1. Introduction

 

1.1        The process of recruitment and selection must be fair, systematic, efficient and effective, ensuring equality of opportunity.  This document sets out the Company’s policy on recruitment and selection. The Company is committed to a policy of treating all its employees and job applicants equally and to recruit the best person for each vacancy.

 

1.2        This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Company’s Equal Opportunities, Psychometric Testing and Data Protection policies. No decisions regarding recruitment or selection should be made by a person who has not read and understood this policy and the three related policies or without the involvement of the Human Resources (HR) department.

 

1.3        Managers involved in recruitment should be fully aware of all aspects including their role in the process and their responsibilities.

 

2            Scope

 

2.1        This policy is applicable to the recruitment and selection of all employees irrespective of whether such a contract is for a temporary or fixed term or is of a permanent duration.

 

2.2        Section 17 of this policy is applicable to all individuals who supply services to the Company on a self employed basis. 

 

2.2        The policy will be made available to all employees and applies to both internal and external recruitment.

 

2.3        The policy also applies to recruitment and selection of contractors for contracts for services.

 

3            Equal opportunities

 

3.1        No job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of their race, sex, religion or belief, disability, marital or civil partnership status, age, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, or caring responsibilities, or will be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be justified.

 

3.2        Information on ethnic origin, sex, disability and nationality will be collected in order to monitor the numbers of applications from different groups. This information will not be used in the selection process or for any other use other than this purpose.

 

3.3        Reasonable adjustments should be made to reduce any disadvantage faced by disabled people in making an application in response to an advertisement.

 

3.4        The recruitment and selection process for disabled candidates should take into account such adjustments to working arrangements or physical features of the work place/station/premises as are reasonable to accommodate their needs and be such that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled candidates.

 

3.5        Decisions to interview, shortlist or offer employment will take no account of an applicant’s trade union membership or non-membership.

 

4            Record keeping and data protection

 

4.1        A record of the full process of recruitment and selection will always be made and kept for required period.

  

4.2        Written records of interviews, reasons for decisions made at each stage of the process and reasons success or rejection will be kept by HR for six months, unless a longer period can be justified and is in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Records should then be disposed of confidentially.

 

4.3        All information held about a candidate must be used only for the purpose for which the information has been collected.

 

4.4        It is the responsibility of the recruiting managers to ensure that records are kept and this includes notes of meetings, emails, telephone calls, copies of correspondence etc. These should include the names of those involved, dates, action taken and follow-up.  These notes must be passed to the HR department to ensure compliance with confidentiality and data protection. 

 

4.5        Throughout any proceedings under this Policy, the Company will seek to ensure that confidentiality is maintained. However, this will not preclude the company from disclosing information where necessary for the discharge of duties or as required by law, nor will this preclude, where appropriate, from disclosing information about any outcome under this Policy.

 

4.6        All sensitive information will be treated confidentially and meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

 

5            Authority to Recruit

 

5.1        The Managing Director and Head of HR must approve all vacancies before any activity to actively fill recruiting for a vacancy commences. 

 

5.2        A job description must be produced or reviewed, with full details of the position, tasks, reporting line, responsibilities of the jobholder and number of subordinates in accordance with the Company’s template.

 

5.3        The skills, experiences, qualifications and competencies of the jobholder should be laid out in the person specification.

 

5.4        The Managing Director and Head of HR must approve all appointments prior to any verbal or written offers of employment being made to the successful candidate. 

 

6            Recruitment Advertising

 

6.1        Job advertisements will be based on the job and person specifications and/or competency profile for the role being recruited for. 

 

6.2        All vacancies will be posted on the Company’s Intranet page. 

 

6.3        External vacancies will be advertised using a variety of mediums which is determined by Human Resources in discussion with the recruiting manager.  These mediums could include:

 

• Print advertising in newspapers and journals

• On-line advertising using a variety of job-boards

• Recruitment agencies

• Head hunting

 

6.4        The standard process is for vacancies to be advertised by Human Resources using the preferred supplier for job board advertising. 

 

 

6.5        The Company has a Preferred Supplier List of agencies that are used in exceptional circumstances, when recruiting for specialist positions.    

 

6.6        Human Resources determine whether a position should be advertised via an agency.  All contact with recruitment agencies must be done by Human Resources.  Managers are not permitted to contact/instruct recruitment agencies to act on their behalf. 

 

7            Job description and person specification

 

7.1        Before recruiting for a new or existing position, it is important to invest time in gathering information about the nature of the job. This means thinking not only about the content such as the tasks of the position, but also the purpose, the outputs required by the job holder and how it fits into the Company’s structure.

 

7.2        It is also important to consider the skills and personal attributes needed to perform the role effectively.  A person specification states the essential and desirable criteria for selection.

 

7.3        This is based on a set of competencies identified as necessary for the performance of the job. The person specification should be used to inform the criteria you use to short-list applicants.

             

7.4        In general, specifications should include details of:

 

• Skills, aptitude, knowledge and experience;

• Qualifications – which should be only those necessary to do the job;

• Personal qualities relevant to the job, such as ability to work as part of a team.

