Developing Self and Others Example: Civil Service Worked Answers
What the behaviour actually means
The Civil Service Success Profiles framework lists Developing Self and Others as a behaviour assessed at every grade, from Administrative Officer to Senior Civil Servant [2]. The expectation scales with seniority, but the core idea stays the same: you take ownership of your own development and you actively help others grow.
At junior grades (AO/EO), the panel wants to see that you seek feedback, act on it and support a colleague's learning. At mid grades (HEO/SEO), they expect you to coach, mentor or create development opportunities for your team. At G6/G7 and above, they look for evidence that you build a culture of learning across a wider group — spotting talent, removing barriers and modelling continuous improvement yourself.
The behaviour sits within the civil service behaviours framework alongside others such as Working Together and Communicating and Influencing. Panels often assess two or three behaviours in a single interview, so your examples need to be distinct.
| Grade | What they want to see |
|---|---|
| AO / EO | Seeks feedback; acts on development suggestions; helps a peer learn a task |
| HEO / SEO | Coaches or mentors; identifies team development needs; creates learning opportunities |
| G7 / G6 | Builds development plans; spots and nurtures talent; champions learning culture |
| SCS | Sets strategic direction for capability; removes systemic barriers to growth |
What a good developing self and others example looks like
A strong answer does four things well.
- It is specific. It names a real situation, a real gap and a real action — not a vague 'I always try to support my team'.
- It shows your role clearly. The panel needs to hear what *you* did, not what the team did collectively.
- It balances self and others. Many candidates focus entirely on developing colleagues and forget to show their own learning. The behaviour covers both.
- It has a concrete result. A change in someone's confidence, a qualification gained, a process improved, a promotion achieved — something you can point to.
Use the STAR method to structure every answer: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Aim for roughly 90 seconds when spoken aloud, or 250–350 words in a written application.
Four developing self and others example civil service answers
EO grade — Acting on feedback to improve own performance
- Situation
- I was six months into an Executive Officer role processing benefit claims. My line manager flagged in my mid-year review that my written decisions were accurate but hard for claimants to understand — too much jargon, too long.
- Task
- I needed to improve the clarity of my written communications without reducing accuracy, and to do so quickly enough to show progress before my end-of-year review.
- Action
- I asked my manager to share two or three examples of decisions she considered well-written and compared them with my own. I identified three habits I wanted to change: using passive voice, starting sentences with policy references instead of the outcome, and writing paragraphs longer than four lines. I then enrolled in a free Plain English online course through Civil Service Learning, completed it over three weeks, and asked a colleague to review my next ten decisions before I issued them. I kept a short log of the feedback I received each week so I could track whether the same issues kept appearing.
- Result
- By my end-of-year review, my manager noted a clear improvement. A claimant satisfaction survey run by the team showed that queries about decision letters dropped noticeably in the months after I changed my approach. I also shared my log and the Plain English course link with two newer colleagues who had similar feedback.
This works at EO level because it shows the candidate seeking feedback proactively, taking structured action (the course, the peer review, the log) and then extending the learning to others — hitting both halves of the behaviour without overclaiming.
HEO grade — Coaching a struggling team member
- Situation
- I was a Higher Executive Officer leading a small policy team of four. One analyst, who had joined six months earlier, was producing good research but consistently missed deadlines and seemed reluctant to flag problems early. This was creating pressure for the rest of the team.
- Task
- My task was to understand the root cause and support the analyst to manage their workload more effectively, while keeping team output on track.
- Action
- I arranged an informal one-to-one and asked open questions rather than raising the deadline issue directly. It emerged that the analyst was spending too long trying to make work perfect before sharing it, partly because they were unsure what 'good enough at this stage' looked like. I introduced a simple traffic-light check-in: each Monday they would share a one-line status for each piece of work — green, amber or red — so I could offer support early. I also paired them with a more experienced colleague for one project, asking the colleague to share their drafts at different stages so the analyst could see how iterative the process normally is. I set a four-week review point.
- Result
- Within a month, the analyst was flagging amber items without prompting. Over the following quarter they met every deadline. In their next appraisal they cited the check-in system as something they now used independently. The colleague who mentored them said it had also made them reflect on how they structured their own work.
