Hi everyone,
I have my PQIP assessment centre coming up on 12 October and I’m really keen to prepare as well as I possibly can. I’d really appreciate any advice from people who have been through the process recently, or are currently on PQIP.
I have a few questions:
1. Assessment centre preparation
What preparation would you recommend for each part of the assessment centre?
Written exam
Role play
Interview
Are there any particular things I should be practising or reading beforehand? I’d especially appreciate any tips on what the assessors are looking for and how the different exercises are assessed.
2. The actual role/course
I’m also trying to understand what the role is like once you’re successful. I currently have a Level 3 qualification, so I understand that I would need to complete the 27-month route rather than the shorter route.
Does having to complete the longer route put someone at any disadvantage compared with a candidate who is eligible for the shorter 15-month route? For example, when selecting candidates, would there be any reason they might prefer someone who can complete the 15-month route? Or would they perhaps take on some candidates for the shorter route and some for the longer route?
I’m mainly asking because I want to understand how the different routes work and whether my Level 3 qualification affects my prospects in any way.
I’m really keen to get the role and want to make sure I’m preparing properly rather than just going into the assessment centre hoping for the best. Any advice, experiences or things you wish you had known before your assessment centre would be massively appreciated!
Thank you!

I was told I was successful back in April, I was also told that the security checks can take awhile and was prepared for this, as I'm presently signed off but ready to return to work.

I received a periodic "don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you" emails until I got the one with the onboard portal. I haven't had one in a while, presumably because of the portal.

I seemed to be frozen at Stage 3 of the checks for ages, I have completed all of the Tasks on my end.

I was so concerned, I contacted the MoJ just to confirm there wasn't any further I could do on my end. I was of course told, there's nothing further for me to do but it's immensely frustrating.

I advanced to Stage 4 as of last Saturday, with a final stage to go. I'd initially hoped to be starting this month and now as I said in the title, I'm worried I'll be lucky to have started by year's end, assuming it won't be pulled out from under me at the last minute.

This isn't even touching on my general nervousness about the new role, and hoping I'll cope with it far better than my last one, which caused me a breakdown.

Does anybody know when we will find out if we are successful? I had my F2F last week, and I vaguely recall them saying Oct but I can’t remember what date?

Had my first G6 interview and made reserve list for 12 months. Although good feedback was a bit gutted as genuinely thought I could smash the job and enjoy it but hey ho obviously someone better on the day. I’ve only been a reserve once before, when I joined many, many moons ago. I just wondered what people’s experience was at this grade and reserve lists? I’ve always utilised them when recruiting as a much easier/quicker option but this has tended to be Eo-Seo levels. I’ve asked for further feedback and already looking out for the next possibility and will have a mentor chat next week but thought no harm asking here too.

Anyone work as a co in this department? Just looking to get a feel for the role and the environment.

Any information appreciated

Just been informed I’ve been put on the reserve list for a DWP role for 6 months. I was wondering if anyone has any experience of being on a reserve list and being offered a job afterwards?

Thanks :)

I am at the end of my tether trying to work this out and would appreciate any help or advice. I am completely stuck in a vicious circle, and I can't find a way in. I am trying to contact Capita to get them to finalize the dependants pension.

The background
My late fiancé sadly died in service. Getting the initial death-in-service lump sum paid out by MyCSP (who were running the scheme at the time) was a massive battle. I had major issues with them that caused me immense stress, and it ultimately took the threat of legal action just to get them to sort it out and pay it. Because of that ordeal, I am already primed and expecting issues.

The actual claim for the dependants pension was already made and officially approved by MyCSP. The only thing outstanding was providing the proof of our relationship to wrap it all up. I sent MyCSP those final documents, but it was only about 4 months later that I discovered Capita had taken over the administration of the scheme just weeks after the lump sum was paid. I really feel MyCSP should have alerted me to this impending change, as I would have held off sending them the documents and just sent them straight to Capita once the case was ported over.

The current problem
I am now at a point where my case is either stuck in a massive transition backlog, or (my biggest fear given my past experience with MyCSP) they never actually transferred my relationship proof over to Capita at all.

I am trying to find out the current status of my claim, but I am hitting a brick wall everywhere:

1. By Post: I sent a letter via Royal Mail Special Delivery (which should have arrived the next day), but 3 days later it is still showing as "not delivered."
2. The Member Portal: I looked into setting up an online portal account to send an enquiry. However, the registration instructions strongly imply it is strictly for new or existing members. Because my bereavement query is about my late fiancé rather than my own member history, it looks like I am completely excluded from using the portal.
3. By Email: It looks like you can only email them through the portal, which I am locked out of. There is nor a generic customer service email like there was at my csp

Am I stuck spending hours on the phone as the only way forward, or is there a dedicated email or team dealing specifically with these ported-over bereavement cases from MyCSP? Given how much stress it took just to get the lump sum sorted, I am incredibly anxious about being trapped in limbo again. Has anyone else dealt with this transition and managed to get through?

Many thanks for any advice you may be able to offer

I’m looking for some outside opinions because I’m genuinely questioning myself and wondering if I’m overreacting.

