Not all of the person specifications I looked at contained the qualifications needed to get the job. For example in the apple shop job there is no mention of any qualifications needed to do the job. There might not be any need for the job however the other two person specifications I looked at both contained some sort of qualification entry requirements. I have also given the qualification section a weighting of three because I think that this is one of the most important sections that can be used, not only to make sure that the candidate has the relevant skills to carry out the job, but also to restrict the number of people who apply saving time and money. Therefore I will defiantly include some sort of qualification entry criteria in my person specification.
None of the three person specifications I analysed in the table contained any sort of mention of how they would test the skills. I still think that it is important to test the skills in some way however it is not as important as some of the other criteria and as a result I have given this criteria a weighting of 1. as I have said none of the person specifications I have analysed have any mention of how the skills will be tested, however I remember that during my interview with Katie Watts, she said that this was important so that the candidate can prepare to be tested and I agree, therefore I will include how the skills will be tested on my person specifications.
The majority of the person specifications that I analysed showed in some way, whether the qualifications, attributes and qualities were desirable or essential. I think that this is very important because then the candidate knows whether to apply or not, if for example he met some of the qualities, attributes and qualifications but all the ones he met were only desirable then he knows there would be no point in applying for the job. In conjunction with the importance of this therefore I have weighted this criteria 3. Two of the three person specifications that I have analysed said whether they are desirable or essential. However if you look at both of them they don’t show whether they are essential or desirable very clearly but rather hint at whether they are essential or desirable by saying things like required or in apples case saying “a candidate we can count on” and therefore does not make it clear whether the skills, attributes or qualifications are essential or desirable. However I think it is very important and I will include it in my person specification.
Another feature I think is very important and common to all 3 of the person specifications is how clear it is. All of the person specifications should be clear by being short and to the point as you can see the apple person specification have set it out in a sort of table to make it easier to read and the Sony person specification is very short and contains all of the information needed. However the Google job shown at the top of the appendix is very short and does not even look like a person specification. I think that the layout is very important of the person specification because too much and the candidate may be deterred from reading all of it and not bother applying. Therefore too little like the google person specification and the candidate will not get the information they need and not apply. Therefore I have given this feature of the person specification a weighting of 3. I have also defiantly decided to make my person specification short and to the point in order to allow it to seem clear but contain all of the necessary information.
Sony’s and Google’s person specification both conform with legal requirements however the apple person specification does not comply with the new laws that have come about in 2006. Because it says 3+ years experience it is being ageist. This would be illegal under the Employment equality (age) regulations 2006. I think that it is very important that all of the person specifications conform to legal requirements because if they don’t then the businesses could face the possibility of getting sued. Therefore I have given this feature a weighting of 3.
From my interview with a human resources manager at Warwick university I found out that the most important part of the person specification is that the skills, competencies, attributes, qualifications and personal qualities are shown in detail and are shown as desirable or essential. None of the person specifications explained all of these in enough detail or said whether they were essential or desirable.
I think that the best one was the Google jobs because it scored the highest with 20/21 in my analysis table, even though it may have been short and un-detailed. However I would like to have the same sort of amount in my person specification as apple that got 12/21 which was actually the lowest.
I have come up with a list of necessary characteristics that my person specification must meet.
- Layout must be clear and detailed
- Must use bullet points
- Must show skills, qualifications and experience.
- Must indicate whether the above are essential or desirable
- Must show how they will test some of the skills.
- Must have a logo
- Must show the job title.
Person specification
Job title: retail assistant
Essential tested by:
- Friendly interview
- Be able to follow instructions reference + interview
- Have at least 7 GCSE’s application
- Competent mathematical skills application
- Have good customer service skills interview
Desirable
- Be able to speak another language. Application
- Previous experience in related industry. Reference +interview
- Basic literature skills. Application
All of the requirements will be tested in some way by Warwick. You must be prepared to provide evidence of these requirements and be ready for any tests or presentations that you may have to take part in to prove this.
Job description
I have made a job description that I will use during the recruitment process. I have done this in the same way and created an analysis of the other documents that I previously analysed. According to my interview with Katie Watts a job description’s main purpose is to give all of the responsibilities of the job and the job purpose. From the interview I have created a list of analysis criteria and used a weighting system similar to before of 1 to 3 where 3 is the highest.
- Post title (1)
- Department (1)
- Salary (2)
- Closing date (1)
- Brief outline of job purpose (3)
- Responsibilities and duties (3)
- Conform with legal requirements (3)
As you can see, on all three of the job descriptions the pay is shown. this is very important because the whole point behind people wanting to work is to gain some sort of financial reward for their time and effort and as a result if the pay is not clear candidates who are looking for a particular salary may not apply which could mean that Warwick don’t get the best candidate for the job. As a result I have given this feature of the job description a (2) weighting because it is important however some people still work in jobs they enjoy despite the pay so it may not deter people from applying. All of the description above show the pay which range from £55000 per year, to £11.00 per hour. Even though one job may demonstrate a different pay range it will determine what sort of people apply for the job. Therefore I think that I should include the pay in my job description.
I think that the closing date could possibly be shown but it is not that important because any job roles that have been filled would be taken off the website, however if people do not know when it closes then they may download an application form and send it a few months later, wasting the businesses time and as a result I have given this a weighting of 1. Only three of the three job descriptions gave a deadline date for the applications therefore it cannot be a very important feature of the job description and I will not be including it in my job description.
