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Recruitment Guidance

3. Candidate Selection

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Contents ................................................................................................................ 2

Selection Criteria .................................................................................................. 3

Choosing your selection methods ...................................................................... 5

Agree Scoring and Decision Guidelines ............................................................. 8

Decision Guidelines ............................................................................................. 9

Reaching a total score ....................................................................................... 10

Weighting Criteria .............................................................................................. 10

University Appointing Bodies ............................................................................ 11

Longlisting ........................................................................................................... 11

Shortlisting .......................................................................................................... 11

Sending Invitations / Rejections ........................................................................ 11

Academic and Research References ................................................................ 11

Finalising Selection Arrangements ................................................................... 11

Conducting Selection Arrangements ................................................................ 11

Interviewing candidates with a disability ............................................................ 11

Using Behavioural Attributes ............................................................................. 11

Making a Selection Decision .............................................................................. 11

Candidate Expenses ........................................................................................... 11

Contents

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1. Selection Criteria

Selection criteria are the benchmark

against which all applicants for a vacancy

are judged. Their purpose is:

To enable selection panel

members to assess candidates

against consistent and objective

standards, increasing the likelihood

of an effective selection decision

being made

reducing the risk of discrimination,

and;

To provide a structure for short-

listing and other selection activities,

making them more focused and

organised.

Selection criteria should be based on the

skills, knowledge and experience required

for the job, as described in the Person

Profile section of the role profile. This

ensures that candidates will be measured

against the standards which have already

been identified as being required for

effective performance, enabling selection

panel members to select based on the

best fit with the role.

It also means that the Person Profile

(which is reproduced in the Further

Information document from the role

description) will accurately

communicate to potential applicants

how applications will be assessed.

Positive indicators should be

constructed for each criterion to assist

members of the Selection Panel to

make objective and consistent

assessments. Positive indicators are

examples of how a candidate would

demonstrate that they meet the required

standard. Indicators are not intended to

be an exhaustive or definitive list but a

tool to aid effective assessment.

Positive indicators are published for the

University's behavioural attributes;

these may assist you in developing

positive indicators for your selection

criteria.

Constantly monitors and

assesses progress.

Plans alternatives

and contingency

plans.

Knows the status of their own work

and any spare time or resources to do other work.

Identifies important activities

and milestones, establishing

importance and urgency.

Assesses new information and reorganises the

workload to meet new demands.

Examples of positive indicators for effective planning and organising skills might be:

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Reducing the risk of discrimination

Selection criteria must be measurable,

objective and defensible. They must not

be either directly or indirectly

discriminatory (unless an Occupational

Requirement is being applied). The

following types of criteria routinely arise in

relation to indirect discrimination claims

and should be avoided:

Length of service.

Willingness to work hours outside

the normal working day.

Preference for full-time as opposed

to part-time experience.

Acceptance of UK academic or

professional qualifications only.

Age restrictions.

Please see the Equality Law and

Recruitment section for further

information on occupational requirements

and discrimination.

Recording selection criteria It is important that you keep a record of the

selection criteria that you use in your

recruitment process. This will help ensure

that you can justify your decisions, explain

the process by which they were reached,

provide structured feedback to applicants

and respond to any claims of

discrimination.

The HR6 Selection Criteria template is

provided for you to capture your selection

criteria, positive indicators for your criteria,

whether they are essential or desirable, any

weighting given to the criteria and how they

will be assessed.

Departments / Institutions are welcome to

use an alternative form of the HR6,

however, it must be ensured that the

relevant information is captured.

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2. Choosing your selection methods

Once you have constructed the selection

criteria for your vacancy, you need to

decide which selection methods you will

be using to assess how far each

candidate meets these requirements.

Various selection methods exist and

they vary in the information that they

provide, their reliability in predicting

performance and how easy and

expensive it is to use them.

The Guide to Selection Methods

provides an overview of the most

common selection methods. Which ones

you should use will depend on the type

of position being filled and the selection

criteria being assessed.

Using more than one selection method

gives a more rounded assessment of

candidates and increases the likelihood

of an effective selection decision being

made. Some of the decisions you will

need to make are outlined overleaf. The

HR6 Selection Criteria template is

provided for you to record the methods

you will be using to assess each

selection criterion:

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Which criteria will be assessed at each stage and which

methods will be used?

How many stages there will be in the selection process?

Which methods enable the most effective assessment of a

selection criterion, e.g. not all criteria may be assessed

readily in a written application.

Will each part be a means to progressing to the next stage

(hurdle approach) or will all parts of the selection process be

used to determine which candidate is selected (whole picture

approach)?

How many criteria can be effectively assessed by one

selection method, e.g. assessing a relatively small number of

criteria initially can avoid the process becoming unwieldy.

