Thinking of applying for a job at Ordnance Survey?

By making your CV easy to read, you're demonstrating a valuable transferable skill from the outset: the ability to present information in a coherent, appealing manner. Think about structuring your CV in the following way:

• A brief summary of where you are now and where you want to go
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Clear headings for the standard parts of the CV
• Good use of bullet points
• Use a sensible easy to read font and size

The standard length for a CV is two to three pages. You'll want to try and get the right level of information across but finding a balance is key. Try to condense your experience, career history, skills, and talents in the most effective way. Think about the requirements of the role you're applying for and adapt your CV to highlight these points in relation to your own experience.

What are you most proud of? What do you think we’ll be most excited to hear about? Include numbers or percentages against your achievements to really showcase your abilities. Remember your CV is an opportunity to sell yourself and if you have achievements in your career or education that will help secure you an interview, then we’d love to hear about it.

While this may mean your CV may differ for every application and be time consuming for you, the smallest tweaks can make the biggest difference. It'll help demonstrate the skills and experience you possess specific to the role you’re applying for. Think about what is relevant.

Online interviews are becoming more frequent and can often be challenging even for the most seasoned interviewers. Try and treat online interviews the same as if you were coming to the office, with some additional considerations to make:

Check your connection

As with any interview, preparation is key. You’ll want to make sure your internet connection is working ok in advance of the interview. Try testing your connection beforehand to be sure.

Dress to impress

Your outfit should match what you would normally wear for a face-to-face interview. Smart casual is often fine but wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident.

Check your surroundings

Particularly if you’re interviewing while at home, ensure you can find a quiet space with no distractions to help best set you up to succeed.

Build rapport

Building a relationship virtually can be a challenge but demonstrating enthusiasm and a desire for the role, alongside ensuring you start to get to know the interviewers, as well as them getting to know you, is important.

Be yourself

Try and show off who you really are. This will help you feel more comfortable and ensure there is a mutual fit which are what interviews are all about.

Ask questions

Interviews are as much for you as the candidate, as they are for the interviewers. No question is a stupid question, and we want you to come away feeling like you’ve got all the information you need as well. Think about asking questions in relation to the role, the business, the team and the direction of travel.

You should approach interviews in person much like online interviews. These are usually competency-based interviews, using questions which aim to find out how you have used specific skills in your previous experience and how you approach problems, tasks and challenges. Also called behavioural or situational questions, they are often used in first interviews.

These interviews are based on the idea that past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour. They are particularly useful for employers looking for talent, where prior skills and knowledge may be less important than having the right aptitude.

Preparation is key and we recommend you follow the guidance above to help with your chances of success at Ordnance Survey.

If you require reasonable adjustments for your interview, please let us know as part of your application or by contacting our careers resourcing team.