How we recruit

The application deadline is 23:59 (London time) on the specified job advert closing date, however we might close vacancies earlier if we have received sufficient applications. Ahead of applying, you can reach out to the Hiring Manager if you wish to have an informal discussion about the role; we’ll usually provide contact details on the advert. A confirmation email will be sent once you have submitted your application; you can check the progress of your application or change your contact details, by visiting our job portal.

When writing your application and supporting statement, ensure documents are clear, concise, and well-structured. Make sure you include any skills and qualifications that are mentioned in the Job Description Person Specifications. Click “Apply” and complete all sections of the application form.

Application Form

The application form includes the following sections:

• Pre-Screening Questions - These include questions on your right to work in the UK and the type of document you hold.
• Personal Details - These are your name, address, and phone number; we need these to contact you about your application.
• Education and Qualifications - Include qualifications that are most relevant to your application.
• Work History – Include the job title, employer name, a brief description of your duties, salary, employment dates and reason for leaving (if applicable).
• Personal Statement - This section is limited to 4000 characters.
• CV Upload - This is where you can upload your CV.
• Equal Opportunities - Information regarding your ethnicity, sex, and religion is entirely confidential and will not be seen by anyone involved in the selection process. Details on how we use your data during recruitment are in our Privacy Notice.
• Criminal Convictions – A criminal record will not automatically prevent you from working for us. However, we ask you to indicate whether you have any criminal convictions and to provide details to [email protected] if you do.
• Relationship – Indicate whether you are related to any of our employees or members of the Board of Governors.

Writing your Personal Statement

In your supporting statement, explain why you are interested in the job and present your skills, knowledge, and experience clearly and concisely. You should refer to the responsibilities in the Job Description, and to the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification, where the essential criteria are the “must-have” skills, knowledge, and experience, and the desirable criteria are “nice-to-have”.

Hiring managers will explore any gaps in employment during an interview, so you must address them correctly and explain them in your supporting statement.

CV

Your CV is a key tool in presenting your skills, qualifications, and experiences to potential employers, and it should include:

• Contact Information: full name, phone number, email address, your LinkedIn profile or personal website.
• Professional Summary/Objective: a brief overview of your career goals, tailored to each job application.
• Work Experience: work history, starting with your most recent job, and including job title, organisation, and dates of employment. You should include your responsibilities and achievements using action verbs and measurable results.
• Education/Qualifications: educational history, starting with your most recent qualification.
• Skills: skills that are relevant and applicable to the job you're applying for.
• Achievements and Awards: any awards or recognition in your field, if applicable.
• Volunteer Experience: any volunteer work and skills/experiences relevant to the job, if applicable.
• Additional Sections: publications, presentations, languages spoken, or professional affiliations, if applicable and depending on your background.

Formatting: clean and easy to read layout throughout the document, using bullet points to list responsibilities and achievements, and professional fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Cambria, Garamond, Georgia) and font size (e.g., Name 14-16 points, Headings 11-12 points, Body Text 10-11 points)

Proofread: proofread it for any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

Remember, your CV should be tailored to each job application, and should never include sensitive information or equality data.

Your application will be reviewed by the Shortlisting Panel and assessed against the essential and desirable criteria in the Job Description Person Specifications. Whether or not you’re shortlisted.

We’ll let you know the outcome of your application; we aim to let you as soon as possible after the closing date, however in the event of unexpected delays, please check your spam folder on your inbox and allow at least 15 working days before contacting us on [email protected]. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback at this stage.

If you have been shortlisted, you’ll receive an email invitation that includes relevant interview details and instructions, e.g., venue or online, duration of the interview, any presentation or assessment tasks you might be required to prepare for.

Informal discussions

For some posts, you may also be invited for an informal discussion with staff from the faculty or professional service. We'll reach out to you by email or phone to arrange a suitable time.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process and we encourage you to contact us on [email protected] about any reasonable adjustments you may need to attend the interview.

Preparing for the Interview & Interviewing Techniques

Interviewing is a great opportunity to showcase your skills and qualities to secure the job you’ve applied for.