How quickly you need to make an appointment?

If it is critical to have someone in post quickly, you may

need to have a shortened selection process.

(A less rigorous process could increase the risk of an

unsuitable candidate being appointed.

Whether any positive action provisions will be

incorporated into the decision making process?

This provision would be used if two of more candidates

are assessed as being equally suitable.

The Exceptions to Equality Law page of the Equality Law

and recruitment section provides further information on

this.

What type of role is being recruited to?

Senior positions often involve more selection stages and

larger numbers of assessors.

Who should be assessing the candidates at each stage?

You should pay particular attention to identifying and

meeting any particular appointment arrangements which

are required by Statutes and Ordinances. What resources are available?

For instance, considering the availability of people to be

involved in the process, venues and equipment.

How many applications are you likely to receive?

The more applications you expect, the more stages you may

want to use to reduce the number of applications in a

manageable way

This may mean using less resource intensive methods

initially, for example, conducting long-listing before short-

listing or telephone interviews before face-to-face interviews.

Considerations when choosing selection methods

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3. Agree Scoring and Decision Guidelines

Scoring systems determine how each

applicant's performance against the

selection criteria will be assessed and

decision rules determine how these

scores will be used to decide who will be

invited to proceed to the next stage of

the process.

The role of the assessor in the selection

process is to assess reported

experience, skills and behaviour (e.g.

from application forms or interviews) and

observed skills or behaviour (e.g. from

tests or simulations) according to the

selection criteria. Scoring systems are

commonly used as a systematic means

of indicating how well a candidate has

met a particular selection criterion. The

use of a structured scoring system can,

at first, appear complicated. However, it

can help simplify the process, as well as

making it more consistent and objective.

The scoring system should be agreed

before in advance of the selection

process and applied consistently. If you

choose to use your own scoring system,

please amend the HR10 Assessment

Record (the document which is

provided for assessors to record the

scores given to candidates) to reflect

this. A suggested scoring system for

you to use is provided below:

Does not meet the requirements / no evidence provided 0

Meets the requirements in some respects 1

Meets the requirements in most respects 2

Meets the requirements effectively 3

Exceeds requirements 4

At each stage in the process, applicants should be scored separately before a final mark

is discussed and agreed by the assessors/selection panel. This is to prevent unfair

biases from influencing decision-making.

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Decision Guidelines

It can be helpful to agree and record in advance decision guidelines about who will

proceed to the next stage of selection and who will be rejected. Having such

guidelines can help ensure objectivity, provide a structured framework to facilitate

decisions and retain focus on what a particular stage in the process is there to

achieve.

Examples of decision guidelines are:

‘X number of applicants with the highest total scores will be invited to proceed

the next stage of the process.’

‘Applicants who score 0 or 1 in more than two criteria will be eliminated from the

process.’

The guidelines agreed should reflect

what is required for the job. For

example, if acceptable performance is

required in all areas then the decision

guidelines should reflect this. If you have

categorised your criteria as essential or

desirable, your decision guidelines

should reflect this. That is, by basing

selection decisions on the scores given

for essential criteria except where you

need to use desirable criteria to

distinguish between candidates who

appear equally suitable for the position.

When planning how candidates will be

assessed, the Appointing Body can

consider whether or not it would be

appropriate to apply positive action

provisions if two or more candidates are

assessed as being equally suitable.

Certain conditions need to exist for

positive action measures to be used

and evidence needs to be gathered to

demonstrate that these exist. Therefore,

it is important that it is agreed well in

advance of the start of the selection

process whether positive action might

be taken, if required. Please see the

Exceptions to Equality Law pages of

the Equality Law and recruitment

section for further information.

The HR11 Selection Results Grid

provides you with a section for

recording your decision guidelines.

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Reaching a total score

You should agree in advance how you will reach a total score for your candidates so

that the process is as objective as possible.

Where a combination of selection methods is used and more than one score has been

assigned for each selection criterion, there are a number of ways in which scores can

be combined:

Average the scores given for the selection criterion to give a single score.

Assessors discuss the evidence for each rating of the selection criterion and

agree a single score.

Add all the scores allocated to a candidate together to create a single overall

score.

Whether you will add the scores together for the selection methods employed in a

particular stage of the process only or for the whole process so far will depend on

whether you decided to take a hurdle or whole picture approach when planning your

selection process (see the Overview page in the Choose selection methods section

for further information).

Weighting Criteria

Some specific criteria may not be of equal importance to the overall selection decision.

If this is the case, you may choose to prioritise certain criteria by weighting the scores

given to candidates for these requirements. A simple means of doing this is to allocate

percentages to each criterion so that the total comes to 100. An example is provided

in the table below of how such weightings can be used to multiply the initial score given

to a candidate to reach a weighted total score. You can read more about scoring in

the Agree scoring system and decision rules section.

