What do they ask at the start of an HMRC Review Officer interview?
6 opening questions · HMRC HEO, ref 486100An HMRC Review Officer interview starts like most Civil Service interviews. The panel says hello on the video call, checks you can hear them, and asks a few gentle questions: tell us about yourself, why this job, what you know about HMRC. Then the scored questions begin.
The opening questions are usually not marked. They still matter, because they set how the panel hears everything after. A calm, specific first answer buys you goodwill. A vague one, like “I've always wanted to work for the Civil Service”, makes them work harder to like you.
This page takes you through each opening question in the order it tends to come, says what the panel is really asking, and gives you a line to fill in plus a worked answer built from the Review Officer advert itself.
What happens in the first two minutes
This job's interviews are by video link. The panel introduces themselves: there is always a chair, who leads, asks most of the questions and keeps time, and usually at least one other panellist who takes notes. They know you're nervous. Most panellists have sat on your side of an interview themselves.
Next come the opening questions on this page: a warm-up for you to settle and for them to hear how you talk. Then the chair usually explains the format, such as whether you can take notes, and asks if you're ready.
Then the scored part starts. The Civil Service uses a framework called Success Profiles to decide what a job tests. For this role that's two behaviours (Communicating and Influencing, and Managing a Quality Service, each answered with a real example from your past), your experience, and strengths (what you enjoy and what motivates you). Each answer gets its own score, often out of 7, and 4 is the usual pass mark. Your candidate pack says which scale is used.
The job used for the examples
Review Officer is a Higher Executive Officer job (HEO, the grade above Executive Officer) in HMRC's Legal Group, with posts in Newcastle, Edinburgh, Leeds, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Bristol and Cardiff. Review teams take a fresh, independent look at HMRC decisions that customers dispute, so only the right cases go on to appeal. The work is high-volume casework: weighing evidence, applying the rules and writing clear letters that explain the outcome.
You don't need a tax background: the advert says you'll be trained on the job. So the panel isn't listening for tax knowledge in the openers. It's listening for clear thinking, fairness and how you explain things.
Review Officer
- Pay
- £37,682 – £40,705
- Where
- Bristol Regional Centre - 3 Glass Wharf, Cardiff Regional Centre - Ty William Morgan, Edinburgh Regional Centre - Queen Elizabeth House… · onsite
- Closes
- Mon 9 Nov, 23:55
- Ref
- 486100
What to say to each opening question
These are in the order they usually come. Panels differ, so you may get only three or four of them, or hear them worded differently. The aim isn't to learn a script. It's to know the shape of a good answer so you never start from a blank.
Can you hear us OK? How are you today?
Yes, I can hear you fine, thanks. Thanks for having me.
Yes, loud and clear, thanks. Thanks for having me, I've been looking forward to it.
Why it works: Nobody marks this. It's your chance to sound calm and friendly before anything is scored, so keep it short and smile. If the sound is bad, say so now rather than struggling through.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm currently [your role or situation]. I've spent most of my time on [one area]. I'm now looking for a role where I can [link to this job].
I'm currently handling customer complaints by phone and email. Most of my time goes on looking into what went wrong and writing replies that explain the decision clearly. I'm now looking for a role where I can go deeper: weigh the evidence, apply the rules and explain the outcome.
Why it works: It ends on the job, so it leads straight into the interview. It hits what the advert asks for: casework, clear letters, talking to customers. Not had a job like this? Use study, caring or volunteering. Anything true counts.
People worry about this one most because it's so open. Keep it to those three sentences, about 20 seconds. It is not your life story. The panel has your application; they want to hear how you sum yourself up.
What interests you about this job?
I read that this team [one thing from the advert]. That's the part I want to work on, because [one reason].
I read that review teams take a fresh look at HMRC's decisions, so only the right disputes go on to appeal. I'd like to do that, because it's about being fair to the customer and to everyone who pays tax.
