Job application guidance notes

Transcription

1 James Lloyd Human Resources Section name Job application guidance notes Thank you for your interest in working at University of Reading. We want you to have the best possible chance of finding the right job within the University. The applicant guidance notes have been designed to help you create a good application so please take a few minutes to read through the information before filling out the application form. Alternative formats The application form and supporting papers are available in hard copy. Please contact University of Reading, Human Resources, Finance & Corporate Services, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading. Berkshire. RG6 6AH, telephone or recruitment@reading.ac.uk. If you require assistance in completing your application form please also contact Human Resources. Registration & Maintenance of your account Registration If you are using web recruitment for the first time you will need to register and create an account. Select New User Registration and fill in the information. Your username and password must be a minimum of 6 characters. Once you have registered an confirming your username and password will be ed to the address you registered. Please note you will not be able to register the same address more than once. Forgotten Password If you have forgotten your password use the forgotten username or password link on the left hand side of the page. Enter the address you registered with and your name and submit the form. You will be ed a new password. Please note this password is case sensitive and you are not able to change it. If you try to log in using an incorrect password 5 times your account will become inactive, you will need to have it reset by the Recruitment team, please recruitment@reading.ac.uk. Sharing your username & password Each applicant must create their own user account. Once you have created your account you should not let anyone else apply using it, if you allow another person to use your account their submitted details will overwrite yours meaning if you are selected for interview your contact details may not be correct and we will not be able to contact you. This is especially important if you are an internal candidate as this is linked to your employee record. University of Reading 2014 Friday 21 March 2014 Page 1

2 Changing your name & registered address If you wish to change your name or your registered address this can be done through the My profile section. Change the details as appropriate remembering to save them. Internal applicants are not able to change their information. Creating Job Alerts In order to search for vacancies that match your specific needs you can now set up a Job Alert and you will receive an notifying you when any vacancies that match your requirements are published. To use this service, simply add your search parameters, for example you may be searching for role that is fixed term and part time, and click 'Search'. When your search results are displayed, click on the text at the bottom that says 'Click here to save this search as a job alert'. You will prompted to login or create a new web recruitment account if you have not already done so. To change the address these alerts are sent to please log into the My Profile section and change your address. Please note this will also alter where your submitted form notifications will be sent. The application form Making a good impression is vital. Remember the application form will be your first point of contact with the University of Reading. Your application form is the main basis on which the recruiting manger decides whether or not to invite you to interview; therefore it is essential that you complete it as fully as possible. This applies equally to internal candidates. We cannot make any assumptions about your abilities and do not take into account any previous applications you have made. CV s are not acceptable in place of a completed application form; all candidates are required to address the criteria on the person specification for the post. However you may submit a CV in addition to your completed application form (For grade 6 and above only). For academic posts please attach a full curriculum vitae which will detail your research experience and publications. Please note that we can only accept one attachment, therefore you may wish to cut and paste multiple items into one document. If you are invited to interview you will be asked to sign the application form at this time (for online applications). If you are not going to use the on-line form please complete the hard copy application form to the Human Resources address detailed above under Alternative formats. If you are completing the application form by hand then please ensure you complete the document in black ink. This will help us if photocopies are required. Please fill in all sections of the application form. If some parts are not relevant, write not applicable or N/A in that space. If you are submitting a typed/handwritten application form then please ensure you allow enough time for the postal service. The University cannot be held responsible for application forms lost or delayed in the post. You should note the date by which your form must be submitted by late applications will not be accepted. You may find it useful to keep a copy of your submitted application form to refer to if you are short listed for the post you are applying for. It is acceptable for someone to complete the application form on your University of Reading 2014 Friday, 21 March 2014 Page 2

3 behalf, but you will need to give them the correct information to write down, sign the declaration and inform us that this is the case. Personal details Please state all your forenames/first names and surname/family name. If you use a different name then please enter it in the preferred name. Please enter the surname you are known as. Address Please provide information on your address. If you add more than one address please tick the address that is your mailing address and this will be used when contacting you by post. Contact details Some of the correspondence from the University of Reading will be sent by so it is essential that you provide us with a valid and accurate address. Education and qualifications Qualifications Ensure that you provide information on the education and professional qualifications you have gained. Make sure that you provide all the information required including year of study, level of examination and grade/result obtained. The subject list for online applications is generic and you should choose the nearest subject and then expand in the additional qualification information section if required (please note this will not appear next to the job information you have input). Professional memberships Please state any professional qualifications that are relevant to the post that you are applying for and any memberships of professional bodies. Driving licence Please complete if you have a current driving licence and you own a car. Employment details Employment history Please complete this section starting with your most recent job first. This section should include all of your previous posts including any voluntary posts or work experience. You must account for all the time since you left school, college, university or paid employment. It is advisable to explain any periods of time when you were not in paid employment or studying. University of Reading 2014 Friday, 21 March 2014 Page 3