 

7.5        The template for the job description/person specification can be found on the intranet. 

 

7.6        Human Resources will assist recruiting managers in the production/review of job descriptions and person specifications to ensure appropriateness and consistency. 

 

8            Selection Criteria

 

8.1        The Company is legally bound to ensure that there is no unfair discrimination, and that legal requirements are met. Criteria such as age, sex, race, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, or gender reassignment must not be used. Positive discrimination on the grounds of sex or race is unlawful. Every applicant must be considered on his/her merits.

 

8.2        Similarly, a disability should not be used unless it conflicts with the criteria for the job. Human Resources will provide support and advice to the recruiting manager in providing reasonable adjustments to enable candidates to attend interviews.

 

8.3        Individuals will initially be screened on their right to work in the UK and evidence of any required qualifications.  Any qualifications or requirements applied to a job that have or may have the effect of inhibiting applications from certain groups of the population should only be used if they can be justified as a requirement for the role. 

 

8.4        Those candidates that do not meet these requirements at application will be rejected.  

 

8.5        Applicants that meet these criteria will then be assessed against the job requirements as laid out in the job description, person specification and any competency framework in operation at the time. 

 

8.6        The company will also use aptitude, ability and psychometric testing during the interview process as criteria within the selection process. 

 

8.7        All external and internal applicants will be pre-screened by the HR department. All external applicants that meet the specified criteria will be sent to the relevant recruiting manager for review.  All internal applicants’ will be collated and sent to the recruiting manager once the vacancy has closed.  

 

8.8        Employees, who are coming to the end of a fixed term contract or are currently or potentially at risk of redundancy, will be informed of vacancies that are relevant to their skills and experience. If they choose to apply for a vacancy, their application will be considered before more general recruitment action is taken.

 

9            Aptitude, ability and psychometric testing

 

9.1        The Company’s standard policy is to conduct aptitude & ability testing and work-based behaviour assessment on all candidates that are selected for a second stage interview. 

 

9.2        The company may utilise other forms of assessment or testing if it feels that it is relevant and necessary for the vacancy in question. 

 

9.3        Results from any testing and assessment carried out by the Company will not be used solely as a basis to form a selection decision.  All results will be analysed and assessed in conjunction with performance at interview and against competency based questions. 

 

9.4        Selection tests will be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain relevant and free from bias, either in content or in scoring mechanism.

 

10         Interviews

 

10.1      It is the Company’s policy to operate a two stage interview process which assess candidates against job related criteria and behaviour competencies. 

 

10.2      All candidates who attend an interview are required to complete the standard Kingswood application form either prior to or at their first interview. 

 

10.3      These interviews may be conducted either face to face or over the telephone and may take the form of one to one interaction, group exercises or assessment days. 

 

10.4      A face to face interview must be carried out at least once before a candidate is appointed to a position. 

 

10.5      All interviews should be conducted by a panel of two or three interviewers.  The line manager must be present at both first and second stage interviews and a representative from HR must be present at either the first or second stage interview. 

 

10.6      HR will work with the recruiting manager to produce a set of competency related interview questions based on the job description, person specification and competency framework applicable to the role. 

 

10.7      Each interviewer must complete an interview assessment form for each candidate at every interview.  These forms will be used to debrief and select the most suitable candidate for the role.    

 

10.8      All interview documentation must be returned to the HR department for secure storage. Managers must not hold any personal details or interview records from the recruitment process in their own files. 

 

11         Travel Expenses

 

11.1      The Company does not pay for travel expenses in any circumstance. 

 

12         Offer of employment

 

12.1      Upon selection of a suitable candidate the recruiting manager will liaise with the HR department to identify the appropriate starting salary and other benefits.  Human Resources will make all offers to successful candidates. Under no circumstances should recruiting managers offer or infer to a candidate the outcome of the selection process.

 

12.2      All offers are subject to satisfactory references, checks on relevant qualifications, eligibility to work in the UK and criminal records disclosure, where applicable

 

13         Induction

 

13.1      Induction of new employees will start as soon as a candidate accepts a position. HR will send out a copy of the written statement of terms and conditions of employment and all related new starter forms that need to be completed.

 

13.2      All new starters will receive a timetable for their successful induction into the Company.

 

14         Recruitment of ex offenders

 

14.1      The company is committed to the fair treatment of its employees, potential employees or users of its services, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

 

14.2      We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.

 

14.3      For those positions where a criminal records check is required, all application forms, job advertisements and recruitment briefs should contain a statement that a check will be requested in the event of the candidate being offered the position.

 

14.4      The Company will check criminal records, either when required to do so by law, or where it is considered appropriate. A criminal records check will be requested only after thorough consideration has been given to ensure that it is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned.

 

14.5      The Company will comply fully with the Disclosure and Barring Service code of practice and treat all candidates fairly.

 

14.6      The Company will not discriminate unlawfully against any candidate who is required to provide information through this process.

 

14.7      All applicants and new employees are required to complete the company’s standard application form which asks specific questions in relation to criminal records.  We guarantee that this information will only be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

 

14.8      At interview, or in a separate discussion, we ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment or potential disciplinary action at a later date, which may result in dismissal.