Even if you are a seasoned public sector professional, attending an interview can still be daunting.

So, you’ve found your ideal public sector job role  – now you need to convince the recruiting manager that you are the right person for that role.

Whether you’ve got a vacancy in your public sector team for a Chief Finance Officer or are creating a brand-new Head of Procurement role – before you start thinking about applicants and interviews, you need to set a few things in motion.

Organisations across the housing, NHS and charity sectors are implementing competency-based interviews to evaluate potential candidates across all levels of the business.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of a great CV. No matter which industry you’re in, first impressions count. This is particularly true in the public and not for profit sector, where despite a skills shortage, the selection process is still rigorous.

Struggling to write a personal profile? Here are our top tips!

Composing the core components of your CV, like employment history and education, should be a relatively straightforward task, but how do you make your CV stand out from the rest of the crowd? Adding a personal profile to your CV could give it the extra “pizzazz” to help you secure that all important interview and role.

Getting a cover letter right can be as important as perfecting your CV. It is a way of introducing yourself to the employer and is a way to expand upon your CV.

It is possible that some recruiters will receive hundreds of CV’s and applications a day, so your cover letter gives you an opportunity to stand out from the rest of the crowd, but with only a few paragraphs it needs to be good to get their attention.

Organisations across the housing, NHS and charity sectors are implementing competency-based interviews to evaluate potential candidates across all levels of the business.

A competency-based process enables hiring managers to assess parameters such as knowledge, thinking style and problem-solving abilities, communication skills, culture fit and attitude; all things that aren’t always clear from a CV alone.