Council Job Vacancies - How to Apply Online Version 2 – September 2012 1 Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………....3 Jobs and Careers……………………………………………………………4 Searching for a job………………………………………………………...5 Search results………………………………………………………………..6 Creating a new user account…...........................................………….7 New user registration…………………….………………………………….8 Completing the Online Application Form………………………………9 Submitting your Application……………………………………………..16 Review & print application………………………………………………….17 Delete application…………………………………………………………...18 Managing Your Applications…………………………………………….19 My Applications…………………………………………………………… 19 My Profile…………………………………………………………………….20 Contact Us……………………………………………………………………20 What happens next?............................................................................22 2 Introduction The purpose of this user guide is to provide both internal and external applicants guidance on how to apply for jobs at Oxford City Council via the online application system. From the Oxford City Council homepage, you can apply for jobs by visiting the jobs page. 3 Jobs & Careers Once you have clicked on this link you will be taken to the jobs and careers page. This page provides lots of useful information in relation to working at Oxford City Council. Under the ‘Working for us’ icon, you will find some general information on completing application forms entitled, ‘Writing a great application form’. By clicking on ‘Council Job Vacancies’ you will be taken to a screen to search for current jobs. 4 Searching for a job You can search on all current vacancies that are available at Oxford City Council by selecting ‘all’ from the categories. Alternatively you can refine your job search criteria using any combination of the criteria detailed below: • Job Title – Input a job title, please note only exact matches will be returned • Key Words – Type in specific key words e.g. Manager • Salary Band – Select a salary range from the list 5 No Search Results If your job search returns no matching jobs, you can save a job alert by clicking on the link below: By saving a job alert, once a job is posted that matches your search criteria, you will receive an email. The email will include a direct link to the relevant job details. To edit your job alerts please refer to page 20, and the details relating to ‘My Profile’. 6 Creating a New User Account If you haven’t already created a user account, you will have to do this if you wish to apply for one of the jobs advertised. When you select ‘Apply on-line’ you will be presented with the following screen, allowing you to register, or sign in with a previously created log in. Note: If you are an existing Oxford City Council employee you should already have a username and password that you use to access Self Service and should log in with these details. This will enable you to view ‘Internal vacancies’ that would not be viewed by an external candidate. 7 New User registration The form requires you to complete the following information: • Title – Use the drop down list to select • Forename – enter your first name • Surname – enter your surname details • Email address – This is the email address Oxford City Council will use to send correspondence relating to job applications • Confirm email address – please check that you have entered the details correctly • Username – enter a username for identification • Password – enter a password for identification • Confirm password – confirm your password details Please note that fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are mandatory. Once you have entered all your details, click ‘submit’. After submitting your details, you will receive an email to the address you registered with confirming your account details. 8 Completing the Online Application Form Once you have registered your user account details you will be taken to the Application Summary Page: 9 The application pages section will detail all the parts of the application form. You can click on any of these to take you to that specific part. You will only be able to click the ‘Apply’ button when all sections of the form are indicated by a green tick. As you move through the application form, you will see a number of icons displayed. Additional help information on completing this field is available by hovering over the icon Denotes that this section of the application form is incomplete Denotes that all mandatory information on this section is complete Indicates a mandatory field 10 In some pages of the application you are given the option to ‘Add’ or ‘Remove’ details. Note: If you come to submit your application but a section is showing as incomplete ( ) it is worth checking that all information, particularly if you have ‘Added’ details like a secondary address, have had all mandatory fields completed. Continue through the application form completing each part. The following notes may help you: Employment History – Starting with your most recent job enter the details here. Click ‘Add’ to enter another employment record. Qualifications – Enter qualification details, using the ‘Add’ facility to record each qualification. Please note that should you be short listed for interview you may be required provide proof of these, any added in error can be deleted using the ‘Remove’ option. If your qualification is not listed please select ‘Other’ and detail further in the supporting statement Driving Licence – If driving is an essential criteria of the post (indicated in the Job Description) you will be required to complete this section. Professional Memberships – Please add any professional memberships relevant to the post to which you are applying. If your membership is not included in the drop down list, please include this in your Supporting Statement. 