I think that it is extremely important to have a brief description of the job purpose in the job description so that the person looking at the job knows what sort of work they will be taking part in. For example if a IT consultant contractor looking for part time work and came across a job role he would want to know the actual project he would be consulting and the purpose of his consultancy. Therefore I have given this very important feature a weighting of 3. All three of the job descriptions that I analysed showed some sort of description of purpose; however the first two were very brief with the second contained in the responsibilities and duties section. The only form that fully met this was the last and was clearly separated by paragraphs. The only disadvantage of the first two was that they were just one big paragraph so even if they had a description of the job role a candidate would have to look hard to find it. However all three showed evidence of this in some way and therefore I have decided to include a brief description of the job purpose in my job description.
The responsibilities and duties are extremely important and should be shown in all application forms because it basically describes what the job actually involves and if a candidate is not interested in some of the duties then they won’t apply removing some of the bad candidates for the job. Therefore I have weighted this feature with a 3. Two of the three job descriptions actually contain information of the duties and responsibilities. The first job description I analysed had no evidence of the duties or responsibilities in the big paragraph which is evidence of a poor job description because it is not informing the candidate of what the job involves and what they are expected to do making the job role unclear. Because this is such an important feature to have, I have decided to include it in my job description.
All of the documents conform to legal requirements. It is very easy for a job description to make reference to someone’s age by asking for a certain amount of work experience. None of the job descriptions make any reference to the candidates colour or ethnicity so it complies with the race relations act.
I thought that the first two of these job descriptions are very poor, mainly because of the presentation. Both are just one or two paragraphs. It is hard to distinguish which part is which because there is not much of a structure. If you look at Warwick’s in appendix 41, there is much more of a structure. I don’t think that the closing date of the job recruitment is that important on the job description form. The best job description was the credit clerk because it completed all sections of the grid. All of the application forms showed the salary, which I think is very important because that is the incentive of working and if the salary is not shown then people may think the salary is bad and not apply. I will include in my job description:
Barnes kavelle ltd. Technology solutions manager: this job description was very poor; it had no structure and scored the worst on my analysis grid with only 9/14.
Mvm recruitment It security and audit manager: this job description was reasonable and filled out most of the criteria on my grid however it still had a poor layout and scored 11/14.
Credit control clerk: this is by far the best job description as it is well set out and meets all of my analysis grid criteria scoring a full14/14.
- Responsibilities and duties
- Job purpose description
- Job title
- Logo
- Department
- Salary
Job description
Job role: retail assistant
Job purpose: the purpose of this job is to provide a service to the Warwick community by providing the students and faculty with food, drink and necessities with a high standard of customer service. This is a very exiting job at Warwick and you should aim to contribute to the existing customer base by providing good, friendly and reliable service.
Responsibilities and duties:
- General assistance to management
- Carry out tasks set by management.
- Stacking shelves
- Working on the tills
- Heavy lifting
- Collecting deliveries
- Clocking on and off the Rota.
- Price labeling
- Checking the sell by dates
- Stock control
- Work to a high standard of customer service.
- Reliable
- Undertake the necessary training
If you are not able to undertake any of the duties shown above then please let us know how we can set up the correct provisions to ensure that you are able to work effectively under the relevant section on the application form.
Job application form + equal opportunities monitoring form
After my interview with Katie Watts I found that application forms should be very detailed and have a detailed equal opportunities monitoring form. The application form is a standardised homogonous one for many different job roles because you just put in the job code into the box. However because my application form is specific to my retail assistant job I will not need any of this. She said there should be 8 main sections in the application form itself for the applicant to fill in. These including:
- Personal details including name, address, age and telephone numbers. (3)
- Job department and job role (3)
- Details on present or most recent employer including place of work, full time or part time, the salary and the amount of time spent there. (2)
- Education details such as degree, a level and GCSE. (3)
- Previous work experience (3)
- Training such as courses. (2)
- Criminal offences (1)
- References (2)
- Supporting information such as CV, and general questions usually found on these forms like “why are you suitable for the job?” (2)
Due to the vast detail contained in this application form it is going to be very long. Therefore I must choose my questions wisely. However in order to find out what questions I will provide analysis on other job application in order to find out what I should include in my application form. I will have an extra section to add in any additional information about the application form.
All of these comply with legal requirements. As you can see there is no evidence of any racial discrimination on any of the application forms because none of them ask for you Ethnicity so they comply with race relations act. None of them ask about whether you have any disability as this would be illegal under the disability discrimination act.
Firstly the application forms provided me with some extra heading to consider for my application forms including:
- Asking whether I can contact the previous employer
- Asking about a work permit
- Asking how many hours they will be able to work and on what days
Firstly I think it is very important to ask for the job title and the job description before the candidate starts filling the application form because it ensures that when he sends the application form off, he will get it sent to the correct department and marked against the right short listing form for the job. Therefore I have given this section of my analysis a weighting of three. As you can see from the analysis of the table above 2 of the three application forms asked for the job role and the department at the start of the application form. The one that did not was probably an application form that is specific to the actual job role the candidate applying to. However I think that in my application form I will type in the job role name and department so that the candidate does not have to in order to make my application form specific to this job role. This will make is easier to organise all of the different application forms because Warwick university wont have to sort through a variety of forms with a variety of different handwriting.