This example is well-pitched for HEO because it shows a coaching approach rather than a management directive. The candidate diagnoses the real issue, designs a lightweight intervention and reviews it — demonstrating both empathy and structure.
SEO grade — Building team capability ahead of a system change
- Situation
- I was a Senior Executive Officer in a digital operations team. Our department was migrating to a new case management system in four months. Half my team of twelve had limited experience with the new platform, and there was no central training budget allocated at that point.
- Task
- I needed to build the team's capability before go-live without waiting for central resource, while keeping day-to-day operations running.
- Action
- I mapped each team member's current skills against the new system's requirements using a simple grid, which identified three distinct groups: confident users, partial users and those who needed foundational support. I then approached two colleagues in another directorate who were already using the system and negotiated a series of four lunchtime drop-in sessions — informal, no slides, just live walkthroughs and questions. I created a shared notes document after each session so people who could not attend could catch up. For the foundational group, I worked with our L&D contact to unlock three licences for an existing e-learning module at no extra cost. I also volunteered to be the team's go-to contact during the first two weeks after go-live, which freed others to ask questions without fear of looking slow.
- Result
- At go-live, the team processed cases from day one with no backlog. The directorate head noted our team as one of the smoothest transitions in the building. Two colleagues from the foundational group later became informal champions for the system in their own right. I also updated my own skills log and used the experience to write a short capability-mapping template that the wider division adopted.
This example works at SEO level because the candidate takes initiative without budget or mandate, uses a structured approach (the skills grid, the three groups) and shows impact at team and organisational level — including their own learning.
G7 grade — Creating a development culture across a dispersed team
- Situation
- I was a Grade 7 leading a team of eighteen spread across three sites. An internal engagement survey showed that fewer than half felt they had clear development opportunities, and several high-performers had left in the previous year citing lack of progression.
- Task
- My task was to build a more consistent development culture — one that did not depend on individuals having a proactive line manager — and to do so within existing resource.
- Action
- I started by having thirty-minute development conversations with each team member over six weeks, using a simple framework: what energises you, what do you want to be able to do in two years, what is one thing stopping you. I collated the themes (anonymised) and identified four capability gaps that appeared repeatedly: data analysis, stakeholder communication, project management basics and confidence in presenting to senior leaders. I then set up four peer-learning groups, each led by someone in the team who already had that strength. I gave each group a small protected slot in the monthly team meeting and a shared space to post resources. For my own development, I enrolled in a coaching skills programme through Civil Service Learning, which directly improved how I ran the individual conversations. I also introduced a quarterly 'learning moment' slot in team meetings where anyone could share something they had learned — from a course, a mistake or a conversation.
- Result
- Twelve months later, the engagement survey showed a significant rise in the proportion of staff who felt they had development opportunities. Three team members were promoted within the year. Two others moved into stretch roles in other directorates, which I actively supported. Staff turnover in the team fell. The peer-learning model was adopted by a neighbouring team after their G6 asked me to share the approach.
This is pitched correctly for G7 because the candidate thinks systemically — identifying patterns, building structures that outlast their own involvement and modelling learning themselves. The result covers individuals, the team and the wider organisation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Talking about the team, not yourself. 'We introduced a mentoring scheme' tells the panel nothing about your role. Say what you specifically did.
- Forgetting the 'self' half. Many candidates write entirely about developing others. Include at least one moment where you sought feedback, completed training or reflected on your own practice.
- Vague results. 'The team felt more confident' is weak. 'Three colleagues applied for promotion within six months' or 'the error rate dropped' is strong. If you do not have a number, describe a visible change in behaviour or output.
- Describing a one-off gesture. Buying someone a book or forwarding a course link is not a behaviour answer. The panel wants to see sustained, intentional effort.
- Overclaiming. Do not say you 'transformed' a team or 'revolutionised' a culture. Specific, credible language is more persuasive than superlatives.
- Ignoring the grade level. A G7 answer that only describes helping one colleague learn a spreadsheet will not score well. Check the Success Profiles guidance [2] for the indicators at your target grade before you write your example.
Before your interview, read the job description carefully and match your example to the grade-level indicators in the Success Profiles framework [2]. Panels mark against those indicators, not against a general idea of 'good'.
