Tips and tools you need when writing your application
Our recruitment process is based on selecting the candidate who most closely fits the requirements set out in the person specification. The decision to shortlist you for interview will be based on the information you have provided on the form, therefore please:
- Complete all sections of the form. You must include a full employment history and account for any gaps
- Pay particular attention to the essential criteria for the post, shown in the person specification. It is essential that these details are contained in your application, as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted for interview.
Within the Supporting Information section you should:
- Provide a summary of what has made you apply for this particular post
- Using the person specification to guide you, identify your skills and experience
- Use relevant examples to demonstrate how your experience meets the job requirements
- Pay attention to the word limit
- Close your supporting information by summarising what you can bring to the role
- Use spelling and grammar checks or ask someone to read over your statement before saving it to your application form.
If you are offered a post following interview, the Recruitment team will need to apply for your references as soon as possible, as you cannot start in post until all employment checks are completed. References must cover a minimum three-year period of education, employment or training. They must be written and be from a HR department, line manager or tutor and be sent by email from a professional email address, ie not Yahoo, Hotmail etc. This is to assure us that your referee is legitimate. Postal references will be applied for if a professional email address cannot be provided, however please note that this may delay your start date.
You should note the following:
- If you are or have been employed, the referees must include your current line manager or HR department who can confirm your employment dates and other factual information
- If you have not been in employment, please give the name of a responsible person(s) who can provide a reference. If you have been in education, you may use your tutors.
- Personal / character references are used in exceptional circumstances. We cannot accept personal references from friends and relatives.
Please ensure that you give full contact details of your referees. Failure to provide appropriate reference sources at this point may contribute to delays later in the recruitment process.
The details in the Monitoring Information section of your application will be used for monitoring our recruitment process and will not be seen by the interview panel. The information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.
To meet its commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, the Trust’s policy is that individuals will be recruited, trained and promoted according to ability and job requirements only. As such we welcome your application irrespective of your gender, race, disability, colour, ethnic or national origin, and nationality, and marital status, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.
The Trust gives full and fair consideration to applications for employment received from disabled people. It is a “Positive about Disabled People” employer, and holds the ‘two ticks’ Disability Symbol, which is a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people.
If you have a disability which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please contact the Recruitment team on 0151 706 4666.
Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working within the Trust. This will depend on the nature of the position and circumstances and background of any offences. All information given during the course of the recruitment process will be treated as strictly confidential.
Where applicable, offers of employment are subject to receipt of a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service certificate (DBS) in accordance with Department of Health procedures and Trust Policy.
Failure to disclose information regarding convictions could result in withdrawal of a job offer or, in the event of employment, in dismissal or disciplinary action. Further guidance on the DBS process will be sent to successful candidates.
Under the requirements of the Data Protection Act, we are obliged to inform all applicants of the purposes for which the information given will be used. The main purpose of the information being obtained is to assess your suitability for employment. For those involved in direct patient care this will involve a DBS check.
The referees you have given in the application form will be asked to provide a reference at the appropriate time.
General information relating to progress of your application may also be passed to the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centre if you were informed of the vacancy via these organisations. The Home Office will also be passed information if a work permit is necessary to proceed with the application.
If successful, the information given on your application form will only be used in connection with this employment and will not be used for any other purpose or passed to another organisation unless your written consent has been obtained in the first instance.
By completing the application form you are giving your consent to proceed with the application and that any information given be used as stated above.
You are reminded that under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 (amended by the Immigration Act 2016) it is unlawful to employ anyone who does not have valid leave to remain in the United Kingdom, or whose leave is subject to a condition that they should not work.
Once you’ve submitted your application form and the closing date has passed, the recruiting manager will then have access to anonymised application forms on Trac and will score each application using the criteria from the person specification.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application within four weeks of the closing date via email. This will be to notify you of an unsuccessful application or to invite you to book an interview slot.
Due to high volumes of applicants, feedback at the shortlisting stage is regrettably not available.
If you are successful at interview, you will receive an emailed offer of employment. You will be able to log into your Trac account and monitor the status of your employment checks.