How to apply

Thinking of applying for a role and starting your #CareerForLife with us?

Regardless of the role you’re applying for, this page will help you complete your application properly and give you a better chance of being shortlisted for interview.

Read all the documents carefully – specifically the job description and person specification, as you will need these to complete your application.

The job description details what the job role involves, and the responsibilities attached to the role, while the person specification details the experience and skills, either essential or desirable, that are needed from you to perform the job role efficiently.

Ensure you provide all the personal information required on the form.

Subject/qualification:

• Provide the full title of the qualification as it’s written on the certificate.
• Include the awarding body if possible, e.g. GCSE, A-Level, Functional Skills, etc.

Place of study:

• Provide the name of the school/college/educational organisation.

Grade/Result:

• For GCSEs and A-Levels, rather than just putting ‘pass’, please provide the 9-1, A-E grade.

Year obtained:

• If you are currently studying for a qualification, put ‘pending’ and the year you are due to achieve that qualification.

Don’t forget – if you’re shortlisted you will need to produce originals of all relevant certificates.

Use this section to outline any other training or qualifications you have that may be relevant to the role you are applying for. You can include short courses such as health and safety, first aid, etc.

Please use this section to provide a full job history and be sure to include every job role you have had. Even if you feel there is a role that isn’t relevant to the one you are applying for, you might want to refer to it in your supporting information. You can also include any voluntary roles here.

You can use the section at the end to provide details if there are any gaps in your employment history, for example, unemployment, illness, travelling, etc.

This section allows you to write up to 1,500 words and gives you the chance to tell us why you are applying for the role and what your skills and experience are. It is a good idea to use the job specification as a guideline for completing this. The job specification is divided into different sections, with a number of criteria within each category.

This is where you will need to show how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the criteria listed in each category. This is the part you are scored on, and where evidencing either your direct experience or transferable skills are critical for you to put forward your best application. You will need to describe how you meet each one, using examples of how you have carried these out previously, whether this is from employment, voluntary work, hobbies, or your personal life.

A good way to show how you meet that criteria is to use the STAR technique; describe a situation, what the task was, what action you took you did and what the result was.

For example:

Direct Experience: Maintain confidentiality – ‘I understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality, for example, in my role at xxxxxx, I was responsible for maintaining patients’ records. Therefore, I implemented policies and procedures at the organisation to ensure that the patients’ personal details were kept secure and always remained confidential.’

Transferable skills: Maintain confidentiality – ‘During my time volunteering, I was entrusted with sensitive information about the participants. This role required a high level of trust and discretion, which I consistently upheld by following protocols to protect individuals' privacy. I understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality, data protection and how to apply these skills in all working environments’

Make sure you get someone else to proofread what you have written, so they can spell and grammar check your application before you submit it.

Help the scorer! If you can lay out your supporting statement examples as set out in the person specification, this will help the scorer easily identify your examples and will also help you to ensure you are including all the essential information.

TIP: Use the headers to help guide you e.g. Qualifications / Skills and Knowledge / Experience

Provide your references with details on how we can contact them if you are shortlisted. Be sure to let your references know that you have listed their information on the application form.