How to prepare and practise your answer
Writing a STAR answer is only half the work. Delivering it clearly under pressure is the other half. Most candidates underestimate how different a prepared answer sounds when spoken aloud for the first time in an interview room.
- Draft your answer in writing first. Aim for 300 words. Cut anything that is not Situation, Task, Action or Result.
- Read it aloud and time it. If it runs over two minutes, trim the Situation — that is usually where the padding hides.
- Check it against the grade indicators in the Success Profiles framework [2] and the job description. If the panel is looking for evidence of building a learning culture and your example only covers one colleague, find a stronger example or add a line about wider impact.
- Ask someone to listen and tell you where they lost the thread. Clarity matters as much as content.
- Practise with feedback. The Interview Coach gives you eight role-specific questions, STAR feedback and a model answer — one session is free with an account.
Also prepare a second example in reserve. Some panels ask a follow-up — 'Can you give me another example?' — and having only one answer ready is a risk. Your two examples should cover different contexts: one focused on your own development, one on developing others, or one from a team context and one from a project.
For broader civil service interview preparation, see our interview prep hub and the STAR method examples guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Developing Self and Others behaviour in the Civil Service?
It is one of the behaviours assessed under the Civil Service Success Profiles framework [2]. It covers two things: how you take ownership of your own learning and development, and how you actively support colleagues to grow. Both halves matter. The expectation scales with grade — junior roles focus on seeking feedback and supporting peers; senior roles focus on building capability across teams and organisations.
How long should a Developing Self and Others example be?
In a written application, aim for 250–350 words per behaviour. In an interview, aim for roughly 90 seconds to two minutes when spoken aloud. Use the STAR structure — Situation, Task, Action, Result — and keep the Situation brief. Most candidates spend too long on context and not enough on what they actually did and what changed as a result.
Can I use an example from outside the Civil Service?
Yes. If you are applying externally, examples from the private sector, voluntary work, education or community roles are all valid. The panel is assessing the behaviour, not the sector. What matters is that your example is specific, shows your personal contribution and has a clear result. Make sure the context is easy to follow for someone who does not know your previous organisation.
What if I have not managed anyone — can I still answer this behaviour?
Yes. At junior grades, Developing Self and Others does not require line management experience. You can use an example of seeking feedback and acting on it, completing development to fill a skills gap, helping a peer learn a new process, or supporting a new starter to settle in. The key is showing intentional effort, not seniority.
How do I show the 'self' part of the behaviour without sounding self-absorbed?
Keep it brief and purposeful. Name the gap you identified, the action you took (a course, feedback conversation, reading, shadowing) and the difference it made — to your work or to how you then supported others. The best answers link self-development to team impact: 'I learned X, which meant I could then help my colleagues with Y.'
How many examples should I prepare for a civil service interview?
Prepare at least two distinct examples for each behaviour on the job description. Panels sometimes ask follow-up questions or request a second example. Your two Developing Self and Others examples should ideally cover different contexts — for instance, one focused on your own learning and one on developing a colleague — so you are not repeating the same story in different words.
Related guides
- Changing and Improving Example: Civil Service Worked Answers
Four worked STAR examples for the Civil Service Changing and Improving behaviour, from EO to SCS level. Includes what assessors look for and common mistakes.
- Managing a Quality Service Example: Civil Service Worked Answers
Four worked STAR examples for Managing a Quality Service in civil service interviews, plus what good looks like and the mistakes to avoid.
- Civil Service Personal Statement Example: How to Write One That Works
A practical UK guide to writing a civil service personal statement, with a full worked example, STAR structure, word count tips and common mistakes to avoid.
- Communicating and Influencing Example: Civil Service Answers That Score
Four illustrative STAR examples for the Civil Service Communicating and Influencing behaviour, with grade-by-grade guidance and common mistakes to avoid.
- Civil Service Behaviours Examples: What They Are and How to Answer Them
Clear civil service behaviours examples for every grade, plus how to structure STAR answers that score well at application and interview. Free to read.
- STAR Method Civil Service: How to Structure Winning Answers
How to use the STAR method in civil service interviews and written applications. Practical steps, worked examples, and a pre-interview checklist.