How to Apply

Our values are clearly articulated in the systems we use to attract, retain, develop and promote our staff. They are supported by our Performance Attributes which define the core elements of effective performance that are relevant to every job at our University.

You are advised to read the job description and employee specification for each particular vacancy carefully before completing an application as the decision whether to shortlist you will be based on the information provided in your application. Curriculum Vitae (CV) alone are not accepted in place of an application but you may include one as additional supporting information. The CV should relate to how you meet the criteria outlined in the employee specification. Please note that up to three attachments, with a maximum size of 5 MB each, can be accepted if you are applying online. You should complete all sections of the online form or enter 'Not Applicable' (N/A) if any parts are not relevant.

Please note that the online form will time-out if you do not save any data for a 60-minute period. We strongly advise that you save your application regularly by clicking on the Save & Continue button. Alternatively, you can type your supporting statement in another document first and then copy and paste the text into the relevant box. Please do be aware that you risk losing data if the form times-out and you have not saved your data regularly.

Please note that the submission deadline for application forms is midnight on the closing date quoted.

Registered Users

If you are already registered as a user and have submitted at least one online application via this site your personal details, employment history and referee details will automatically feed through to any further applications you make. Please ensure you check whether any pre-existing details are still current. If you need to amend them, use the Edit option. If you wish to add additional information, please use the Add option.

Confirmation Statement

Please complete this section to confirm that you have read the 'How to Apply/ guidance before starting to complete your application.

Personal Details

Please include all your forenames and surname/family name. If you use a different forename, please enter this as your preferred name. If you provide more than one address, please use the tick-box on the on-line application to indicate which is your mailing address. Where possible, correspondence will be sent by email so it is important that you also provide a valid email address.

Employment Details

Please list your current and previous posts. Please account for any gaps in your employment history.

Education and Qualifications

Please provide details of those qualifications which you believe are relevant to this application, listing the most relevant qualification first. Please include the name of the education establishment, the qualification type/level (eg NVQ3, degree), the date the qualification was obtained or expected completion date and details of the subject(s) and grade(s). Please note that qualifications will be verified on appointment.

Professional Bodies & Occupational Training

Please give details of any professional memberships and/or occupational training which are relevant to the post applied for. Where appropriate, please state your level of membership, the date obtained and expiry or renewal date. If applicable, please include your membership or registration number.

References

You must provide the name, address, email address and telephone number of two people who can provide a reference. One of the referees must be your present or (if you are unemployed) your most recent employer or line manager. Referees should not be a relative and ideally both of your referees should be able to comment on your suitability for the post for which you have applied. Please note that references are not requested prior to interview. Your referees will usually be contacted after you have been identified as the preferred candidate for the post.

Relationship with Leeds Met University

Please state if you are related to or have any substantial connection with any employee of the University.

Availability for Interview

Should you be selected for interview, please indicate any dates when it would be impossible for you to attend.

Availability to Start Work

If appointed, please indicate when you could start work and/or confirm the notice period required by your current employer.

Immigration

You must indicate if you have permission to live and work in the UK. If you are selected for interview you will be required to verify this by producing appropriate documentation. Further information will be provided if you are invited to attend for interview.

Criminal Convictions

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the post you are applying for and the circumstances and background of the offence(s). For posts not requiring a Criminal Background Disclosure, you are required to declare only unspent convictions. For posts requiring a Criminal Background Disclosure, you are required to declare the details of all convictions, whether spent or not if shortlisted.

Source of Application

To help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment process, please tell us how you found out about this vacancy.

Supporting Information

This section is for you to provide any additional information which you feel is relevant to the job for which you are applying. Please read the employee specification carefully, as this identifies the criteria relevant to the role, and take care to address each point in your supporting information.

You should provide information, examples and evidence to illustrate how you feel you meet the criteria for the job. For example, if the employee specification states "ability to use initiative and work unsupervised" it is not sufficient to say "I can work unsupervised and show initiative". You must include examples of your work and/or experience which illustrate these abilities. When providing examples or evidence, you may also refer to any relevant experience acquired outside work such as community, voluntary or leisure interests.

