Information for Applicants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please complete the enclosed form giving as much information as you can that is relevant to the job for which you are applying.

 

We are required to monitor the recruitment and selection process to ensure we comply with our duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equal opportunities. It is essential that the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form is completed and returned with your application. If you have not been contacted within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.

 

Thank you for your interest in the post.

 

 

Sheffield City Council is the largest employer in South Yorkshire and is entrusted with delivering a wide range of services to the general public. The Council sets a high standard for both its employment practices and its service provision.

 

People are recruited and promoted on the basis of their merits and abilities and no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of racial group, origin or nationality, sex, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs or trade union
activity.

 

We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you are selected to attend for interview you will be asked if you require any special arrangements. Following the questions at interview there will also be time to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be required to enable you to carry out the job.

 

If you require assistance in completing this application form, please contact the Human Resources Section.

 

 

If shortlisted you will be asked to bring relevant documentation to interview. Please contact the Human Resources Section if you need further advice.

 

 

The City Council believes that gaining employment is the best help an ex-offender can get to avoid returning to crime.

 

However, the nature of some posts requires us to know about criminal records or convictions in order to be able to make informed decisions.

 

 

If you are the parent, grandparent, partner, child, stepchild, adopted child, grandchild, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece of an existing Councillor or employee of the Council, or of the partner of such a person, you must enclose a written statement to that effect with your application.

 

 

If you have a complaint regarding the recruitment process for General Vacancies, please write to the Head of Corporate Human Resources,

If you have a complaint regarding the recruitment process for School Vacancies, please write to the Head of Education Human Resources,

giving full details; we will investigate and respond within 28 working days.

 

 

We have a Data Protection Officer who can be contacted in the Chief Executive’s Directorate, Town Hall, Sheffield S1 2HH.

 

Here are some hints and tips on how to put a good application together:

 

Every vacancy we advertise will have as a minimum a Job Description, a Person Specification and a Health Declaration Form which will tell you all the details about the post. You should read all these documents before you begin to complete your application form.

 

We aim to treat every individual applicant for each post as fairly as we can and our selection decisions are based solely on the information you give us in your application form.

 

We genuinely welcome applications from people from all kinds of backgrounds, so you should use all your life experiences when filling in your application form. You can write about voluntary work you have done, educational experiences, training schemes, experiences gained through your personal interests, domestic life as well as any jobs that you have done. We only ask that you focus what you write so that you convince us that you do have the skills we are looking for, no matter where you acquired them.

 

 

The job description will give you the duties and responsibilities involved in the role, whilst the person specification shows the essential skills, knowledge and experience we are looking for.

 

Having read both documents you should be ready to show us how you meet each requirement. You should give examples to back up each statement. These examples can be from your current or previous work, voluntary work or personal life.

 

Try not to just say "I've got good communication skills and good teamwork skills, so I can do the job". Where did you gain your skills? How do you put them to use? How often?

 

As well as telling us what you have done, you can also tell us something about your views. For example; if we ask for good customer care skills, as well as telling us when and where you have provided customer service, you can also tell us something about what you personally mean by "good" customer service.

 

 

Each post has a Health Information Sheet. This sheet gives information on the challenges and demands of each post which will allow you to decide whether you have any current or past health related problems that may affect your health and safety, or the health and safety of others.

 

If invited for interview, you will be sent a Health Declaration Form to sign. The information you put on this form will only be looked at if we decide to offer you a post. If you sign to say you have/had a health problem we may ask you to meet with an Occupational Health Nurse. This gives us an opportunity to discuss any issues, which may affect the way you do the job before we make an offer.

 

At the end of your interview you'll be asked if you need any aids, adaptations or other requirements to help you to do the job. This information does not form part of the assessment process and will only be considered if we are thinking of making you an offer of employment. The information you give us at this stage of the selection process allows us to explore ways in which the job could be altered to accommodate your needs. This could include changes to the job duties, equipment provided and even adjustments to location/premises.