Selection Criterion Number

Score Weighting Total Score

1 4 40 160

2 3 20 60

3 4 20 80

4 2 10 20

5 3 10 30

Total 350

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An appointing body is the collective name for people responsible for making

selection decisions (including shortlisting) for a post or posts. An appointing body

must:

As far as possible, appointing bodies should not be made up of members from one

group (e.g. white males, people with a particular career track record). Appointing

bodies for Clinical School appointment will always be gender balanced.

Always comprise of

more than one person.

Include people with in-depth

knowledge of the different aspects

of the role to be performed.

Follow the same procedures

as a Selection Committee and

to the same standards.

Academic-Related Offices and Posts

Appointments to academic-related offices and posts should be made in accordance with either

the Statute or Ordinance establishing the office concerned, or with the Council and General

Board's Notice on appointing arrangements for certain academic-related offices.

Special Ordinance C (ii) under Statute C, I, 2, sets out general provisions for appointments.

Special regulations for University Officers can be found in Ordinances, Chapter XI.

Provisions for appointments in particular departments/institutions under the supervision of the

General Board can be found in Ordinances, Chapter IX

Ordinances, Chapter X contains provisions for appointments in certain institutions under the

supervision of the Council.

Appointing arrangements for Syndicates are found in Ordinances, Chapter I.

Ordinances, Chapter VIII contains provisions for the appointments of the Secretaries of the

Schools.

Professorships

Boards of Electors are responsible for elections to Professorships. The arrangements are

detailed in Special Ordinance C (vii) under Statute C, XI, 3.

4. University Selection Panels

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Other Academic Offices

Other academic officers are appointed by Selection Committees. The regulations governing these

appointments are set out in the relevant section of Statutes and Ordinances. Special Ordinance C

(x) under Statute C, I, 2, set out general provisions for appointments. Specific appointing

arrangements for particular offices are set out under separate chapters of Statute C, including:

University Lecturers and University Senior Lecturers - Special Ordinance C (x) 1-14

Readers - Ordinances, Chapter XI.

In addition:

Special regulations for University Officers can be found in Ordinances, Chapter XI.

Provisions for appointments in particular departments/institutions under the supervision of the

General Board can be found in Ordinances, Chapter IX.

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*Please note that an HR11 pre-filled with applicant names can be generated from the Web

Recruitment System.

Members of the Appointing Body should review applications and check them against

the essential selection criteria. Any candidates who fail to meet one or more of the

criteria should be rejected. For example, if it is essential for a role holder to have a

particular professional or technical qualification then any applicants without this

qualification should be rejected.

5. Longlisting

Appointing Body members should also be provided with copies of the:

Job Description, including the

Person Profile

HR7 Further Information

Document

Selection Criteria (as recorded on

the HR6 Selection Criteria template or other document).

The HR11 Selection Results

Grid (or similar document) for recording the

decisions made*

+ + +

Longlisting is a preliminary selection stage

that can be used to reduce an unwieldy list

of applicants by eliminating those who fail

to fulfil the essential criteria. A decision

whether or not to long-list prior to short-

listing is likely to depend mainly on the

number of applications received.

After the advertisement closing date, you

should provide copies of the applications

received to all members of the Appointing

Body. If you are using the Web

Recruitment System for your vacancy, you

can do this by:

Grant Appointing Body members

access to the vacancy in the system

and providing them with the short

instructions on how to use it.

Generating a PDF pack of applications

from the system that can be emailed to

Appointing Body members.

Printing the PDF pack of applications

from the system.

Please see the Web Recruitment User

Guide for full details.

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Please note: if members of the Appointing

Body are conducting long-listing as

applications are submitted rather than

reviewing all applications together, it is

particularly important that benchmarking of

scores is carried out before applicants are

notified of any decisions. This means that

Appointing Body members must review the

scores that they have allocated to each

applicant and the reasons why, then check

that they have been consistent in the way

that they have made their

assessments/decisions.

If you are using Web Recruitment, you

should ensure that the outcomes of

each selection stage are recorded by

changing the status/stage of applicants

within the system. For example, after

long-listing has been completed, you

should record which applicants have

been rejected and which have been

progressed to short-listing.

It is also possible to write notes and

upload documents as a means of

holding reasons for decisions in the

same place as other information from

the recruitment process.

In order to make the longlisting process as simple and efficient as possible, it

is not necessary to record detailed scores for applications against the

essential criteria. However, it is essential that you record the decision made

and a brief reason for the decision. For example, which essential criteria an

applicant has failed to meet.

