Complaints procedure

We want to help you resolve your recruitment complaint as quickly as possible.

The Government Recruitment Service will always try to get things right the first time. Our aim is to provide a professional and efficient recruitment service to all our customers.

We recognise that occasionally things go wrong and you may not be happy with our service. If so, let us know and we will do all we can to put it right.

The complaints process can be summarised in the following steps:

  1. You identify an issue with the service you received during recruitment.
  2. You contact the vacancy holder whose details are listed on the job advert.
  3. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can email your complaint to the Government Recruitment Service Correspondence Team.
  4. The Correspondence Team will look into your complaint and action it within 10 working days.

General questions about a job advertised on Civil Service Jobs should be directed through the ‘contact points for applicants’ listed at the bottom of the job advert.

How to make a complaint

Often potential complaints can be settled by contacting the vacancy holder listed in the ‘contact points for applicants’ at the bottom of the job description. This is likely to be the fastest way for us to support you.

If you are still having trouble with Government Recruitment Service then you can register a complaint using the following email address: [email protected]

Please note, this service will deal with complaints relating to Civil Service recruitment only. Complaints not relating to recruitment will not be resolved through this service. If you have a question about a government service or policy, check the help pages or contact the government department directly.

For recruitment complaints please include:

  • the vacancy reference number and your applicant ID
  • details of the vacancy holder you have contacted and the name of the recruiting department
  • your contact details and a clear description of the recruitment issue

We cannot consider complaints solely based on scores awarded at either sift or interview.

What happens next?

We will acknowledge your complaint immediately and provide a response within 10 working days. If there is likely to be a delay we will email you to explain why.

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