Fair Recruitment and Selection Procedure

FAIR RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

1 Introduction (page 3)

When a vacancy arises (page 4)

Job analysis (page 4) Approval to fill a vacancy (page 5) Advertising a vacancy (page 6

Information to Candidates (page 7) The Selection Panel (page 8)

Short-listing (page 8)

Guaranteed Interview Scheme (page 10) Selection Tools (page 11)

Interview (page 11)

Making a conditional offer of employment (page 14) Pre-employment clearances (page 14) Agreeing a start date (page 17) Confirming an offer of employment (page 17) Feedback to candidates (page 17)

Confidentiality (page 18) Glossary of Terms (page 18) 2 INTRODUCTION

The Fair Recruitment and Selection Procedure is a fundamental part of the City Council’s commitment to equal opportunities in employment. It sets out what should happen throughout the end to end recruitment process. The procedure exists to ensure that the best person for the job is appointed and that our processes comply with employment legislation therefore resulting in the elimination of any potentially discriminatory practices. All recruitment actions and decisions should be taken in accordance with this procedure.

Anyone who is involved in any stage of the recruitment process must demonstrate a clear understanding of this procedure. In addition to this procedure, a Recruitment & Selection training programme exists and at least one member of the selection panel must have attended this programme who will lead on the recruitment (normally the recruiting manager). Should a panel not contain an accredited member, please visit the Learning and Development I-Learn Intranet site where future course dates and registration instructions can be found. If the recruitment of a new staff member cannot wait until a panel member is accredited, then an alternative manager who has attended the training will need to be sourced to oversee the recruitment process.

For each recruitment case, a Resourcing case manager from the Human Resource and Payroll Service (HR&P) will be assigned to co-ordinate each stage of the recruitment process and offer advice and guidance throughout.

Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 brings together lots of different legislation to make equality law simpler and easier to understand and covers the following:

 age  disability  gender reassignment  marriage and civil partnership  pregnancy and maternity  race  religion or belief  sex  sexual orientation

These are known as ‘protected characteristics’ and will be referred to throughout this document. For further guidance on the Equality Act and its implications throughout the recruitment process, please see the HR & Payroll Intranet site.

WHEN A VACANCY ARISES

A vacancy may arise for the following reasons:

 An employee leaves

3  A requirement to create a new position due to increased workload / service review

An Employee Leaves the Organisation

An employee may leave the organisation for a variety of reasons. For example, they may retire or leave to take up other employment. It is important to hold an exit interview to discover if there are any underlying reasons for leaving the City Council. Not only does this help to maintain goodwill (and retain the City Council’s reputation) but it also helps to highlight any internal issues (such as pay levels, working conditions or recruitment shortages) which may be able to be resolved before recruitment to replace the individual commences, thus aiding retention in the future. The line manager should conduct the exit interview (unless the employee specifically requests that other arrangements be made). In such circumstances, a manager at the same or the next level should conduct the interview. The information gathered should be analysed and action taken if appropriate. For further guidance, please visit the Exit Interviews page on the HR & Payroll Intranet site.

Creation of a new position within the team

If following a service review an additional position is required within a particular service, steps need to be taken to ensure that this position is created within the establishment (within Oracle).

 A Delegated Powers Report should be completed and forwarded to the relevant Assistant Director (AD) or above for approval.  Following approval, an ER Advisor Request Form should be submitted to request the assistance of an ER Advisor to guide managers through the position creation process.

For new posts, only when a position has been created within the establishment can the recruitment process commence.

JOB ANALYSIS

Prior to committing to filling a vacancy a manager should:

 Determine whether the vacancy should be filled at all i.e.: o Consider how long that the post has been vacant – has workload decreased? Have the team been able to maintain standards without being overworked? o If so, consult Employee Relations using the ER Advisor Request Form to discuss commencement of a service review.

