Application and recruitment FAQs

In general, only nationals from the following countries (and associations of countries) are eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service: the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Commonwealth, the EEA, Switzerland and Turkey. Certain family members of EEA, Swiss and Turkish nationals are also eligible regardless of their nationality. Candidates from the Commonwealth must be free from any restrictions to take up employment in the UK. For full details see the UK Civil Service Nationality Rules. 

Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the need to fill roles promptly, closing dates and times have to be strictly adhered to and we are unable to accept late applications.

All applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt, within 24 hours for  electronically submitted applications and 48 hours for postal applications.

We aim to inform all successful and unsuccessful applicants within three weeks of the closing date. However, this is not always possible, but please do not contact our offices at this stage, as applicants will be informed as soon as a decision is made. If there is a considerable delay, applicants will be contacted to inform them of the situation.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we are unable to provide alternative interview dates.

We aim to inform all successful and unsuccessful applicants within two weeks of the interview. However, this is not always possible, but please do not contact us at this stage, as applicants will be informed as soon as a decision is made. If there is a considerable delay, applicants will be contacted to inform them of the situation. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse travel expenses.

If you do not have a passport or utility bill, please bring original copies of other documentation (one photographic),that confirm your name and address, eg driver’s licence, bank or credit card statement etc.

For Employment Law purposes, copies are not acceptable, you must bring the original documents with you. Please note that you will not be required to leave them with us.  We will need to confirm your nationality and right to work in the UK meets our requirements before an offer of employment can be made. 

Please inform us at interview stage if you are unable to provide educational documentation in time, but please be aware that you will be required to provide the documentation if you are successful. 

Unfortunately, due to high numbers of applications we are unable to give feedback to those applicants who do not reach interview stage. Applicants who have been interviewed can request feedback by contacting our recruitment team at recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk. You must include the job title and reference of the role you were interviewed for.

Yes.

In order to have a consistent process and to be fair to everyone, we ask that all candidates complete a Suitability Statement. This is clearly stated and applications in other formats will not be considered. If you have a disability and need to use a different method to apply for the role then please contact our recruitment team at recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk so we can make the adjustments to our process for you. 

A sifting panel will look in detail at how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for each role. Information on the relevant criteria can be found in the Role Profile, which is contained in the Candidate Pack. It is then decided which candidates will be invited for interview. 

The competencies are saved as PDF files and can be found listed alongside a particular vacancy  on the website. 

Examples from your work, education, social experiences or other areas of your life which evidence how you meet what is being sought. 

During the recruitment process you will be advised whether we would like to add your application to our Talent Pool for consideration for other roles. Once you confirm you wish to be considered, we will contact you when other opportunities arise. You can also continue to apply for other vacancies as they are advertised on the website.

If you have not been contacted, you can assume that you will need to watch for other roles to be advertised and apply in the normal way.

There is a strict internal process to advertise roles externally and the Senior Management Team decide on the most appropriate route to take. If there have been difficulties recruiting in the past, the role is highly technical or particularly urgent, these could be reasons to decide to advertise externally. 

Yes.

All interviews are in panel format, are competency-based and tend to last approximately one hour. Candidates invited for interview will be sent full details of the interview time, duration, location, any preparation expected for the interview and any testing that will take place. 

This will depend on the panel and how many candidates are seen, how many days the interviews are spread over and the quality of candidates seen. Our general approach is to offer the role to the successful candidate before standing anyone down. In some instances this can delay the process and means you get any news later than anticipated. The reason for this is that we have a Talent Pool in operation and we always like to ensure the preferred candidate has accepted before making any rejections.

The process is designed to be robust and consistent, allowing all candidates equal opportunity to make the case for their fit with the role. A candidate will be assessed against the key requirements for the role and the core competencies – the most suitable candidate will be offered the position, regardless of whether they are internal or external.

For further information about us, and the work we do, please explore our website.

No, there is no right to appeal against decisions made through the selection process.  We operate our processes in line with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles where appointment is open, fair and on merit.

The Commission has two key functions:

The first is to maintain the principle of selection for appointment to the Civil Service on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition. For most posts, the Commission discharges its responsibilities through Recruitment Principles which govern the recruitment process and impose mandatory requirements upon departments. These can be found on the Civil Service commission website . For the most senior positions in the Civil Service, a Commissioner chairs the process for the recruitment competition including the final selection panel.

If candidates consider that their application has not been treated in accordance with the Principles and wish to make a complaint, they should contact Ofgem  in the first instance. If not satisfied with the response received from Ofgem, appeals can be sent to the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gsi.gov.uk. 

The second function of the Commission is to promote an understanding of the Civil Service Code which sets out the constitutional framework within which all civil servants work and the values they are expected to uphold, and to hear and determine appeals made under it. Copies of the documents can be found the Civil Service commission website or a hard copy may be obtained from: Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ

For a copy of the Civil Service Code please visit the Civil Service website.