Recruitment & Selection Policy of High Peak CVS

High Peak CVS aims to recruit people for each vacancy, regardless of sex, race, creed, disability or age. Wherever possible, existing employees will be invited to apply for promotion opportunities. Except in special circumstances, for example, where redundancy is involved, existing staff have no prior claim to any vacant position. All such instances will be reported to and approved by the Executive Committee.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The following tasks are all necessary parts of the recruitment process:-

1. JOB DESCRIPTION

Each post within the High Peak CVS's staff structure has a job description. Each time a vacancy occurs, the existing job description should be reviewed. The review would normally be carried out by the Chief Officer in consultation with the Committee but may be delegated to another member of the staff team. The review should pay particular attention to conditions of service, ensuring such conditions are clearly necessary to perform the job and do not discriminate, directly or indirectly, against certain applicants.

2. PERSON SPECIFICATION

A Person Specification is also necessary detailing the qualifications, experience and personal skills and qualities needed by the postholder. Each time there is a vacancy, the person specification should be reviewed, ensuring the qualifications and experience detailed remain essential to fulfilling the role. The senior staff member responsible for the particular recruitment exercise should undertake this review at the same time as the Job Description is reviewed.

3. ADVERTISING

The Chief Officer or his appointed senior staff member will produce advertisements for vacancies within High Peak CVS. Each advertisement will contain the statement that "the Council seeks to be an equal opportunity employer".

The appropriate advertising medium i.e. local Job Centre, local newspaper, or specialist press will be determined as and when each vacancy arises. Budgetary constraints should be taken into account in deciding where to advertise. However, consideration should also be given to advertising in places which will positively encourage a wider cross-section of applicants.

4. INFORMATION TO JOB APPLICANTS

Information to applicants will include the following items for all posts:-

• Covering letter
• Application Form
• Job Description and Person Specification
• Equal Opportunities Policy Statement
• Recruitment Monitoring Form
• Information Sheet relating to work of High Peak CVS
• Details of the Selection Process
  • Panel membership
    
  • closing date for applications
    
  • dates for short listing and interviews
    
  • note thanking candidates for applying in the event that they are not selected

5. SHORTLISTING PROCEDURES

Shortlisting should be carried out by the Panel who will also interview the candidates. A minimum of three Panel members is recommended for most posts. The Chief Officer or an appointed senior staff member will Chair the shortlisting and interview panels, except where trustees are included, when the trustee will act as Chair.

Every Panel must have at least one person who has successfully completed a recruitment and selection training course.

Each member of the Panel should have a short-listing record form. On this form, candidates will be rated according to skills, qualities and qualifications listed on the Job Description and Person Specification. To ensure consistency, there should be an agreed method of marking. The highest scoring candidates should then be invited to interview.

Shortlisted candidates will then receive a letter from the Chief Officer or an appointed member of staff responsible for filling the vacancy, which will contain the following information:-

• date, time and place of interview
  
• names of the interview Panel members
  
• information on finding the interview venue
  
• information about any selection test
  
• a request to confirm attendance
  
• a request to confirm, if any, special arrangements necessary to accommodate impairment

6. INTERVIEW PREPARATION

The Panel will meet to agree the format of the interview and decide on the primary questions to be asked at interview. As much as possible of this should be done at the conclusion of the shortlisting meeting, particularly any decisions on tests required of candidates.

7. INTERVIEWS

Interviews should be conducted in a friendly and welcoming manner. The purpose of the interview is to give every candidate an opportunity to answer fully the questions asked.

All candidates should initially be asked the same basic questions. Supplementary questions will differ according to candidates' responses.

All questions should be job related. Where questions about a candidate's domestic or personal commitments are deemed appropriate and relevant, they MUST be asked of all candidates. Candidate assessment sheets will be provided and should be completed by each Panel member for each candidate. It is also acceptable for Panel members to take notes during the interviews, but for obvious reasons all Panel members need to try to listen to all the answers and should seek to maintain as much eye contact with candidates as possible. All notes must be retained for record-keeping. The assessment sheets should be used to inform the discussions at the end of the interviews.

Questions about Equal Opportunities issues should form part of every interview and the opportunity to express the Council's commitment to the policy should be taken.

Each Panel member should make and record their personal assessment after each interview. Discussion between Panel members must be kept to the end of all the interviews. The Panel should decide which candidate should be offered appointment to the post.

The Selection Panel determines the starting salary to be offered subject to the agreement of the Chief Officer.

8. APPOINTMENT

The successful candidate will receive a conditional letter of appointment from the Chief Officer as soon as possible after accepting a verbal offer.

Any offer should be made subject to satisfactory references and this condition confirmed in writing. A letter confirming appointment should be sent on receipt of satisfactory references.

9. MONITORING

Each candidate will be asked to complete a Recruitment Monitoring Form which is incorporated in the Application Form. On receipt of the application form, each application form should be numbered in sequence. The Equal Opportunities information sheet should be separated and filed separately. The Chair of the Panel or the Chief Officer should then collate this information and provide it to the Committee at report stage. The Committee will review practice under the policy using this and other information at regular intervals.

10. RECORDS

The paperwork relating to each recruitment will be stored confidentially for six months in High Peak CVS's offices and will then be shredded.

TOP