4 Reference details Please give the names of two persons who you wish to provide a reference for you, the first would normally be your current or most recent employer. The other must be from someone who is able to comment on your aptitude for the post. If you are currently out of paid employment, or have never been employed, you need to name someone who knows you well who is able to comment on your suitability for the post that you have applied for. This should not be a friend or relative. If for any reason you have changed your name e.g. by marriage, deed poll, please indicate the name by which the referee will know you. Contact referees If you do not want us to approach your referees before interview please indicate and we will comply with your request. If you are successful, references will be taken up with your permission before any appointment is confirmed and all offers are subject to the receipt of satisfactory references. It is always advisable to ensure that your referees know that you have used their names before we contact them to obtain the references. It is essential that you give clear and full contact details for your referees, as difficulties in contacting referees and obtaining references may affect the time it takes to confirm an offer of appointment. Additional details Convictions We will not discriminate against ex-offenders, and if you have to give details of any previous convictions, this will not automatically prevent you from getting a job. We will consider how previous convictions could affect the job and these will only be taken into account if the offence is relevant to the type of work you would be doing. The University of Reading is committed to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Therefore, we will require a CRB disclosure to be obtained where necessary. Immigration control Under Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, employers must ensure that any prospective employee is legally entitled to live and work in the UK. If you are invited to interview you will be required to produce an official document confirming that you are entitled to live and work in the UK, e.g. passport; full birth certificate and official document confirming your name and national insurance number; or a passport/travel document/letter from the Home Office. Health and disability As an employer, the University of Reading is positive about persons with disabilities. We would endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to enable employees to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Examples of reasonable adjustments are: making adjustments to the premises; allocation of work; being flexible about working hours; providing training; using modified equipment; making instructions and manuals more accessible; using a reader or interpreter. If you require a reasonable adjustment, the recruiting manager will contact you to discuss the requirements you have indicated. University of Reading 2014 Friday, 21 March 2014 Page 4

5 Relationship with University of Reading Please complete if you have connections with existing employees of the University of Reading. Please enter your student reference number if you are a student. Please note the Student Reference number field is numerical only; please leave this blank if you do not have a Student Reference number. Further information in support of your application Application supporting statement This section is for you to provide any additional information about yourself which you feel is relevant to the post for which you are applying and has not already been mentioned. This is your opportunity to promote yourself and to provide evidence that you match the criteria of the post that you are applying for. Please read the job description, person specification and further particulars (if any) before completing the application form. The job description provides information about the purpose and the main duties and responsibilities of the post being advertised. The person specification provides information about the characteristics that are necessary or desirable to perform the duties in the job description i.e. knowledge, skills, experience, abilities and qualifications that an ideal candidate will have to enable them to undertake the job. Please pay particular attention to this section giving full reasons as to why you feel that you are suitable for the post. You must state how you meet each of the criteria detailed on the person specification and it will be helpful to deal with each point in turn. This will ensure that you structure your supporting statement coherently. You should give examples of when you have undertaken duties in previous roles which will demonstrate to the recruiting manager that you meet the criteria. You can state how your skills, previous experience, qualifications and training are relevant to the post. If you fail to demonstrate that you meet the criteria, it is unlikely you will be shortlisted for interview. Here you can also attach your CV Equal opportunities data Sensitive information The University of Reading is committed to equality and diversity. All employees and applicants for jobs will be considered on their abilities and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, caring responsibilities, colour, disability, employment status, gender, gender identity, marital status, membership or non membership of a trade union, nationality, political belief, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or any other irrelevant distinction. Please enter your date of birth, gender, marital status and ethnic origin. As part of this commitment we undertake equal opportunities monitoring of our workforce and also of applicants for jobs to enable us to evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and procedures. The information on the form will be treated as confidential and will be issued in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act The information will be used for statistical purposes only, except for successful candidates, as the data will also form part of University of Reading 2014 Friday, 21 March 2014 Page 5

6 their personal, confidential record. The form, including date of birth, will not be seen by any members of the short listing or interview panel. Source of application Please enter the details of where you saw the post that you are applying for advertised as this will be used for internal monitoring of recruitment activity. Final statement The application form requires you to certify that you agree with the statement. Deliberately providing false or inaccurate information or deliberately omitting to provide information requested could result in your application being disqualified. If this only becomes apparent after an offer has been made, the offer may be withdrawn. If this only becomes apparent after commencement of employment in post, this could result in dismissal. Submitting your application form Before submitting your application form please ensure that you take time to read through the form to check for any errors or omissions as you will not be able to make any changes once the form has been submitted. Remember that you can save your application at any time before submitting it. We will only be able to view your application form once you have selected apply. For hard copy applications please send to the Human Resources address detailed above under Alternative Formats. Customer satisfaction We are committed to a high quality recruitment and selection process. If you wish to offer any suggestions or comments please write to the above address. University of Reading 2014 Friday, 21 March 2014 Page 6