Application support

These hints have been designed to provide useful information for applicants about the University’s recruitment procedures.

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Completing the Application Form

Our application form is used both for shortlisting and for reference during the interview process.

Please note that details supplied in the Sensitive Information section are kept strictly confidential. All sensitive information is held in the People Team and is not seen or used by the shortlisting panel. The information is used for monitoring purposes only and forms no part of the selection process.

When completing the application form, please remember to:

Read the job description, person specification and advertisement and any other relevant details thoroughly before completing the form. Use the information supplied to make your application relevant to the post. It is important that you use the form to explain how your particular skills/abilities, experience and qualifications compare with those which have been defined in the supporting information. These documents, particularly the person specification, are used as the basis for shortlisting.
Complete all sections of the form; the system will not allow you to submit the form until all of the mandatory fields have been completed. A CV is not regarded as a substitute but may be included as part of the Supporting information in the section ‘Why are you suitable for this position?’. If you have difficulties including any relevant information, please contact the People Team at PeopleTeam@uclan.ac.uk or on 01772 892324.
By ticking the Confirmation box in the Declaration section you are confirming that the information given is correct. Please note that if you provide false information or deliberately omit any relevant details you will not be included in the selection process.

The Appointments Process

You will receive an email confirming receipt of your application. If you are not shortlisted, you will receive an email confirming this. Applicants put forward for the selection process will be advised by phone or by post.

Shortlisting is carried out by members of the interview panel and is based on an assessment of the information you have provided in your application, against criteria defined on the person specification.
If you are a UCLan graduate and you are not shortlisted, further advice and guidance can be gained from our Careers Team.
In accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy, if you declare a disability on page 1 of the application form, and meet the essential requirements of the post, you are guaranteed to be shortlisted. The Disability Declaration is used solely to allow you to give us this information. However if you declare a disability in the sensitive information section only, the confidential nature of the monitoring form means the information would not be passed to the short listing panel.
If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted and invited to attend the selection process. If there are any special arrangements associated with the selection process, for example, tests or presentations, you will be provided with all the information you need.
We ask you to provide details of a minimum of two persons who will act as referees in support of your application where possible one of these should be from your last employer. Referees may be contacted in writing to provide their references prior to the selection process; however, we will not do this without first seeking your permission to do so.
As part of our Equal Opportunities Policy, all interview panels will normally consist of at least three people and will include both men and women.
If you attend a selection process both successful and unsuccessful candidates will normally be informed verbally of the outcome within 2 working days of the selection process being finalised. The successful candidate will have the decision confirmed in writing as an offer of employment. Unsuccessful candidates will have the opportunity for feedback from the Chair of the interview panel on request.
All offers of appointment are conditional upon receipt of satisfactory references, medical clearance, verification of qualifications, verification of eligibility to work in the UK and, where appropriate, satisfactory Disclosure and Barring checks, prior to commencement of employment.
The University can offer flexible patterns of work including job sharing, part-time and short-term contracts. All advertised posts can be considered on a job-share basis. If you are applying as a job-share candidate, please state your preferred pattern of work e.g. mornings only; 3 days per week etc, on the application form.

Please also note that we are not able to accept any applications after a closing date.

If you require further information regarding the recruitment process or are unsure how to proceed, please do not hesitate to contact the People Team at PeopleTeam@uclan.ac.uk or on 01772 892324 who will do all they can to assist you.

Thank you for your interest in employment at the University and good luck with your application!

For access to other vacancies in the university sector visit: jobs.ac.uk.

Students looking for employment can also visit the Careeredge site.

Applications from Non-UK Workers (not including Irish citizens)

Following a review of the UK's immigration scheme in 2020, a new points-based system for immigration has been introduced. This document relates to the Skilled Worker visa. This has replaced the previous Tier 2 visa.

For a skilled worker from outside of the EEA to be successful in their application to enter or remain in the UK under Tier 2 (General), they must have a sponsor and a valid certificate of sponsorship.
For a sponsor (employer) to issue a certificate of sponsorship, the sponsor must be completely satisfied that the skilled worker will meet the points requirements of the Skilled Worker Visa and that they intend to and are able to fulfil the specific skilled job in question.
If a skilled worker from outside of the UK is appointed to a post at UCLan rigorous checks will be undertaken to ensure that the points based criteria can be met. If they cannot be met, the offer of employment will be withdrawn.
Before applying for employment at UCLan, prospective applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the requirements for working in the UK. Information about your job is available on the gov.uk your job page.
Further information on can be found on the gov.uk skilled visa pages.

An employer may request a criminal record check as part of their recruitment process. These checks are processed by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

For certain roles, the check will also include information held on the DBS children’s and adults’ barred lists, alongside any information held by local police forces, that is considered to be relevant to the applied-for post.

These checks are to assist employers in making safer recruitment and licensing decisions, however a check is just one part of recruitment practice. When a check has been processed by the DBS and completed, the applicant will receive a DBS certificate.

Access to the DBS checking service is only available to registered employers who are entitled by law to ask an individual to reveal their full criminal history, including spent convictions - this excludes protected cautions and convictions that will be filtered from a criminal record check - also known as asking ‘an exempted question’.

An exempted question applies when the individual will be working in specific occupations, for certain licenses and specified positions. These are covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

More information about who is eligible for a criminal record check, can be found in the DBS eligibility guidance.

The code of practice is issued under section 122(2) of the Police Act 1997. Organisations using the DBS checking service must comply with the code of practice. It is there to ensure that organisations are aware of their obligations, and that the information released will be used fairly.

The code also ensures that sensitive and personal information, disclosed by the DBS, is handled and stored appropriately and is kept for only as long as is necessary.

The code of practice for registered persons and other recipients of DBS check information can be found on gov.uk.

Usually, a job applicant has no legal obligation to reveal spent convictions. If an applicant has a conviction that has become spent, the employer must treat the applicant as if the conviction has not happened. A refusal to employ a rehabilitated person on the grounds of a spent conviction is unlawful under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

Certain areas of employment are exempt under the ROA 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, and employers may ask about spent convictions - this is known as asking an exempted question. When answering, the applicant would have a legal obligation to reveal spent convictions.

The code of practice states that information on a DBS certificate should only be used in the context of a policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders. This is designed to protect applicants from unfair discrimination, based on non-relevant past convictions. For further information about disclosing criminal convictions please see the government guidance about telling an employer, university or college about your criminal record.

Application support

Completing the Application Form

The Appointments Process

Applications from Non-UK Workers (not including Irish citizens)

DBS checks

The code of practice

Applicants’ rights

DBS checks for Transgender people