Guidance notes for completing application forms

Thank you for your interest in working for Nottinghamshire County Council.  These notes have been put together to help you complete your application form.  Please read them carefully, along with any other information supplied, before you start.

Candidates will be short listed solely on the information supplied in the application form, measured against the person specification.  Be clear that you can demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements of the person specification before proceeding.

As allowed in law by the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, we do not have an open-ended retirement procedure for existing employees and have retained a normal retirement age of 65, subject to six months notice.  To ensure that we treat existing and new employees the same, the maximum age we can recruit new staff is 64.5.

If you are a non-European Economic Area migrant wishing to work in the United Kingdom, we recommend you visit the UK Border Agency website. The website provides key guidance and information provided by the Government for United Kingdom on employing migrant workers, including those under the new points based system which came into force on 27th November 2008. Please see the Home Office, UK Border Agency, Points Based System website (www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers).

In order to comply with the provisions of the Illegal Working Regulations, employers are required to see and retain copies of documentary evidence that confirms the entitlement of all new employees to work in the UK.

If you are shortlisted you will be asked to take your documents to the interview where the Appointing Officer will photocopy these and check your right to work in the UK for the purposes of the Illegal Working Regulations.

If you are the successful candidate copies of your documents will be kept on file. If you are unsuccessful then copies of your documents will be destroyed.

Please note CVs will only be accepted in support of an application form.

We will not make any assumptions about your abilities and do not take into account any previous applications or any prior knowledge of you.

The form needs to be legible and should be completed in black ink or typed.

It may be helpful to make a rough draft of the form before final completion and to retain a copy.

If the advert states the post is available for job share, make sure you indicate if you want to apply on that basis.

If you would like to receive the form in an alternative format, please contact the Employee Services Centre on e-mail: jobs@nottscc.gov.uk or tel:  0115 846 3523.  Minicom available during office hours, tel: 01623 434993.

Post applied for:

Complete job title and reference number as specified in the job advertisement as well as Department/Establishment and Closing Date, to enable us to accurately identify the post you are applying for.

Personal details:

Enter fully and clearly your name, address and telephone numbers in order that we may contact you if necessary. It is also important to include your date of birth and National Insurance (NI) Number for pay and pension purposes, should you be successful in being appointed.  If you do not have an NI number, contact your local Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) office.

Present or last employer:

State clearly your present or last employer’s name and address and the details of the post held.

Previous employment:

Enter names and addresses of all past employers starting with the most recent. You can also include work experience placements, holiday jobs or voluntary work , in which you have developed skills relevant to the job.

Education,  training and qualifications:

Provide full details of your education at secondary level and above, where applicable.  Include details of any special skills training, day release, evening classes or other relevant knowledge e.g. ability to speak other languages.  If a qualification has been asked for, make sure you give all the information required and levels of any examinations taken.  You will be expected to provide documentary evidence if invited for an interview.

Information in support of your application:

This section is very important.  It gives you the opportunity to detail why you are the best person for the job and why you are applying.  Use the job description and person specification as a guide, and focus on how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the job requirements, giving specific examples. Also include any voluntary work you may have been involved in, experience at school or any relevant experience outside work.

Referees:

Give the name and address of two people who can provide a reference in support of your application.  One of these must should be your manager in your present (or most recent) employment (or tutor/head teacher if in full time education). If you are currently unemployed please give details of your Manager in your most recent employment if possible and / or a suitable alternative.  Please note that members of your family friends and relatives are not acceptable referees. The Authority reserves the right to approach any previous employer or manager.

Health / medical details

You will need to detail your sickness absence in the last 2 years. Successful applicants will be required to complete a confidential medical questionnaire.

Disclosure of criminal background

If the post you are applying for requires a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, you must provide information about ALL convictions.  The post will be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and rules relating to ‘spent’ convictions do not apply.

Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, there will be phased arrangements for anyone who wants to work or volunteer with vulnerable people, which may require you to be subject to further checks.  Further information about registration can be found on the ISA website: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/independentsafeguardingauthority/.  Following the interview process, if you are the preferred candidate, you will be required to complete a CRB application form.

If the post you are applying for does not require a CRB check, you still need to answer the questions in the section but you do NOT need to disclose convictions which under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 are considered as ‘spent’.

If you have queries about the CRB check, or would like a copy of the CRBs Code of Practice, please contact the Employee Services Centre, tel (0115) 846 3528 or visit the CRBs website. www.crb.gov.uk

General

Indicate whether you are interested in job share, when you are not available for interview, if you have a driving licence with any relevant details and whether you are related to a Member of the County Council or an employee of the authority.

It is not normally permissible to appoint direct relatives to posts involving a direct supervisory role.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Information disclosed in this section is to enable a fair decision to be made and not to discount applicants. It is used to ensure appropriate support is offered through the selection process and to guarantee disabled applicants who meet the essential shortlisting requirements an interview.

Declaration

You will need to sign and date your application form to declare that all information is correct.  You also need to confirm that you have a legal right to work in the UK.  You will be asked to provide documentary evidence of this prior to commencing work with the Authority.  

If you are going to send the completed form by e-mail, you will be asked to sign the form, if selected, at the interview.

Equal opportunities monitoring

Nottinghamshire County Council has an Equal Opportunities Policy and it is important that you provide the information requested on the Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form. It will help us to better monitor the fairness and effectiveness of our employment practices and introduce developments to improve the lives of all of the citizens of Nottinghamshire through the services we all deliver.

This part of the form will not be used to shortlist applicants for interview and will not be viewed by the recruitment panel. You are also assured that the personal information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence and will only be used to monitor the fairness and effectiveness of our service delivery and employment practices. It will not affect your relationship with the county council as your employer, be passed on to any other agency or be used for any other statistical data.

Returning completed applications

You should ensure your completed application is received before the closing date specified on the job advert.  We cannot guarantee that late applications will be considered..

By e-mail

You can return your completed application to jobs@nottscc.gov.uk.

By post

Return your completed application to: Employee Services Centre, Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7QP.

By hand

You can hand deliver your completed application to: Employee Services Centre, Oak House, Ruddington Fields Business Park, Mere Way, Ruddington, Nottingham NG11 6JW

We are unable to notify individuals who are not selected for interview.  If applicantsyou have not heard anything within six weeks from the closing date, theyyou should assume theiryour application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We wish you every success with this application.

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