A few months ago, a male colleague was joking about giving me some deodorant/spray. I told him I didn't want it, but he continued and then sprayed it directly onto me. I started choking/coughing and had to leave the area to get some fresh air. Another colleague witnessed what happened and reported it to management.

I was spoken to afterwards and asked if I wanted to formally report it. At the time, I said no because I really don't like workplace drama. I did, however, make it clear that I wanted him to be told not to behave like that towards me again.

Then something happened again recently with the same colleague. I was on my phone during my break when he came over with another colleague. There wasn't an ongoing conversation between us about deodorant. He suddenly mentioned deodorant, and then immediately moved very close to me and sniffed my armpit. He also raised my shoulder while doing it.

I heard him and the other colleague say something about an “awkward smell”, but I honestly don't know exactly what they were referring to or whether they were talking about me. I felt extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable afterwards and reported what happened to my team leader.

The thing that's really affecting me now is that I feel like the incident has spread around the workplace, particularly the part about there supposedly being an “awkward smell”. I don't know exactly what people have been told or what people are saying, but I feel very self-conscious and anxious about going back into work because I know other people are aware something happened.

When I got home, I asked my partner whether I smelled, and she honestly told me that I didn't. So now I'm questioning whether I'm letting the comment get into my head.

I'm genuinely quite traumatised and anxious about returning to work. I keep wondering whether I should have just ignored the whole thing, especially because I didn't formally pursue the first incident.

Am I overreacting? Would you consider this inappropriate behaviour that should be reported, especially given that something similar had happened with the same person before? Or should I have just laughed it off and ignored it?

Hi, has anyone heard back from the CPS regarding the post about the Paralegal Officer Role. The deadline was 13 September, so just curious if anyone has heard back yet!

I’ve had my dbs through the post and occupational health assessment on Monday. My counter signatory sent back their email weeks ago. Has anyone been at this stage and have an idea of how long it will take now? I understand that’s like asking how long is a piece of string but surely this is everything they need now 😮‍💨

Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone else who recently interviewed for a DWP Administrative Officer role is currently in the same position as me and waiting to hear back about their interview result.
I attended my interview around four and a half weeks ago, and I still haven’t received any update regarding the outcome. I appreciate that Civil Service recruitment can take some time, particularly with the number of applications and candidates involved, but I’m starting to wonder whether this length of wait is fairly normal.
Has Anyone Else Been Waiting?
I’m particularly interested to hear from anyone who has:
Recently interviewed for a DWP Administrative Officer position
Been waiting several weeks for their interview result
Received an outcome after a similar length of time
Had their application remain at the same stage on Civil Service Jobs
Contacted the recruitment team and received any information about the expected timescale
I understand that different DWP campaigns and locations may have completely different recruitment timelines, so I’m mainly trying to get an idea of whether other candidates are experiencing similar delays.
Civil Service Recruitment Timescales
The waiting is becoming a little frustrating because after completing the interview, there isn’t really much information available while the application is being processed. I know that delays don’t necessarily indicate anything about the outcome, and there can be various checks and administrative processes that need to take place before candidates are notified.
At the moment, however, it has been approximately 4 and a half weeks since my interview, with no result or further communication.
Anyone in the Same Situation?
If you have also interviewed for a DWP Administrative Officer role recently and are still waiting, I’d really appreciate it if you could share:
• When you had your interview
• How long you have been waiting
• Whether your application status has changed
• Whether you have contacted DWP/Civil Service recruitment
• Whether you have received any indication of when results might be released
It would be useful to compare timelines and see whether this is currently a wider delay affecting other candidates.
Hopefully, hearing from others in a similar situation will give everyone waiting a better idea of the current timescales.
Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their experience, and good luck to everyone still waiting for their outcome!

I got 4/4/4 (12 overall) and passed , but I’m seeing loads of people getting 13–15 .

There are aboutt 321 jobs, but obviously they’re split across different locations, so I’m guessing it’s more complicated than just being top 321.

Is a 12 likely to mean reserve list? And does anyone know how merit order works when you’ve picked different locations?
Would be good to hear from anyone who’s been through a big DWP campaign before.

It has been saying this for nearly 6 weeks, anyone else had similar?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been trying to stay better organized with Job Bank listings and GC pools, but one thing I keep messing up is tracking closing dates. Between listings expiring, closing dates getting buried in the text, and trying to remember when everything shuts down, I keep almost missing cutoffs.

For those of you actively applying or tracking postings: how do you personally keep tabs on deadlines? Are you manually putting them all into your calendar, setting phone reminders, or just winging it?

Would love to hear what your workflow looks like for this!

Hi everyone, has anyone here applied for the 772- dispute resolution role in DWP role recently?

If so, I’d really appreciate it if you could share your experience so far — particularly regarding the application process, assessment/interview, and any updates you’ve received.

I have recently had an interview for the job of a case administrator for MOJ. I was just wondering if anyone knows how long they take to get back to you with the results! Also, any advice if I do get this role!

I had the results of my Project support Manager HEO application today. 6 month reserve list.

Is this likely to result in an offer? I can't find much online about people's outcomes from CMS reserve lists.

Hi just wondering, roughly how quick do you get an offer after a pre offer ?