It is extremely important to ask all of the personal information within the application form because if the applicant gets the job then Warwick University will need to know who to send the letter of invitation to and similarly a letter of rejection if they fail. Therefore I have given this feature of the application form a weighting of 3. As you can see from my analysis all three of the application forms contain the personal details section for the candidates to fill in. Therefore I have decided that I will include this section in my application form.
It is important to ask for details on the previous job as it can highlight important information about the candidate such as what sort of recent experience candidates have had and why they tend to leave jobs. For example a person could have left a job because of recent pay restructuring within the current workplace, which left them in a worst financial position, then if the person is short listed then the pay and conditions are important to clarify for the individual and the workplace. Therefore I have given this feature of details of the previous job a weighting of 3. As you can see on my table one of the three application forms did not contain information on the present or previous job. However they did have information on the work experience and the candidate could include it in there however I think it is much better to have a separate section for the most recent employment because it highlights the fresh skills that the candidate has and therefore I have decided to include this section as well as the work experience section.
I don’t think it is that important to find out the education details however it does help the employers to find out whether they have stayed on through school to see if they are reliable or for example, if they moved schools a lot then they may not be here for long and it would not be sensible to employ someone who may leave and force Warwick university to go through the recruitment and selection process all over again. Therefore I have given this feature a weighting of 2. As you can see all three of the application forms that I analysed contained information about the schooling however the sample application form in appendix 45 included the examinations taken at the school along with the education section. I think that this is an OK idea; however I would rather have the sections kept separate so that my application form is clear and everyone fills it in correctly. Therefore I have decided to include the education details in my application form.
The work experience is, in my opinion, one of the most important sections of the application form because it reflects on all of the skills the employee has gained and what he has learned. The more relevant experience the employee has, the more successful he will be in the job role. Therefore I have given this feature a weighting of 3. As you can see the importance of the work experience section is reflected through all of the application forms because the majority includes information on it. The one application form that does not include information on work experience shows the employment history, which may substitute for work experience. Therefore I have decided to include a work experience section in my application form.
The training and qualifications sections are an important section because it allows the candidate to express his qualifications and training. Therefore any training the candidate may have been on relevant to the job then it may save Warwick university money because they don’t have to train them. Also if there is anything in the person specification such as the candidate has to be competent in maths then the business could look at their qualifications to see how competent they are in the subject by looking at grades. I have therefore given this section a weighting of 2. As you can see two of the three application forms have training and qualification section in the application forms. The one that doesn’t is included in appendix 54. As you can see this application form is very badly set out and all crammed in however there is no mention of a training or qualification requirements. This may be a sample application form for a job that does not need qualifications as an entry requirement because the work experience section is very detailed.
I don’t think it is very important to ask for the criminal offenses because it will not affect how the candidate takes part in the job. It would make sense if the job role was a teacher, then they would have to check the candidates criminal record just in case he has been involved in abuse. Therefore I have only given this feature a weighting of one. As you can see from the analysis table the majority of the application forms do not actually ask if the candidate has had any criminal offenses. I think that the reason most of the application forms do not ask this is because it is usually contained in the equal opportunities form and therefore I have decided that I won’t include this question in my application form.
I think it is important to have a section on references because a reference will be able to confirm most of the things that the candidate says just to make sure that they are not lying. Therefore I have weighted this section with a 2. All three of the application forms that I analysed ask for references of some kind. On the last one in appendix 54 it is unclear where this is, however at the very end it asks if they can contact their present employer which I think could be classed as a reference. However I think it is too brief. This is also the case for the application form in appendix 45 however in appendix 44 the application form has a much more detailed referee section. I think that it is very important to provide at least two referees so I will include a detailed reference section in my application form.
I also think it is important to have an additional section asking the candidate to tell us about why they think they are suitable for the job. I think that this is a very important section because it allows the candidate to fill some of the boxes during the short listing that they otherwise wouldn’t have because they can talk about skills they have and activities they have taken part in which may make them a more suitable candidate. Therefore I have given this section a weighting of 2 also. As you can see only one of the application forms use this method by asking their extra curricular activities and interests. I think it would be very useful because it will highlight skills. For example if they were the captain of a football team they may have leadership skills. The business will be able to draw out extra skills and qualities that the candidate has that may make him more suitable. Therefore I have decided to include this section in my application form.
In addition to these features I will also consider including some extra sections I have drawn out of the application forms I looked at. The first is asking whether one of the present or previous employers can be used as a referee. This is used by the last two application forms on the table and I think it would be useful to have because it will save the candidate repeating information and will save him time. Also the present or previous employer would be able to tell Warwick University about what the character is really like and how he works which will help them in their selection process. However the business would not be able to contact them without asking permission.
I also think that it would be useful to know whether they require a work permit to work in the UK. This is used in 2 of the three application forms and I have decided to include it because if they do require a work permit then they may have to have extra paperwork to be filled in by the business.
The last extra feature I have decided to use is asking the candidate how many days they would be able to work in the week. This would be useful to Warwick University because they would be able to see what days are free on the roata and if the candidate cannot work the days that are available then there would be no point in hiring them because they would be no use.
Example of a filled in application form appendix 44: scored 16 out of 24 and was very clearly set out and met most of the criteria.
Sample application form appendix 45: very well set out and scored 18/24 and met most of the major features of the application form.
Sample application form 2 appendix 54: extremely crammed but full of useful information to the employer and also met most of the major features of an application form.
