Recruitment Standards

Every appointment to the civil service of the Velocity Interoperability Network is made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Civil Service Commission of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes the principles below, and the departments and services of the Network are required to observe them in every competition they run.

The principles apply to all seven grades of the service and to appointments of every length, including temporary appointments and secondments. They apply to the department making the appointment, not to the candidate: a candidate is not required to do anything beyond answering the questions asked of them honestly and providing the evidence sought.

The seven principles. The Commission judges every competition, and every complaint about a competition, against these principles.

Selection on merit

An appointment is made to the candidate who, on the evidence gathered, best meets the published requirements of the post. Merit is judged against those requirements alone, and not against the panel's impression of a candidate's background, connections or manner.

Fair and open competition

Vacancies are advertised where those eligible to apply can reasonably be expected to see them, and are open for at least ten working days. A post may be filled without open competition only under one of the exceptions published below.

Published requirements

Before a vacancy is advertised the department records the duties of the post, the grade to which it is assigned and the requirements against which candidates will be assessed. Requirements that are not necessary for the post are not applied, and requirements are not altered once applications have opened.

Consistent assessment

Every candidate at the same stage of a competition is asked for the same evidence, assessed against the same requirements and marked to the same scheme. Where an interview is held, the panel puts the same questions to each candidate and may ask follow-up questions to draw out the evidence.

Proportionality

The assessment is proportionate to the responsibility of the post. A competition at Grade 1 or 2 will not ordinarily require more than an application and a single interview; a competition at Grade 6 or 7 may include a written exercise, a presentation and a panel interview.

Equal treatment and adjustment

Candidates are treated equally and no candidate is advantaged or disadvantaged by a matter unrelated to the requirements of the post. Where a candidate needs an adjustment to be assessed fairly, the department makes it, and the adjustment is not recorded against the candidate's assessment.

Record and review

The panel records its marks, its reasons and the decision it reached, and the department keeps the record for two years. The record is produced to the Commission on request, whether for audit or for the investigation of a complaint.

Running a competition. The stages below apply to competitions at every grade. A department that departs from them must record the reason on the file and report the departure in its quarterly return to the Commission.

1. 1

   Step 1: Define the post

   Record the duties of the post, assign it to a grade under the grade structure and settle the requirements against which candidates will be assessed. A post that does not correspond to a grade may not be advertised until the Commission has assigned one.

2. 2

   Step 2: Assemble the panel

   Appoint a panel of at least three members, one of whom is drawn from outside the branch making the appointment. The composition required at each grade is set out on the Civil Service Grades page. A panel member who knows a candidate personally withdraws and is replaced.

3. 3

   Step 3: Advertise the vacancy

   Publish the vacancy, the requirements, the grade and the closing date. The vacancy remains open for at least ten working days, and for at least fifteen working days at Grade 5 and above.

4. 4

   Step 4: Sift the applications

   Assess every application against the published requirements. At least two panel members sift each application, and any disagreement is resolved by the chair. Candidates who do not meet a requirement are recorded as not meeting it, with the reason.

5. 5

   Step 5: Assess the shortlisted candidates

   Hold the assessment stages set out in the advertisement. Marks are recorded for each candidate against each requirement at the time of assessment, not reconstructed afterwards.

6. 6

   Step 6: Decide on merit

   The panel appoints the candidate who best meets the requirements. Where no candidate meets them, the panel makes no appointment and the department may run the competition again; the post is not filled by lowering the requirements after the event.

7. 7

   Step 7: Record the decision

   The chair signs the panel's record, which states the marks awarded, the reasons for the decision and any adjustment made. The record is kept for two years and produced to the Commission on request.

8. 8

   Step 8: Appoint and confirm

   Write to the successful candidate with the grade, the duties and the length of probation, and to unsuccessful candidates with the outcome. A candidate who asks for feedback is given it within ten working days.

The timetable. The periods below are the minimum a department must allow and the maximum it may take. Where a period cannot be met, the department writes to the candidates affected and explains why.

Exceptions to open competition. A post may be filled without open competition only in one of the cases below. An exception is not a lower standard of selection: the department must still record the requirements of the post, satisfy itself that the official meets them and keep the record for two years. Exceptions approved by a department are reported to the Commission in the quarterly return; the remainder require the Commission's approval before the appointment is made.

Audit. From October 2026 the Commission will audit a sample of competitions at every grade, drawn from the quarterly returns. A department whose competition is selected produces the panel record, the advertisement and the marks within ten working days. Where an audit finds that a competition was not run under the principles, the Commission may require the department to run it again, and reports the finding, without naming the candidates, in its statistical release.

For the grades to which posts are assigned and the panels required at each, see Civil Service Grades; for the standards required of officials once in post, see Conduct and Codes. A candidate who believes a competition was not run under these principles may complain; the procedure is set out on the Complaints and Appeals page. Questions about the principles may be sent to contact@civil-service.gov.vin.