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6. Shortlisting

Shortlisting reduces the field of applicants

down to a manageable number for the next

stage of the selection process (normally

interviews). The number of applicants

taken forward following shortlisting may

depend on how many further stages of

assessment there are, but it would

normally be between 3 and 6. Having fewer

than 3 will reduce the likelihood of finding a

suitable candidate and having more than 6

can be resource-intensive.

Ideally, all selection panel members should

be involved in the shortlisting process.

However, if this is not possible, the

selection panel should agree who will

undertake the shortlisting, with no less than

two people should complete the shortlisting

process. Selection panel members should

have access to the same documentation as

detailed in the longlisting section of the

Recruitment Guidance and it should be the

same panel members to review each

application.

Process and Decision Making

Assessors are required to carry out

shortlisting objectively and consistently by

assessing each application against the

selection criteria. Shortlisting and

notification of the results to applicants

should, where possible, be completed

within two weeks of the advertisement

closing date.

Assess Behavioural Attributes

If you have chosen to include

behavioural attributes as selection

criteria, you will have retained the

behavioural attributes section in the

HR7 Further Information document for

your vacancy, instructing applicants to

provide specific examples from their

work, education or other experience

which show how they meet the

behavioural attribute requirements for

the role.

For each behavioural attribute being

assessed, shortlisting assessors will

need to review the level definition and

positive indicators and consider how

effectively an applicant has provided

evidence that they have previously

operated at the level required. In the

examples provided, it should be clear

to assessors what action the applicant

took personally and how this

contributed to the positive outcome

achieved.

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If the HR Division's templates for

recording shortlisting scores, decisions

and reasons are not used, it is important

that some other documentation captures

this information. Shortlisting records

should also show that the same agreed

selection criteria have been applied to all

candidates.

This will support decision making and

help ensure that decisions are justified,

explain the process by which they were

reached and respond to any claims of

discrimination. In addition, if the person

who is eventually offered the position

requires a Certificate of Sponsorship

(CoS), evidence of why they were the

best candidate will be required, along with

details of why applicants / candidates not

subject to immigration control were not

appointable (i.e. why they did not meet all

the essential criteria).

When using Web Recruitment, you

should ensure that the outcomes of

each selection stage are recorded by

changing the status / stage of

applicants within the system. For

example, after shortlisting has been

completed, you should record which

applicants have been rejected and

which will be invited to interview /

selection events.

It is also possible to write notes and

upload documents as a methods of

recording decision making information

in the same place as other information

from the recruitment process. Please

see the Web Recruitment User Guide

for full details.

Please note: if members of the selection panel are conducting shortlisting as

applications are submitted, rather than reviewing all applications together, it is

particularly important that a benchmarking process is carried out before applicants

are notified of any decisions. By reviewing the scores that have allocated to each

applicant, the panel can demonstrate there has been consistency in the process and

their assessments / decisions.

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Factors to use and not to use in decision making

Shortlisting decisions should be made solely on the basis of facts and evidence presented in

applications which are relevant to the selection criteria. Any prior knowledge of the applicant

that is not included in the submission should not be used in the decision making process.

If applications are invited using the CHRIS/5 Application for Employment form, any

additional documentation which is submitted by the applicant (e.g. CVs, covering letters)

should not be used in the shortlisting process. This ensures that applicants are being treated

fairly by having the same opportunity to provide relevant information.

Applicants must not be eliminated at short-list stage on the basis that they do not yet have

the right to work in the UK, this could amount to indirect discrimination on the grounds of

national origin.

Eligibility to work in the UK can be considered during the final stage of recruitment only. In

order to decide to reject a candidate purely on right to work grounds, it must be established

that that individual does not have the right to work and that no certificate of sponsorship

(CoS) will be available (e.g. because it is a non-PhD level role and there is another

candidate with the right to work who has met all of the essential criteria). Recruiters are

advised to keep a record of any decisions taken and the reasons why, along with details of

any investigations made into obtaining permission to work in the UK.

Making decisions based on applicants' length of experience could result in indirect age

discrimination. Care should be taken not to confuse chronological age with academic or

career achievement.

Applicants should not be rejected on the grounds of a protected characteristic. This could

amount to direct discrimination, unless you are applying an occupational requirement, a

positive action initiative or other exception to the law (see the Exceptions in Equality Law

pages for further information).

Generalised assumptions and stereotypes about applicants should be avoided.

You should take care to avoid taking into account any factors which could have a

disproportionate impact on people with a particular characteristic, unless this can be

objectively justified.

SHORTLISTING

PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS

RIGHT TO WORK

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Shortlisted candidates should be invited to interview (and where applicable, other

selection events) and given the timetable for the selection programme. It is advised

that applicants are given at least one week’s notice of an interview, and should be

notified of any subsequent changes as soon as possible.

