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Field notes on UK job applications

Civil Service, NHS and private sector applications, explained plainly.

Application Craft· Featured

A claim is not a story

The difference between a story that passes sift and one that does not is almost always the same thing: a scene with real decisions, real stakes, and a measurable result.

· 4 min read
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Latest

17 posts
Civil Service

What the Civil Service actually looks at when they sift your statement

Sift is scored on a seven-point scale, per criterion, gated not averaged. What a 4 needs, the two filters that bin applications, and the thirty-second test.

· 5 min read
NHS Applications

NHS Band 7 supporting information: the five things assessors score on

Band 7 is where the grade changes what is assessed. The five things assessors score in your supporting information, and the two filters at the end.

· 5 min read
Application Craft

Why your CV is failing the ATS

The ATS is a keyword parser with a relevance score, not a black box. What it does with your CV, and the three changes that get you above the cut.

· 5 min read
Application Craft

STAR, CAR, SAR

STAR, CAR and SAR describe the same four-part move. Which two parts actually score, and the fifth element none of the acronyms asks for.

· 5 min read
Career Strategy

The graduate scheme application timeline you should actually be on

Graduate schemes open in August, not January. By the time the careers emails arrive, most cohorts are over half full. The timeline that works.

· 5 min read
Career Strategy

Career switchers, new arrivals, and carers: the translation gap is real

Your experience is not the problem. The gap between what you have done and what an application captures — that is where we operate.

· 4 min read
Interview Prep

What to do in the 48 hours before a competency-based interview

This is the preparation protocol we use with every client. It is not about memorising — it is about owning your material.

· 3 min read
Civil Service

The 7 Civil Service behaviours, one paragraph each

The seven most commonly assessed Civil Service behaviours in plain language, with what the assessor is scoring against for each.

· 5 min read
Application Craft

The CV problem that no one talks about: it is a positioning document, not a record

Most CVs describe a career. The ones that get interviews make an argument. Understanding this distinction changes everything about how you write yours.

· 3 min read

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