Information Sent to Applicants
The appointment procedure ensures that:
the best available person is appointed to the vacant post;
decisions relating to the appointment of the authority's most important and expensive resource are taken in as objective and efficient a manner as possible;
appointing officers are protected in the event of any subsequent complaint such as discrimination under Equal Opportunities legislation, etc.
This is best achieved by assessing the candidates against a set of criteria which are wholly job related and entirely necessary for the performance of the job.
The detailed procedures represent the most effective practices and must be adhered to when filling any post.
It must be stressed that the appointments procedure is absolutely central to the application of the Council's Equality and Diversity Policy. Failure to carry out this procedure may result in an applicant being unfairly discriminated against and, as such, would be contrary to Council policy.
All appointments will be conducted by a small Selection Panel comprising men and women who have been trained in Recruitment and Selection methods.
To ensure that candidates are not discriminated against at any point in the procedure, this Panel must be convened at all stages, ie:
drawing up the employee specification;
designing the selection process;
drawing up the shortlist;
selecting the successful candidate.
Applications from people with disabilities and members of ethnic minority groups
In accordance with the Council's Equality and Diversity Policy the following procedure will apply to applications from the disabled and members of ethnic minority groups.
Applicants with Disabilities
applicants who meet the essential criteria must be short-listed for consideration for the post;
applicants who do not meet the essential criteria must be interviewed (if they so wish) in order to assess their suitability for other vacancies which exist within the department;
if no such vacancy exists and/or the applicant wishes to be considered for other posts, the application form M5/2 form, interview notes and recommendations of the Appointments Panel must be forwarded to the Departmental Staffing Section. In cases where the applicant wishes to be considered for posts in the department the above documents should be retained by the Staffing Section.
applicants should, if requested, be afforded the right of being accompanied. In addition, if a disabled person, having been offered the post, is subsequently rejected on medical grounds, they shall have the right to a second medical opinion.
Applicants from Ethnic Minority Groups
Applicants who, as a consequence of the short-listing process, merit short-listing for the post should be interviewed in the normal way;
applicants who are not short-listed, must be interviewed (if they so wish) in order to assess their suitability for other vacancies which exist within the Department;
if no such vacancy exists and/or the applicant wishes to be considered for other posts, the application form M5/2 form, interview notes and recommendations of the Appointments Panel must be forwarded to the Departmental Staffing Section. In cases where the applicant wishes to be considered for posts in the department the above documents should be retained by the Staffing Section.
On receipt of requests for application forms the Staffing section should issue a recruitment pack and at the closing date prepare a copy of the Gender, Ethnic Origin and Disability - Recruitment Analysis Form (M10Return).
A note must be kept of the name and address of each person who asks for an application form. The date on which the forms are despatched should also be noted.
When completed application forms are received, they should be noted in the same record.
Applications received after the official closing date should be kept separately and will not normally be considered except in exceptional circumstances and only with the approval of the Chief Officer.
Immediately after the closing date the Selection Panel (which must comprise men and women) should meet to select a short-list.
The short-listing form M24 should be completed using the criteria listed on the Employee Specification to score each application.
Care should be taken to check the section on the Application Form relating to Rehabilitation of Offenders to identify any offences which have been declared which would serve to eliminate the candidate.
Although a copy of the form M10Data/M10Return may be available as a summary of the responses received, the short-list must be made on the basis of the criteria, essential and desirable, identified on the Employee Specification. No other criteria should be used.
The structure of the selection process should be organised, including the functions to be undertaken by each member of the panel, the timings of the interview, the types of questions to be asked etc.
Arrange interview time and arrangements.
For posts graded PO8 and above the short-listing panel will be assisted by the Personnel Officer (Training and Recruitment) who will:
assist in the short-listing process
agree arrangements for personality profiling and any other special arrangements
prepare interview questions based on the personality profiles
assist with interview arrangements
if requested, the Personnel Officer (Training and Recruitment) will attend the interview, as a member of the panel.
The personality profile will be administered to short-listed candidates in accordance with the procedure set out below:
all applicants will receive with the original recruitment pack a statement explaining that personality profiling is an essential part of the recruitment process.
prior to the final selection process, short-listed candidates will be allowed time to complete the profile (up to one hour will be required).
the completed profiles will then be scored in time for the Personnel Officer to provide an interpretation verbally to the Selection Panel, including some suggested areas for questioning based on each candidate's profile.
NB: Allowance for this timescale must be made when setting selection process, timings, etc.
the profiles produced will be retained by Personnel and Policy for a minimum period of nine months from the date of the interview before being destroyed. The profiles will not be made available for any other purpose.
Selection Tests - Occupational skill tests are a useful component of the selection process but to be effective, a test must relate to the requirements of the post and measure knowledge, skills and abilities indicated on the employee specification.
Departments wishing to use selection tests are advised to contact the Personnel Officer (Training and Recruitment) to discuss the type of test and arrange for its administration.
References are a useful part of the Selection Process when they provide factual information about a candidate's previous employment record. Testimonials and character references are unreliable and therefore unhelpful.
The decisions about a candidate's suitability can only be decided by a Selection Panel based on the observations of the candidates.
References from previous employers must be taken up prior to the Selection Process so that the Panel have the necessary factual information available to them.
The only exception to this will be if the candidate asks, on the application form, that references are not taken up until an offer is to be made.
This request must be complied with but offers of appointment must never be made without taking up references or "subject to references".
Every effort must be made to obtain references including telephone contact if necessary. Verbal information received must be accurately recorded and kept with the Selection file.
Once the short-list has been drawn up, Chief Officers should write to referees using the standard letter and questionnaire M50.
copy of the job description
employee specification form (M23)
reference questionnaire (M50)
stamped addressed envelope marked "Confidential"
Preparing For The Interview
Provide panel members with details of the selection process and enclose:
copy of original applications
Employee Specification Form M23
copy of "Guidance Notes for Appointment Panels"
Interview Selection Form M25 for each candidate
list of suggested questions.
Conditions of service vary between categories of employees. Before the interview, the Appointments Panel should check:
The appropriate conditions for the post.
They possess the latest information concerning amendments.
NB: If in doubt, Personnel and Policy should be contacted for clarification.
The following points should be covered at the interview.
Salary/Wage (Seek approval from Personnel and Policy if, because of special circumstances, it is considered appropriate not to appoint candidate to minimum of the scale.)
Hours of Employment/Working Arrangements
Medical Questionnaire (external candidates only)
Access to children (if appropriate)
Whether or not the post is politically restricted
Car Allowances/Leasing Scheme
Probationary Period (if appropriate)
Disturbance and Travelling Allowance
Weekend, evening work, etc
Council's Equal Opportunities' Policy
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