The HR13 Invite to Interview Letter Template can be used to invite candidates to the

selection process. It includes instructions and information for the candidates and can

be sent either as a letter or as an email. Candidates are requested to:

7. Sending Invitations / Rejections

Bring evidence of their right/permission to work in the UK with them to interview. The

types of evidence required are set out in List A and List B and should be sent with the

invite to interview letter.

Bring original copies of certificates/documents for any qualifications or professional

registrations specified as being required for the role. This is particularly important

where a Certificate of Sponsorship may be required as UK Visas and Immigration

requirements specify that required qualifications must be checked. Institutions should

satisfy themselves that qualifications are genuine and take copies. Misrepresentations

of qualifications will exclude a candidate from further consideration.

Let you know if they require any reasonable adjustments to the interview process to

ensure that they can give of your best during the meeting.

Where appropriate, complete any preparatory work in relation to the assessment

process. This may include the creation of a presentation or undertake some

preparatory reading in advance of a selection exercise to be conducted on the day.

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Sending Rejections

When the shortlisting process has been completed, it is recommended that you advise

all unsuccessful applicants that their applications will not be taken forward. Applicants

will have often invested a significant amount of time in making their application and it

is considered courteous to confirm the outcome of the application.

As a general approach, due to the high volume of applications normally received for

vacancies, it is University practice not to offer feedback to applicants rejected at this

stage. However, there may be instances where it is deemed appropriate to provide

feedback at this stage, such as an internal applicant who is seeking a new career

development opportunity. If it is deemed appropriate, further guidance on providing

feedback is available as a “How To: Provide Feedback” document.

Rejection emails can be

generated and sent using

the Web Recruitment

System (or the system

can be used to produce

rejection letters). Please

see the Web Recruitment

User Guide for further

details.

Institutions not using the

Web Recruitment System

to manage a vacancy may

use the HR12 Rejection

Letter template for

informing applicants that

they have been

unsuccessful, either as a

letter or email.

The minimum requirement

(but not recommended)

alternative, recruiters may

choose to include a

statement in the HR7

Further Information

document advising that only

successful applicants will be

contacted by a certain date.

Key Considerations with regard to Rejections

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Reasonable Adjustments

Providing written

instructions in an

accessible format.

Allowing a

disabled person

extra time to

complete the test.

Allowing a

disabled applicant

to take an oral

test in writing or a

written test orally.

Permitting a

disabled person

the assistance of

a reader or scribe.

Where a candidate has declared they

have a disability, you are required by law

to make necessary reasonable

adjustments to the selection process to

remove barriers that non-disabled people

would not face. In addition, where it is fair

and reasonable to do so, you should

adapt your selection arrangements to

enable anyone who is suitably qualified to

attend for selection.

You should ensure that you include full

details of any additional selection

activities are included within the

invitation to interview to help them

prepare. For example, if the candidates

are expected to make a presentation,

you should outline the subject, duration

and audience and give them an

opportunity to discuss any audio-visual

or IT aids they may require.

It is particularly important that candidates with a disability have sufficient information

about the selection process so that they know whether they need to discuss

reasonable adjustments with you. Examples of adjustments that might be required

for selection tests include:

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References for academic and research appointments should normally be requested

when an applicant is invited to interview (subject to an applicant giving their

permission in their application) so that they are available to the selection panel when

making its selection decision. It is normal practice for references to form part of the

selection process for academic and research appointments because:

It is not recommended that references are requested for all applicants at the start of

the process because this is time-consuming and unnecessary work for those

requesting the references, the selection panel reviewing them and for referees.

There should be sufficient information in applications to determine which applicants

to invite for interview, which can later be supplemented by references.

Two or three references should normally be requested for research and academic

appointments. A consistent number should be requested for all applicants for a

particular vacancy and at least one should normally be from an external referee (i.e.

outside of the University).

In the case where an academic staff member has already worked for the University,

there must always be a written statement from the Head of Institution as well as two

additional references, one of which would normally be expected to be from a person

outside the University. More information can be found in the Referencing section

of the Recruitment Guidance.

8. Academic and Research References

Information provided by academic referees often gives context to research

achievements and acts as a peer review.

In such circumstances, referees tend to take the process of writing a reference

more seriously than when a recipient is anonymous to them.

In addition, such references are thought to be more reliable than standard

work-related references because the referees and some of the selection panel

are likely to work in the same field and be known to one another.

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Designing Effective Interview Questions

Follow a logical sequence. Make it clear why the question is

being asked e.g. This role will involve introducing a number of

significant changes to the department. Please can you tell us

about a time when you have introduced a change successfully

and how you did this?’

