Guidance notes for candidates

Application process

Thank you for your interest in working with the University of the Highlands and Islands. We use an online application process that will take you through a number of screens; these allow you to provide us with the information that we need to process your application and comply with our statutory reporting responsibilities. For your application to be successfully submitted you must complete the full process.

If you require assistance with completing the application form or require it in another format please email personnel@uhi.ac.uk or phone 01463 279239.

All vacancies will be available on the website until 23:59hrs (GMT) on the day the vacancy closes.

Our vacancies have a link to a further information document that contains additional details regarding the role. A detailed job description and person specification is also available for each vacancy.

When completing the online application please ensure that you clearly address how you meet both the essential and desirable selection criteria identified on the person specification.

If you would like to check the progress of your application please login to the application centre.

Please note, we are unable to accept speculative CVs. If you would like to be notified when jobs become available, please register for our jobs by email service so that we can notify you when any roles become available.

Completing the online application

The online application will take you through a series of screens asking for information about your qualifications, skills and experience. Please complete each section as fully as you can. Where answers require additional detail, this should be provided on a separate document and uploaded in the supporting documents section.

The information that you provide in your online application (including supporting information) is the only information we will use in deciding whether or not you will be shortlisted for interview.

Upload CV

This section is optional and allows you to attach your CV to your online application. Please note that if you are uploading your CV you must still fully complete the application form in order for it to be submitted.

Supporting statement

This section provides you with the opportunity to explain why you should be chosen for the job. You must decide from the further particulars/job description/person specification whether you have the necessary skills and experience to apply for the position, and provide examples of how you meet both the essential and desirable criteria for the post. This section is limited to 500 words however you can expand on this in a separate document and upload it in the supporting documents section.

Supporting document

This section is optional and allows you to attach a document which you believe provides further support for your application. This could be an expanded version of the supporting statement (as detailed in the section above) or another document such as a cover letter, letters of recommendation, copies of qualifications or similar. Please be aware that you can only upload one document in this section so if you have more than one item to upload you will need to merge them into one document.

Present or most recent employment

Start with your current or last employer and then list the work experience you have gained previously. Please detail any gaps in employment as fully as possible. If you have never been employed or have been unemployed for some time, please give details of other experience or training. Please also provide details of any unpaid or voluntary work. Further information may be added on a separate sheet if necessary.

Equal opportunities monitoring information

The University of the Highlands and Islands is committed to equal opportunities and will consider all applications on the basis of merit alone. We need to ask you for this information in order to ensure fairness and compliance with equality legislation. The information you provide will be used for monitoring purposes only and will not be passed to the selection panel. If you would rather not disclose this data please use the ‘prefer not to say’ option for each question.

Reasonable adjustments

If you require adjustments to be made to the application or interview process please contact the personnel team to discuss your requirements. We are committed to ensuring that reasonable adjustments are provided, where appropriate and practicable, so that no applicant is disadvantaged because of their disability.

References

References will only be taken up for candidates upon offer of employment. Please provide contact details for a minimum of two referees, one of whom must be your existing or last employer, to whom reference may be made in support of your application concerning your professional ability and performance at work. If this is your first job, one reference should be from your head teacher, lecturer or similar.

Please ensure your referees are in a position to respond promptly as no appointment will be made without receipt of satisfactory references.

Shortlisting

Following the closing date, all applications will be forwarded to the selection panel who will assess each application against the essential and desirable criteria as set out in the person specification. Where there are a large number of applications the selection panel may have to weight the criteria in order to reduce the shortlist further.

The shortlisting process is usually completed within one week of the closing date and we will contact you as soon as possible thereafter to advise you of the outcome. Where there are major delays in the shortlisting process we will keep you informed.

Interviews

The format of the interview may vary depending upon the type of role you have applied for. The standard format will involve questions around the essential and desirable criteria required for the role however there may also be a requirement for you to give a presentation or carry out a test or practical exercise. You will be notified of the specific arrangements in advance of the interview.

We do not normally disclose the names of the members of the interview panel in advance of the interview however they will introduce themselves to you at the start of your interview.

Following your interview we will notify you as soon as possible of the outcome. The successful candidate will receive a verbal offer from the Chair of the interview panel which will be followed up by a written offer and contract of employment. Any offer of employment is subject to receipt of satisfactory references, eligibility to work in the UK and where appropriate, a satisfactory Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme check through Disclosure Scotland.

We are happy to provide feedback following your interview upon request.