From my analysis of the application forms I have decided to include the following in my application form.
- Contains the job information
- Asks about personal details including; name, address, phone, age, gender and email address
- Information on work experience
- Information on references
- Education
- Extra information
- Training
- Present or previous employer.
- Asking whether I can contact the previous employer
- Asking about a work permit
- Asking what days they can work
During my interview with Katie Watts, she told us the general information that should be included in an equal opportunities form. They are shown below. I will use them to analyse documents in my analysis table on the next sheet. I have also scored each of them out of one because neither is more important than any others.
- Personal details – same as before but also includes; do you require a work permit to work in the UK and ethnic origin
- Ever been convicted of a criminal offence
- Do you consider yourself to have a disability
- Have any childcare responsibilities
- How many days have you had absent over the past 2 years
- Are you currently employed by business?
In addition to the application form, I will make my equal opportunities form. This will be held in a separate sheet at the end of the application form.
I think that it is important to include the general details because the equal opportunities form is detached from the application form in a lot of cases and therefore they will need to know who it belongs to. Therefore I have decided to include it in my equal opportunities form.
None of the application forms that I have analysed have asked for criminal offences and therefore it cannot be that important and I will not include it in my equal opportunities form.
I think that it is very important to ask if the candidate has a disability because if they do they may need specific equipment during the interview and when working so the interviewer should be notified if needed to allow provisions for him. All three of the equal opportunities forms that I analysed included this section in them showing its importance and therefore I have decided to include a section in my equal opportunities form with an extra section asking if they need any additional equipment.
I think it may be necessary to ask them about their childcare responsibilities because if they have young children then they may have to leave early or have more flexible working hours so business may have to adapt to suit their needs. However only one of the equal opportunities forms I analysed asked this question showing it may not be that important. Never the less I have decided to include this in my equal opportunities form because it is important that Warwick University is prepared to rearrange if necessary and does not have employees not turning up for work unexpectedly.
I don’t think that it would be very important to ask for the employees attendance record at previous jobs because they probably wouldn’t remember and there could be a wide range of reasons that have resulted in them taking time of work. Therefore I don’t think that I would be able to gather much information for this question. None of the forms I analysed above asked this either and as a result I will not include it in my equal opportunities form.
I also don’t think that it would be that important to ask whether the candidate is working at the place they are applying to because I don’t think it would benefit the recruitment or selection process. Again none of the forms that I analysed has it as a feature and as a result I won’t include it in mine.
Additional feature that I might include are: asking the marital status and living arrangements. I think that it would be good to ask what their marital status is because again, if they are married they may not want to work at certain points in the day such as at night because they may want to spend it with their spouse. One of the equal opportunities form contained this and I have decided to include it in mine. I also think it may be good to ask the living arrangements because if the candidate is living with their parents far away, they may be late some days. So therefore I have decided to include it in my application form. All of the application forms conform to legal requirements.
All three of the equal opportunities monitoring form conformed to legal requirements because they are legally allowed to ask questions which otherwise would be illegal in other documents.
University of Exeter: was a very detailed equal opportunities form and filled most of the features. It also showed me two additional features that I could use for my equal opportunities form. It scored the highest with 6/10
Mnd association: very clear and well set out with tick boxes to make it easier for the user. Scored 4/10 which was the lowest because it met the least of the key features a form like this should have.
Sample form: was very clear and detailed and filled the same amount of criteria as the MND association but the additional features gave them 5/10.
So due to my analysis of the equal opportunities forms I think that the following questions should included:
- Name and telephone number
- Ethnic background
- Criminal offences
- Disability
- Childcare responsibilities
- Marital status
- Nationality
- Living arrangements
The application form and equal opportunities form are shown on the next page.
Job application form
Job title: part time retail assistant
Department: Hospitality
Name:
Address
Post code:
Phone number(s):
Email address:
Do you require a work permit to work in the UK? Y N
(PLEASE CIRLE)
Please circle the days you can work : Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
EDUCATION (please fill in your education history)
School
Qualifications and training (please include all qualifications followed by any training your have received relevant to this job role. Please write the most recent first)
Work experience
Please list your work experience with the most recent first. You may wish to write about the skills you have learnt that will help you with this particular job on separate sheet.
Date Organisation Employer Duration
Present employer
Company Name: salary:
Job role:
How long did you work there for? Year(s)
What were your reasons for leaving?
Can we contact you employer as one of your referees? Y N
Telephone:
Employer name:
REFERENCES (please provide us with 2 referees, if your present employer is one you may only provide one more referee. Please do not provide family members as a referee)
Name:
Telephone:
Email:
Relation:
Name:
Telephone:
Email:
Relation:
Additional information: (in the space below please tell us why you think you are suitable for the job and why you have chosen to apply. Use additional sheets if necessary.)
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND MONITORING
Name:
Telephone number(s):
Ethnicity (please tick)
White mixed white and black Caribbean
Black mixed white and black African
Asian mixed white and black Asian
Chinese or other ethnic group
Other (please specify)
Nationality:
Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence? Y N
What is your marital status? Single married
Do you consider yourself disabled? Y N
If yes what equipment do you need to allow you to work effectively?
Do you have any children/dependants? Y N
Please tell us about your current living arrangements.
Rejection letter, interview invitation letter and job initiation letters.