Design questions that: Avoid questions that:

These could include, for example, questions about childcare

arrangements, living arrangements, and plans to get married or have

children. It would not be a defence at Employment Tribunal to say that

all candidates were asked the same question as interviewers may view

a woman with three children differently from a man with three children.

Explore the quality of their past experiences and what they

have learned from them e.g. ‘In your last role, how did you

evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the courses you

taught?’

Lead candidates to give the answer that you want e.g. ‘Would

you say you are well-organised?’ The answer is a foregone

conclusion. X

Ask for information about unspent criminal convictions unless

the type of role is one which requires these to be declared

(e.g. working with children and vulnerable adults). X

Are clear, simple and succinct—multiple questions should be

avoided as candidates can find it hard to remember

everything they need to cover and become confused.

Are likely to elicit a full response from candidates by including

phrases such as ‘please explain’, ‘describe’, ‘give an example of

a time when’.

Are hypothetical—candidates may not be able to imagine the

situation in its real context or may just give the answer that

they think is expected.

Relate to protected characteristics (see the Equality law and

recruitment section) which may lead to unlawful discrimination.

Follow a logical sequence.

Ask for evidence that the candidate has demonstrated the

knowledge, skills or attributes required in a previous

role/environment e.g. ‘Please give an example of a time when

you have negotiated successfully with a supplier and how you

went about this’.

Only internal candidates will be able to answer to good effect

or questions which aren’t relevant to the requirements of the

job, this is likely to reduce the quality of responses.

X

X

X

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9. Finalising Selection Arrangements

A clear schedule of activities for the

selection event should be agreed well in

advance and provided to selection panel

members and staff providing

administrative and logistical support. The

HR15 Selection Process Schedule is

provided for you to use for this purpose.

This document can be used to capture

which candidates will be undertaking

selection events at which times, as well

as any arrangements that have been

made for the candidates, or to support the

operation of the activities. This can assist

support staff in ensuring that the planning

and operation of the selection event is as

professional and smooth as possible. The

schedule of activities for the Appointing

Body can also be recorded in this

document so that members are clear

about which candidates they are seeing

when, how long they have to see and

score each candidate, when they will

have a break and so on.

It is important that the time required for

each activity is carefully considered and

planned into the schedule. For example, it

should normally take between forty-five

minutes and an hour to hold an interview

and then around fifteen minutes for the

Appointing Body to score the candidate.

If possible, candidates should be given

an opportunity to find out more about the

institution during the selection event. For

example, through:

Informal discussions with other staff

members.

Guided tours.

Reading material about the institution.

Information on special research

projects, if appropriate.

Information provided to students, if

appropriate.

This will help give candidates a realistic

impression and assist them in

considering whether the institution would

be somewhere they would like to work.

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Arrangements should be made for:

Candidates to be given full instructions for any selection activity which they

are to undertake and provided with the materials needed to do this (e.g.

pens, paper, laptop, flipchart stand, clock).

Any reasonable

adjustments requested by

candidates with a disability

to be put in place.

Candidates to be met

upon arrival and

reminded of the selection

activities and timings.

Appropriate venues (e.g. in

terms of size, noise level,

lighting, temperature) to be

booked for holding

selection activities

Candidates to be

collected and escorted to

and from each activity.

Candidates to have

water available to them

during activities.

Candidates' original documents

which provide evidence of right

to work in the UK and any

required qualifications /

professional registrations to be

checked, photocopied & verified.

Care must be taken to treat

internal and external

candidates in the same way

to avoid disadvantaging

either group.

If the selection schedule includes

a semi-social event (such as lunch

or dinner with other applicants), its

purpose should be to introduce

candidates to the University and

should not be treated as part of

the selection process.

Applicants should be invited

to specify any specific

dietary requirements they

have (e.g. vegetarian,

vegan, non-alcoholic drinks

or requirements associated

with their religious beliefs).

Other considerations should be given to the following, where appropriate:

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During the planning section of your process, you should have decided which

selection methods you are using to assess each candidate's performance against

the selection criteria for the vacancy.

This section provides detailed guidance on holding interviews, which are a standard

element of University selection processes, and making overall selection decisions.

Further details of other selection methods that can be used in addition to interviews

can be found in Candidate Attraction, Selection Methods and Criteria.

10. Conducting Selection Arrangements

Prepare to Interview

Interviews are a two-way process; candidates are assessing the

University, the institution and role as much as they are being assessed.

The University's public image is at stake so it is important that

interviews are carefully planned to give a positive and professional

impression to candidates.

Selection Panels

Guidance on the recruitment of academic officers by Appointments

Committee can be found in the Summary of the process section of this

guidance, or you can contact your HR Schools Team / Clinical School

Recruitment Team.

