Guestpost by Adam Dady
We’re lucky that when positions arise in the Embassy, we get lots of applications from talented people (to join the many who already work here). Since I joined the Political Team two years ago, I’ve interviewed for jobs across the Embassy on average every two months. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned and what qualities the Embassy looks for when recruiting.
We regularly receive up to 50 applications for each position, making competition tough. We always ask for a CV and covering letter when deciding who to interview. The best CVs I’ve seen have had a simple and clear format that divides work and academic experiences. They tend to be a maximum of two pages and include a very short idea of what responsibilities the person had at each organisation.
For the letter, my biggest tip would be to concentrate on achievements, as opposed to just experience. What did you achieve or change? Try and relate your experience to what your role would be in the Embassy. We tend to be honest about what qualities we need (e.g. good communication skills if chatting to lots of embassy contacts), so try and show how you’d apply those skills to the job.
At interviews, we tend to ask ‘competency based questions’. So if we’ve said the job requires good communication skills, there’s a good chance we’ll ask about examples of when you’ve communicated well in the past. We love questions about ‘how’ you did something. I’ve seen many candidates answer these by being modest and talking about their team, but we want to know how you contributed.
Each job in the Embassy requires different experience, but there are some common qualities we look for. We really value a commitment to learning (and we provide lots of development opportunities). Most jobs involve working with different people and teams, so good communication and people skills are important. And the British Foreign Office really values ‘outcomes’ – i.e. making things happen. The Embassy can be a busy place to work, but it’s also very interesting and fun. If you’re thinking of applying for a job here, I’d highly recommend it.