Working Together: the Success Profiles framework explained

Working Together is the Success Profiles behaviour about building positive relationships and working with others to achieve shared goals. This guide explains the framework definition, how level descriptors work and how they map to grades, so you can pitch your statement at the right level.

What Working Together means

The Success Profiles guidance on GOV.UK describes Working Together in terms of working constructively with other people, building positive relationships and valuing what different people bring. In plain English, it is the behaviour about how you treat people whilst getting work done: whether you build trust, include others and handle disagreement in a grown-up way.

It is one of nine behaviours in the Success Profiles framework, which is how the Civil Service recruits. Alongside behaviours, Success Profiles covers ability, experience, technical skills and strengths, but behaviour statements are where most applicants live or die at the sift.

Working Together is not about being sociable or likeable. Assessors are not scoring your personality. They are scoring evidence: specific things you did to make joint work succeed, especially when people disagreed or interests clashed.

How the level descriptors work

The framework describes the same behaviour at several levels, from AA up to SCS. Each level has a short descriptor setting out what Working Together looks like at that seniority. The behaviour stays the same; the scope, the relationships and the expectations grow.

At the lower levels, descriptors focus on your immediate team: treating colleagues with respect, sharing information and helping to get shared work done. At middle levels they shift to building relationships across teams and handling disagreement constructively. At senior levels they cover partnerships between organisations and the collaborative culture you set for others.

When you apply for a job, you are assessed against the descriptor for that grade, not a generic idea of teamwork. An example that would score well at AO may score poorly at SEO because it lacks scope. This is why the same behaviour has different example statements for every grade on this site.

How levels map to grades

The table below summarises how the expectation typically rises. It is a simplification for guidance, not a quote from the framework; the job advert and the descriptor it references are the authority for your application.

Notice the direction of travel: from taking part, to organising, to building the conditions in which other people can collaborate. Your statement should show the level you are applying for, not the level below it.

The three threads that run through every level

Whatever the grade, three threads run through strong Working Together evidence. The first is trust: you did things that made people rely on you, such as keeping promises, sharing information and following through. The second is inclusion: you made sure the right people were involved and their views shaped the outcome. The third is constructive conflict: you faced disagreement rather than hiding it, and you handled it without blame.

For example, a statement about a fundraiser becomes much stronger when it includes the pricing argument, how you heard both committees out, and the vote that settled it — not just the £3,100 you raised.

Where the behaviour is assessed

Most departments ask for a written behaviour statement at the application stage, then probe the same behaviour again at interview. Some use presentations or other exercises. Most departments ask for 250 words per behaviour, but check the job advert: some ask for 500 or 750, and Civil Service Jobs sometimes sets a character limit instead.

Your next step is to understand how assessors score this behaviour, then choose an example with the right scope for your grade. The guides below cover both.