I am going to produce letter templates for all of the above so that I am able to re-use the letters over and over again. I will do this in the same way that I have gone about creating all of my documents; by analysing. However I firstly went about deciding what characteristics and contents I think that each of these letters should have. I used the information that Katie Watts (HR expert) gave us to help me to come up with these.
- Impartial
- Formal
- Polite
- Logo
- Good grammar
These are the characteristics that all of the letters should have. Each individual letter however should have different contents I used the information that Katie Watts gave us to come up with this criteria. I have also weighted it. These are discussed below the analysis table.
- Apologetic (3)
- encourage them to reapply for different jobs (3)
- formal (1)
- congratulating (2)
- inform them of time and date (3)
- inform them of the venue (3)
- say what to do if they cannot attend (2)
- formal (1)
- congratulating (2)
- inform them of what to do next (3)
- give contact numbers (3)
- What to do if they don’t want the job. (3)
REJECTION LETTER
I think that it is very important to be apologetic to the candidate so they don’t feel too demoralized and they feel respected by the business. It is also the main purpose of a rejection letter and therefore I have given this feature a weighting of 3. As you can see two of the three rejection letters are apologetic because they say phrases such as we could only choose one person or we decided to go in a different direction. I think that it is important to include this and therefore I will make my rejection letter apologetic.
However the main feature that I have not included in the analysis table which was common in all of the rejection letters is that they all thank the candidate for applying. I think that this is very important because it is polite and makes the candidates feel that their efforts have not been wasted. Therefore I have decided to thank the candidate at some point during my letter of rejection.
I think that it is reasonably important that the rejection letter is formal because it makes it seem more professional and also none of the employees will know the candidate so it would not be right to be informal. Therefore, in accordance with this, I have decided to give this feature a weighting of (1.) as you can see all of the rejection letters are formal because they all start of with dear (applicant) and end with yours sincerely. Therefore I will also use this feature in my rejection letter.
I also think that it is important to encourage the candidate to reapply for other jobs at the company because even though they did not get that particular job, they may be very much suited to other jobs in the business and as a result I have given this feature a weighting of 3. However only one of the three encouraged candidates to reapply to other positions despite its importance. The sample rejection letter in appendix 49 wishes the candidate luck in future endeavors. Even though it is the case that not many of my rejection letters wish the candidate luck in future positions at the business I think it is important for Warwick to do so because they have such a massive job portfolio and there are many jobs similar to the one I am advertising. Therefore I have decided I will include this feature in my rejection letter.
Among these feature there are some additional extra features I will include that I have found in the rejection letters I have analysed. This includes explaining why they have not got the job. In the most of the cases this was achieved by making reference to the huge number of applicants and saying that the skills do not match what they want. Therefore I will include this in my rejection letter because I think it makes the candidate feel better about why they have not got the job by giving them an explanation.
I also think it is important that the layout should be clear and short. In all three of the rejection letters I analysed, they all were very short with the main body of the text covering about a half a page. Therefore when I create my rejection letter I should make it short but very to the point to make it clear to the rejected candidate.
All three of the rejection letters conform to legal requirements because they don’t say anything about the candidate not being chosen because of their race, religion or gender.
These are the features I am going to include the following in my rejection letter:
- should be formal
- Should encourage them to apply for other positions in the future.
- Should make reference to the huge number of applicants
- Should thank the candidate
- Explains why they have not got the job.
- Clear and short
Interview invitation letter
- congratulating (2)
- inform them of time and date (3)
- inform them of the venue (3)
- say what to do if they cannot attend (2)
- formal (1)
I think it is important for the letter of invitation to the interview to be congratulating so the candidate feels good that they have got through to the ‘next stage’ of the selection process and they will try as hard as they can to do well in the interview. Therefore I have given this category are weighting of 2. However none of the documents that I looked at actually were not very congratulating, in fact they were very blunt and to the point. Therefore it must not be that important that the letters are congratulating. Therefore I will not make my letter of invitation to interview that congratulating.
One of the most important sections of the invitation to interview letter is that it tells the candidate the time, location and date of the interview. This is the most important part of this document because if the candidate does not know where the interview is held then they will not be able to go to the interview and the whole recruitment process would be a waste of time. Also the business would loose money. Therefore I have given this feature of the application form a 3. As you can see from my analysis table all three of the documents let the candidate know when and where the interview will be held. Therefore I have decided that this is an imperative part of my invitation to interview document and I will defiantly be including it.
I think that it is very important to inform the candidate of what to do if they cannot attend that particular time and date because it ensures that the candidate does not waste the businesses time by not turning up and also opens up the opportunity for the candidate to rearrange a different date and time for the interview in case he cannot attend. Therefore I have given this feature of the invitation to interview letter a weighting of 2. It is evident from the table that only one of these documents tells the candidates what to do if they cannot attend. However, I still think that it is important to do this and therefore I have decided to include this feature in my document.
I think that it is reasonably important that the interview invitation letter is formal because it makes it seem more professional and also none of the employees will know the candidate so it would not be right to be informal. Therefore, in accordance with this, I have decided to give this feature a weighting of (1.) as you can see all of the interview invitation letters are formal because they all start of with dear (applicant) and end with yours sincerely. Therefore I will also use this feature in my invitation to interview letter.
