Reply to: New to Public Sector Contracting - DWP

[Wobblyheed]

I'm not a techie myself but have been working tech project manager contracts for a few years now, almost all in the fintech space. Regular work has shrunk a lot in the sub-sector that I work in and so I've been looking at Public Sector contracts, almost all inside-IR35 which I'm absolutely fine with. Took me a while to figure out how to get past the screening stage for public sector contractor hiring but I'm there now.

I have my first (and apparently the only interview during the hiring process) interview (the recruiter said 20-30 minutes at most) with a DWP hiring manager later this week. The JD itself itself is very light on details and just a lot of very generic guff that you would expect for tech project/change management in any organisation. The recruiter doesn't have anything more to offer details-wise.

I haven't had an interview in donkey's years and never worked in the public sector. I appreciate it's quite a woolly request but I would be grateful for any very general tips on public sector contractor interviews.

Thanks in advance!

If you know someone that works there it helps.
They don't like ex permies turning up as contractors either

[BigLadFromBeeston666]

Befriend the permies as much as possible and try not to piss off anyone senior. Public sector can be a bit Game of Thrones at times. However, every department and team is different, so it really is luck of the draw in terms of what you get.

GL HF.

[malvolio]

Got the contract, starting in the new year. AMS/PSR were pretty quick with all the vetting.

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

Nice one. Have fun!

[sreed]

Got the contract, starting in the new year. AMS/PSR were pretty quick with all the vetting.

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

[sreed]

Update - The interview was with a panel of 2 - the hiring manager and a peer. Took about 20-25 minutes, very focused and to the point, essentially digging into the details of my past experience of managing projects in the tech/digital space, albeit with the focus on the PM part rather than the tech.

On the whole, it went quite well but given that all my recent PM experience was with small/mid-sized fintech firms, I wasn't really able to cite any comparable experience with respect to client size and the public sector so that might be a stumbling block.

Anyway, overall it was a pleasantly streamlined process. The hiring manager said that I'd know before eod today so let's wait and see.

[edison]

I remember going for my first job with British Rail in 1994.

The interviewer had boxes to tick if you could demonstrate competencies.

As my eyesight was good I could read them upside-down and just made up stories of times I'd done the things on his list.

That sounds pretty much like the plot from The Usual Suspects LOL

[Guy Incognito]

Therefore the interview structure is usually based on competency based questions. e.g. 'please describe a time when you did X' or 'can you give us an example where you achieved Y'. I've come across this style as an interviewee for contract roles in several public sector organisations.

I remember going for my first job with British Rail in 1994.

The interviewer had boxes to tick if you could demonstrate competencies.

As my eyesight was good I could read them upside-down and just made up stories of times I'd done the things on his list.

[malvolio]

Yes, that's in line with my experience of interviewing for contracts in the public sector.

In my 3 contracts in the public sector:
- first interview was 23 minutes on the phone
- second interview was 17 minutes on the phone (but probably because I was going back to the same team/department)
- third interview was 45 minutes on MS Teams

All interviews were quick and to the point and the hiring managers were solely interested in understanding if I'd be able to get the job done and had the right experience. No useless questions such as competency based and other fluffy stuff.

"Can you do xyz?" "Yes, I did xyz when working for client abc on project efg..." and that was it. All three times I knew the outcome of the interview within 24-48 hours.

The hiring process is incredibly quick and painless for contract roles; on the other hand if you want a permie job in the public sector be prepared to go through some of the most irritating and unnecessarily cumbersome recruitment processes you'll ever experience"

Definitely agree with the last point!

I can see them sticking to the point for purely technical delivery where you can define the skills need quite clearly and you aren't involved overmuch with their own people. Different picture for the managerial and business change things though which is where I worked - and the OP is a manager after all.

[PCTNN]

I have my first (and apparently the only interview during the hiring process) interview (the recruiter said 20-30 minutes at most) with a DWP hiring manager later this week.

Yes, that's in line with my experience of interviewing for contracts in the public sector.

In my 3 contracts in the public sector:
- first interview was 23 minutes on the phone
- second interview was 17 minutes on the phone (but probably because I was going back to the same team/department)
- third interview was 45 minutes on MS Teams

All interviews were quick and to the point and the hiring managers were solely interested in understanding if I'd be able to get the job done and had the right experience. No useless questions such as competency based and other fluffy stuff.

"Can you do xyz?" "Yes, I did xyz when working for client abc on project efg..." and that was it. All three times I knew the outcome of the interview within 24-48 hours.

The hiring process is incredibly quick and painless for contract roles; on the other hand if you want a permie job in the public sector be prepared to go through some of the most irritating and unnecessarily cumbersome recruitment processes you'll ever experience"

[malvolio]

I'm glad your broadband went down.

I always welcome a helpful critique. That wasn't one.

And FWIW I had made all the same points the other guys did.

[courtg9000]

Civil Service interview questions will be along broad competency lines which are very fluffy and have nothing to do with your ability in a given role.
There is a group on Reddit full of mock answers which you just need to tailor to your previous roles.
You have to pass a certain grade according to the interviewer in each competency area.
Theres lots of PC twaddle stuff in there.

[ensignia]

Expect questions on stuff that are nothing to do with the role, the interviewers have targets to meet around a host of woke and equality issues

I'm glad your broadband went down.

[malvolio]

Thanks all, appreciate your comments.

The recruiter has reconfirmed that it's just one 30 minute interview on Teams followed by the hiring decision before the end of the week as they need the person to start first thing in the new year. He also sent me an even more generic set of competencies (though a much shorter list now) with a slightly different role title and content that leaves me no better informed as to what the role actually entails Hopefully I've not been put through just to make up the numbers!

Anyhoo, I'll prepare as best as I can based on what I've been given, and considering I'm new to the PS, it's all going to be a learning experience one way or the other. Will feed back to the thread just in case it helps someone else.

I strongly suspect Paralytic and I are right in our suspicions. Still, you won't know if you don't try!

[sreed]

Thanks all, appreciate your comments.

The recruiter has reconfirmed that it's just one 30 minute interview on Teams followed by the hiring decision before the end of the week as they need the person to start first thing in the new year. He also sent me an even more generic set of competencies (though a much shorter list now) with a slightly different role title and content that leaves me no better informed as to what the role actually entails Hopefully I've not been put through just to make up the numbers!

Anyhoo, I'll prepare as best as I can based on what I've been given, and considering I'm new to the PS, it's all going to be a learning experience one way or the other. Will feed back to the thread just in case it helps someone else.

[Paralytic]

Knowing what i know about those that have worked and recruited within the public sector, just hope that they've not already identified the successful candidate as someone from another department, and you're one of the people being used to show that they've considered other candidates too. This is probably more common with FTC than inside IR35 contracts though.

Good luck. A single 30 minute interview does seem short.