All applicants must be told the outcome of their interview, whether they are successful or not. This should be done in person rather than just relying on the email, which is sent out from the system. This will provide a positive experience for unsuccessful candidates who may want to apply for jobs in the future. It is normal practice is to keep the unsuccessful candidates on hold until the offer has been verbally accepted. They must also be offered the chance to receive feedback, and feedback should be provided if they request it.
As the recruiting manager, you will choose the successful candidate based on the panel’s agreed decision to select the best candidate to fill the role.
- As a Panel you should discuss and review each candidate to consider them against each Criterion and the evidence you each found, including any evidence from testing conducted.
- Your scores should only reflect the evidence presented in the interview, testing and / or in the application, and not be based on any assumptions.
- If, because of this process, a disabled applicant demonstrates that they meet the selection criteria as fully as any of the other applicants, without any degree of adjustment, then they should be considered for the appointment along with the other strong candidates. Please refer to the Manager’s Guide to Equality & Diversity for further information.
The panel should decide which is their preferred candidate. This should be marked against the candidate within the system using the options below:
- Preferred candidate – appointable
- Appointable (keep in pipeline)
- Not appointable – decline with feedback (if appropriate)
- Applicants that are regarded as appointable can be identified as a suitable reserve should the preferred candidate turn the offer down or can be contacted for future opportunities and encouraged to apply.
- If the applicant accepts the job offer, the manager should explain what will happen next and keep in regular contact with them throughout the process.
- If the applicant turns down the offer and there is a second‑choice candidate that the panel agreed was suitable, that person should then be offered the job. If no other candidates are suitable, the vacancy should be marked in iTrent as unsuccessfully filled.
- The recruiting manager must then decide what to do next, such as re‑advertising the post or reviewing the role.
- When the applicant accepts the job offer, the recruiting manager must inform the HR Service Centre by completing the SCF in iTrent.
- The successful candidate will then be moved into the preferred candidate stage in iTrent where the criminal convictions form and medical questionnaire are issued to the candidate.
- At this stage the request for reference will also we issued.
- Once the HR Service Centre has this confirmation, they can issue the contract. Contracts are normally sent out within 14 working days after all employment checks are completed, although it often happens faster.
- This gives them access to the employment checks checklist, where they can review the offer details before the contract is produced. This also lets them flag any errors before payroll sets up the contract.
- The manager will complete their part of the checklist (such as right‑to‑work checks and references), and the candidate will complete their sections (personal details, next of kin, and bank details). Both the manager and candidate can see how the checklist is progressing.
- Once everything is complete, the manager can submit the electronic “successful candidate notification” form and the contract will then be issued.
- You should telephone the preferred candidate to offer them the post verbally and advise them that it is subject to references/checks being conducted.
- If the applicant accepts the job offer, you should explain what will happen next and keep in regular contact with them throughout the process. You can use the manager onboarding checklist within LEON to support you. Course: Argyll and Bute Managers onboarding checklist
- Where there is a requirement for a PVG you should advise them that they will receive an email from you with PVG information. It is important to let them know that when they receive the link from Disclosure Scotland, they must deal with this as a priority.
- If the applicant turns down the offer and there is a second‑choice candidate that the panel agreed was suitable, that person should then be offered the job. If no other candidates are suitable or if there were no suitable applicants after interview the vacancy should be marked in iTrent as unsuccessfully filled.
- You must then decide what to do next, such as re‑advertising the post or reviewing the role.
All job offers are conditional, meaning they depend on the candidate passing the required employment checks. You can agree a provisional start date, but it must take account of:
- the time needed to complete all recruitment checks
- the candidate’s notice period
- any relocation needs, if relevant
By law, every candidate must receive their contract of employment before they start work. This applies to both new employees and existing staff moving into a new role. You should refer to the contractual deadlines to ensure that this is possible. https://mycouncilworks.co.uk/payroll-timetables/
- If the successful candidate starts the job but decides at a late stage to refuse the job offer or leaves within the first three months, you can offer the job to a reserve candidate instead of re‑advertising the post.
- Reserve candidates are those who were marked as appointable during the interview process but were not chosen as the first‑choice candidate.
- It is also possible to appoint a reserve candidate rather than go through a full recruitment process so long as it is within a three month period of the original recruitment process. The post must be the same and no one should be disadvantaged who would otherwise have applied. For example, you can not fill a full time from a previous part time advert or a permanent from a temporary one.