Interview prep sheet
A one-page sheet to plan your STAR examples for each Civil Service behaviour. Fill it in before your interview and take it with you as a memory aid.
Fill in one example per behaviour before your interview. Write brief bullet points, not full sentences. You want prompts, not a script. Take the sheet into the interview room. The panel will not mind; it shows you are prepared.
The prep sheet
For each behaviour, write 4–5 bullet points covering Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Keep each bullet to one line. You want enough detail to jog your memory, not so much that you are reading aloud.
Behaviour: [Name of behaviour from job advert]
Example: [One-line summary of the situation, e.g., "Retail supervisor, returns policy complaints"]
- S: [2 bullets max (what was happening and why it mattered]
- T: [1 bullet) your specific responsibility]
- A: [3–4 bullets, what you did, step by step. Use "I" not "we"]
- R: [1–2 bullets. Outcome with a number, plus any feedback]
Follow-up prep: [What would you do differently? What did you learn?]
Prep sheet for all 9 behaviours
Copy this structure for each behaviour. Most interviews assess 3–5 behaviours, so you do not need to fill in all nine, but having backups is useful in case the panel asks about a different one.
Seeing the Big Picture
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Changing and Improving
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Making Effective Decisions
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Leadership
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Communicating and Influencing
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Working Together
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Developing Self and Others
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Managing a Quality Service
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Delivering at Pace
Example: _________________________
- S: _________________________
- T: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- A: _________________________
- R: _________________________
Follow-up: _________________________
Follow-up questions to prepare
After your initial answer, the panel will ask follow-up questions. Prepare one-line answers for these:
- What would you do differently if you faced that situation again?
- How did you ensure your approach was the right one?
- What was the most difficult part, and how did you handle it?
- How did you measure the success of your actions?
- What did you learn about yourself from that experience?
- How did you keep others informed or involved?