The employee specification is divided into two parts: the first covers Qualifications, Skills, Experience and Knowledge; the second covers Performance Attributes and behaviours. In the first part of the employee specification, there may be some criteria that are not ticked as essential but are still very relevant to the role. It is, therefore, important that you provide evidence in relation to all the criteria regardless of whether they are ticked as essential or not. The second part of the employee specification covers essential criteria relating to Performance Attributes and behaviours and it is important that you demonstrate fully how you meet these criteria.

If you do not demonstrate that you meet all of the essential criteria, you will not be invited to interview. Meeting all of the essential criteria, however, does not guarantee you an interview. In a strong group of applicants, there may be other applicants who have demonstrated that they meet the criteria to a greater relevance and/or depth. You must provide the name, address, email address and telephone number of two people who can provide a reference. One of the referees must be your present or (if you are unemployed) your most recent employer or line manager. Referees should not be a relative and ideally both of your referees should be able to comment on your suitability for the post for which you have applied. Please note that it is University policy to make all appointments subject to satisfactory references.

The University has an Equality and Diversity Policy and governance structure that reflects the requirements of the Equality Act.

Applications are welcome from all sections of the community. The University aims to ensure that everyone who works or applies to work for our University is treated fairly and is not subjected to unlawful discrimination on grounds of their sex, age, race, ethnic or national origins, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, family responsibility, disability or political beliefs.

In order to monitor the effectiveness of our Equality and Diversity procedures, you are requested to complete this section of the form. This section will be detached prior to your application form being forwarded to the selection panel.

The University actively invites applications from people with disabilities. The University has a Disability Employment Policy: Employing, Supporting and Working with Disabled Staff. This policy outlines practices and procedures that will enhance and support existing procedures within the University for the benefit of disabled staff, their managers and work colleagues, and those who are in a position of providing support. The University subscribes to the Positive About Disabled People Scheme which means a guaranteed interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria as defined in the Employee Specification. In order to do this the only information that will be forwarded to a selection panel from this section of the application form is information identifying disabled applicants.

If you are short-listed for interview, you will be asked to indicate whether any specific arrangements need to be made for you to attend.

You must complete this section on the form to confirm that the information you have provided is, to the best of your knowledge and belief, true and complete and also so that we can process your application in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2000.

Ability Tests

We may use ability tests (particularly verbal and numerical tests) and/or the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) as part of the selection process. Further information and appropriate practice leaflets are provided to applicants, at the appropriate stage, if tests are to be used as part of the selection process.

Data Protection

In order to be able to conduct business, the University needs to process certain information about its employees, students and other individuals. In so doing, the University must comply with the Data Protection Act 2000 which  provides safeguards to individuals about the collection, use, storage and retention of personal information by the University in manual/computer based information systems. In recruitment and selection, this data is primarily held for internal monitoring and external benchmarking purposes.

Health Assessment

All offers of appointment to a position with the University are subject to satisfactory health assessment through completion of a health questionnaire.

We will make every effort to modify the job and/or to make reasonable adjustments to enable a candidate with a disability to take up a post. The University has also signed up to the Mindful Employer Charter for employers who are positive about mental health.

Submitting your Application

You must click the Submit button in order to submit your completed application. If you are unable to submit an application online, please contact the HR Operations Team whose details are included on the job advertisement and job description. Please note that the submission deadline for applications is midnight on the closing date quoted.

Progress of your application

You will receive an automated acknowledgement when you submit your application. Shortlisting usually takes place within four weeks of the advertised closing date and you will be contacted, by email or letter, to let you know the outcome of your application.

If you require any further details about any of the areas covered in this guide, please contact Human Resources by email at hroperations@leedsmet.ac.uk

If you have any questions about the particular job you are applying for, please refer these to the HR Operations Team. Contact details are provided in the job advertisement and job description.

We are committed to providing a high-quality recruitment and selection process to all our applicants and we are constantly seeking new ways this can be improved. As part of this commitment, we recognise the value of seeking feedback. If you wish to offer any suggestions or comments please send them via email to hroperations@leedsmet.ac.uk.