APPLICATION PROCESS
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At the Environment Agency we believe that your personal qualities are as important as your professional experience. And we welcome applications from everyone.
We recruit on merit. This means our selection process is designed to be fair, open and equal.
The candidate pack for each role details everything you need to know about the capabilities we’re assessing.
We’ll be looking at the same themes when you apply, and at interview, so we recommend using the STAR Technique for both.
STAR guidance
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Use the STAR method to plan your answers to interview questions and to show your skills and experience to answer capability questions.
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- Situation – the situation you had to deal with
- Task – the task you were given to do
- Action – the action you took
- Result – what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience
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You can use the STAR method to structure the examples you give to questions. You can use it to highlight particular skills and qualities you have that the employer is looking for.
When using STAR, remember:
- you can use examples from work, home or volunteering
- keep examples short and to the point
- be prepared to answer follow-up questions about the examples you give at the assessment stage.
Application Process
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Submitting your online application
We’ll ask for your employment details from at least 3 years, and you can enter up to 8 previous jobs. If there are any gaps, please tell us about them. We’ll only need your CV if the application form asks for it. This can be uploaded, along with any additional documents or information we ask for, when you submit your application.
You can track your completed application through the site, where you can view its status and any correspondence sent to you, along with the sender’s contact details. You can also edit your personal details there. But you can’t change your application after you’ve sent it – so please check it thoroughly.
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Disability Confident Scheme
We guarantee an interview for any person with a disability defined by the Equality Act 2010. To apply under this scheme, please go to the “Equality and Diversity” section of your online application.
Please note – the Disability Confident Scheme secures an invitation to interview, providing you meet the minimum criteria. But it doesn’t guarantee a job. At interview, all applicants will be marked solely on merit.
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Sift assessment
This involves assessing your competency examples and other criteria. It helps us decide whether to invite you for an interview. All assessments are blind sifted by an independent panel. These panels are made up of Environment Agency staff and external partners, depending on the nature of the role.
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Interview
We’ll let you know by email if you make it to the interview stage. The email will also explain how to arrange a slot.
Assessing you on the advertised role criteria, most Environment Agency interviews last about an hour. We may ask you to prepare a presentation or business discussion, or to take part in a roleplay on a given subject area. If this is the case, we’ll tell you in advance.
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Pre-appointment checks
If you’re successful we’ll send you a provisional offer of employment, pending the pre-appointment checks specified in the job advert.
This will include a mandatory security check.
These checks can take several weeks and must be satisfactorily completed before we can make a formal offer of employment or agree a start date. So, if you’re in employment, please don’t hand in your notice until you’ve had a formal offer.