• Think about any material you’d want to bring that might be beneficial, e.g., a portfolio.
• Research ARU and our Vision and Values, and any other background information that might be relevant and useful.
• Review the job description and responsibilities to identify any key skills or qualities you need to highlight during the interview.
• Review your application form to remind yourself of the details you’ve provided and to understand the essential and desirable criteria you must meet to be successful at the interview.
• Prepare examples that will demonstrate how your skills, qualities, knowledge, and experience meet the criteria of the role.
• Prepare questions you would like to ask the Panel, that will demonstrate your understanding and interest in the role and the organisation.
• If in person, plan your journey to ensure you arrive on time.
• If online, make sure you have a working device and internet connection, as well as a quiet space to access your MS Teams invite.

If successful, the Hiring Manager/Chair of the panel will contact you to verbally offer you the role; HR Services will send you a conditional or formal offer of employment, depending on whether they’ve received all relevant appointment details and completed the pre-employment checks. These include Right to Work check and Qualifications verification, references, occupational health, and depending on the role, DBS check or police vetting.

References and Occupational Health checks can be carried out after a formal offer of employment has been sent, and in the background, whilst already in employment, as long as they are completed within the first month of employment. If these checks aren’t completed before the end of your Probationary period, confirmation might be delayed.

Right to Work

Before you can start working at ARU, we are required by law to carry out right-to-work checks. This is mandatory also if you re-join ARU after a break in service, or when your visa or Positive Verification Notice expires.

British and Irish nationals - holding a current, up-to-date passport:

Your Right to Work check will be administered remotely through a system called Yoti. An email will be sent by HR Services to access the online system and to complete your remote identification check. HR Services will receive notification and evidence when this has been completed and will liaise with the Line Manager directly to complete a Confirmation of Identity Check, and ensure that the person reporting for work is the person in the photo supplied during the remote check.

British and Irish nationals - holding an expired passport or other documentation:

Your Right to Work check will be undertaken manually by the Line Managers, who are responsible for viewing the original documents in person, taking photocopies and contacting HR Services. You should provide original documents from either List A or List B; there is no need for documents from both lists.

Non-British and Non-Irish nationals – holding any other current passport or Biometric Residence Permit:

Your Right to Work check will be completed online via the Work Share code. An email will be sent by HR Services to provide details on how to complete the online process and return the generated code back to HR Services, who will then liaise with the Line Manager directly to complete a Confirmation of Identity Check, and ensure that the person reporting for work is the person in the photo supplied to the Home Office.

Qualifications

You’ll need to provide evidence of your original qualification certificates, and professional body membership if applicable, in line with essential criteria in the Job Description Person Specifications. The Hiring Manager will contact you to arrange an in-person meeting to verify them; if you are unable to provide these documents, your appointment may be delayed.

Criminal Convictions & DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

In accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education where the role is undertaking a regulated activity with children and/or adults, shortlisting panels will be required to carry out an online search as part of due diligence on all shortlisted candidates. All offers for these roles are conditional on clearance through a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The job advert will indicate if the role requires DBS clearance.

If you already have an appropriate DBS certificate that is less than three years old and you have subscribed to the DBS Update Service, we might be able to verify and utilise it; in this case, you don’t need to do a new check before you start the role. Once you have started at ARU, we’ll renew your DBS clearance every three years.

References

We need to gather reference details for your past 2 employers, one of which must be your current or most recent employer; referees must be either your line manager or HR department, with company email address. Personal references from a previous line manager or colleague can only be accepted in exceptional circumstances; please contact [email protected] if you need to speak to HR Services.

Occupational Health

ARU is an inclusive employer. The purpose of the online health questionnaire is to determine whether you have a health condition that is classed as a disability and that requires suitable reasonable adjustments in order to reduce or remove disadvantages you may face in the workplace. A report will be shared with your Line Manager who will discuss it with you upon joining. The external Occupational Health provider will ask you to confirm if you consent for the report and the details within to be shared with your Line Manager.