Guidance for Candidates

The Job Profile for each position is a guide to the tasks and levels of responsibilities of the post, covering what is required of the post holder in the performance of their duties.

The Principal Attributes of the Person Specification (contained within the Job Profile) lists the essential and desirable criteria within knowledge, skills, experience and personal attributes sections that are required for someone to be able to do the job.

These criteria will be used in the shortlisting process and form the basis for the questions asked at interview. When submitting your application, it is vital that you illustrate how and to what extent you meet the essential and desirable criteria, giving examples where appropriate.  Candidates will be scored against the essential and desirable criteria and a shortlist of interview candidates will be drawn up from the highest scoring.

We encourage first time external applicants to create an account to apply for a job.  You are asked to do this when you click the ‘apply now’ button on a job page for the first time. These details will be stored confidentially and can be used on subsequent visits to the website. (see our flowchart on how to apply).

Alternatively, you can continue as a guest. A guest application will not leave any saved details on the system. Should you wish to apply for further roles then you will not be able to use and revise your application details.  You will have to start a new application again from scratch.

Staff can view all current vacancies on HR Self-Service and should apply this way with their usual staff IT logins.

Please do not use foreign language accents when entering your name as this causes issues retrieving submitted applications. 

Before submitting your application form on-line, please ensure that you take time to read through the form to check for any errors or omissions. To avoid technical issues, think about ensuring that you have a good Wi-fi connection and that your device is fully charged. For longer sections of text, you may decide to copy and paste from a saved word document in the event of any technical problems. You will not be able to make any changes once the form has been submitted using the Apply Button.

Remember that you can save your application at any time before submitting it. (Returning to the summary screen will automatically save your application).

We will only be able to view your application form once you have selected ‘Apply’ and then ‘Continue’.

The information supplied on your application will be used as part of the shortlisting process. You can attach supporting documents, such as curriculum vitae, to your application, but do not rely on supporting documentation only when informing the shortlisting panel of your skills and experience. When applying for different positions, your application form should give detailed responses to the requirements of each individual position.

When you have submitted your online application form, you will be sent an email from the University system acknowledging safe receipt. This is a register of your application. If this does not arrive, please contact us urgently to ensure your application has been received and can be considered as part of our shortlisting processes.

If you experience any problems with your application or have any queries, please contact the Recruitment Team on (01243) 816114 or email hr@chi.ac.uk as soon as possible.

We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential; encouraging applications from a wide range of candidates.

We select all candidates for interview based on the demonstration of their skills, qualifications and experience.

The information you provide in the Equal Opportunity section of the application form is not divulged during the recruitment process, but is used anonymously for reporting purposes.

The University embraces diversity, equality and inclusion, encouraging the widest range of applications as possible from local talent to global experts.

People with disabilities have significant skills, qualifications and experience and are essential to our success.

As a committed Positive about Disability ‘Two Ticks’ award holder since 2008, the University was awarded ‘Disability Confident Employer’ status in 2016, under the Government’s rebranded new Disability Confident scheme.

Under the scheme, you will be offered an interview if you:

• declare a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010, as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
• can demonstrate in your application form how you fully meet all of the essential criteria detailed in the person specification.

If you feel that you meet the criteria of our guaranteed interview scheme, please indicate this on the application form.  Details of your disclosure remain confidential throughout the recruitment process unless there is a business need to inform recruiting managers.

The recruitment team will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have on this scheme.

Please call them on (01243) 816114 or email hr@chi.ac.uk.

The University is a supporter of the Armed Forces Employers Recognition Scheme, and a Silver Award holder of the Armed Forces Covenant, encouraging a range of engagement with the Armed Forces. We welcome applications from those with a service background and their families. Additionally, we support staff who wish to take up Reservist duties, as well as supporting staff who are Armed Forces veterans.

