What the application form asks?
The start of the application form informs the applicant on how to fill out the form in the correct way.
It then asks for the name of the post applied for and posts reference number, which service area of the council the post is situated in, where the post is located and the closing date for applications to be received.
It then asks if registration under the Care Council for Wales General Social Care Council is required. This is for people that are applying for social care jobs, where registration with these bodies is required. This is not required for the school support officer post.
It also asks whether Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is required this is a criminal records check. A DBS check may be needed for certain jobs or voluntary work, e.g. working with children or in healthcare. As this post is situated in a school a DBS would be needed.
The form then asks for personal and contact details: name, address, and telephone numbers/email address. The application then asks whether the recruiter can contact the applicant at work. This question is asked because sometimes an applicant may not want their current employer to know that the applicant are applying for a job so would tick the no box, as the applicant wouldn’t want to be contacted in work. This may also be asked to make sure the candidate will be giving full commitment to the job the applicant is applying for.
The application form then asks for present employment details. This provides the applicant with the opportunity to say what the applicant do, how much the applicant currently earn and outline their main duties, where possible demonstrating how what the candidate do now can be transferred into the role the applicants a are applying for. This also ensures the employer that the applicant has somewhat relevant skills to carry the jobs required.
Section 5 of the application form asks for details of someone that can provide references for the applicant. An external applicant would have to provide 2 referees, and internal applicant only 1.
For external applicants the application form asks for a reference from the current employer. The purpose of this is to confirm that the applicant actually work at the company in the position that the candidate have described on the application form.
References also seek to find out the quality of the applicants work, their sickness record etc.
The application form states that personal references will not be accepted from friends and family. A personal reference is one where the referee knows the applicant, socially but hasn’t worked with them. The employer in this instance is only interested in finding out the applicant’s ability to do the job. The applicant should provide contact details for referees that know them in a professional/educational capacity wherever possible as it is their knowledge/experience of them in a professional sense that the employers are seeking their opinions on.
Good references are very important. All offers of appointment are made subject to satisfactory references. An applicant cannot be offered a position unless positive references have been received.
All offers of appointment are made subject to satisfactory references.
Section 6 asks for details of educational qualifications. Although the person specification for the job doesn’t ask for any particular qualifications, it does rank as essential a good standard of numeracy and literacy. So applicants should have a pass in Maths or English GCSEs to demonstrate this.
It also asks for good IT and typing skills, so again if the applicant has ICT GCSE or RSA qualifications it could demonstrate that the applicant have the right educational qualifications to do the job.
If the applicant doesn’t show through their application form that the applicant meet all of the essential criteria, then the applicant won’t be asked to attend the interview. It is very important that the applicant makes sure that the information the applicant provide clearly shows that the candidate meet the essential criteria.
Section 7 asks for relevant job related training or professional qualifications achieved. For example the job description asks that the post holder “maintain absolute confidentiality in all school related matters and to prevent disclosure of information of sensitive issues”. If the applicant has been trained in confidentiality and data protection this would show that the applicant are aware of what this responsibility means and have been given training in all aspects of it.
Section 8 asks the applicant if the applicant is a member of a professional body. The information to be provided will vary depending upon the needs of the job and this refers to whether the applicant is a member of an organisation, which represents a profession, for example a Doctor, Lawyer, Architect or an Accountant. This post does not require the applicant to be a member of a professional body.
Section 9 asks for details of the applicant’s previous employment listing all of their previous jobs, this can include pain and/or voluntary sector.
This is asked to make sure the applicant isn’t in and out of jobs; checking their reliability. It is important to ensure that there are no unexplained gaps in the application. If there are the applicant should specify the dates and provide reasons for any gaps e.g. period of unemployment, career break etc. Unexplained gaps will be further explored during the interview.
Section 10 asks whether the applicant has a driving license, the type of license and access to a car. The job description and person specification does not specify that the applicant needs to be able to drive or own a car for this post.
Section 11 asks whether the applicant is related to any elected member or employee of the council this is to ensure that there is no chance the recruitment process could be citied if the applicant was related to a member or officer, because it could be said that the applicant had an unfair advantage on applicants that didn’t know someone that worked for the council.
Section 12 asks for further details. This section gives the applicant an opportunity to outline the skills and experience the applicant have that meet the criteria listed within the person specification and to provide specific examples.
Section 13 relates to criminal convictions/cautions/disqualified persons/investigations. Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment; it would depend on the nature of the crime and the job being applied for. If the applicant has a criminal record the applicant must state the offence and when it took place. This is asked because after certain periods of time, some minor offences will be removed from criminal record certificates.
Sections 14 – 16 – Equal opportunities, Data Protection Act 1988 and Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011 outline that the council adheres to all of the areas outlined in these legal requirements.
Section 17 explains that the council is committed to supporting the recruitment of applicants with disabilities and it adheres to the Two Ticks scheme, which guarantees an interview to people with disabilities if the applicant meets the essential requirements for the post.
Section 18 provides information about the recruitment process and thanks applicants for showing an interest in the post.
Section 19 asks for the application to sign and date the application form to confirm that all of the information contained within it is true and not false or misleading.
The applicant is then asked to complete an equality monitoring form. The information provided in this section is removed from the application form and analysed on an anonymous basis to help the council monitor the effectiveness of its equal opportunities policies.
After the application is submitted it will be considered to see if the applicant meets the specification for the post. Successful applicants will then be notified.
The next stage of the recruitment process is an interview during which the content of the application form can be explored, questions asked and information verified. In addition, the general intelligence and suitability of the applicant can be assessed.
The interview also gives the applicant the opportunity to sell them self and to outline the qualities and skills that the applicant can offer within the role that the applicant may not have sufficiently illustrated in the application form.
If the applicant is successful, the applicant will then be offered the job as a Schools support officer. If not, the applicant will be contacted and told that the applicants aren’t qualified for the role.
Bibliography
2 Human Resources - Textbook