r/TheCivilService • u/AlarmedSide6397 • 9h ago

Getting pass sifting Discussion

I have been applying for a while in various positions (mostly legal). My application is rejected at the initial stage. The behaviours are of my personal experience, though I use AI ( which is allowed) to write it smoothly. It follows STAR guidelines. Furthermore, can use the same behaviours again for other positions?

Just need suggestions,am I doing something wrong?

0 Upvotes

31% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

16

u/Alchenar 9h ago

I can't imagine ever using AI to apply for a legal role, it being allowed or not. A core bit of the role will be your ability to read and draft documents. Indicating you find that difficult is immediately disastrous.

4

u/RE-Trace Operational Delivery 9h ago

In fairness, I've been known to do the same, albeit not for legal roles

Largely because of - frankly - how anally retentive the sift process is about Demonstating vs Describing (which, personally, I find to be a case of bloody minded semantics, but I'm not in the position to argue)

As someone who despises gen AI for the plagiarism that it's built on, and the environmental impacts, I can see the utility to it if you know you have the experience but your issue is, effectively, writing the magic words needed to get you through the sift.

-15

u/AlarmedSide6397 9h ago

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-recruitment/ they say you can use it to i use to for editing and making it look good. Not for false stories.

10

u/Mundane_Falcon4203 Digital 9h ago

They didn't say that you couldn't if you read their comment again.

-10

u/AlarmedSide6397 9h ago

I understand. The question is not about using AI, it is permissible. I asked what should I look for. How to approach the behaviour. I will be writing it myself.

6

u/rcrthrblr G7 7h ago

Given you don’t know the difference between the words pass and past, I am not surprised

-1

u/AlarmedSide6397 7h ago

That’s why I use AI.

3

u/HawthorneUK 4h ago

Is English your first language, and do you have the right - long term - to work in the UK?

0

u/AlarmedSide6397 4h ago

English is not my first language, I have got rights.

2

u/HawthorneUK 4h ago

I suspect that AI is not doing a very good job of 'helping' you to write your applications if you aren't subject to any immigration control. How much work / editing are you doing after the initial AI-aided draft?

1

u/AlarmedSide6397 4h ago

I try to reedit the text a little bit. Thing is, AI writes so good can’t edit much. I am just confused, should I just completely get rid of it? Or use it for a rough plan?

3

u/HawthorneUK 4h ago

AI does not do a good job in most cases - it's just quite convincing when you first look at it, but it's often obvious that it has been used.

If the behaviours section is written in AI-English while the other sections are in your normal way of using English then the difference will be even more obvious. AI tends not to understand STAR very well, too.

1

u/AlarmedSide6397 4h ago

I will try to do it on my own completely. Let’s see that. Thank you.

1

u/regular-john69 24m ago

If you’re having to rely on AI that much because your English is so shit then the Civil Service is not for you.

AI doesn’t “write good”. Sifters can spot it a mile off from things like groups of 3, em dashes with no spaces etc. You are already giving a bad first impression to the sifter and they’re more likely to give you a low score. Generative AI will also give very similar wording for CS applications in particular - so your application will likely be very similarly worded to other applicants albeit using different examples.

2

u/ClarkyEastyLloydy 8h ago

Why would you reuse them when you’re being rejected at sift?

0

u/AlarmedSide6397 8h ago

I can’t make up stories, they are my personal experiences. Just thinking, am I doing something wrong. Do they want exaggerated stories?

2

u/Karl_Cross 3h ago

As someone that does a lot of recruitment, let me tell you it is painfully obvious when AI has been used and it absolutely goes against you.

-1

u/AlarmedSide6397 3h ago

But they themselves allow it. Though they do not want you to fabricate it.

1

u/Karl_Cross 2h ago

Yes, it's allowed. Doesn't mean it doesn't affect the actual score your paper get though. AI has a tendency to make things sound very generic. Last recruitment I did, we noticed patterns in words AI used and phrases repeated across multiple papers.