 Consider whether the duties of the position have changed and review and update the Job Description and Person Specification (if applicable). Please have consideration for current employment

4 legislation i.e. age regulations where reference to a specific number of years experience is no longer permitted. For further guidance on writing effective job descriptions and person specifications contact HR&P.

 Determine when a vacancy should be filled (i.e. immediately, 3 months, 6 months). A post should not go to advert if any delays are envisaged in filling a vacancy as approvals are only valid for a 3 month period.

 Confirm the grade (based on any changes to duties and/or feedback obtained from exit interview). If changes to grade are required, please consult Employee Relations using the ER Advisor Request Form who will co-ordinate the re-grading process (if applicable).

 Ensure that the position to be advertised matches exactly the vacant position that appears within the Oracle system. If the post differs, this will delay the recruitment process unless the relevant structure amendments are made beforehand with the Employee Relations Team.

 Determine whether the post is subject to Disclosure (and if so, record this on the job description, person specification and advert). For further information regarding CRB Disclosures, please visit the CRB pages on the HR & Payroll Intranet site.

 Consider whether the position could be attached to an Apprenticeship Framework and offered as an Apprenticeship. Further guidance on Apprenticeship Frameworks and Apprentice posts is available from the Workforce Strategy (Employment Initiatives) Team.

APPROVAL TO FILL A VACANCY

Please note that this process applies to all secondments, permanent and fixed term appointments (including any externally funded posts).

From time to time, approval requirements will be altered therefore please see the ‘Filling a Vacancy’ pages of the HR & Payroll Intranet site before submitting vacancy documentation for details of current approval requirements.

The minimum approval required to fill vacancies is completion of all standard documentation and confirmation of approval from the relevant Assistant Director (AD) which should be sent to the Fill a Vacancy mailbox. Standard documentation includes:

 Advert template (Microsoft Word and e-form versions)  Job Description and Person Specification  Request to Fill

5  Delegated Powers Report (if a new post). Please note that new posts must also be submitted to the Job Evaluation Team in the first instance.

All forms required during the recruitment process are available on the ‘Forms’ page of the HR & Payroll Intranet site. All forms must be fully completed as incomplete submissions will delay the process.

Once the relevant AD approval to fill has been sought, on receipt of all documentation, the vacancy will be allocated to a Resourcing case manager to co-ordinate the process from start to finish.

Please see the ‘Filling a Vacancy’ pages of the HR & Payroll Intranet site for vacancy submission deadlines.

ADVERTISING A VACANCY

The City Council’s approach is that all jobs will be advertised internally and/or externally subject to the redeployment process being completed. Cost and effectiveness will influence choice of placing adverts but the application of the City Council’s equal opportunities policy is an important factor to ensure that the widest and most appropriate audience is reached. At a minimum, external advertisements will appear on the Liverpool City Council corporate website, Intranet site and Jobcentre Plus. Jobcentre Plus is used to ensure that sufficiently targeted advertising has taken place to attract applicants from the EU (known as a Resident Labour Market Test). Only once this test has been applied can migrant workers be employed. For further details in relation to employing migrant workers, please see the Migrant Workers page of the HR&P Intranet site.

Consideration should also be given to the following advertising mediums:

 Websites / job-boards – research shows that the majority of job- seekers today are using websites and job-boards to search for vacancies. Although consideration needs to be given to those who may for whatever reason, not have internet access.  Local and / or national newspapers – these are still popular despite the increase in web-based job searches. They ensure that those without the internet still have the opportunity to access City Council vacancies and depending on the type of vacancy, could be more successful than web-based adverts.  Professional journals – are particularly useful for specialised roles i.e. Social Workers, Finance professionals amongst others.  Periodicals that serve minority groups – ensure minority groups have equal access to vacancies.

The use of employment agencies to fill vacancies will only be permitted under exceptional circumstances.

6 The text in adverts should be clear and unambiguous. On all occasions advertisements should not be discriminatory, offensive or in anyway off- putting to any person or group. Managers should pay particular attention to the quality and presentation of the advertisement to avoid unnecessary delays in publication.

