Help with applying for a job

Thank you for your interest in our vacancies, and in joining us at Rutland County Council. We have put together some information that we hope will help you to make the most of your application, and explain in advance what you can expect from the recruitment process. You will also find the answers to some of our more frequently asked questions.

If there is anything further you would like to know about the role before you submit your application, please make contact with the manager leading on the recruitment for this role – their contact details will be provided in the advert.

If your question is more general, please contact us at recruitment@rutland.gov.uk

We look forward to receiving your application.

Our online application has been designed to ensure we capture all of the information we will need to make a decision on how closely your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role you are applying for.

If you require an application in another format, please contact recruitment@rutland.gov.uk.

To help you get started, we have put together some hints and tips to help you make the most of this opportunity:

• Give yourself enough time before the closing date to complete your application form thoroughly
• Take the opportunity to show case your skills, knowledge and previous experience
• Think about how you structure the information you provide – use the job requirements as a list to ensure you cover all of the elements of the role – give examples of what you have done to demonstrate how you meet the needs of the job
• Remember, we are looking to see if you can undertake the role; talk about what you were responsible for, rather than what the team did
• Complete the whole form, and explain any gaps in your work history
• Ask someone you trust to read it over before you submit it to us
• Make sure you submit your application to us before the closing date and time.
• Please advise us of any adjustments that you would need if offered an interview to enable us to consider these.

What happens to my application form after the closing date?

Shortly after the closing date, the recruiting manager will review all the applications submitted to select who to invite for interview.

Will I hear anything from you if I have not been successful?

Yes you will receive an email and an opportunity to contact the recruiting manager for feedback. This might help with your future job applications.

The post I have applied for is referred to as a 'Safer Recruitment' post. What does this mean?

In a 'Safer Recruitment' post you would be working with children or vulnerable adults, and so would need to hold a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for the post. We also request references before the interview for these posts.

Why do I need to have a DBS check?

The DBS enables employers to check the criminal records of employees and potential employees, in order to ascertain whether or not they are suitable to work with vulnerable adults and children. For individuals working in certain positions, a valid DBS disclosure is a legislative requirement.

Depending on the role, this check will be made at either Standard or Enhanced levels. If you subscribe to the DBS update Service, please indicate this on your Personal Details form to help us speed up this check.

Further information can be found on the DBS website

I have an unspent criminal conviction. Will this stop me from getting a job with you?

We will look at any unspent criminal convictions in relation to the job you are applying for. We will take into consideration the nature of the job, and the circumstances and background to the offence(s) when making a decision.

How do I know if my criminal conviction is 'spent' or not?

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, some criminal convictions become 'spent' after a rehabilitation period. The length of this period depends on the sentence and the age of the person at the time of the conviction. With certain exceptions, following this period an applicant is not normally obliged to mention it on an application form.

Further information can be found on the gov.uk website.

When do you request references for other posts?

For all other posts, references are requested after you have verbally accepted our conditional offer of employment. If you have put on your application form you are happy for us to approach your referees, we will go ahead and do this. If this is not the case, we will contact you first.

Who should I put as my referees?

We will need the details of two referees. Please make sure your most recent experience is covered, providing your current line manager's details, or most recent manager's if you are not currently working. If you have not been employed then please give your lecturer or Head Teacher's details. Friends and relatives are not acceptable referees. By submitting referees names and contact details you are confirming they have consented to their contact information being used and you are consenting to them releasing information about you for reference purposes.

Why is it only a 'conditional' offer?

All offers of employment at RCC are conditional subject to the confirmation of pre-employment checks, including:

• A satisfactory medical assessment
• Proof of eligibility to work in the UK
• Proof of relevant qualifications and professional registration to undertake the role
• Receipt of two satisfactory references
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if applicable to the role.

We will keep you up to date with the progress of these checks – offers of employment are not confirmed until all checks are satisfactorily completed and a start date agreed.

When will I be able to start work?

Once all of the pre-employment checks have been completed your new line manager will contact you to arrange a start date and time.

The post I am interested in is described as 'politically restricted'. What does this mean?

The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 places certain restrictions on some Local Government employees, preventing them from taking part in political activities. We will tell you if this applies to the job and what this means in practice.

I don't believe that my application and/or interview was handled fairly. How do I make a complaint?

We would suggest that you ask for some verbal feedback from the chair of the interview panel in the first instance if you have not been successful. If you are not satisfied with the reasons given, please write to Human Resources within 14 days. Please include the reasons for your dissatisfaction, the post you applied for and the interview date so that we can thoroughly investigate this. If you feel that you have been unfairly treated at any other stage of the process, please contact Human Resources.

Using your personal information

In order to comply with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect in May 2018, we have to provide you with information about the personal data you give to us. This information is set out below:

Rutland County Council is the data controller for the personal information you may provide. You can contact us by phone on 01572 722577, via email to dataprotection@rutland.gov.uk or by writing to us at Data Protection, Catmose House, Oakham, Rutland. LE15 6HP

Your information will be used to enable us to process your application as part of the recruitment process for the vacancy you have applied for. Your Equality and Diversity information will be used for monitoring purposes to ensure a fair selection process.

Your personal data may be shared with other teams within the council in order to provide a service to you, to ensure our records are kept up to date or otherwise where we are required to do so under other legislation. Your data will be shared with the specific team's interview panel members, to enable them to ascertain your suitability for interview.

We may share the data with third parties if we are required by law to do so, this may include the Police or Government Agencies. We will not sell your data or use it for marketing purposes without your consent.

We will only keep your data for 6 months if you are unsuccessful in securing this appointment.

You have the following rights under the GDPR. Please note not all of these rights apply to all processing. Further details on each right can be found on our website https://www.rutland.gov.uk:

• The right to be informed

• The right of access

• The right to rectification

• The right to erasure

• The right to restrict processing

• The right to data portability

• The right to object

• Rights related to automated decision making, including profiling'