Civil Service Behaviour: Seeing the Big Picture

What the Seeing the Big Picture behaviour means

The Civil Service Success Profiles framework describes Seeing the Big Picture as having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public needs. It encompasses understanding the political, economic and social context in which the Civil Service operates, keeping up to date with developments in your policy area, and connecting routine work to departmental strategy and government priorities. Candidates are expected to show curiosity about their operating environment and to use that awareness to make better decisions.

What good looks like at each grade

EO / HEO: At EO/HEO level, you are expected to understand how your team's work contributes to your directorate's objectives and, in turn, to the department's strategic plan. You keep yourself informed about developments in your policy area and can explain how the work in your inbox connects to government priorities. You consider the impact of your decisions on stakeholders beyond your immediate team.

SEO: At SEO level, you actively horizon-scan across your policy area and related sectors, anticipating how external developments, whether political, economic, legislative or technological, might affect your work. You make connections between your portfolio and the work of other directorates or arm's-length bodies and use that understanding to shape priorities within your team. You brief colleagues and stakeholders on the wider context with confidence.

Grade 7: At Grade 7 and above, you shape strategy and policy informed by a sophisticated understanding of the operating environment. You engage with ministers, senior officials and external partners to ensure that departmental priorities reflect the broader public interest. You challenge assumptions and encourage your team to think beyond their immediate workstreams, identifying opportunities to align delivery with cross-government agendas.

Example interview questions

Success Profiles questions want evidence, not opinion. Every answer needs a real situation underneath it.

• Tell me about a time you identified how your work connected to a wider government or organisational priority.
• Give me an example of when you used your understanding of the broader context to improve the quality of a decision or piece of work.
• Describe a situation where you helped colleagues understand how their work contributed to the organisation's strategic objectives.
• Tell me about a time you kept up to date with developments in your policy area and used that knowledge to add value.
• Give me an example of when you considered the wider political or public impact of a piece of work you were involved in.

A STAR example answer

Situation: I was a Policy Adviser in the Department for Education, working on a project to review the funding formula for sixth-form colleges. The project had initially been framed as a technical exercise focused on the funding mechanism itself, but I was aware from briefings and parliamentary debates that ministers were increasingly under pressure to address concerns about 16-19 provision raised by the Levelling Up agenda.

Task: My task was to draft the analytical framework for the review. I wanted to ensure the framework was not only technically sound but also clearly connected to the wider government priority of improving outcomes for young people in disadvantaged areas outside major cities.

Action: I requested a meeting with the departmental lead for Levelling Up to understand the specific geography of concern and the metrics ministers were tracking. I then incorporated a dedicated regional equity analysis into the review framework, alongside the traditional funding model analysis. I also liaised with the Education and Skills Funding Agency to ensure our data sources were aligned with those being used in parallel ministerial briefings. I circulated a revised scope note to the project team explaining the wider context and why the equity lens mattered.

Result: The revised framework was approved by the deputy director, who noted that it would make the review much more useful to ministers. The equity analysis subsequently informed a ministerial speech on Levelling Up and education, and the project was cited in the departmental annual report as an example of policy work that connected technical delivery with strategic priorities.

Tips for a strong answer

Read these, then say your example out loud and time it. Panels notice the moment an answer starts drifting.

• Read the job advert properly. The Seeing the Big Picture level descriptor printed in it tells you exactly which grade-level indicators the panel is scoring.
• Reference your department's published strategy, the Civil Service Reform Plan or a relevant white paper. It proves the awareness rather than claiming it.
• Show that you went looking for the wider context instead of waiting to be told. Curiosity and initiative are prized at every grade.
• Coming from the private sector, translate as you go: "market context" becomes "policy landscape" or "ministerial priorities."

Frequently asked questions

What is the Civil Service Success Profiles framework?

The Civil Service Success Profiles framework is the competency and values framework used by Civil Service departments to assess candidates for roles at all grades. It replaced the old Competency Framework in 2019 and comprises five elements: Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills. Most applications and interviews focus primarily on Behaviours.

How many behaviours are in the Civil Service Success Profiles?

There are nine behaviours in the Civil Service Success Profiles framework: Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Developing Self and Others, Managing a Quality Service, and Delivering at Pace.

What level should I answer at in a Civil Service behaviour interview?

Always answer at the level described in the job advert's behaviours section, which will specify whether EO, HEO, SEO or Grade 7 indicators apply. If no level is specified, answer at the grade level you are applying for. Demonstrating behaviours significantly above or below the target grade can both be problematic.