For further advice on writing or placing adverts, visit the ‘Advertising a Vacancy’ page on the HR&P Intranet site or contact the relevant Resourcing case manager.

Genuine Occupational Qualifications

For some roles, a specific requirement may be necessary; whereas to request it under ordinary circumstances would be in breach of employment legislation. These requirements are known as ‘protected characteristics.’

The Equality Act recognises that to have a protected characteristic may in some limited circumstances be a real asset for some jobs. If managers decide to use Genuine Occupational Qualifications (GOQ) they must show that the job holder concerned will be providing intensive one to one support to people with the same protected characteristic e.g. requirement to have a female hostel worker in a female only hostel.

If a post is covered by a GOQ this must be stated in the advert to make it clear that only applicants with the specific protected characteristic in question to be considered. The genuine occupational qualification requirement cannot be invoked once applications can be received.

INFORMATION TO CANDIDATES

As standard, the following information will be made available to candidates applying for a City Council vacancy regardless of their method of application:

 Application Form (including Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form)  Guidance Notes for completing the application form  Job Description  Person Specification  Terms and Conditions of Employment (including brief details of the Job Evaluation process and the possibility of a change to the salary indicated)  Vision, Aims, Values and Principles of Liverpool City Council  Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Statement

Any variation to this pack should be agreed by prior arrangement with the Human Resource & Payroll Service. As a general rule this will only be considered for PO6 appointments and above. In such circumstances, sufficient copies of any additional information must be provided before the advert is placed. Cost implications of providing any additional information should be considered from the outset.

7 If an applicant requires further information or discussion about the post, they will be referred to a nominated Contact Officer. This may not be a member of the recruitment panel but another team member who is impartial to the selection process with sufficient knowledge of the role being advertised.

Receipt of Completed Application Forms

For consistency, only the City Council’s application form should be used for all posts (except in exceptional circumstances such as ‘expressions of interest’ for internal secondments and must be agreed in advance with HR&P).

On receipt of a completed application form to HR&P, date of receipt and candidate details, (including monitoring information) will be logged.

The line manager will be notified of any late applications received in HR&P. The decision to accept late applications should be taken on a case by case basis and consistency must be maintained. However, these should only be accepted up until the short list has been finalised.

Equality monitoring is at the heart of the City Council’s equal opportunities policy and has to succeed in making the issues of equality a reality. All monitoring information in relation to job applicants will be to assist the City Council in equality monitoring.

THE SELECTION PANEL

The selection panel should consist of no less than two City Council representatives (wherever possible one being the line manager / supervisor) and no more than three.

All panel members must be familiar with the City Council’s fair recruitment and selection procedure and have read the relevant recruitment guidance notes on the City Council’s intranet.

At least one member of the panel must have completed the City Council’s Recruitment and Selection training programme and be accredited to participate in recruitment and selection process. If a request is submitted without this requirement being confirmed, the vacancy will be rejected until an accredited panel member is identified.

SHORT-LISTING

Following receipt of applications for a vacancy, the Resourcing case manager will collate all applications and distribute as follows:

Electronic applications: will be uploaded to Sharepoint and secure access granted in the form of a web link via e-mail to the recruiting manager. Hard copy applications: the Resourcing case manager will alert the recruiting manager and these will need to be collected from HR&P.

8 Every applicant must be assessed consistently against the essential criteria identified on the person specification. The selection panel must look for relevant objective evidence on which to make a decision. Panel members must not use prior knowledge of an applicant (particularly internal applicants) when making their decision. Short-listing notes could be called upon in the future both for feedback purposes and/or to defend any claims made by unsuccessful candidates therefore must not contain subjective opinions.

Please note that under the Equality Act it is now illegal to use sickness as criteria when short-listing.

Where there is a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ), the line manager must check all application forms for compliance with that aspect of the person specification.

