merit-based order, taking into account performance at interview and experience. We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the interview via Civil Service Jobs, where feedback is also provided.

• Rolling Qualified Lawyer Campaign

  1. Register your interest and submit your application, using the legal application section above.
  2. Those meeting the minimum eligibility criteria will be invited to complete the online Critical Reasoning Test, which will be sent via email. Candidates will be asked to complete this before a deadline.
  3. Candidates who meet the required standard will have their applications sifted by a GLD panel. Please note feedback will not be given following sift, however sift scores will be made available on Civil Service Jobs.
  4. Candidates who are selected for interview will be emailed an online written exercise to test the ‘Technical Legal Skills’ criteria – you will be advised of a clear deadline for submitting your response. Your written response will be assessed ahead of your interview and you may be asked some follow up questions on it during your interview. A copy will be provided for you on the day of your interview.
  5. Currently interviews are being held remotely by a GLD panel, via a video conference call. Should we look to resume normal face-to-face interviews. we will provide this to you well in advance of the interview. Interviews normally last around 40 to 60 minutes.
  6. We will allocate successful candidates to the most suitable vacancy available at the time of our offer, taking into account your performance at interview.  We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies.

• Cross-functional profession applications

  1. Submit an application form, where the format may vary between a personal statement and behaviour-based statements. No matter the format, this is your chance to demonstrate through your examples how your skills match the person specification. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements of the role.
  2. Candidates who meet the required standard will have their applications sifted by a GLD panel. Please note feedback will not be given following sift, however sift scores will be made available on Civil Service Jobs.
  3.  Interviews will be conducted by a GLD panel. All details will be sent to you before your interview, to ensure you are fully prepared ahead of schedule. Any candidate applying must have access to video with audio availability.
  4. Roles are offered at GLD in merit-based order, taking into account performance at interview and experience. We may hold a reserve list if the number of successful candidates after interview exceeds the number of available vacancies. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the interview via Civil Service Jobs, where feedback is also provided.

Complaints procedure

Appointment to the Civil Service is by merit, through a fair and open competition. GLD recruits in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.

If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact us in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the outcoming after investigation, you may contact the Commission directly. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission.