Our approach to recruitment
Our approach to recruitment
The Met Office is recognised as a world-leader in weather forecasting and climate science because of our world-class people. As the challenges of climate change and resilience to extreme weather conditions becomes more and more apparent, we will always seek people with the ingenuity, passion and dedication to help people around the world make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. We strive to make our approach to recruitment fair, inclusive and respectful. Our values act as a guiding light for candidates to demonstrate that their personal and career motivations match with our set of behaviours.
We are committed to being a more diverse and inclusive organisation and we are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. For your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme or to request an adjustment to our recruitment process, please contact us at careers@metoffice.gov.uk.
Working in the Civil Service means a career where you can make a real difference to people’s lives. It can be flexible, rewarding and varied – there’s many different career paths so you can find an opportunity to suit you. Every civil servant is part of a profession and this is linked to the type of job you do.
At the Met Office, we use our Professional Skills Frameworks to support your development and unlock your potential. We want you to thrive here and be the best you can be. You can find out more about our professions in by exploring our key roles. We recruit on merit, fairness and open competition which means you can be confident in our recruitment processes which are in line with the civil service code.
Find out more about joining the Civil ServiceTake time to read the advert carefully and think about how the examples you provide showcase your skills and experience of each of the job criteria. The most effective applications we see use the CARL method to structure the evidence candidates provide to show how their skills, values and experience meet the essential criteria for the job. This involves giving the Context, Action, Result and Learning of any examples you give. It’s a way of writing evidence – that's not just a brief description but one that goes into what and why you did something and what happened next.
This technique can also be used in an interview when talking through your examples to make sure you tell the panel clearly about an example of when and where you’ve demonstrated a particular skill.
We want to make sure that no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. If you’re disabled, neurodivergent or if you have a long-term condition that you believe may affect your performance during the selection process, we can make reasonable adjustments. These can include (but are not limited to) providing any questions in advance, scheduling the interview or assessment at a certain time of the day, adapting the environment of in-person meetings, as well as offering additional time or breaks. Everyone’s needs are different, so please contact us about anything you may need during the selection or interview process. All requests will be treated in confidence.
We are committed to being a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and have signed the Mindful Employer charter which supports mental wellbeing at work. We have also been awarded Investors in Diversity accreditation by the National Centre for Diversity.
While we've tried to answer all the questions that you may have about joining the Met Office, we're sure to have missed a couple. With that in mind, here are a few answers to the most common questions that our Resourcing Team are asked. And remember if the answer isn't here you can always contact the team.
Email the team: careers@metoffice.gov.uk
I already work in the Civil Service. Can I transfer my skills?
Yes, we often recruit from within the Civil Service and encourage your application.
Can I apply for more than one vacancy?
Yes, please apply for any of our relevant roles which you feel match your skills.
Can I request a reasonable adjustment?
Of course, we want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. If you’re disabled, neurodivergent or if you have a long-term condition that you believe may affect your performance during the selection process we can make reasonable adjustments. These can include (but are not limited to) extra time for an assessment, having questions in advance, alternative format for materials. Everyone’s needs are different, please contact us about anything you may need during the selection or interview process. All requests are treated in confidence.
What happens after I apply?
You will hear from us as soon as possible after the advert closes, we will always update you to let you know if you have reached interview stage or not.
If I’m unsuccessful, will I get feedback?
We can unfortunately only provide feedback to candidates who attend interview.
Do I need a valid work permit?
We can sponsor Skilled Worker visas on some of our roles, we will always make this clear on each of our adverts. For any roles which are not eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, we will need you to have valid evidence of right to work (or be able to outline how you would gain this before starting the role).
I can’t find a suitable vacancy to apply to
The jobs we advertise vary depending on our business requirements, so there’s not often set times for specific recruitment campaigns outside of our Early Careers opportunities. You can set up email alerts specific to the professions or jobs you’re interested in so that you keep updated of new opportunities as they arise. This can also be a great way to understand what different posts involve and the skills we’re looking for so that you can plan your next career move if there is a particular job you are interested in.