If a panel member is aware that someone they are related to or know personally has applied for the job, he or she must declare it. Panel members must withdraw from the short-listing and interview process if they feel their knowledge of a candidate could prevent them from being objective.

On all occasions, involvement in short-listing (or interviewing) a family member is not permitted.

Scoring Applications

There is a corporate scoring system in operation which must be used along with completion of a short-listing form. Every application must be read and assessed against the essential criteria on the person specification to generate a shortlist against this scoring system.

After agreeing the shortlist, the Short-listing / Interview Checklist should be passed to HR&P for processing within 10 working days of the closing date. Interview letters will then be issued to candidates within 48 hours by the Resourcing case manager. Candidates must in all cases be given at least seven days notice of the interview date to enable them to prepare adequately.

Should feedback be requested from unsuccessful candidates (whether internal or external) at the application stage, it is good practice to provide it. For further information, please see the Feedback section of this document.

Proceeding with Only One Applicant

In exceptional circumstances interviews may proceed with only one candidate. However panel members must satisfy themselves that:  the advertisement has been targeted properly  the selection criteria has been reviewed  there is a compelling argument not to go straight to re-advertisement  please note that any changes made to the job details or person specification will result in a re-advertisement of the post. Applicants

9 must be informed if a post is to be re-advertised and whether or not they will automatically be reconsidered.

APPLICATIONS FROM DISABLED PEOPLE

Best practice in recruitment means finding the best person for the job. This means taking care with all the arrangements you make so that you don’t miss the potential offered by people with disabilities and health conditions.

We are all different and following best practice will help you to accurately recognise the potential of everyone who applies to work for you.

The Equality Act makes it unlawful to discriminate for reasons related to disability. To avoid discrimination you must assess all applicants on their individual merits.

If a workplace is inaccessible, this is not sufficient to justify excluding a person with disability from the shortlist. The Equal Opportunities Team will advise on the availability of grants for equipment and adaptations to the workplace.

There is no requirement to treat someone with a disability or health issue more favourably than you would treat other candidates except that you must make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals if needed. These adjustments may be applicable all through the recruitment process e.g. supplying an application form in large print, providing loop system in the interview room. The only exception to this is the provisions made if an applicant was to apply under the disability symbol or Guaranteed Interview Scheme (further information below).

You do not have to employ the person if, after allowing for those adjustments, he or she would not be the best person for the job.

GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME

Liverpool Council is positive about Disabled People and committed to their employment. The Council’s Policy is that any disabled applicant meeting the minimum, i.e. essential, criteria for the job will be interviewed. If an applicant considers themselves to be a disabled person, and wishes to take advantage of the guaranteed interview scheme, he/she must indicate this clearly on the application form.

Positive Action

Managers are able to pick someone for a post from an underrepresented group only when they have the choice between two or more candidates who are equally suitable. This should be reflected on the interview record forms.

10 Positive action should not be confused with unlawful positive discrimination which is employing or promoting people just because they are from an underrepresented group even if they are less suitable than another candidate.

SELECTION TOOLS

The City Council wishes only to recruit and retain employees who can demonstrate commitment to the City Council’s vision and values. As part of the recruitment and selection process, managers are encouraged to include presentations, assessments, tests and exercises to determine levels of competence that are reliable and valid in assessing potential performance at work. In addition to skill tests, managers should look for evidence of desirable behaviours that are reflected in the City Council’s values.

Depending on the role, consideration should be given to the following selection tools:

 Competency-Based Interview (CBI)  Presentations  Ability tests  Psychometric/personality tests  Work-Based exercises

The City Council supports a behavioural competency approach to assessment. Tests and/or exercises should only be administered and assessed by suitably qualified and/or competent staff. The use of psychometric and personality testing should be limited and only administered by trained and qualified personnel (e.g. holders of the British Psychological Society Certificate in Occupational Testing Levels A and/or B).

For further information on the above selection tools, please visit the Selection Tools page on the HR&P Intranet site.

INTERVIEW

HR&P will issue interview letters to short-listed candidates within two working days of receipt of the Shortlisting / Interview Checklist.

At this point, applicants are provided with full information on the assessment process to be used and asked if, for reasons concerned with their health or a disability, they require an adjustment to the process to be made. Applicants will also be asked to provide a number of documents at this stage that need to be checked by the recruiting manager (or nominated other):

 Eligibility to work in the UK (Asylum and Immigration check) – required for all  CRB Disclosure Application form and supporting documentation / or evidence of current CRB if an internal applicant (if post subject to a CRB check)

11  Any qualification certificates / professional registrations identified as essential on the person specification (if essential qualifications identified)  Driving licence and insurance details (for essential car users only)

For further details on these requirements, please see the Pre-Employment Clearances section below.

Preparing for Interview

In preparation for the interview, it is the responsibility of the recruiting manager (or nominated other) to:

 book an appropriate venue taking account of privacy and access issues (reasonable adjustments may be required)  agree interview questions and evidence required for each essential criteria on the person specification. For further information on writing interview questions, please visit the ‘Interview’ page of the HR&P Intranet site  agree the structure of the interview and responsibilities of individual panel members  ensure that there are reception and waiting facilities in a quiet area  ensure availability of refreshments  Ensure that a nominated person is available to check any essential documents requested i.e. Asylum and Immigration, CRB Disclosure, GSCC , qualifications, ensuring that photocopies of all documents are taken and that copies are signed to say that originals have been checked  ensure interview expense claim forms are available (if applicable) – these are to be processed through Financial Management teams and not HR&P (please note that it is good practice to reimburse expenses incurred to candidates as part of the interview process if requested; however the decision is discretionary to the Business Unit ensuring consistency in approach is maintained at all times)

HR&P will make available to the panel:

 Access to all forms required throughout the interview process i.e. Interview Record Sheet and Interview Checklist.

Application forms for all candidates must be retained by the recruiting manager for five months following the interview date to refer to should any appeals be made.

The Interview

On arrival, the panel must advise candidates of the structure of the interview and that notes will be taken and retained with their application form for five months after completion of the selection process. The information recorded

12 on the interview record sheet is important for assessing candidates and for providing feedback after interview. Interview notes could be called upon in the future both for feedback purposes and / or to defend any claims made by unsuccessful candidates therefore must not contain subjective opinions.

In order to get the best responses out of candidates, probing questions should be used to further explore the answers provided. Answers should be assessed against the evidence required to support the essential criteria identified in the person specification. This evidence must reflect awareness of equal opportunity issues.

It is important to note that questions regarding a candidate’s health or disability can not be asked at interview stage unless it is for the following reasons:  Finding out whether a job applicant would be able to participate in an assessment to test their suitability for the work  Making reasonable adjustments to enable a disabled person to participate in the recruitment process  Finding out whether a job applicant would be able to undertake a function that is intrinsic to the job, with reasonable adjustments as required  To enable identification of suitable candidates for a job where there is a genuine occupational requirement for the person to be disabled

Please note that under the Equality Act that it is now illegal to use an individual’s sickness record as a reason not to hire.

Before leaving, candidates should be informed when a decision will be made, how this will be communicated, and in what timescale. If any delays are anticipated, candidates should be kept fully informed throughout so that they do not lose interest in the position or in the organisation as a whole.

Selection

At the end of the interviews, each panel member should have recorded on their individual Interview Record Sheets, evidence of how each candidate has met each of the selection criteria. Systematic analysis and assessment against the corporate scoring system is important so that fair decisions can be made (and justified) and so that useful feedback can be given to candidates.

The panel should then reach agreement on which candidate is to be appointed. The final panel decision must be recorded summarising to what extent each candidate met the selection criteria. The recruiting manager is responsible for this and also for ensuring that they record the decision using the Notification of Interview Outcome Form confirming this with a signature and date.

The recruiting manager should inform both successful and unsuccessful candidates of the outcome of the interviews as soon as possible after the decision has been made. It may be beneficial to contact the successful candidate first to determine whether they wish to accept the post before

13 contacting unsuccessful candidates. For further information, please see the Feedback section of this document.

No Appointable Candidates

If no appointment is made following the selection process, it may be necessary to re-advertise. Before doing so, the panel should reconsider and review the job description, the person specification and the content of the advertisement.

MAKING A CONDITIONAL OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

To make a formal conditional offer of employment, the Notification of Interview Outcome Form along with a copy of the successful candidates’ application form(s), evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and CRB Disclosure application form and essential qualifications (if applicable) must be forwarded to HR&P.

The recruiting manager may inform the successful candidate verbally but must make it clear that the offer of employment is conditional on the receipt of satisfactory pre-employment checks and safer recruitment requirements (if applicable). See below ‘Pre-Employment Clearances’ section for further information.

HR&P will issue a formal ‘Conditional Offer Letter’ and a written ‘Statement of Particulars’ along with other documents such as:

 Equal Opportunities Statement  Employee Secondment Statement (where applicable)  Any appropriate appendices for the role i.e. Career Progression Scheme or confirmation of working hours

PRE-EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCES

It is the responsibility of the recruiting manager (or nominated other) to carry out the required checks and identify any additional checks that may be required in the selection process. At a minimum, the following pre- employment clearances are required:

 Asylum and Immigration (A&I) check  Satisfactory reference(s)  Medical clearance

Asylum & Immigration (A&I) Checks Before any potential employee starts work for Liverpool City Council we have a legal obligation to ensure that they are eligible to work in the UK. All candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their eligibility to work in the

14 United Kingdom at the interview stage. Nobody will be allowed to take up an offer of employment or receive payment before documents confirming their status have been verified.

For further information on A&I and acceptable documentation, please visit the Asylum & Immigration page on the HR&P Intranet site.

References Unless specifically requested (and only in exceptional circumstances), HR&P will only take up references for successful candidates (unless Safer Recruitment principles apply or are specifically requested by the relevant Director to do otherwise). To minimise delays, references will be requested by Email wherever possible and actively followed up by HR&P until received. Two written references will be requested for all external candidates and all candidates applying for posts subject to Safer Recruitment. Only one reference is required for internal candidates (with the exception of applications for Safer Recruitment posts). One referee must be the current or most recent employer. For internal applicants, this should be the line manager but this will not prevent the line manager’s involvement in the selection process.

Medical Clearance All appointments are subject to satisfactory medical clearance. A pre- employment medical questionnaire will be issued by HR&P to successful applicants along with their conditional offer of employment letter. Occupational Health Services will process the pre-employment medical questionnaire and inform HR&P of their decision. The decision is strictly confidential and will only be discussed with the recruiting manager.

Safer Recruitment For those posts where it has been agreed there will be unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults, more detailed checks need to be undertaken to ensure that the applicants are suitable to work with these vulnerable groups. For example, the employment history of the successful candidate must be checked to ensure that there are no discrepancies or gaps. If there are, the candidate should be asked to account for them. For posts in Children’s Residential Services, it is also acceptable and expected that the recruiting manager (or their nominated officer) contact any past employer detailed on the application to confirm dates of previous employment. This is recommended in the Warner Report. There are also variations required as part of other pre-employment clearances which are detailed within each section below if applicable.

In line with Safer Recruitment Guidelines, candidates applying for posts within Children’s and Adult Services will be required to produce a recent photograph when they attend for interview. The recruiting manager (or nominated other) must verify the photograph for likeness by signing and dating the reverse. On identification of a successful candidate, their photograph must be forwarded to HR&P for retaining on their personal file.

15 Qualifications If a specific qualification is a requirement (and is detailed on the person specification as essential) candidates will be asked to bring original certificates to interview. The recruiting manager or their nominated officer must check these details and take a photocopy to send to HR&P ensuring that the copy has been verified with a signature and date. It is essential that in all cases original documents be checked.