Among these features which Katie Watts said should be included in all application forms, through my research I have come across other features that come up in some of the other interview invitation letters. I have considered the following:
- thanking the candidate for applying
- say that you look forward to seeing the candidate
I think that both of the above should be included in my interview invitation letter because by thanking the candidate for applying, it makes the candidate feel respected and appreciated by the employer and again this would result in the candidate trying harder in the interview. It is the same case with saying that you look forward to seeing the candidate.
All three conform to legal requirements because they comply with all of the legislation including the sex discrimination act. If one of them made a comment about the candidate being invited to the interview because they are attractive then this may be illegal under the sex discrimination act.
Kentucky University – scored 10/14and met all of the major criteria (weighting 3) and conforms to legal requirements. It was very short and formal.
Sample interview invitation – scored 7/14 and also met all the major criteria. Kentucky scored higher for the additional information given. This also conformed to legal requirements but and was also reasonably short.
University invitation – scored 11/14 which was the highest. This covered the same categories as the other ones however also informed the candidate of what to do if they cannot attend.
From my analysis of the previous interview invitation letters I have come up with the following criteria that my application form must meet.
- Tells the candidate the time and date
- Tells the candidate the location
- Inform the candidate of what to do if they cannot attend.
- Must be formal and polite
- Must say that you look forward to seeing the candidate must thank the candidate for applying.
- congratulating (2)
- inform them of what to do next (3)
- give contact numbers (3)
- What to do if they don’t want the job. (3)
I think it is important for the job invitation letter to be congratulating so the candidate feels good and they will be more likely to take up the job. Therefore I have given this category are weighting of 2. As you can see all three job acceptance letters sounded congratulating by using language such as ‘with great pleasure’ and ‘I am pleased to inform you.’ I think that these phrases are congratulating and because all three of the letters are congratulating I will make my job acceptance letter congratulating.
I think that it is extremely important that there are contact numbers on the job invitation letter because if the employee is confused or has to postpone his arrival then he will need a number that he can ring to ensure that the business is prepared and is aware of the candidates circumstances. Therefore I have weighted this important feature with a 3. However none of the job invitation letters that I analysed had any evidence of having any contact numbers at all. However despite of this I think it is necessary for my job role that the employee be able to contact the employer at Warwick University because if they have any questions that they need to ask before they start the job then they need to be able to have a specific contact number and because Warwick University is such as big place, it would take the candidate a long time to get the number. Therefore I have decided to include this in my job invitation letter.
I think it is equally important to inform the candidate of what to do if the don’t want the job because businesses will need to know as soon as possible so that they can offer the job to the next best suitable candidate. Therefore I have given this feature of a job invitation letter a weighting of three. Again however, none of the three job invitation letters had any information for the candidate of what to do if they did not want the job. Therefore I will not directly tell the candidate what to do if they don’t want the job but give them a contact number and tell them to call if they cannot attend and therefore if the candidate does not want the job he will be able to call the number on display.
In addition to the above characteristics I have decided to incorporate into my job invitation letter, I have come across some more features which I think may be useful. These include telling the candidate the starting salary and saying that you look forward to seeing them.
I think it is important to include the starting salary on the job invitation letter because it will remind the candidate of the salary before he actually starts the job. Therefore if the candidate decides that the starting salary is not acceptable then he can decide to decline the offer. Similarly if someone is extremely qualified then that candidate may be entitled to a pay that is more than what is shown on the job advert. Therefore I have decided to include this in my job invitation letter.
I have also decided that I am going to say to the candidate that I look forward to seeing them on the day. It is extremely important to do this because it makes the employee feel respected and appreciated by the employer and may calm the employee’s nerves.
Again, all three conform to legal requirements as they comply with all of the acts including the sex discrimination. If any of the documents said that they offered the job to the candidate because she was a woman and looked like a model then this would be illegal under the sex discrimination act because it is implying that they are employing her based on her looks.
Kentucky University – 2/11. A very well set out; short letter however met none of the major criteria.
University of Saskatchewan – 3/11 is very long and detailed letter but a bit confusing. Met the same criteria as previous however provided more additional features.
Abc company - 5/11 and was very well set out and short. It met none of the major criteria.
Therefore, due to my analysis of the previous documents, I think that I should include in my letter:
- should be formal
- should congratulate
- should tell you the salary and the start date
- should tell you what to do when you arrive and what to expect that day
- should give you a contact and tell you to ring if you need anything
- Should say that they look forward to seeing you.
- Short
Letter of rejection
Dear ………………………..
I would like to thank you for showing your interest in the post. We had a huge amount of applicants and although we were impressed with your attributes and skills, after much deliberation I regret to inform you that your skills do not match the skills required for the job role and we will not be taking up the position.
Although on this occasion you have not been successful I wish you every bit of luck in the future and hope you will consider applying to future positions at the university.
Sincerely
Michael Newton
Invitation to interview
Dear ……………….
I would like to thank you for showing interest in the post and am delighted to inform you that you have met all of the required criteria for the position. You are invited to attend an interview at Warwick university at [ ] on [ ] at
[ .]
If you are unable to attend this date or have any other queries do not hesitate to contact us on ………………
We would like to wish you success in the interview.
Sincerely
Michael Newton
Job invitation letter
Dear …………………
Starting salary …………………..
It is with great pleasure that I am able to inform you that you have been awarded the position of [ job ]. You have been chosen because we feel that you are most suited to the job role and have displayed all of the skills and attributes that the job role requires fully and the personal qualities that the university values.