University's Policy on Employment of Reservists and Armed Forces Veterans

A vacancy is automatically removed from the website at midnight on the closing date. The closing date can be found on the advert and no further applications can be submitted after that time. When a job is closed, the recruiting manager will select a shortlist of applicants to interview. We assess and shortlist candidates for each position considering their application against the Person Specification. In normal circumstances, we do not accept applicants’ CVs in substitution of an application form.

As soon as a shortlisting decision has been made, the Recruitment Team will contact applicants to arrange interviews or advise applicants they have been unsuccessful. We contact all unsuccessful applicants by email.

Normally, you would expect to hear from us within two to three weeks of the closing date.

For senior and academic roles, we normally take up references prior to interview; for the majority of other roles we seek references following a conditional offer of employment.  References will be shared with the recruiting manager and /or your new line manager. One of your referees must be your current employer (or most recent employer if you are not working).  References should be either academic or employment based. If you are in (or just leaving) full time education, please give details of your tutor/head teacher as appropriate. If it is not possible to provide these, please speak with the Recruitment Team who will advise appropriate options.

To allow us to contact your referees quickly, please give us their email address in the first instance or, alternatively, a telephone number. Please ensure you inform all referees that their details are being submitted on your application form and the urgency of their response, as all offers of employment are subject to the receipt of satisfactory references. All references obtained for successful candidates are held securely on their HR file.

If you are invited to attend an interview with the University, it is your opportunity to promote yourself, your skills and abilities.

• Interviews are conducted by a panel of more than one person, which normally includes the line manager. Some interviews may need to be conducted by telephone or Skype. In some instances, there may be a second, or even third round of interviews.
• As part of the interview process, you may be asked undertake a skills assessment, including a test or presentation together with a formal interview.  You will receive details about what will be needed on the day and the timings with your invitation to interview.
• It is not currently the policy of the University to pay any interview expenses.
• We contact all unsuccessful applicants by email.

All offers are conditional and subject to the following checks.

• The University has a legal responsibility to check that all their new employees are entitled to work in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work Before undertaking any paid work for the University, you will be required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the UK. The new UK’s Points Based Immigration system came into force on 1 January 2021 affecting international workers’ right to apply for work in the UK. European workers appointed to roles after 1 January 2021 are now required to provide evidence of their EU Settlement or Pre-settlement status or apply using the Skilled Worker route.
• The University holds a UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Sponsor Licence enabling it to employ workers who do not have current Right to Work, but are eligible under the Skilled Worker Scheme. Under this scheme the University can sponsor suitably qualified, international applicants to roles which meet the appropriate salary level, specialist skills and qualifications. Examples include academic teaching staff or researchers. Some positions will not meet the criteria and therefore will not be eligible for our sponsorship.If you are interested in applying for any of our vacancies but may have questions regarding the regulations please use the Government website at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration or contact the Recruitment Team on 01243 816114/6303 or email HR@chi.ac.uk.
• Successful applicants will be required to complete a confidential Employment Health Questionnaire and for some positions, a Disclosure and Barring check is required.

University staff may be required to hold a Disclosure Certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Further information is available from the DBS website.

Your personal information is held securely on our recruitment database. Your data will be shared with appropriate managers, Human Resources and members of the interview panel. If you have set up an applicant user account you can log in and update your details at any time. Recruitment accounts that have been inactive for over one year will be deleted on an annual basis by the recruitment team, but if you would like your personal data removed sooner or to discuss any other issues regarding retention of your data, please contact the Recruitment Team via email on hr@chi.ac.uk.

The University complies with data protection legislation, which regulates the processing of personal data and protects the rights of living individuals whom the data is about by placing duties on those who decide how and why such data is processed.  You can look the University privacy statement for employees by visiting our Data Protection page.  If you have any queries or concerns please contact the University of Chichester’s Data Protection Officer (Su Longden) via email on DPOfficer@chi.ac.uk or the Recruitment Team via hr@chi.ac.uk.

For General Advice and Guidance on Data Protection, Freedom of Information and more, visit the Information Commissioner’s Office website.