Guidance notes for the completion of online applications
Please ensure you take time and effort in completing the application form; it is the only information we have to assess your suitability to perform the job. If necessary someone else can complete this form on your behalf.
All mandatory fields must be completed to enable progression to a new section within the form and to allow you to submit your application. There are Help icons next to some sections of the application which you can double click to view in a new window. The guidance notes for the completion of the online application are summarised below.
The front sheet of the application form is not used to shortlist candidates for interview therefore the recruiting managers will not see the personal information, additional information, references, and equal opportunities monitoring sections.
Right to work in the EU
If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be required to provide documentary evidence of your eligibility to work in the EU.
Relationships to Councillors or employees of North Kesteven District Council
Please declare any relationship to a Councillor or employees of North Kesteven District Council. This may be: parent, grandparent, spouse, partner, son, daughter, brother, sister, first cousin (i.e. shared grandparent), step / half relationship or in-law. Failure to disclose any known relationship at this stage may lead to a dismissal in the future.
Disclosure of Criminal Offences
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) aims to give those with convictions or cautions the chance – in certain circumstances – to wipe the slate clean and start afresh.
What should be declared?
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act ex-offenders are not required to disclose to organisations convictions that are 'spent' (unless the job they are applying for is exempted from the Act). The length of time required for an ex-offender to become 'rehabilitated' depends on the sentence received and the age when convicted. Custodial sentences of more than two-and-a-half years can never become 'spent'. If a conviction is not 'spent' you should disclose details on your application form.
Please see the revised Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 guidance document on the GOV.UK website for the rehabilitation periods of convictions which applies from March 2014.
Exemptions and disclosure
Some positions are exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. In this case organisations are legally entitled to ask applicants for details of convictions, irrespective of whether they are 'spent' or 'unspent' under the Act. Disclosure of this information is via the completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). The advertisement and recruitment literature will specify if this is the case. If the post you are applying for is subject to an enhanced or standard disclosure you must provide details of all convictions including those 'spent' under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and exceptions Order (1975). This includes cautions, reprimands, warnings, investigations or prosecutions pending.
You will not be contracted to commence work until the disclosure record has been received and cleared. Any information disclosed will be treated sensitively and in confidence for the purposes of deciding a candidate's suitability for the post applied for. Should you fail to disclose any information required, you may be subject to disciplinary action or dismissal from the District Council.
Qualifications
Please list any qualifications relevant to the position you are applying for beginning with your most recent qualification. You also have the opportunity to list any qualifications not available in the drop down lists or to expand on any qualifications you may have entered. For example qualifications may have a predicted grade or you wish to state that they are ongoing. If you select 'Other – please see Other Qualifications below' this will indicate that there is more for the recruiting panel to consider.
Training
This is your opportunity to list any training you have undertaken which is relevant to the position you are applying for.
Memberships
Please list any memberships using the drop down boxes provided and include your membership number and start date. If you have any relevant memberships not included in the list please select 'Other – please see Other Memberships below' and include these details in the free text box.
Personal statement
This is your opportunity to provide evidence to support your ability to perform the role you are applying for. You should carefully consider the Essential and Desirable criteria detailed within the Job Information Pack and explain, with examples, how you meet them.
The job description highlights the key duties and responsibilities of the post. The person specification describes the abilities, skills and knowledge required to carry out the tasks listed on the job description. Those marked essential will be used to select candidates for interview. They are abilities, skills or knowledge which must be held to be able to perform the job. Non essential criteria are called desirable and are weighted in accordance to their importance / relevance to the job.
If you do not demonstrate that you meet the essential criteria you will not be invited to interview.
All previous employment
Please enter all previous employment starting with your most recent employer first. If you have any gaps in employment please outline these in the personal statement.
References
Please provide the names of two people to act as referees for you. One should be your present or most recent employer. These should be able to provide references that cover the last three year period in respect to your employment. None of your referees should be related to you. References may be taken at interview stage. Please indicate if you would prefer us not to contact your present employer until after the selection process.
Disability
In order to meet our commitments of the Disability Two Ticks Award the District Council guarantees an interview to a disabled candidate who meets the essential criteria for the post for which they have applied for.
It is important that if requested to attend an interview you tell us whether you require adjustments to any part of the selection procedure, including arrangements for interview.
Definition of disability: A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. It may not always be possible, nor is it necessary, to categorise a condition as either a physical or a mental impairment
- Substantial effect is one that is greater than the effect which would be produced by the sort of physical or mental conditions experienced by many people which have only 'minor' or 'trivial' effects.
- Long-term effect of an impairment is one which has lasted at least 12 months; or where the total period for which it lasts, from the time of the first onset, is likely to be at least 12 months; or which is likely to last for the rest of the life of the person affected
- Normal day-to-day activities are not outlined in the Equality Act 2010, however, activities generally considered normal day-to-day activities are: mobility, manual dexterity, physical co-ordination, continence, ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects, speech, hearing or eyesight, memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand, perception of the risk of physical danger
NB: Any disability which does not have a substantial and long-term effect on one or more of the normal day-to-day activities is not considered to be a disability.
A disability can arise from a wide range of impairments which can be:
- Sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing
- Impairments with fluctuating or recurring effects such as rheumatoid arthritis, myalgic encephalitis (ME) / chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, depression and epilepsy
- Progressive, such as motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, forms of dementia and lupus (SLE)
- Organ specific, including respiratory conditions, such as asthma, and cardiovascular diseases, including thrombosis, stroke and heart disease
- Developmental, such as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), dyslexia and dyspraxia
- Learning difficulties
- Mental health conditions and mental illnesses, such as depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, bipolar affective disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, as well as personality disorders and some self-harming behaviour
- Produced by injury to the body or brain
Other conditions included within the definition of disability not already outlined above are:
- A recurring condition which has recurred over more than 12 months or is likely to recur over more than 12 months.
- A progressive condition, e.g. cancer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy or HIV which has, or has had, an effect on normal day-to-day activities.
- A condition treated by measures such as medical (e.g. drugs) or other treatment (e.g. prosthesis or other aid) is treated as continuing to have the effect it would have had without the measures provided. (This excludes spectacles or contact lenses – here, the only effects to be considered are those which remain when they are worn).
- People with severe disfigurements, although some with deliberately acquired disfigurements will not be covered.
All information is taken from the Equality Act 2010 and guidance can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Signature
For the online completion of applications there is no need to physically sign your application. This is done by ticking the declaration box in the Declaration section.
Please note: This District Council discourages smoking at work in line with our No Smoking Policy, July 2007.
Further advice or assistance
Should you require any further advice or assistance with any aspect of completing this online application, please contact the Human Resources department on 01529 308218.
Thank you for your interest in North Kesteven District Council.