The role of the Chair

The Chair of the Appointing Body is accountable for ensuring that the

necessary preparations have been made for the interview. The HR16

Chair's Interview Checklist provides a reminder of the key activities,

ensuring that:

Questions have been developed based on the selection criteria.

Other Appointing Body members know which questions they are

asking and in what order.

The scoring system and decision rules have been confirmed.

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Conduct Interviews

The Chair of the Appointing Body plays an important role during

interviews. They are particularly responsible for:

Ensuring that the necessary preparations have been made.

Welcoming the candidate and ensuring they know what to expect.

Guiding the structure of the interview.

Ensuring that the interview is conducted fairly and strictly on the

basis of objective selection criteria.

Guidance for interviewers is available on how to conduct interviews

effectively. It supplements and supports the information provided in the

HR16 Chair's Interview Checklist.

The amount of time available to hold each interview should have already been

planned in the HR15 Selection Process Schedule. It is important that a realistic

number of questions is chosen to cover in this period and that how long will be

spent on each question is planned so that you do not run out of time. For

competency based questions, 4/5 minutes per question is reasonable.

Candidates invited to attend the selection process for a vacancy should be

asked to bring original copies of certificates / documents for any qualifications

or professional registrations required for the role. Arrangements should be

made for a member of the department / institution to check, photocopy and

verify the original certificates/documents presented by the candidates.

When another panel member is asking the questions, members of the

Appointing Body should take detailed notes of the candidate's responses. This

will assist panel members to make objective selection decisions by referring to

the record when assessing the candidate’s performance and can help justify

decisions made and respond to claims of discrimination. The HR17 Assessor

Notes template is available to use for making notes.

Other Considerations

Time

Qualifications

Notes

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Interviewing candidates with a disability

In most cases, it is anticipated that

candidates with a disability will have

discussed any reasonable adjustments to

the process that they require in advance and

that these will have been put in place.

However, if a person with a disability arrives

for interview and their disability was not

known about in advance, there is still a duty

to make reasonable adjustments to the

process (although the extent of the duty

might be less than if you had known or ought

to have known about the disability).Where

candidates have a disability, you should

explore whether there are any measures

which the University could take to assist

them to perform the duties of the post

effectively.

Using Behavioural Attributes

The section of an interview dedicated to

behavioural attributes should focus on

eliciting examples of occasions when the

candidate has employed the attributes with

successful outcomes. The aim is to gather

evidence which demonstrates effectively and

convincingly that the applicant has operated

at the required level in the past.

Competency-based interviewing has become

widespread and is generally believed to be

more effective than many other approaches.

It is based on the principle that past

behaviour can be used as a predictor of

future behaviour and performance.

In addition, it is argued that it is harder to

make up answers to behavioural

questions than hypothetical questions

because of the need to give believable

answers to probing questions.

Behavioural questions often involve

wording such as ‘Please can you give

us an example of a time when you

have…’ followed by a description of an

aspect of the relevant behavioural

attribute. If you are using the behavioural

attributes in your interview process,

sample questions for each attribute and

level are available from Recruitment

Administration for you to use. Please

contact the Resourcing or Clinical School

Recruitment Team for more information.

When asking behavioural questions, it is

often necessary to seek supplementary

information through probing questions

e.g. ‘What did you personally do?’,

‘Tell me more about what happened as

an outcome of your actions’.

When assessing an example provided by

an applicant in an interview, it is strongly

recommended that the interviewers use

the ‘STAR’ method. An effective example

will explain how the required behavioural

standards have been demonstrated in a

previous situation by covering the

following:

S: Situation

T: Task

A: Action

R: Result

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11. Making a Selection Decision

Scoring

Applicants must be assessed objectively

against the selection criteria which have

been agreed in advance. Judgements must

be based on evidence gathered during the

interview. The interview comments against

each criterion must reflect the evidence

presented, such as examples of past

performance, relevant skills, experience and

attitudes.

To ensure fairness and objectivity, it is

recommended that selection panel members

work individually to allocate provisional

scores for each candidate in the first

instance, using the scoring system agreed in

advance. Areas of disagreement should then

be discussed and final scores agreed. More

detailed guidance on scoring interviews can

be found in the Guidance for Interviewers

document.

Provisional and final scores for candidates,

along with reasons for the scores allocated,

should be recorded. The HR10 Assessment

Record and HR11 Selection Results Grid

are provided for this purpose.

The final selection of the preferred candidate

can only be made after all the selection

activities are complete. The appointing body

should review the performance of all the

candidates throughout the whole selection

programme and the decision must be the

collective judgement of all the selectors.