Why it works: It quotes the advert back, so the panel knows you read it. It names what the job actually is, an independent second look at a decision. And “fair” echoes the advert's own line about a fair and just tax system.
What do you know about HMRC?
I know you [one thing the organisation does]. I noticed [one thing from its website or the advert], and that's part of why I applied.
I know HMRC collects the tax that pays for public services. I noticed you don't need a tax background for this role, because you train people up. That's part of why I applied: I'd get to learn a technical subject properly.
Why it works: Both facts are straight from the advert, so it shows you did the reading. It also turns “I don't know tax” into a reason you're keen, instead of something to hide.
What have you enjoyed doing recently?
I've been [one real thing, a hobby is fine]. I like it because [one reason].
I've been reading a lot of detective novels. I like trying to work out the answer from the clues before the end.
Why it works: You sound like a person, not a script. The reason quietly hints at weighing up evidence, which is the core of a review job. Don't force a work link. If it fits, good; if not, just be warm.
Do you have any questions before we start?
Just one. Will there be time at the end for me to ask about the team? Or: No, I'm ready, thanks.
No, I'm ready, thanks.
Why it works: Both are fine. Save your real questions for the end, when they'll ask again. If you want to know whether you can keep notes in front of you, this is the moment to ask.
How long to talk, and how to sound
Aim for about 20 seconds per opening answer: two or three sentences at a calm pace. Stopping early is never marked down; rambling makes the panel wait for the point. In a job about writing clear decisions, a short clear answer is itself a good sign.
Use the same voice the whole way. Panels notice when someone is warm in the small talk, then goes flat and formal once the scored questions start.
It's normal for your voice to shake at first. Breathe out before you speak, look at the camera rather than your own face, and slow down a little more than feels natural.
If it goes wrong
You didn't catch the question. Say “Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?” Panels expect this, especially on video where sound cuts out, and it gives you a few extra seconds to think.
Your mind goes blank. Say “Can I take a second to think of the best example?” A short pause is fine and panels hear it all the time. A rushed answer usually scores lower than a calm one that started a few seconds late.
The call drops or freezes. Rejoin using the same link from your invite. When you're back, say what you last heard and carry on. Panels deal with dropped calls all the time; how calmly you pick up again is what they'll remember.
What to do next
Tonight: open the advert and write your own four lines: what interests you, something you've enjoyed, about you in three sentences, and one fact about HMRC plus why it matters to you. Use the templates above and keep each one true.
Then say them out loud. Reading them in your head is not the same. Say each one until it takes about 20 seconds and sounds like you, not like something you memorised.
The week before: reread the advert, especially the parts about review work and a fair tax system, and practise a few strengths questions like HMRC's own example above. Test your video link and sound on the device you'll use.
When you want a real rehearsal, Plum runs a mock interview with a live AI panel that asks the openers for this job and tells you how each answer landed.
Common questions
Are the opening questions in an HMRC interview scored?
Usually not. Small talk and “tell us about yourself” are normally a warm-up. But HMRC Review Officer interviews test strengths, and a strengths question can sound casual and still be scored, like HMRC's own example about whether the customer's needs should come first. Answer every question as if it counts, while keeping the openers short.
Do I need to know about tax for the Review Officer interview?
No. The advert says no tax knowledge is needed and you'll be trained on the job. The panel is testing how you communicate, how you keep quality high, your experience and your strengths. You can even use this in your answer to “what do you know about HMRC?”: it's a chance to learn a technical subject properly.
What is the in-tray exercise?
The advert says the video interview is followed by an in-tray exercise. It's a written task where you work through the kind of material the job involves. Your invite or candidate pack will explain the format, so read it carefully when it arrives.
Can I have notes in front of me?
Some panels allow notes and some don't, so ask. A good moment is when they ask if you have any questions before you start: “Is it OK if I keep a few notes in front of me?” If they say yes, keep them to a few words per example, not full scripts.
Practise the openers out loud
A live AI panel asks the opening questions for the HMRC role and tells you how each one landed.