Position details
These details can be found on the advertisement.
Personal details
Make sure you are accurate and all contact details are current and correct.
Asylum and Immigration Act 1996
Remember to complete this section. If you have any supporting documents to prove your eligibility these will need to be seen at any interviews you attend.
Career history, skills and experience summary
The application form requires you to complete a personal statement in support of your application. You need to provide details of how you meet the criteria outlined in the job profile and other information relevant to the job specification, including your knowledge, skills and experience.
Your personal statement should relate directly to the criteria of the job you are applying for. It is best that you focus on all the points in the job specification in the order in which they appear. Imagine this being used as a checklist by the person short-listing.
Tackle each point on the job specification in a clearly themed paragraph:
- In your first sentence you might make a short statement summarising how you meet or relate to the requirement.
- The next few sentences you should provide an example of the points you have just made.
- A final sentence that shows reflection will add depth to the point you're making.
- You may also choose to start or end your statement with a summary of why you are applying for the job and what attracted you to the role.
Make sure your statement:
- Uses language that shows enthusiasm for both the role and the department.
- Provides a brief summary of how your set of skills matches the post advertised.
- Shows that you have done your research on the role.
Present or most recent employment
This information should be readily available to you however please speak to your line manager if you are unsure of any specific dates or duties
Previous employment
You should list your employment history starting with the most recent first. Remember to explain any gaps in your employment: being in full time education, a career break or travelling are examples of explanations.
Job related/professional training
In this section, list only relevant training that would have a positive impact on the role you are applying for. It is very easy to list every training course you have ever been on which is not necessary.
Membership of professional bodies
Examples of professional bodies are:
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
- British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
- General Social Care Council (GSCC)
Remember to include your level of membership if you have one.
Education and qualifications
Don't forget to list any grades achieved and the date of qualification.
References
For redeployees, you only need one referee. It should be your current manager.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (exception) Order 1975
This section is very important to complete if the role you are applying for requires DBS (Disclosure and Baring service) disclosure.
Selection arrangements
If you have any requirements or special arrangements for attending interviews, you must specify these here in order to give the hiring manager time to arrange if necessary.
Equalities monitoring form
Surrey County Council asks you to fill in an equalities monitoring form. This is not used for selection and is used by the Human Resources department only to check they are receiving applications from all sections of the community.
Some important final checks
Whether your form is online or on paper you should:
- Read it over a few times to check for spelling and grammatical errors – these are one of the most common reasons applications are rejected.
- Ask someone else to proofread it for you
- Check you've filled in all of the boxes that are relevant to you – if you leave an empty box the employer may think your form is incomplete. If a box isn't relevant, put 'N/A' (not applicable)
- Photocopy or print out the finished form, so you have a record of what you've written. You'll need to be able to refer back to it at the interview stage
- Take note of the closing date and send or submit your application form to arrive in good time.