The method for combining the scores

from each selection activity and whether

any positive action provisions might be

employed (where two or more

candidates are assessed as being

equally suitable) should have been

agreed in advance. Further guidance on

this is available in the Agree scoring

system and decision rules sub-section.

Recruiters should be aware that

problems have been encountered in

obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship in

cases where the individual has been

selected using criteria which were not

specified within the job advert.

After selection activities have been

completed and a decision has been

made, you should record which

applicants have been rejected and which

will be made an offer of employment.

It is also possible to write notes and

upload documents as a means of

holding reasons for decisions in the

same place as other information from the

recruitment process. Please see the

Web Recruitment User Guide for full

details.

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Considering the right to work

Eligibility to work in the UK can be

considered during this final stage of

recruitment only. In order to decide to

reject a candidate purely on right to work

grounds, it must be established that they

do not have the right to work and that a

Skilled Worker Visa will not be available

(e.g. because the role does not meet the

minimum skill/salary threshold).

This cannot be done in the earlier stages

because:

It is not a foregone conclusion that

those with the right to work will be

successful in all the intermediate

stages in the recruitment process.

This could amount to indirect

discrimination on the grounds of

national origin.

Recruiters are advised to keep a record

of any decisions taken and the reasons

why, along with details of any

investigations made into obtaining

permission to work in the UK.

Re-employment of retired staff

Whether or not you are able to make

an offer of employment to a member of

staff who has retired will depend on the

pension that they are receiving and

how long ago they retired. Please see

Other policies and procedures section

of the University's Retirement Policy.

30

When assessing candidates, it is easy to

make judgements based on instant,

subjective impressions although this has

the potential to create unfairness in the

process, poor selection decisions and

unlawful discrimination. Candidates should

not have been asked any questions

relating to protected characteristics.

However, it may be that a candidate has

volunteered such information (e.g. relating

to pregnancy or disability). In such cases,

the information provided must not be taken

into account in scoring and decision

making.

The most important means of ensuring fair,

objective selection decisions is to ensure

that candidates are scored against the

agreed selection criteria on the basis of

relevant evidence only. However, it can

also be helpful for members of appointing

bodies to be self-aware and to understand

the potential for bias in their assessments.

A wide variety of studies have shown

common issues with assessing candidates,

particularly during interviews. These were

highlighted effectively by Anderson and

Shackleton (1993) and are summarised in

the table below:

Avoiding stereotyping and discrimination

Anderson and Shackleton (1993)

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Assessor asks questions designed to

confirm initial impressions of a candidate

Stereotyping Effect

Assessor assumes that a candidate will

have particular characteristics they are a

member of a particular group

Halo and Horns Effect

Assessor rates a candidate as ‘good’ or ‘bad’

across the board based on initial impression

Contrast Effect

Assessor allows the experience of

interviewing one candidate to affect how

they interview candidates seen later

Similar-to-me Effect

Assessor gives preference to a candidate that

they perceive as being similar to themselves

Personal Liking Effect

Assessor is influence by whether

they like a candidate or not

Primacy / Recency Effect

Assessor puts too much emphasis on

information provided by the candidate early

in or at the end of the interview.

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12. Candidate Expenses

Candidates may be reimbursed by the

University for reasonable expenses

associated with attending interviews,

subject to the limits on allowances for

mileage and subsistence approved by the

Finance Committee. This information is

circulated annually to Heads of

Departments, Chairs and Secretaries of

Faculty Boards. To prevent delays,

Departments, Faculties and other

institutions are requested to reimburse

candidates.

In respect of academic and academic-

related offices, a contribution to travelling

expenses from central funds is only

available in cases where an institution can

demonstrate that it is unable to cover the

costs from funds at its disposal (so not in

institutions operating with large devolved

budgets, i.e. within the Schools, the UAS

and the larger, non-School institutions;

UCS, CUDO, ICE, the Fitzwilliam Museum,

and the University Library and its

dependants). Any contribution will be

limited to a maximum of three or four

candidates (one of whom may be from

overseas) and one journey to and from

Cambridge.

Any claim for reimbursement by a non-

recurrent grant should be addressed to the

Resource Management Committee section

at The Old Schools and must be

accompanied by a covering letter or e-mail

to Faisal Moolla

(Faisal.Moolla@admin.cam.ac.uk) stating

the following:

The vacancy to which the interview

expenses relate.

The number of candidates who were

called for interview.

The date of the Appointing Body or

selection panel meeting.

The total costs and the level of

contribution required.

That no other funds are available for

this purpose.

As the majority of candidates for assistant

staff posts are recruited locally, institutions

are expected to meet reasonable travelling

expenses from within their own budgets.

Travel Expenses Claim Form

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