Recruitment: candidate guide

Our application process

We use a 3-stage application process:

• stage 1: online application
• stage 2: assessment
• stage 3: offer and pre-employment checks

Further information about each of the stages is included below:

Stage 1: online application

To apply for a job at the Scottish Government, you will need to complete an online application which is accessed through the job advert for the position. Job adverts can be searched and viewed on our careers website.

Candidates will be asked to supply information based on the assessment framework used for the vacancy.

On 1 October 2024, we adopted a new assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ – all vacancies published after this date use the Success Profile framework. Vacancies published before 1 October will continue to use our previous assessment framework, Skills for Success.

Applying with Success Profiles

Candidates will be asked to provide the following information at application:

• personal details and contact information
• an up-to-date CV
• a supporting statement
• some diversity monitoring information

Your CV and supporting statement should provide evidence of how you meet the Success Profile criteria for the role, this is listed in the job advert.

You will be required to provide evidence for all of the criteria listed in the Success Profile at application stage, and then again at assessment / interview.

Find out more in our new guide to Success Profiles. 

Applying with Skills for Success

The online application will vary depending on the requirements of the role. We currently use two main application processes, those being:

• completion of personal details, upload of your CV and a personal statement

Or, alternatively;

• completion of personal details, upload of your CV and evidence to be provided in 4 sections

In both personal statements and evidence sections, we are looking for you to provide information about how you meet the essential criteria for the role. You can find the essential criteria specific to the role listed in the job advert.

Find out more about the Skills for Success Framework in the Our Assessment Framework section of this guide.

Application information

It is recommended that you spend some time in advance, considering what evidence to include in your application and you should tailor information provided to the requirements of the role.

You should save your statement text in an offline document - this will allow you to keep a copy for your records and will also ensure that you do not lose any work if your connection to the system drops during application.

You will be asked to provide some diversity information in the online application. Please note that this has no impact on how your application is scored, it is captured for monitoring purposes only.

Stage 2: assessment

Candidates invited to the next stage will be assessed depending on the assessment framework used:

• Success Profiles: candidates will be assessed against the Success Profile criteria listed in the job advert.
• Skills for Success: candidates will be assessed against the competencies listed in the job advert.

Assessments vary depending on skills required, some commonly used assessment types include:

• role plays
• skill tests
• report exercises
• presentations

Candidates will also complete an interview which will include questions designed to gather evidence of how candidates meet the requirements for the role.

Details of the assessment required, including the assessment types, location, date and time will be provided in advance to candidates.

Assessments will be scored on completion and offers will be made to the highest-ranked candidates in accordance with Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

Stage 3: offer and pre-employment checks

Successful candidates will receive an e-mail with a provisional offer of employment and details of the next steps.

You can find out more about the type of pre-employment checks undertaken in the relevant section of this guide (Pre-employment checks).

On successful completion of pre-employment checks a final offer will be made and a start date will be agreed.