Guidance Notes For Applicants
Thank you for your interest in working for Powys County Council. To assist you in completing your application form, please take a few minutes to read through these guidance notes which have been designed to assist you.
Alternative formats
The application form is also available in a hard bilingual copy; this can be posted, emailed or faxed. To request a hard copy of the application form, please contact The Recruitment Team, County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5LG, telephone 01597 826409 or email jobapplications@powys.gov.uk.
If you require assistance in completing your application form, please contact The Recruitment Team.
Completing your Application Form
a) Before you begin to complete the application form, please read through the Job Description and Person Specification, the requirements are split into two categories;
• Essential criteria – these are characteristics that are essential to the job. A candidate that does not have all of the essential criteria will not be shortlisted for interview.
• Desirable criteria – these may be used to choose between two or more good candidates.
b) Remember the application form is your first point of contact with Powys County Council and therefore it is vital that you make a good impression. The Recruiting Manager will shortlist from the information that you provide and therefore you need to ensure that you complete all of the information as fully as possible. If there are any gaps in your application i.e. previous employment, you will be questioned on these if you are invited for interview.
c) Powys County Council does not accept C.V’s in place of the application form, however you may submit a C.V. in addition to the completed application form. We can only accept one attachment, therefore if necessary, please copy and paste multiple documents into one.
d) To assist us in processing your application form, if you are completing by hand, please use black ink.
e) If you apply online, please do not use the browser ‘back’ button as this may corrupt your application, please use the ‘Previous or Back’ button at the foot of each page to return to previous pages.
f) Powys County Council does not accept late applications; please ensure that you allow enough time for the postal service to deliver your application to us as Powys County Council will not be held responsible for late or non delivered forms.
g) Please note that when applying online, all jobs close at midnight on the closing date.
h) If you have applied for a position online, you will receive an acknowledgement email thanking you for your application. If you do not receive this email, firstly double check that you have completed all of the mandatory fields on the form before resubmitting, if you still do not receive the acknowledgment email, please contact The Recruitment Team.
i) Powys County Council does not acknowledge application forms received by hand, post or fax. Please assume that if you have not heard from us within 21 days of the closing date, that your application has not been successful.
Personal Details
Please state all of your current and previous first and last names.
Please give your current address, if you have more than one address; please indicate which is to be your mailing address.
Contact Details
Please complete this section as fully as possible as we may wish to contact you about your application.
Supplementary Information
The Council welcomes applications from people with disabilities. In this section, please indicate if you have any specific requirements if you are selected for interview. Please also contact The Recruitment Team if you require any assistance from us in completing the application form.
Please indicate if you are related to a Councillor or Senior Officer in Powys County Council.
Eligibility to work in the UK - Please see ‘Safer Recruitment Applicant Information’ .
Education
Please list full details of all qualifications. You will be required to produce original documents at interview, copies will not be accepted.
When applying online, if a subject is not listed please enter in the qualification/ achievement/ grade box.
Registrations usually apply to nurses, social workers, teachers etc, if this section is not relevant to you, please move on to the next page.
Please also refer to ‘Safer Recruitment Applicant Information’ .
Personal References
Please see ‘Safer Recruitment Applicant Information’ .
Safeguarding Information
Please see ‘Safer Recruitment Applicant Information’ .
Employment History
If applying online, please list in date order from your first employment when you completed full time education.
If applying on hard copy, please list with most recent employment first.
Please ensure that you account for all gaps in employment i.e. raising a family, caring for a relative, gap years etc. Please also include any voluntary work particularly if you have not been in paid employment.
If you have recently left school or college and have not had a full time position, please include details of any employment such as weekend, holiday or voluntary work.
Supporting Information
This is your opportunity to promote yourself and to provide evidence that you match the criteria of the Person Specification of the position that you are applying for.
When completing this section, you must state how you meet each of criteria listed on the person specification in turn and also give examples and demonstrate how you feel that you meet the requirements of the role.
If you are applying on line, we suggest that you type your statement into a word document and save before copying and pasting into this section.
Again, if you are applying on line, in this section you may upload any supporting documentation that you wish in support of your application. Please note that you can only attach one item therefore you may wish to combine your documents. Please include your name and the job reference for the post you are applying for in the filename of your attachment.
A C.V is not an alternative to this statement and will not be accepted.
Additional Applicant Information
Please complete all questions in this section.
Powys County Council will correspond with you in either Welsh or English, it is important that you indicate your preference on the application form.
Please also state if you speak any other languages or have sign language skills.
Declaration
Consent – By selecting yes online or signing your form you will be giving your consent for the checks to be carried out as stated.
Please ensure that you have fully read and understood the statement that providing false information with regard to your application will disqualify you from appointment or if discovered after appointment will lead to dismissal. By signing the declaration or selecting the Apply button online, you will be confirming that the information that you have given is correct.
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Powys County Council is committed to the promotion of Equal Opportunities, both in the provisions of its services and as an employer.
In order to for us to monitor and ensure the success of our Equal Opportunities Policy, you are requested to complete all of the questions on the page.
All information given will be treated as confidential and only used by The Recruitment Team to monitor the effectiveness of our Equal Opportunities Policies.
This information will not be provided to the shortlisting or interview panel.
Submitting your Application Form
Online Application Form
Please check that all of the sections are ticked on the ‘Summary’ page. If any are marked red, please revisit that page and complete all of the mandatory fields. You will be unable to use the ‘Apply’ button until all mandatory fields are completed.
As previously stated, if you successfully submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. Please contact The Recruitment Team if you do not receive this email.
Please remember that once you have submitted the form, you will be unable to make any changes so please check your entries carefully beforehand.
Hard Copy Application Form
Please ensure that you have completed all of the sections relevant to you and that you have signed/ dated the declarations.
If you have handwritten your application form, please either hand deliver or return by post to;
The Recruitment Team
County Hall
Llandrindod Wells
Powys
LD1 5LG
If you downloaded the application form from the Recruitment Home Page and completed on your PC, please email to;
What Happens Next?
Following the closing date of the position, the Recruiting Manager will shortlist applicants that they wish to interview – only these candidates will be contacted.
If you have not heard from Powys County Council within 21 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.
