How to apply for a role

Applying for one of our roles is quick and easy, but to help you we have provided some tips and information about our recruitment process.

Our recruitment process

Each advertised role will have a candidate pack providing the specific details relating to the role and recruitment process that you are applying for.

We follow safer recruitment practices, which means we consider the safeguarding of the vulnerable people we work with throughout our recruitment processes. It allows us to do the best we can to make sure the people we recruit have the right motivations for working with us.

Our recruitment processes are also designed to minimise the impact of unconscious bias and ensure a fair and consistent process across all applicants.

To give you an idea of what to expect during our recruitment process, here are the key stages you will work through:

To apply for a role you'll be asked to complete an application form. This must include your full work history including explanations for any gaps in your employment, in accordance with safer recruitment practices. You'll also be asked to upload a CV and for some roles, a cover letter. It's a good idea to make sure the information you provide is tailored to the role to highlight your relevant skills. Read our tips for completing an application form for more help.
The recruiting manager will shortlist all the application forms against the job description that was used in the advert. Our managers are looking for evidence of your experience against the criteria in the person specification. We will only shortlist against the information included in your application form (made up of your CV, online form, and if required, cover letter), so please make sure you include everything you want us to know.
Our interviews may feel a bit different to others you might have experienced. As well as looking for the skills and competencies needed for the role, we are also checking how your behaviours align to our Guide Dogs behaviours, and what your motivations are for joining us.

We understand that interviews and assessments can be a bit scary for some people, so we will make sure you have all the information you need to be at your best throughout the process. Each role will have a slightly different assessment process, some may solely rely on interviews whereas others may use practical assessments or assessment centres.

If you’re shortlisted and invited to meet with us, you will be asked to complete a criminal declaration form. This is reviewed before your interview and if anything is disclosed we will check it with the Safeguarding Team and, if required, discuss it with you. Our recruitment of ex-offenders policy has more details.
As part of our commitment to safer recruitment we need to obtain professional references covering the past five years of your employment history. If you have any gaps in your employment during this time, we will discuss these with you, and alternative checks or referee details may be required to ensure they are covered.

Some roles will require you to have a disclosure check, so this will need to be obtained before you can start working with us.

Did you know? We employ more than 1,500 staff across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. We also have a community of over 14,000 volunteers who give around 13 million hours of support each year.

Tips for applying

Preparation is key

Please remember to fully read the advert and any supporting documents to make sure you’re clear on what the role involves and the type of candidate we’re looking for.
Within the job description, review the person specification section and identify all the criteria required - both essential and desirable (as a guide, each element could be viewed as an individual criterion).
Review your CV, work history, skills and experience and identify how they match with the essential and desirable (if applicable) criteria.
For each skill and/or experience you have identified, provide a clear, specific example that demonstrates your suitability for the role. To make sure your examples clearly demonstrate the criteria the following format can help you be specific:

S – What was the situation?
T – What was the task you had to do?
A – What action did you take?
R – What was the result?
The STAR format is also a good approach to take when answering interview questions to ensure you provide a well structured and comprehensive response.
Prepare to be questioned on any examples you give in your application in your interview.

Guide Dog staff members sitting around a table

Re-read your application

It may sound simple, but our top tip would be to re-read your application, the advert and supporting documents before submitting the application. It’s a useful opportunity to make sure you have:

Included everything you think is relevant.
That your spelling and grammar is correct.
That you have addressed all the essential, and if relevant, the desirable criteria from the person specification with clear and specific examples that showcase your skills and knowledge.
Remember to save a copy of your completed form – this will be useful for you to refer to when preparing for your interview.

Things to avoid

To help you put forward a strong application, here are some common errors that people can make:

Sometimes it’s hard to think of specific situations. For example, if you deal with difficult customers, you might be tempted to say “Whenever I get a difficult customer, this is what I do...”. Don't fall into this trap! You need to talk about specifics, for example “On one occasion, I spoke to a customer who was angry and I...”. This explains exactly what you did in this situation, rather than what you might hypothetically do.
We’re interested in what you did, more than anything other people did, so make sure you say ‘I’, and not ‘we’.

If you’re using examples where lots of people have been involved in making something happen, don’t be tempted to say “We decided that... We did this...”. We want to know how you work and what your skills are so you can only be given points for things that you personally did – “I talked to my friends and I agreed that I would do this...” Always talk about 'I'.

Assumptions cannot be made about your contribution so if you don’t specify exactly what you did, the recruiting manager will not know.
The information you put on your application form needs to demonstrate what you understand about the criteria in the person specification. Make sure your answers show you understand the skill or ability you are demonstrating. Remember, if you don’t specify exactly what you did, the recruiting manager will not know.
While it’s good to be aware of all your skills and experience, only provide those relevant to the person specification as this demonstrates your understanding of the role and means you don't waste time writing detail which will not be useful in shortlisting.

It’s a good idea to keep a note of your additional skills and experience as they may be useful if you're invited for interview.

Do you have any queries?

If you have any questions about this process, please contact our People Services Centre:

peopleservicecentre@guidedogs.org.uk

0118 354 0345

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