Criminal Records Bureau Checks For particular posts identified by the City Council, applicants will be required to disclose their Criminal Background. In all cases, Disclosure will apply to applicants for posts where there is unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults. HR&P will manage the Disclosure process for the recruitment of new employees into the City Council. For full guidance notes and responsibilities, please visit the Criminal Records Bureau pages of the HR&P Intranet site.

Where a post is subject to Disclosure, the process must be completed before the new employee takes up post. Only in exceptional circumstances will employees be allowed to start work pending receipt of a satisfactory Disclosure. In all such cases, approval must be given by the relevant Director and the employee must not have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults.

Line managers will be responsible for assessing the risk of appointing the successful candidate on receipt of the disclosure report and making an appointment decision.

HR&P will:

 countersign the application and submit to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)  receive the Disclosure report from CRB and inform the manager of the content  advise selection panels on the Disclosure process and ensure that records are stored confidentially. No appointment will take place without a satisfactory disclosure report  destroy Disclosure reports after six months in accordance with CRB guidelines (or following inspection for posts subject to statutory inspection)  store proof of Disclosure on the successful candidate’s personal file (certificate number, issue date and barred list(s) checked only as it is against the CRB Code of Practice to photocopy CRB certificates)

16 AGREEING A START DATE

Successful candidates must only be given a start date when all applicable pre-employment clearances have been received i.e. references, CRB clearance, qualifications etc.

When these pre-employment conditions are satisfied, a mutually convenient start date should be agreed between the line manager and the successful candidate. Any notice that the candidate is required to give to their current employer must be respected. It is not acceptable to expect a candidate to start prior to this unless they can negotiate an earlier release with the company they are leaving.

Any candidate(s) transferring from another organisation must serve their full notice period before commencing with LCC, i.e. they must not commence whilst still on annual leave (or receiving holiday pay) from their previous employer.

CONFIRMING AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT

On receipt of all necessary pre-employment clearances and agreement of a mutually agreeable commencement date, HR&P will issue the successful candidate with a ‘Final Appointment Letter’ confirming their appointment to the post and start date details.

FEEDBACK TO CANDIDATES

At various stages of the recruitment process, feedback may be requested from both successful and unsuccessful candidates. Short-listing and interview notes taken will enable this feedback to be prepared and delivered effectively. Feedback must always be given verbally.

At short-listing stage, it is good practice to provide feedback to candidates when requested to enable them to improve future applications. However, feedback is not openly offered at this stage due to the volume of applications involved in most cases.

At interview stage, feedback must be offered to all candidates therefore must be provided when requested.

To allow for adequate preparation, a date and time for the feedback discussion should be agreed in advance. Points to consider include:

 Performance against criteria on the person specification  Performance against competencies identified / interview questions  Performance in any selection tests used

Information about the performance of other candidates' must not be given as part of feedback sessions for confidentiality reasons.

17 CONFIDENTIALITY

Application forms and all documentation completed throughout the selection process are strictly confidential. Access to application forms will be restricted only to those involved in the recruitment process.

This procedure will be reviewed annually.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Term Explanation

Age regulations Updated as part of the Equality Act, but make selection decisions based on age illegal. Have implications for wording in job adverts and person specifications. Application LCC’s standard application form. form COL Acronym sometimes used for Conditional Offer Letter.

Competencies Key behaviours needed to be able to perform effectively in a particular role. Corporate Standard system for scoring applications and interviews. scoring system Delegated Report that needs to be completed when a new vacancy Powers report needs to be created (i.e. not an existing post). Must be approved by relevant Director or Assistant Director. Desirable Detailed on the person specification. Required for the role criteria but can be gained through experience. Electronic Application forms received via e-mail or e-form. applications Equality Act New combined discrimination legislation introduced in October 2010. Identifies ‘protected characteristics’ and has implications for the recruitment process. New simplified employment legislation which combines all previous discrimination legislation (elements are known as ‘protected characteristics’ – see below). Effective from 01 October 2010. Essential Detailed on the person specification. Candidates MUST criteria already possess these qualities otherwise would not be able to successfully carry out the role. Exit interview Used when an employee leaves to gather information relating to their decision and to gain feedback from the employee about their employment experience. Expressions of A short (usually one side of A4) declaration of suitability for interest a role, used only to apply for internal secondments or development opportunities that are not advertised organisation-wide.

