Checked 1 November 2026. Framework and interview guidance as published on publicjobs.ie, read 1 November 2026. publicjobs says each competition tells candidates in advance whether the Competency Model, the Capability Framework or another method applies, and the booklet and message board for your competition are the authority.
publicjobs now interviews on the Civil Service Capability Framework, designed in 2024, for some roles and on the older 2017 Competency Model for others, and each competition tells candidates in advance which applies. For Administrative Officer (AO) and Higher Executive Officer (HEO) the Capability Framework has four areas: Building Future Readiness, Leading and Empowering, Evidence Informed Delivery, and Communicating and Collaborating. A capability-based interview asks for examples of what you did, and also explores your skills, strengths, knowledge, values, motivation and interests. So prepare examples that cover each capability, and know why you want the work. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of publicjobs or the Public Appointments Service.
This guide sets out the framework from the publicjobs pages, the kinds of question boards ask, four worked questions with STAR answers (one per area), and the preparation pitfalls to avoid. Check your Competition Information Booklet and interview invitation for the model your competition uses before you prepare.
Key facts: the publicjobs interview in 2026
| Fact | Detail | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Civil Service Capability Framework, designed in 2024; some roles still use the 2017 Civil Service Competency Model | publicjobs Interview Advice |
| Which one applies to you | Candidates are told in advance whether the Competency Model, Capability Framework or another method will be used | Interview Advice; Our Recruitment Process |
| AO and HEO areas | Four dimensions, each with two capabilities (eight in total) | Capability Framework, AO and HEO pages |
| What boards explore | Experience, examples and behaviours; skills, strengths and knowledge; values, motivation and interests | Understanding the New Capability Framework |
| Interview formats | Automated Video Interview, Live Video Interview or In-Person Interview | Interview Advice |
| Stages | A preliminary interview, scored area by area, may come before a final interview, where all candidates are assessed on the same areas | Our Recruitment Process |
| After the final stage | Successful candidates at the final stage are usually placed on a panel in order of merit; panels are typically active for about 18 to 24 months, with no guarantee of an offer | Our Recruitment Process |
Read the framework for your own grade: Administrative Officer, Higher Executive Officer or Executive Officer. All three are on the Capability Framework overview.
Competencies vs capabilities: what changed
Competency-based interviews typically seek examples of past behaviour, and publicjobs suggests STAR as a useful structure for them. publicjobs says capability-based interviews "similarly require" evidence of past behaviour, but also explore the candidate's skills, strengths, knowledge, values, motivation and interests. It describes the aim as a two-way dialogue that gives insight into the whole person and assesses capability, suitability and readiness for the role.
| Competency Model (2017) | Capability Framework (2024) | |
|---|---|---|
| Built on | Six competencies for AO and for HEO | Four dimensions, with capabilities and sub-dimensions under each |
| AO areas | Leadership Potential; Analysis & Decision Making; Delivery of Results; Interpersonal & Communication Skills; Specialist Knowledge, Expertise and Self Development; Drive & Commitment to Public Service Values | Building Future Readiness; Leading and Empowering; Evidence Informed Delivery; Communicating and Collaborating |
| What you give | An example of a time you showed the competency | Examples, plus your skills, strengths, knowledge, values, motivation and interests in each area |
| New ground | No digital competency among the six AO names | Digital focus, innovation and upskilling; strategic awareness and change; wellbeing and inclusion |
Check which model your competition uses
- Where the 2017 Competency Model applies, the AO competencies are Leadership Potential; Analysis & Decision Making; Delivery of Results; Interpersonal & Communication Skills; Specialist Knowledge, Expertise and Self Development; and Drive & Commitment to Public Service Values.
- Where the Capability Framework applies, prepare against the four dimensions and the capabilities on your grade's framework page.
- Either way, prepare against the areas and method your competition specifies. Read the Interview Advice page.
