Application Form Guidance

Be clear which job you are applying for
make sure to only apply for one job per application form as it is confusing if you apply for a few on one form and sends a mixed message about what you want to do with us. Find out as much as you can about the school and the role before applying; it shows if you have done your research.

Use spell check
Most of our jobs require ‘attention to detail’, so make sure you’ve checked carefully.

Ensure your contact information is correct
It is essential that email addresses and contact telephone numbers are correct in order for us to contact you.

Use the application form
Do not send in just a CV as all roles require an application form and ensure you complete all the sections. The application form asks some important question so don’t miss sections out as this could mean we reject your application. It’s also best not to reformat the application, for example, putting the text in unusual colours, writing in ALL CAPS or adding decorations.

Include all the relevant information
The decision to invite you to an interview or assessment day will be made based on this form, and nothing else, so make sure you include all your relevant skills and experience. If there are ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’ criteria in the person specification ensure you include evidence of these skills on the application form.

Focus
Keep it to the point, and focussed on the job you’re applying for. You’ll need to read the person specification and tell us how you think your skills and personal qualities meet each point. For example, if the person specification says an essential quality is ‘the ability to work effectively as part of a team’ give us a great example of when you have done this before, what role you took and how you might use that when working for us.

Give examples
How you’ve acted in past situations and what you’ve learnt from past experiences helps us to know more about you, and how you might react to the situations the job will put you in. If you can use professional examples it provides stronger evidence on how you have acted at work.

Quality
The quality of the example is more important than the quantity. It’s better to offer one really relevant example which you explain clearly and relate to the person specification than to offer a long list of everything you’ve done.

Get a second opinion
Why not get a friend to read it through for you? It can be hard to spot mistakes in your own work. They’ll also be able to tell you if you’ve missed something out or if they think your application isn’t clear. Ask them to be honest!

Review the application form
If you leave your application form for a day or two and then come back to it as you are more likely to spot mistakes.

Apply on time
There will be a closing date for your application published on the advert. Make sure your advert is received by this date, as it will not be accepted otherwise. If no time is specified on the advert then it will close at the end of that day.