We hope that the following gives you all of the information you need regarding questions you may have when applying for a job at the University; if not, you may email the personnel office|.

 

All our vacancies are posted on our Current Vacancies webpage, jobs.ac.uk website and at jobcentreplus
 
Academic posts are occasionally advertised in The Guardian or The Times / THES; professional support staff are sometimes advertised in the Bolton News and/or the Manchester Evening News. 

Q2 - I have found a post/posts that I am interested in, what do I need to do next?

You need to request an application pack via email or by telephoning our 24 hour job application line on 01204 903579.  You can also download the application form and relevant job description/person specification from our vacancies page.  Note:  Please remember to leave your full name, address and job reference number.

If you are interested in more than one vacancy, a seperate application form must be submitted as it is particularly important that all criteria applicable to the individual role is addressed.

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Q3 - Can I download the application form and return via email?

As mentioned in question 2, you can download the forms and return via email.  However, we must stress the vacancy information on this website may not represent the full application pack available.  If you are interested in applying for any of our vacancies you are strongly advised to request a pack as directed in the specific advertisement text.  Failure to follow this procedure could subsequently disadvantage your application if you have not received all the supporting information available to other candidates.

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Q4 - Can I send a CV rather than an application form - as long as I indicate which post I am interested in?

No, applicant's need to be aware that submission of a CV is not acceptable and only a completed University application form will be considered by the selection panel.

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Some vacancies are only available for current University of Bolton staff.  If that is the case, applications from interested parties not currently employed by us will not be considered.

If a vacancy is advertised as "internal only," full/part-time permanent and fixed-term staff can apply for any suitable vacancy.  Temporary supply staff can only apply for fixed-term posts (including maternity cover).  Any agency staff working at the University will not be able to apply for any post advertsied as internal only.

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Q6 - Can I apply for an internal ring-fenced post if I am a student here or a former member of staff?

Only current members of staff from the relevant school/service can apply for an internal ring-fenced post.  Applications from other candidates will not be considered.

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Q7 - I am a current member of staff and am interested in one of the temporary posts advertised, can I apply on a secondment basis?

Temporary posts (including maternity cover) are available for staff currently employed by the University of Bolton to apply for on a secondment basis.  Your own post (referred to as the "substantive  post") will be replaced on a temporary basis - subject to approval - until such a time as you return from secondment.  Maternity cover usually encompasses all the period that the postholder is on maternity leave.

If you are thinking of applying for a secondment opportunity, please advise your line manager in advance of your application to obtain an indication of a likely release date, should your application be successful.

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In principle, all full-time posts are available for job share (in some cases this may not be practical due to operational reasons - please check with the personnel unit before applying).  It is the applicant's responsibility to find a job-share partner to submit a joint application - both applicants must fulfil the person specification criteria.

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Q9 - The application form wants to know if I have a disability - why do you need to know?

The University is positive about employing anybody with the right mix of skills and abilities - regardless of race, sex, disability or age.  The University will guarantee to interview any disabled candidate who fulfils the minimum requirements of the person specification, as per the "Two-Ticks - Positive about Disabled People" initiative.  If you have put in an application form, the Personnel representative needs to be aware of any disability in order to guarantee an interview to the disabled candidate who meets the minimum requirements, as well as needing to make any necessary arrangements for interview e.g. access, interpreters, etc.  Please rest assured that the shortlisting/interview panel will not take into account any disability when scoring your application at the shortlisting stage.

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Any candidate will be shortlisted on the basis of their skills and abilities to do the role.  Only after shortlisting will the Personnel representative check the personal information section of the application form to see if any shortlisted applicant has a criminal record/conviction.  If that is the case, two separate forms - an offender form and an exemptions form - will be sent out asking the candidate to provide additional information about their criminal record/conviction.  This needs to be completed and returned prior to the interview.  The personnel representative will withhold the information provided, unless the candidate is successful and it is deemed necessary (due to the nature of the role) to inform the chair of the panel of the background to the conviction.  At that stage, a decision will be made as to whether an offer of appointment should still be made.

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Q11 - The advert indicated that the successful candidate will need to have an Enhanced CRB check - why is that necessary if I have ticked that I don't have a criminal record/conviction?

Following adoption of the Child Protection Policy at a Board of Governors meeting held on the 13 December 2006 certain positions require a CRB - Criminal Records Bureau (Enhanced Disclosure) and List 99 check to be undertaken for the post-holder.   Full details of the posts that are likely to need the successful job applicant to undergo a CRB check can be found here|.

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A Certificate of Sponsorship and an application under the Points-Based system may be required if you are not a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) Country.  Certifiates of Sponsorship can only be obtained for posts were there is no suitable applicant, national to an EEA Country.  The employer would need to prove that no suitable resident worker could be appointed.  Certificates of Sponsorship may not be issued for some posts, for example, administrative, clerical, secretarial or manual, as it is assumed resident workers will always be available for these posts.

Individuals cannot apply for a Certificate of sponsorship on their own behalf, the University is responsible for issuing the certificate

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The Person Specification outlines what we are looking for in candidates and how we intend to assess them.  Use this information when you are completing your application form (especially section 10/8).  The selection panel may assume that you do not meet any criteria you do not refer to and this could disadvantage your application.

For example, if one of the requirements of the role is: "Competent in the use of IT Systems," instead of being vague in your answer e.g. "I have used MS Word, Excel and Access at work as well as the Internet and email," use specific examples e.g. "I use MS Word on a daily basis to write reports, letters and memos.  My job entails creating expenses spreadsheets - including formulae - to monitor costs and staff expenses.  I use MS Access to regularly create contracts.  I also, on occasion, use Dreamweaver to update company webpages as well as email daily to correspond with colleagues and external partners." 

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If your application was within the previous 12 months we can put forward your old application for considerationbut only if you ask us to.  That said, we would recommend that you complete a new application addressing the new/amended person specification otherwise you may be disadvantaged as you may not have evidence in your application regarding new criteria.

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Q15 - When I return my application form, will you acknowledge receipt?

We will not automatically confirm receipt of your application form unless you provide a self-stamped addressed envelope or card.

If you apply electronically you can set up read-receipts which confirm that your application has been read;  applications sent via email are normally confirmed as having been received and printed out O.K. and attached to the job file.

It is worth reminding all candidates that they use the correct amount of postage, otherwise we cannot guarantee delivery by the mail service.  

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Due to the number of applications normally received for any given post, we are not able to notify candidates who have not been successful.  If you have not been notified of interview within four weeks of the closing date (or by the interview date, if pulicised in the advertisement) please assume that you have not been successful.

We normally try to give candidates shortlisted for interview a minium of a weeks' notice.

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