The AO and HEO capability framework, area by area
Administrative Officer and Higher Executive Officer use the same four dimensions and the same eight capability names. The behaviours listed under each are written for the grade, so read the page for the grade you are interviewing for. The table summarises the AO page in our words; the publicjobs grade page has the full list of behaviours.
| Area | Capability | What the board looks for |
|---|---|---|
| Building Future Readiness | Digital Focus, Innovation & Upskilling for the Future | Using technology to work better, trying new approaches and learning from mistakes, building your own skills |
| Building Future Readiness | Strategic Awareness & Change | Seeing where your work fits in the strategy, knowing wider policy, supporting and recommending change |
| Leading and Empowering | Leading, Motivating & Developing | Coaching and supporting others, using their strengths, trust, integrity, inclusion and wellbeing |
| Leading and Empowering | Leading with Specialist Insight | Expertise in your field, keeping it current, sharing knowledge, explaining technical terms plainly, working on your own |
| Evidence Informed Delivery | Delivering Excellence | Planning and prioritising, quality and customer service, initiative, resilience under pressure |
| Evidence Informed Delivery | Analysis, Judgement & Decision Making | Research and analysis of data, logical problem solving, balanced and timely decisions, escalating when needed |
| Communicating and Collaborating | Communicating & Influencing | Clear spoken, written and digital communication, listening to different views, tactful influencing and negotiation |
| Communicating and Collaborating | Engaging & Collaborating | Networks and stakeholder consultation, teamwork across areas, keeping people informed, including in hybrid work |
The Executive Officer framework has different capability names, including "Managing Information, Problems & Decisions" and "Leading, Supporting & Developing". If you are sitting an EO and a graduate-grade competition in the same year, prepare against each grade's own page.
Three strands of question to prepare for
publicjobs groups capability-based questions into three strands. The first is the familiar "give an example" question. The second and third need preparation beyond a STAR story. The publicjobs examples below are quoted from its Interview Advice page.
| Strand | What it tests | publicjobs example | How to answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience, examples and behaviours | What you actually did, in detail | Give your best example of utilising technology/digital solutions to address challenges? | STAR, with "I" not "we", and a result you can measure or describe |
| Skills, strengths and knowledge | What you bring and how you build it | What key skills do you hold to assist you in managing change/reform? | Name the skill, give a short proof, say how you keep developing it |
| Values, motivation and interests | Why you work the way you do, and why this job | What motivates you to deliver excellence? | An honest reason, tied to public service and to a moment in your example |
A board may probe your example and explore your skills, strengths, knowledge, values, motivation or interests: "What did that teach you?", "What strength did you rely on?", "Why does that matter in the public service?". Each worked example below includes a possible follow-up to practise for that reason.
How to build a STAR answer that survives probing
publicjobs recommends the STAR model for competency-based answers, and capability interviews still ask for evidence of past behaviour, so STAR remains the backbone of the example part. Its own guidance for each step:
STAR, as publicjobs describes it
- Situation: one or two sentences on where you worked or studied, your role, and the background.
- Task: the problem or challenge you faced and the goal you were working towards.
- Action: what you did, in detail: the steps, the challenges, the skills you used.
- Result: how it turned out, how you knew it went well, and what you learned, related back to the job.
Our rule of thumb: keep Situation and Task short and spend most of the answer on Action. The Action is where the board finds the evidence it scores.
Then add the capability layer. For every example, write one line on the strength it shows, one on the skill you are still building, and one on why the outcome mattered to the people served. These prompts broaden your preparation. Also think about the knowledge and interests you bring, and be ready for questions beyond your prepared example.
Four worked questions with model STAR answers
One question per capability area, with illustrative answers mapped to the AO and HEO capabilities. They show four of the eight capabilities, not all of them. The stories suit a candidate at AO entry level; HEO candidates should match their examples to the HEO behaviours, which put more weight on supporting team performance, allocating work and managing resources. The questions are our own, in the style publicjobs describes. They are not from any publicjobs competition, and none of them is in our paid interview pack.
1. Building Future Readiness
Worked example 1 · Building Future Readiness · Strategic Awareness & Change
“Tell us about a time you realised a change planned in your own area would affect people outside it. What did you do?”
Situation. In my final year at university I worked 15 hours a week on the front desk of the university library. To save staff hours, the library planned to close at 6pm on Fridays instead of 10pm from the next term.
Task. The decision was the library manager's, not mine, but working the Friday evening shift I could see that many of the students there were part-time and mature students who came straight from work. I wanted the manager to see who the change would affect before it was final.
