Tips

Your application

An electronic application form, person specification and job description will be provided to you once you have registered an interest in working for us.
  
It's important before you start to fill in your application form that you take the time to read through the job description and person specification.  By reading through these items you will be able to learn more about the job, and also find out what skills and experiences you need to have to be successful.
  
Make sure you fill in your application as fully as possible - it is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, and how you meet what we are looking for. Give examples from either your home or work life to show you have the skills and experiences we want. 
  
We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Disabled People.  This means we guarantee to interview you if you have a disability if you meet the essential criteria for the job you are applying for.  You can choose to take part in the scheme by indicating you have a disability on your application, the recruiting manager will be advised.  If you do not wish to take part in this scheme, please indicate this on your application form.
  
If you are invited to interview, references will automatically be taken up.  If you don't want this to happen, please indicate this on your application form.
  

Interview tips

Interviews can be a nerve wrecking experience, if you plan properly, you will feel more confident. You are bound to be asked some questions around the area you are applying to and why you would be suitable to work there - so make sure you have done your homework!

An online search

This website is the best place to start.  It provides lots of useful information about the services we provide to the people of Buckinghamshire, and what we are doing to improve things. As you read through this information, think about how the job you are applying for helps to meet these goals.  Also think about any other 'current' issues you are aware of that may be affecting the area you are interested in joining.  This will help you to answer questions in an up to date way.

Preparing yourself

This is often the area that people forget to give enough time to - so don't get caught out.  Here are a few top tips:

• Make sure you know the time, date and location of the interview, and the interviewers' names.
• Decide how you will get there, and when you need to set off to arrive in good time - anticipating any delays.  Do a dummy run if necessary.
• Sit down with your application and make notes - look at your work record and think about what you have achieved.  How do you see yourself?  What have you done?  What ambitions do you have?  Make notes and think about how you would explain these things about yourself.  Do this out loud - even if it makes you feel weird.  Hearing your self describe you experiences should help you feel more confident of explaining things to an interviewer.
• Have a mock interview with a friend based on common interview questions your likely to face.  This will help you work out what you want to say, and how you can best sell your self to the interviewers.  Try to match your examples and experiences to the job description and person specification so the interviewer can see why they should employ you.
• If it helps, bring prompt cards into the interview with you, to remind yourself of the examples you wanted to talk about to show how you meet the needs of the job.  Ask the interviewers if you can refer to a few notes should you need them - most won't object, and these can help with your confidence and help you if you dry up or start to waffle!
• If you look good you feel good too.  Avoid any last minute panic by preparing what you're going to wear the night before.
• Take the minimum with you to the interview, so you can concentrate on it and nothing else.
• If you are asked to bring any documents with you on the day, again get them ready well in advance so you are not chasing around looking for your passport on the morning of the interview!
• It may sound obvious, but use the toilet before you go in - you don't want to be bursting to go when you're mid interview!
  

Other selection tools

If you are invited to come along for an interview for the job you are interested in, you may find that you are asked to do other activities as well as just the formal interview.  This helps to give the interviewers a more rounded picture of your skills, and gives you the chance to sell your strengths in different ways.  These activities might include tests, personality questionnaires, group exercises, presentations etc.  If any of these are to be included in the selection process, you will be told in the interview letter you receive.

Psychometric tests

These test skills such as your ability to understand and interpret written or numerical information, against the clock.  They can either be done online or manually, using a paper and pencil test.

Personality questionnaires

These help us understand what makes you tick, and how you would fit into the team.  There are no right or wrong answers to these tests.  You should answer questions honestly, don't try to second-guess what you think we might want to hear.

Skills tests

These test your ability in areas such as your Microsoft Office skills.  You will be asked to complete a test online and you will be asked to do a number of tasks within a particular computer package.  Once you have finished the test, we then get feedback on how well you were able to complete these tasks.

Group exercises

You will be asked to work with other candidates on a task that will be set by your interviewers.  You will be given a brief before the exercise begins, which you will have time to read before you start the discussion with the rest of the group.  Whilst you are involved in the task, the interviewers will watch and listen to what you are doing and saying.  The interviewers will be looking to see who takes control of the situation, brings quieter members of the group into the discussion, keeps the group to time, and who can stand their ground if they feel they are right - without becoming aggressive.

Presentation

You will normally be asked to bring a presentation that you have already prepared to your interview, often based around an issue the area you are applying to is facing currently. Whilst the quality of slides and content of the presentation are important, it is more important that you are confident and can think on your feet and can answer any questions that might come up. Ideally, you should have several dummy runs, asking a friend to listen and give you honest feedback on your style and slides before the actual presentation.