18 Term Explanation

Externally- Posts funded by organisations or groups external to the funded posts City Council. May be fully or partially funded. FAL Acronym sometimes used for Final Appointment Letter.

Fixed term A temporary job that may be reliant on external funding, appointments subject to project work etc. Roles with a pre-determined finish date. Genuine Where a specific personal quality is required for a role that Occupational would otherwise be breaching employment legislation i.e. Qualifications to request a female applicant or an applicant of a certain (GOQ) race. Guaranteed Scheme where disabled applicants must be interviewed if Interview they meet all of the essential criteria for a role. Disabled Scheme applicants must state that they wish to opt-in to the GIS – this does not happen automatically. Hard copy Application forms received via post. applications Honoraria Supplementary payments to cover additional duties performed by a member of staff. Not to be confused with ‘Secondment.’ Interview notes Notes made on the interview record form regarding candidate performance against the interview questions and/or competencies identified from the person specification. Job description Main job duties and responsibilities.

Migrant workers Employees that are sourced from outside EU countries and require permission to work in the UK. Objective When short-listing or interviewing, real-life examples evidence provided to determine performance against the criteria on the person specification. General statements should not be considered as objective or strong evidence. Oracle position Assignment within the Oracle system that contains all job details. Employee in the role is attached to this position within the Oracle system. Person Personal characteristics that the successful candidate specification should possess. Probing Further questions based on candidates’ responses if more questions details are required i.e. ‘tell me why you did it that way,’ ‘what was the outcome.’ Protected Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil characteristics partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. Legislation makes it unlawful to treat a person worse than someone else due to possession of one of these characteristics. Reasonable Steps that need to be taken to ensure that disabled people adjustments are not disadvantaged at any stage of the recruitment process. Adjustments may include providing application documents in large print or Braille, providing hearing loops

19 Term Explanation

or ensuring that interview venues are accessible to candidates in wheelchairs. Redeployment A service for employees identified at risk of redundancy to find alternative employment within the organisation. Request to Fill Initial document to be completed to alert the HR and form Payroll Service that a vacancy needs to be filled. To be sent along with Advert, Job Description, Person Specification and Delegated Powers Report (if applicable). Resident A test that is applied to ensure that advertisements have Labour Market been sufficiently targeted to attract EU applicants. At a Test minimum, jobs must be advertised with Jobcentre Plus for 4 weeks before a migrant worker can be employed. Resourcing A Resourcing Coordinator who will be allocated to case manager recruiting managers on submission of a vacancy to advise and guide through the recruitment process. Secondment An internal opportunity to cover temporary positions such as maternity leave or long-term sickness absence. Can also be between two public sector organisations. Selection Essential criteria identified on the person specification. criteria Selection panel The panel that will short-list and interview candidates. Should be a minimum of two people and a maximum of three. Sharepoint A secure Intranet page where all electronic application forms for a particular post are attached prior to short-listing by the Resourcing case manager. Access will be granted by web link. Short-listing The process by which applications for a post are assessed for suitability against the essential criteria contained within the person specification. Short-listing Notes made on the short-listing matrix regarding candidate notes performance against the essential criteria from the person specification. SOP Acronym sometimes used for Statement of Particulars.

Subjective Personal views relating to job applicants that cannot be opinions substantiated i.e. too talkative, too quiet. Warner Report Official government guidance issued regarding best practice in recruitment in relation to Safer Recruitment principles.