Action. I asked my supervisor whether I could look into it, and she agreed. I took the hourly gate counts the library already collected for the last two terms and showed that Friday evenings were busier than Sunday mornings, which had the lowest use of the week. I put a short anonymous card on the desk for two Friday evenings, asking only whether people studied part-time and whether they could come at another time. I then wrote a one-page note for the manager: what the change would save, who it would affect, and an alternative that saved the same staff hours by opening two hours later on Sundays and staffing Friday evenings with one person instead of two, with the self-service machines for loans.
Result. The manager kept Friday evenings open with one member of staff and moved the Sunday opening back two hours, which met the savings target. Most of the card replies came from part-time students who said they could not come at another time. I learned to ask who a decision reaches beyond the people making it, and to bring the person deciding an option, not just an objection.
Possible follow-up to practise: “How do you keep up with developments beyond your own work?”
I follow the news and policy updates that touch my area, and I ask the people I work alongside what is changing for them. At the library, the Friday regulars told me more about who used the building than the figures did. In an AO role I would read my Department's strategy statement early, so I know where my work fits.
Why it works: It shows Contextual Awareness (considering who a change affects) and Facilitating Change (a recommendation based on analysis), the parts of this capability on the AO page, without overstepping: the decision stayed with the manager.
An original example answer written for this guide, not a publicjobs question or a real candidate's answer. Build yours from your own experience and be ready to explain and back it up under probing.
2. Leading and Empowering
Worked example 2 · Leading and Empowering · Leading, Motivating & Developing
“Give an example of helping a colleague improve at something when you were not their manager.”
Situation. In my first job after college I was a customer support agent in a utility company. When I had been there about nine months, a new colleague joined the team and was struggling with billing disputes, the calls most likely to be escalated.
Task. I had no responsibility for training him, but I had already handled most types of dispute, our team leader was stretched, and the team dashboard showed his escalation rate on dispute calls well above the team average. I wanted to help without undermining him or the team leader.
Action. I asked him first whether he wanted a hand, and asked the team leader to agree that I could act as his buddy in my quiet hour and that we could listen in on each other's calls through the team's call-review tool. We sat in on two of each other's calls and I noticed he was explaining the whole bill before finding out what the customer actually disputed. I shared the three questions I used to open a dispute call and a one-page note I had made of the common tariff errors. I suggested he try one change at a time, and we checked in for ten minutes at the end of each week. When he handled a hard call well, I told the team leader so that he got the credit.
Result. Within a month his escalation rate on dispute calls was in line with the team's, and he later added two errors of his own to the note, which became part of the team's induction pack. I learned that asking first and letting someone own the improvement works better than fixing it for them.
Possible follow-up to practise: “What does an inclusive team look like to you?”
One where a new or quieter person can ask a question without it counting against them. In that example the main thing I did was make it normal to ask. In a team I would keep doing that: share notes openly, give credit by name, and check in with people working remotely as much as with those in the office.
Why it works: Candidates without management experience can still demonstrate leadership. This answer shows coaching, trust and giving credit without a title, which is what the capability describes, and the follow-up covers its inclusion and wellbeing side.
An original example answer written for this guide, not a publicjobs question or a real candidate's answer. Build yours from your own experience and be ready to explain and back it up under probing.
FreeTests: Verbal reasoning · Numerical reasoning · Evidence Informed Delivery
Graduate Grades Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 5 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Some competitions include online assessments before interview, and in large competitions performance at earlier stages, such as online assessments or shortlisting, typically decides which batch you are invited to interview in. Try four original practice questions from our core kit above.
3. Evidence Informed Delivery
Worked example 3 · Evidence Informed Delivery · Analysis, Judgement & Decision Making
“Describe a decision you made when the information you had was incomplete or pointed in different directions.”
Situation. For my master's placement I worked with a county sports partnership that was deciding which of two after-school programmes to fund for another year from a budget that could cover only one.
Task. My supervisor asked me to recommend one within three weeks. The attendance figures favoured programme A, but the feedback forms favoured programme B, and half the schools had not returned their forms.
