Guidance on completing your online application form

Your contact details
The contact details you give on this form will be used for all correspondence regarding the post/work for which you have applied, therefore it is vital that you give the most up to date information and complete all relevant fields. Our primary method for contacting you will be by email.
Details of Education
Ideally, you should list details of education from secondary school, starting with the most recent and working backwards in date order, ensuring that you provide dates.

Details of qualifications should be those which are relevant to the work you’re applying for.

Before applying you should ensure that you have gained any qualification which is listed as an essential criterion on the person specification.

Please note that if your application is successful you will be asked to provide documentary evidence of all qualifications and grades listed in this section of the application form.

Training
Provide details of any training course(s) you have attended, which is relevant to the job/work applied for.
Outside Interests (Relevant to the Job/Work Applied for)
Please list here any outside interests which are relevant to the job/work you are applying for, particularly where the work involves contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
Statement In Support of your Application
Prior to completing your application form you should carefully read the job description which lists the key tasks and duties that you would be expected to carry out and the person specification that details the skills, experience, qualifications and aptitude that the selection panel are looking for.

The interview panel will shortlist applicants for interview based on their ability to demonstrate that they meet these criteria.

It is therefore important that you provide us with the written evidence of your experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities, etc., that matches the requirements of the person specification.

You should provide evidence of how your education, training, experience, attitude, skills and knowledge meet the criteria, giving specific examples where possible, to enable the selection panel to gauge your levels of experience, etc.

Do not leave out any relevant experience, skills or knowledge gained, wherever or however it was gained e.g. voluntary or unpaid work can be important.

Employment, Voluntary Work and Education History
Please list all your previous employment, voluntary work and education since leaving school, starting with the most recent and working backwards in date order. Full names and addresses should be provided, as well as the dates you attended, were employed or volunteered.

If there are any periods of time that have not been accounted for, please comment upon them in this section, i.e., travelling, unemployment, career breaks etc., again giving dates. You should aim to have a full chronological account, leaving no gaps.

References
As part of your application you will be asked to provide the name, address and email address of two referees.

One of your referees must be your present employer, or last employer if unemployed; the second referee should preferably be a previous employer or someone who can comment on your suitability for the job you have applied for. Please check with your referees that they are happy to provide a reference on your behalf.

References are not accepted from relatives (including in-laws and step relations), friends and immediate work colleagues.

If the duties of the post involve working with children, young people or vulnerable adults and you are not currently working with these groups, the second referee should be the employer who most recently employed you in a role working with children, young people or vulnerable adults.

Referees will be asked about disciplinary offences, including any for which the penalty is time expired for posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults and whether you have been the subject of any child protection or vulnerable adult abuse allegation or concern, and if so, the outcome of these.

The Council reserves the right to approach current and previous employers.

Open references addressed “To whom it may concern” or testimonial type references will not be accepted.

Personal Relationships
If you have any personal relationship to any Halton Borough Council Elected Member, member of a Committee of the Council, Governor or employee of the Council, please give their name and state relationship in this section.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
You are required to disclose any ‘unspent’ convictions in line with The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

This Act allows for a person who has been convicted of a criminal offence involving a sentence of not more than two and a half years imprisonment and who has since lived trouble free for a specified period of time (related to the severity of the offence) to be treated as if the offence, conviction or sentence had never occurred. This is known as a spent conviction.

If the job for which you are applying is one of those to which the provisions of the above Act in relation to spent convictions, do not apply, you must disclose whether you have ANY previous convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings, whether or not they are spent and any other information that has a bearing on your suitability for the position applied for.

However, the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’ and are not subject to disclosure to employers, and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found at the Disclosure and Barring Service website – www.gov.uk/dbs

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working for the Council. Consideration will be given to the type of work and the circumstances and background of offences.

For further information on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974

Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006
In order to meet the requirements of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 , all successful applicants will be required to produce proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK.
Disability Confident
Halton Borough Council is a Disability Confident accredited employer. A guaranteed interview will be given to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Declaration
By completing and submitting the online application for you are agreeing to the following conditions:

  • That the information that you have provided as part of the application process is true and accurate
  • That you have not withheld or deliberately falsified any information relevant to your application

The information provided in your application form will be processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. It will be treated as confidential and used for the purpose of employment related matters and the provision of workforce monitoring statistics. Checks will be undertaken to validate the information provided.

Applications from unsuccessful applicants will be destroyed 6 months after the completion of the recruitment process.

Applications for multiple posts
If you are applying for more than one job, you must complete a separate application form for each job/casual post. Selection panels will be looking for different things for each job, so when completing your application form, gear your application to those specific duties, as stated on the person specification.
Acknowledgement of Application
As part of the online application process you will receive an automated acknowledgement of your application for.
Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form
In order to measure the effectiveness of our equal opportunities policies, the Council collects information about applicants for employment/work. Although this information is voluntary, it would be helpful if you would complete the monitoring form. The details you give will not be available to the hiring manager and therefore will not be referred to during the shortlisting or interview process.