How to complete your online application

Equalities Monitoring  

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity in our staff recruitment and selection. We consider the following to ensure that our policies and procedures meet this objective: 

• Who is applying for the vacancy; 
• Who is successful in being shortlisted; 
• Who is successful at the interview. 

The information you provide will be kept confidential and will not form part of the application process. The information on the equalities monitoring part of the application will be used for monitoring purposes only. This information will not be seen by the shortlisting department or interview panel. 

Disability Information  

We welcome applications from all individuals. We want to ensure that people with disabilities are considered by providing appropriate access and equipment. 

Please ensure that you let us know if there is anything you would like us to know to assist you in the recruitment process, or if you need any assistance to attend an interview, such as: 

• Wheelchair access; 
• Someone with you at the interview, such as a signer; 
• Induction loop or other hearing enhancement; 
• Interview at a particular time; 
• Assistance with written material.  

Working in the UK and National Insurance Number  

The illegal working provisions of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 (‘the Act’) came into force on 29 February 2008. Section 15 of the Act states that it is an offence to employ persons who do not have permission to work in the United Kingdom. If you are offered employment you will be required to supply documentary evidence to show that you are allowed to work in the UK, such as a selection of the following documents: 

• A current full passport or a current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK and is currently allowed to do the type of work in question;. 
• A UK residence permit; 
• A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit); 
• A current Residence Card (including an Accession Residence Card or a Derivative Residence Card) issued by the Home Office; 
• Work permit. 

You will need to let us know if you require sponsorship to work in the UK. 

At the point of starting with us you will need to supply a valid National Insurance (NI) number. You can also submit alternative evidence, such as a P45, P60, a birth certificate or a letter from the Home Office confirming you are allowed to work in the UK. 

Disclosure and Barring Service  

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 exists to support the rehabilitation into employment of reformed offenders. 

Under the Act, following a specified period of time which varies according to the disposal administered or sentence passed, all cautions and convictions (except those resulting in prison sentences of over 30 months) are regarded as spent. As a result the offender is regarded as rehabilitated. 

For most purposes the Act treats a rehabilitated person as if he or she had never committed an offence and, as such, you are not obliged to declare your spent caution(s) or conviction(s), when applying for employment. However, if you have a criminal record, i.e. a reprimand, caution, or conviction which is not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, then you must tell us on your application; it will not necessarily bar you from employment as we will only take this into account if the conviction is relevant. This will depend on the nature of the offence, the circumstances and background. 

There are exceptions where you may have to declare spent cautions and convictions and these are listed on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order. This will be stated on the advertisement about the role. In addition, there will be a requirement stated on the job description that it is an essential requirement that a satisfactory report from the Disclosure Barring Services is obtained at all times.  

Education and Qualifications and Membership of Professional Associations 

This part of the form looks at your education, and qualifications. Please give details of courses attended which are relevant to the job you are applying for and also give details of all educational qualifications you have obtained from school, college, university, etc. Remember to include qualifications you are currently studying for. Please include dates. You will be asked to provide evidence of qualifications if you are appointed. 

Career and Work Experience  

Please ensure that you give details of your current and previous positions. You should provide the name and address of your employers, the dates you started and include a brief description of responsibilities, skills and experience. If you are currently unemployed then you should use this section for detailing your last employment. 

Other Employment History  

On this section you will need to include all work experience including temporary, work experience or voluntary work. Please include any breaks in your career, e.g. travelling outside the UK, looking after family, unemployed or studying. 

Supporting Statement  

This section gives you the opportunity to convince us that you should be shortlisted for interview. Please say why you wish to be considered for the position you are applying for. Include the particular abilities and behaviours you display referring to the key competency areas and role requirements on the job description, and the essential and desirable criteria on the person specification. Please include how and where you gained this experience. You may also refer to interests or relevant experience outside work. For more information about interviews please read our Tips for successful Applications.   

References 

Please provide names and email addresses of two people to who you are not related to and who we can go out to obtain a reference from. One should be your current employer, or if you are not in employment, then your last (most recent) employer. In the case of school/college/university leavers, please provide the name and address of your tutor. If you have not had any paid employment then please provide the name and address of your manager of your most recent work experience placement.  In certain circumstances a reference may be requested from any of your previous employers.  Offers of employment are made subject to satisfactory references. 

Your Declaration  

By completing and submitting the online application you agree that you have completed the form accurately and that you agree with the declaration on the application form. 

Any employment offered will be subject to the information on your application being correct. Giving false, misleading or incomplete answers will disqualify you from consideration. Alternatively, in the event of your appointment, you would be liable to dismissal without notice if the information on your application is later proved to be inaccurate. 

Pre-employment Medical Information  

If you are offered a post, you will be asked to fill in a medical questionnaire electronically. This is then submitted to the council’s medical adviser, and you may be asked to attend a medical examination. All offers of employment are made subject to medical clearance. 

Data Protection Act  

The information that you provide will be processed according to the Data Protection Act 2018 which controls how your personal information is used by us. Ashford Borough Council adheres to the usage, retention, accuracy, security and processing of personal data. At the interview full interview notes will be made. Under Data Protection regulations these will be made available to the candidate if they ask to see them. After the interview process all notes are returned to the recruitment team as this information will be held on the recruitment file for 6 months before being confidentially destroyed. For more information regarding the use of your information please read our Privacy Notice for Applicants.