Your employment will start on [ date ] at [ time ] and would like to inform you that the supervisor will be ready to welcome you in [ location .] If you have any queries or for any reason cannot attend this date it would be greatly appreciated if you could you please phone [ number ] as soon as possible.
Congratulations on your success and we look forward to seeing you on that day.
Sincerely
Michael Newton
Short listing form
Short listing forms are very important to the selection process because they will allow me to narrow down the number of candidates that I have for interview. From my interview with Katie watts I have managed to gather information on what short listing forms should contain. She said that you should use the person specification as a base to see whether the candidates meet the minimum specification for the job. I will therefore devise
Criteria in the form of questions and see if the candidate meets them. However first I must look at 3 other examples of short listing forms in order to analyse them. I have also given each a weighting based on how important I think each feature are. The ones I think are the most important are the weighted with 3 and the least important are weighted with 1. The criteria are listed below with the weightings.
- Must have a candidate name (3)
- Have a scoring system (3)
- Have an additional notes section (2)
- Should say whether the candidate has been short listed at the end. (1)
- Ask detailed questions (2)
- Show the candidates final score (1)
I also found from that interview that criteria questions for the actual shortlisting form should be from the desirable and essential skills from the person specification and job description.
Firstly I think that it is very important to have the candidates name on the short listing form because it ensures that the panel will be able to match the application short listing with the actual candidate. Therefore I have given this feature of a short listing form a weighting of 3. As you can two of the three short listing forms have a section to put the name of the candidate in. The doctor assistant form still has a method of identification by using a number format over a name format where the number would link back to the appropriate candidates application form. However I think that it is better and a lot less confusing if I use a name system over a number system and therefore I will use a name system included in my shortlisting form.
I think it is equally important that a short listing form contains some sort of scoring system because it allows the short lister to compare the candidates easier. It also provides them with a solid form of marking criteria. Therefore I have decided to give this section a weighting of 3 also. As you can see two of the three use a marking criteria. The shortlisting form for the lecturer uses a system where you give a number for how well the candidate has met the criteria. So 0 = not met, 1=partially met and 2=fully met. I think this is a very effective marking criterion because it still allows the candidates to gain marks if they only meet a small part of the criteria and also awards candidates for meeting the criteria fully. Therefore I have decided that in my short listing form I have decided that I will use the same criteria as this because I think it is very effective.
I think it is useful for the short lister to have an additional notes section because if there were two candidates who had the same score but one had some extra skills than the other then the short lister could note them in this section and use it to aid the comparison of the candidates. However it is not essential to the shortlisting process and in accordance with this I have weighted this section a 2. As you can see however, only one of the shortlisting forms actually contain another section. This one actually has a section called ‘notes’ which the short lister can add extra information. Even though the other two application forms don’t contain this feature I have decided to include it in my short listing form.
I think that it is useful for the short lister to have an extra column at the end showing whether the candidate has been short listed or not because it will allow the short lister to quickly see who has been short listed and who has not without having to tally up the marks and compare them more than once. This would be especially useful for short listers who are shortlisting job roles with a huge number of applications. Therefore I have given this feature of a shortlisting form a weighting of 1. As you can see two of my shortlisting forms in my analysis table meet these criteria. The short listing form in appendix 56 has a column at the end asking the question ‘short listed?’ whereas the shortlisting form in appendix 57 has a similar column at the end where the shortlister can put a tick or a cross in the relevant box. I think I will put a column at the end allowing the short lister top write yes or no because I think nit is a little bit clearer than using ticks and crosses. Therefore I will use this feature with a yes and no column in my form.
I also think that it is reasonably important to ask for the candidates final score. This will allow the short lister to compare the candidates much more easily because he can scan down the column and pick out the top five scores for example and put them forward for interview. If the short lister did not have this feature then it would be inconvenient because the short lister would have to constantly add up the scores over and over again when comparing people. Therefore I have weighted this feature of a short listing form with a 2. As you can two of the three examples in my analysis table have this feature incorporated into the documents design. In appendix 56 the short listing form again, has a separate column to list the final scores in whereas the short listing form in appendix 58 shows the final score or ‘grade’ at the top of the sheet. I think that it would be more suitable to have a column within the table for me because I will be shortlisting the candidates on a table on the same sheet. Therefore I will include a column at the end of my table asking whether the candidate has been shortlisted.
I think that an additional feature that is included in the shortlisting form in appendix 57 is that it asks for evidence. This is evident, not because there is a separate column, but because every question the candidate has met, the shortlister has justified it. I think that I will use the same sort of system in my short listing form because I think it is useful to have because it ensures that the shortlister justifies what he is doing. For example if he thought the candidate had met the objective he may just say yes or tick the box but if the short lister had to find evidence and realised there was none then he wont tick the box for the candidate therefore less mistakes will be made.
As you can see all three of the short listing forms comply with legal legislation including the disability discrimination act. If any of the shortlisting forms asked the employer the question “is the candidate disabled?” Then this would be illegal under the disability discrimination act.
I also think that it would be useful to show the job role and department on the form. Therefore if the form is standardized it can be used again and again.
Example shortlisting form appendix 56: very clear and simple table which meets all the necessary criteria. Scored 10/15
Doctor assistant appendix 57: very clear however met doesn’t meet all of the necessary criteria. Scored 4/15
Lecturer appendix 58: scored 9/15 and met all of the necessary criteria.