11 Training – Please include any relevant training courses undertaken in the last five years. If you wish to include more than five please include these in your Supporting Statement. Supporting Statement – The supporting statement is your opportunity to sell your skills to the recruiting manager. You should read the job description carefully to see what skills and experience are needed in the job. You should include any relevant skills and experience you have gained, whether this is at home, college, paid work, voluntary/unpaid work or as a hobby. If you are cutting/pasting information into the supporting statement from a word document, you should ensure you do not exceed the 5000 characters. References Please supply two referees, one of which must be your present/most recent employer. Referees should not be related to you. You can ‘add’ a further reference by clicking the ‘Add’ icon at the bottom of the page. Unless otherwise notified, references will be taken up after a conditional offer of employment has been made. 12 Additional Information Right to work in the UK Oxford City Council is not currently licensed as a sponsor and cannot employ migrant workers outside of the European Economic Area and Switzerland under the Point Based System rules issued by the UK Border Agency. If a conditional offer of employment is made, you will be required to produce relevant documentation of your right to work in the UK. Please confirm you are able to do this or detail any reasons why you are unable to provide the relevant documentation. 13 Criminal convictions When a person applies for a position with Oxford City Council, the Council will not take into account previous time-expired convictions as laid down in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA 74), except when a person is being appointed to any position exempted under the ROA 74. The disclosure of a criminal record or other information will not necessarily bar a person from appointment. The Council will take into account the nature of the offence, the relevance to the post the person has applied for, how long ago the offence took place and the age of the person when the offence was committed. This information will be treated in confidence and will only be taken into account in relation to an application where the exemption applies – if applicable, this will be detailed in the Job Description. 14 Equal Opportunities This is the final section of the application form. The information you provide here will be kept securely and completely confidential and is not forwarded to the recruiting manager. Oxford City Council is committed to the development of policies and procedures to promote equal opportunities in employment regardless of employees’ gender, race, disability, religious or political belief, sexuality, age, nationality, pregnancy, membership or non-membership of a trade union, gender reassignment or HIV status. The information gathered helps tell us what our staff population looks like so we can make sure that things are fair and people from all backgrounds are provided with appropriate support. 15 Applicants with a Disability Oxford City Council is a Two Ticks accredited employer and applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria on the Person Specification will be invited to interview. In these circumstances information provided here will assist in this process. 16 Submitting your application Once you have completed your application form and clicked the ‘Summary’ button you will be taken back to the Application Summary page. You will only be able to click the ‘Apply’ button when all sections of the form are indicated by a green tick. 17 Review and print your application If you click on the ‘Print Preview’ option you will be able to view your application in the print preview pane before you submit. Submit Application Once you have completed all mandatory parts of the application, the ‘Apply’ button will become active. When you click ‘Apply’ you will receive the following message: 18 By selecting ‘Continue’ you will receive confirmation that your application has been received. Additionally, within 24 hours you should receive an email indicating the successful submission of your application form: Delete Application If you wish to permanently delete your application from your user account you can click on the ‘Delete’ button. 19 Managing your Applications My Applications To view pending applications or any applications you have previously submitted, click on ‘My applications’ on the left hand menu bar. This screen will detail any submitted applications and also give you the opportunity to request a copy of your submitted application. 20 In progress applications Applications that are in progress and are part-saved will appear in this section. To submit the application click on ‘Update’ to continue completing the form. . My Profile To view your user profile information click on ‘My Profile’ on the left hand menu bar. From here you can update your personal details. Any job alerts that you have set up can also be removed. Contact Us Clicking here will direct you to your email account where you will be able to email the recruitment team regarding any queries or questions you may have in relation to the online application process. Our email address is [email protected] 21 What happens next….. Applying for our jobs on-line allows us to keep you updated on the progress of your application. • • • Within 24 hours of submission of your application we will send you an email confirming receipt. We will notify you by email within 3 weeks of the closing date as to whether you have been short listed for interview. If you have been short listed we will email you and invite you to select an interview time online. Details of how to do this will be included in the email. 22