General considerations

Explaining the context of the post

It is important to explain the context of the post on offer, including information about the values of the University and of the School/Discipline/Division. It may also be helpful to describe how the post fits within the team and to explain why this particular skill set is required and what support will be available to the post-holder.

• Examples of good practice of providing institutional context
• Examples of good practice of providing local context

Formulating the person specification

Careful thought needs to be given to the person specification since the chair of the shortlisting and the interviewing panel will need to ensure that when candidates are compared it is only with respect to the skills and experiences outlined in the person specification. For examples of good practice in the different areas of activity please go to the Examples page from the menu on the left.

Providing guidance to applicants on information to be included in the application

To ensure that CVs and other documentation can be compared fairly at the shortlisting stage, it would be useful to provide guidance to applicants on what to include in the application and the CV.

• Examples of guidance on documentation for application 

Preparing for interview and presentation

When inviting candidates for interview, make sure that the instructions are clear. Specific guidance is provided in the examples section.

• Examples of letter of invitation

Interviewing

The panel membership should include colleagues qualified to ask about and respond to questions on all aspects of the role.

For early career appointments where less experience is expected, aim to seek out evidence of the potential for and the commitment to succeed.