From my analysis I have decided that I am going to include the following in my shortlisting form:
- scoring system
- candidate name
- job role
- department
- Questions relating to the essential section in person specification.
- Asking for final score
- Asking “has the candidate been short listed?”
- Evidence must be shown
Job title: department: date:
Scoring system: 1 = partially met 2= fully met leave blank if not met.
Include evidence in the same box.
Interview questions
I have decided to prepare my interview documentation. Firstly I must make my interview questions. During my interview with the human resources expert, Katie watts, we watched a video on interview technique. It was called behavioral interviewing with James Nesbit. There were some things that came up in that video which I will use to make my questions.
- Don’t ask leading questions
- Don’t answer questions for the candidate
- Give the candidate time to answer
- Ask unexpected questions to catch the candidate off guard
- Try to encourage longer answers rather than yes or no answers.
This information will help me during my interview so that I gather the information that I need from the candidate. I must also remember to test my essential and desirable characteristics I said that I would test in the interview by asking questions where I will get an answer from them. I brainstormed some questions below. I will use these in my entire interview.
I have asked some “warming up questions which are not going to be very important to the overall interview, but rather to make the candidate feel comfortable. The important questions which I will be assessing the candidates on are the ones relating to the essential characteristics. I will ask further questions on the desirable characteristics to see if the candidate fulfills any of these. I have marked the essential characteristics questions with a star next to them on the page below. I will be asking questions to see if I can get information about the candidate relating to the essential section to see if he fills any section.
I must also make sure that I don’t ask any questions about the candidate’s age, religion, disability, gender or race so that I comply with legal legislation.
Questions for Interview
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself? (see if he has any essential or desirable characteristics)
- Can outline the tasks you took part in during your previous job?
- Why did you leave your previous job?
- What characteristics do you think you have that make you suited to this job? * (see if he covers any of my essential characteristics)
- Give me an example of when you have worked in a team to achieve a task?
- Why did you leave your previous job?
- Give me an example of a time you have had a disagreement in the working environment.
- How do you solve disagreements* (to see if the candidate will be able to follow instructions or have an aggressive nature)
- Have you had any previous training related to the job?
I will now use these questions to make an interview assessment form, however firstly I must get ideas about the content and layout by analysing other interview assessment forms. From my interview with Katie watts I have gathered some criteria about what interview assessment forms should have in them.
- candidate name (2)
- have a scoring system (3)
- judging criteria based on interview questions (3)
- Does it have an extra comments section (2)
- Does it ask for the final score (1)
Firstly I think that it is very important to have the candidate name so that the interviewer can link the interview assessment form with the correct candidate. Therefore I have given this section a weighting of 3. As you can see all three of my interview assessment forms have the name of the candidate at the very top of the form. Therefore I have decided that I will include the name of the candidate on my interview assessment form.
I also think that it is equally important to have a scoring system for the same reason as the short listing form which is to allow the candidates to be compared by the interviewers more accurately and more easily as they wont be deciding who is the best in terms of who they like the best but rather who scored the highest on the assessment form. Therefore I have awarded this feature with a weighting of 3. As you can see, again all three of the interview assessment forms include some method of scoring system. As you can see from appendix 59 their interview assessment form has a mark of 1, 3 or 5 where 5 is excellent, 3 is average and 1 is poor. Whereas the form in appendix 60 uses a similar system of 1-5 where 5 is the highest and 1 is the lowest. The last assessment form in appendix 61 uses a marking system like a test where each section is out of a different amount such as 40 or 15. I think that the best one of these is the one which uses the 1-5 criteria. I think that if I used this it would allow me to evaluate the candidates in detail and give them different marks based on how well I think they meet the criteria. Therefore I will use the 1-5 marking system in my interview assessment form.
It is also important that the form has an extra section at the end where the interviewer can make additional notes because it is useful for them to compare similar candidates and for candidates to gain a few extra marks which may put them ahead. I have therefore given this feature a weighting of 2. As you can see only one interview assessment forms have this feature and this one is simply a section at the end. However, despite the lack of this feature in the interview assessment forms I analysed I have decided that it would be useful if I incorporated it into my interview assessment form and gave the candidates extra marks for relevant extra features.
I also think it is useful to have a section where the final score is shown for each candidate because it makes it easier to compare candidates. Therefore I have given this feature a weighting of 1. As you can see form the analysis table above, only one of the three interview assessment forms actually have a final score section. However I still think that it is necessary to use this feature because I think that it will help me to analyse the candidates and see how well they perform against the criteria.
Again all three of the interview assessment forms comply with legal legislation including the race relations act. If one of the interview assessment forms asked the question ‘what religion is the candidate?’ This would be illegal under the race relations act.
West Virginia University: set out with a list of questions and a useful scoring facility. Met all of the major criteria and scored 7/12
Sample interview form: set out in a list again, with an extra comments section. Very short with a 1-5 scoring system 9/12.
Sample interview form 2: set out in a table but has a confusing mark system. Reasonably detailed and scored 8/12.
From my analysis of the interview assessment form I have decided on the following criteria to be included in my interview application form:
- Lay out in a table.
- Have candidate name
- Scoring system
- Extra scoring section at the end for extra qualities
- Total score section
Interview assessment form
Please score the candidate out of 5, 5 being the highest. Record the score at the top of the box and make additional notes underneath. Please add up the score at the end.