How to Answer a Person Specification in an Application Form

If you are wondering how to answer person specification in application form questions, the most reliable approach is also the least glamorous. Take each criterion in turn and give one clear, honest piece of evidence for it. Councils, charities, housing associations, schools and the NHS usually shortlist by checking your form against the person specification, line by line. This guide gives you a method you can use today, plus example wording and a final checklist.

What a person specification actually is

A person specification lists the skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications the employer needs. It is usually published alongside the job description. Criteria are normally split into essential, which you must show to be shortlisted, and desirable, which help separate strong applicants.

Many specifications also say how each criterion will be assessed. Look for columns or codes such as:

• A: Application form
• I: Interview
• T: Test or exercise
• C or D: Certificate or documents

Criteria marked A are the ones your written answer must cover. Criteria marked only I or T may still be worth a brief mention, but focus your words where the shortlisting panel will look.

Why the criterion-by-criterion method works

Shortlisting panels in the public and voluntary sectors often use a scoring grid. Each panel member reads your form and marks whether you have met each criterion. Some score each one on a scale. The exact process varies by employer, and many explain theirs in the applicant guidance notes, so read those first.

If your evidence for a criterion is buried in a long narrative, a busy reader may miss it. If you label each criterion and answer it directly, you make it easy for them to tick the box, assuming the evidence is genuinely there.

How to answer person specification in application form sections: the method

Step 1: Turn the specification into a table

Before writing anything, copy every criterion into a simple table. Add two columns: your evidence, and a strength rating.

Criterion	Essential or desirable	Assessed by	My evidence	Strength (1-3)
Experience of managing a caseload	Essential	A, I	Supported 25 tenants at X Housing, 2022-24	3
Knowledge of safeguarding procedures	Essential	A, I	Level 2 training, raised two concerns correctly	2
Full driving licence	Desirable	C	Yes	3

A rating of 1 means weak or indirect evidence; 3 means a clear, recent example. This table shows you where to spend your words and where you have honest gaps.

Step 2: Find real evidence for each criterion

Evidence can come from paid work, volunteering, caring responsibilities, study, community roles or running a side business. Charities and councils generally accept transferable experience if you explain how it applies.

What matters is that the example is true and that you can talk about it at interview. If you have no genuine evidence for an essential criterion, do not invent it. Say what you have that is closest, and how you would build the rest. Our guide on how to tailor a CV without lying explains the difference between fair reframing and fabrication.

Step 3: Use the criterion as a heading

Unless the guidance says otherwise, use each criterion, or a short version of it, as a bold heading or a numbered point. For example:

1. Experience of managing a caseload (essential)

Then answer underneath. Keep the order of the person specification so the panel can follow along with their scoring sheet.

Step 4: Write each answer with a simple structure

A compact version of STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) works well in writing:

1. Claim: one sentence saying you meet the criterion.
2. Example: a specific situation, briefly.
3. Action: what you did, in the first person.
4. Result: what changed, ideally something observable.
5. Link (optional): how this applies to the new role.

Aim for roughly 80 to 200 words per essential criterion, depending on the word limit and how many criteria there are. Desirable criteria can often be shorter.

Step 5: Budget your word count

If the form gives a limit, say 1,500 words, and you have ten essential and four desirable criteria, allocate before you write. For example: around 120 words for each essential criterion, about 50 for each desirable one, and a short opening and closing. Give your strongest, most relevant examples a little more space.

Example answers

Here are two examples you can adapt. The details are illustrative; swap in your own real experience.

Essential: Ability to communicate clearly with a wide range of people

I communicate regularly with residents, colleagues and external partners in my current role as a customer services adviser for a district council. Last year I handled enquiries about council tax arrears, many from residents who were anxious or upset. I explained repayment options in plain language, followed up in writing, and adapted my approach for residents who preferred phone or face-to-face contact. I also presented a summary of common complaints to my team manager, which led to clearer wording in our standard letters. I would bring the same approach to working with service users and partner agencies in this role.

Desirable: Experience of using a CRM database

I have used Salesforce daily for two years to log donor contacts and Gift Aid declarations as a volunteer at a local hospice charity, including running simple reports for the fundraising team.

Notice that neither example claims more than it shows. Specific, modest and checkable is better than vague and impressive.

Councils, charities, NHS and civil service: what differs

The method above works across sectors, but each has its own habits.

• Councils: Often use their own online forms with a single large box for the supporting statement. Headings still help. Some ask you to address only criteria marked A. Check whether the role is politically restricted or needs a DBS check, as the guidance will say.
• Charities: Forms vary widely. Smaller charities may ask for a CV and cover letter that addresses the person specification instead of a form. Mention why their cause matters to you, briefly and sincerely, but keep most of your words on evidence.
• NHS: Applications through NHS Jobs include a supporting information section. Our guide on how to write a supporting statement for NHS and council roles goes into more detail.
• Civil Service: Uses the Success Profiles framework, which assesses behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical skills. Behaviour statements often have strict word limits, so the criterion-by-criterion discipline is especially useful.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing one long story and hoping the panel spots the evidence.
• Copying the job description back without examples: "I have excellent communication skills" is a claim, not evidence.
• Using "we" throughout, which hides your personal contribution.
• Skipping essential criteria you think are obvious. If it is not written down, the panel may not be able to score it.
• Pasting the same statement into every application, so it addresses the wrong criteria.
• Ignoring gaps in your history. If you have a career break, a short, honest explanation elsewhere on the form is usually better than silence. See how to explain a gap in your CV (UK).
• Exaggerating to tick a box. Panels often probe these points at interview, and some employers verify claims during pre-employment checks.

If you are applying from outside the UK

Person specifications are a particularly British format, but similar ideas exist elsewhere:

• Australia: Public sector roles often use selection criteria or key selection criteria, and some ask for a short pitch instead. The same evidence-based approach applies.
• Canada: Federal public service postings list essential qualifications and asset qualifications, often in a statement of merit criteria, and screening questions may ask you to give examples for each.
• US: Federal applications on USAJOBS typically rely on a resume plus an assessment questionnaire. Your resume needs to show evidence for the qualifications listed in the announcement.
• Nigeria: Most private employers use a CV and cover letter, but NGOs, international development organisations and some multinationals use competency-based forms that work much like UK person specifications.

If you are applying to UK roles from abroad, also check whether you have the right to work in the UK. Many forms ask directly. Visa rules change, so use official sources such as GOV.UK's right to work guidance and do not treat this post as legal or immigration advice.

Before you submit: checklist

• Every essential criterion marked A has a heading and at least one example.
• Desirable criteria you genuinely meet are covered, even briefly.
• Each example says what you did and what happened as a result.
• Every claim is true and you can expand on it at interview.
• The answers follow the order of the person specification.
• You are within the word or character limit (check how the online form counts spaces).
• Spelling and grammar are checked, ideally by reading aloud.
• Your employment history dates match what you say in the statement.
• You have saved a copy, because many portals close the advert after the deadline.

Once you are shortlisted, your table from Step 1 becomes your interview preparation sheet: criteria marked I will often turn into questions. You can practise turning those examples into spoken STAR answers with our interview preparation tool. Strong evidence does not guarantee an interview, but clear, honest answers give the panel the best chance to see what you can actually do.