Action. I first checked how the figures were counted. Programme A reported total attendances, so a child at ten sessions counted ten times, while programme B reported the number of different children. Both kept registers, so I used them to work out, for the same term, the number of different children each programme reached and its total attendances, and set both against each programme's cost for the term. For the missing feedback, I phoned four of the non-returning schools, chosen to cover both urban and rural areas, rather than assume they matched the others. I set out the two options in a two-page note: what the evidence showed, what it could not show, and the risk in each choice.
Result. On the same measures, programme B reached more different children for its cost, while programme A had higher repeat attendance from a smaller group. As the funding aim was to reach as many different children as possible within the budget, I recommended B and flagged that the feedback sample was small. The partnership funded B and asked for a common register format next year, which I drafted before I left. I learned to check that figures measure the same thing before comparing them, and to state the limits of my evidence plainly.
Possible follow-up to practise: “Why is an evidence-informed approach valuable?”
Because the money and the consequences belong to the public. A decision built on evidence can be explained and checked, and if it turns out wrong, the reasoning shows where to correct it. That matters more to me than being proved right.
Why it works: It gives evidence for Research & Analysis, Problem Solving, and Informed Judgement & Decision Making, the parts of this capability on the AO page. The follow-up is one of publicjobs' own example questions, from its values, motivation and interests strand.
An original example answer written for this guide, not a publicjobs question or a real candidate's answer. Build yours from your own experience and be ready to explain and back it up under probing.
4. Communicating and Collaborating
Worked example 4 · Communicating and Collaborating · Communicating & Influencing
“Tell us about a time you had to help people who wanted different things reach an agreement.”
Situation. I was the volunteer secretary of a residents' association of about 200 households. The council offered the association a small grant to improve the green in the middle of the estate.
Task. Families with young children wanted play equipment; several older residents whose houses faced the green wanted a quiet seating area and were worried about noise. Both groups had written to the committee, and the application was due in six weeks.
Action. I met each group separately and asked what mattered most to them rather than what they wanted built. The families' priority was somewhere safe, close to home; the older residents' was noise near their windows in the evenings. I checked the grant conditions with the council officer and drew a simple plan of the green with both groups' points marked. Then I brought two people from each side together and proposed a split: seating near the houses, play equipment at the far end by the road, and a planted border between them. When one resident objected to any equipment at all, I did not argue at the meeting; I walked the green with him afterwards to show the distances.
Result. The joint plan went in on time with signatures from both groups, and the council approved it. Nobody got everything, but both groups backed it, and the man who objected later joined the planting day. I learned that agreement comes from finding what each side needs most, and that hard conversations go better in private and in person.
Possible follow-up to practise: “What strength helps you influence people?”
Listening for what someone needs, not only what they ask for. I build it by asking a follow-up question before I put my own view. In the role I would use it with colleagues in other units and with members of the public, where the first request is often not what the person most needs.
Why it works: It covers the Influencing & Negotiation Skills part of the capability: tactful persuasion, compromise and respectful handling of conflict, plus a result the board can check. It also uses community work, which publicjobs invites candidates to draw on when work experience is limited.
An original example answer written for this guide, not a publicjobs question or a real candidate's answer. Build yours from your own experience and be ready to explain and back it up under probing.
