Job Application Guidance

• Take your time to read the advertisement and job description carefully. This document sets-out the purpose of the role and the tasks and outcomes that the job holder will be responsible for carrying out. This document also includes a Person Specification – this lists the qualifications, skills, knowledge, experience, values and behaviours against which candidates will assessed throughout the recruitment and selection process.

• Browse our website. This is an easy way to access lots of information about the university which may help you to tailor your application.

• If you have any questions, or would simply like to have a chat about the role before applying, the recruiting manager’s email address will be on the job advert or you can contact the Resourcing team at jobs@uos.ac.uk; they will be very happy to speak to you.

The covering letter is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the recruiting manager. You may want to include what attracted you to our organisation and the role, demonstrating an understanding of the requirements of the job together with the university’s aspirations, culture, and values.

The cover letter is also your opportunity to set out in further detail how you meet the essential and desirable criteria of the post, as specified in the job description.

• Ensure you are demonstrating that you meet the requirements set out in the person specification for the role; the recruiting manager will use this as a guide when assessing your suitability at the shortlisting stage.

• Provide evidence of what you achieved and what difference it made. The recruiting manager will be interested in how you have contributed to any organisational successes and how you have improved the experience of those you have worked with.

CVs can take many forms and we don’t want to be too prescriptive about the formatting of your CV. However, there are some key elements that will strengthen your CV and make it easier for the recruiting manager to assess your suitability to the role. 

• Set-out your CV clearly and logically – make it as easy to read as possible by having distinct sections (for example work history, qualifications).

• Tailor your CV to the role for which you are applying. This will make a real difference in demonstrating your suitability for the role. Read the job description and advert, and look at our website. Use any insights you may have gained if you have spoken to the recruiting manager. 

• Make sure your recent employment history is comprehensive and has no unexplained gaps. If you have a long work history, you may want to include just brief details of your earliest roles.

Our values are very important to us, both in how we carry-out our work and in how we behave towards one another.   Within our job descriptions, you will find the 6 core values of our university (Inclusion, Transformation, Collaboration, Empowerment, Professionalism and Service, and Creativity) together with brief definitions. 

A video has been created to introduce our values which you can watch here.

When including evidence of values and behaviours, avoid using generic words or phrases without any associated evidence. If you think you are a good team player, for example, don’t simply state this, try to include specific evidence of something you have done that demonstrates that this is the case.