Preparation pitfalls at a publicjobs interview
The publicjobs guidance we read gives no marks or weightings for each area, so check your competition's candidate information. These are gaps between an answer and what the publicjobs guidance asks for:
| Mistake | Why it can weaken your answer | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing against a different model from the one specified | Your examples may not line up with the areas your competition assesses | Map each example to the areas named for your competition, such as the capabilities on your grade's framework page |
| "We did..." all the way through | publicjobs says the panel wants to hear about YOUR experience and skills | Say what you did yourself; name the team only for context |
| A long Situation, a thin Action | The evidence is in the steps you took | Keep Situation and Task short; spend most of the answer on Action |
| No result, or "it went well" | publicjobs asks how you knew it went well and how you measured it | Give a number, a decision taken, or feedback received |
| Only STAR stories prepared | Capability interviews also ask about strengths, values, motivation and interests | Prepare the three extra lines per example: strength, skill gap, why it matters |
| Saying "I have no experience of that" | publicjobs invites transferable skills and how you would approach the area | Use study, volunteering or part-time work, and describe your approach |
| One example stretched across every area | Each assessed area needs its own evidence | Prepare a range of examples that together cover the capabilities; one example can support several if you can explain the evidence for each |
| Ignoring the job and the booklet | publicjobs tells candidates to prepare answers relevant to the job description | Read the Competition Information Booklet and the role description again the week before |
Your example bank: one example per capability
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AO / HEO capability example bank
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Video, live or in person: what changes
| Format | How it works (publicjobs) | What to adjust |
|---|---|---|
| Automated Video Interview | Questions appear on screen; you record your answers; board members review them later. Sample questions let you practise speaking to the screen first. | Answer without a panel to react; keep to time; look at the camera |
| Live Video Interview | A live call with the board after a waiting room; like a face-to-face interview | Test your device early; quiet room; tell the board straight away if the sound fails |
| In-Person Interview | A panel interview at the venue; bring the identification and documents your interview instructions specify | Plan the journey; arrive early; the same preparation applies |
publicjobs says the board in a video interview is only interested in what you say and your suitability, not how comfortable you are on camera. A preliminary interview may be automated, live or in person; a final interview is live video or in person. Details of your interview, including the areas assessed, come to your publicjobs message board beforehand. See Our Recruitment Process.
Frequently asked questions
What questions are asked at a publicjobs interview?
Questions on the capabilities or competencies set for the role. Under the Capability Framework they fall into three strands: experience, examples and behaviours; skills, strengths and knowledge; and values, motivation and interests. Your Competition Information Booklet and the interview invitation say which areas are assessed.
Are publicjobs interviews still competency based?
Some are. publicjobs says some roles use the Civil Service Competency Model and others the Capability Framework designed in 2024, and candidates are told in advance which applies.
What are the four capability areas for AO and HEO?
Building Future Readiness, Leading and Empowering, Evidence Informed Delivery, and Communicating and Collaborating, with two capabilities under each.
Should I still use the STAR method?
Yes, for the example questions. publicjobs recommends STAR for competency-based answers, and capability interviews also ask for evidence of past behaviour. Add your strengths, skills and motivation, because capability interviews ask about those too.
How are publicjobs interviews scored?
For a preliminary interview, publicjobs says candidates are scored on their capability or competence in each area and those meeting the standard are ranked in order of merit. At the final interview, all candidates are assessed on the same areas. The guidance we read gives no marks or weightings for each area; check the candidate information for your competition.
What if I have no work experience for an area?
publicjobs suggests reflecting on transferable skills and how you would demonstrate capability in that area if placed in the role. Study, volunteering, clubs and part-time work all count as evidence.
What happens after a successful interview?
Successful candidates at the final stage are usually placed on a panel in order of merit. publicjobs says panels are typically active for about 18 to 24 months, being on a panel does not guarantee an offer, and clearance checks come before any assignment.
Where can I find the capability framework for my grade?
On the publicjobs Capability Framework page, which links the frameworks for Clerical Officer, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, Higher Executive Officer, Assistant Principal Officer and Principal Officer. The AO and HEO pages each offer a PDF and an accessible plain-text version.
Practise the whole interview
Graduate Grades Complete: tests + interview pack
- An interview pack built on the capability framework: questions across all four areas, STAR frames and model answers (none of them repeat the four on this page)
- The full online-test practice for AO, HEO and Third Secretary
- Third Secretary written-exercise practice and AO/HEO application-form examples
See what is in the complete kit →
Independent practice, not affiliated with publicjobs or the Public Appointments Service.
Sources
- official — publicjobs: Interview Advice (types of interview, competency-based vs capability-based interviews, STAR, example questions)
- official — publicjobs: Interview Advice: Understanding the New Capability Framework
- official — publicjobs: The Capability Framework Overview (frameworks by grade)
- official — publicjobs: Capability Framework, Administrative Officer (page and PDF)
- official — publicjobs: Capability Framework, Higher Executive Officer (page and PDF)
- official — publicjobs: Capability Framework, Executive Officer
- official — publicjobs: Our Recruitment Process (interview stages, boards, order of merit, panels)
- official — publicjobs: Civil Service Competency Models 2017 (the older model some competitions still use)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
