Preparing for recruitment

• When a vacancy comes up, your JDPS will need to be in the updated format. This will take some time to complete. If a vacancy is submitted without using the correct template, it will not be able to be published. You will need to make sure it is resubmitted.
• HROD will update all JDPS'. However, if you have a recruitment happening and need this in the new format please email the old JDPS to organisationaldevelopment@argyll-bute.gov.uk 
• If the JDPS has major changes, it must go through the job evaluation process. This includes completing the required paperwork. Guidance on the job evaluation process can be found on MyCouncilWorks.
• Guidance on creating a JDPS can be found here.

The Job Description and Person Specification (JDPS) format has been updated. The new layout is shorter and clearer. It now focuses more on behaviours to help make recruitment more consistent across all departments.

1. Cultural Alignment

Hiring based on behaviours and values helps us check whether candidates act in ways that match the organisation’s principles.

2. Employee Engagement

Looking at behaviours helps us judge whether someone will feel part of the organisation. When people feel connected to the organisation’s values, they are more motivated, satisfied, and likely to stay. Those who don’t fit the culture may underperform or leave sooner.

3. Performance

Skills can be learned, but behaviours are part of who someone is. Hiring people who naturally show the right behaviours usually leads to better performance over time. Behavioural questions ask about real past situations, which are a good indicator of how someone will behave in the future.

4. Diversity and Inclusion

Focusing on behaviours reduces the emphasis on traditional qualifications or specific backgrounds. This helps create fairer and more inclusive recruitment by recognising potential and character.

5. Supports Development

Behaviour‑based interviews provide useful information for onboarding and development planning. Managers can use this insight to support new employees based on their strengths and areas for growth.

6. Employer Brand

This updated approach aligns with recent employer brand work from the communications team. Recruiting based on values helps us hire people who share our ethos and attracts others who feel the same way. This strengthens our employer brand and improves the effectiveness of recruitment.

Argyll and Bute Council wants to develop and keep talent within the organisation. Because of this, managers may sometimes choose to advertise a job internally first.​

There is no rule that says jobs must be advertised internally before going external.​

This is the manager’s choice and should be based on what suits the vacancy. Common reasons include:​

• Supporting staff development and career progression​
• Succession planning​
• Filling temporary, maternity, secondment or urgent operational gaps ​
• When the team already has people with the right specialist skills​

If you would like to advertise a post internally, when creating the requisition, you can select INTERNAL as the method of advertising. This will mean that the job will only be accessible by internal applicants.   

Specification, they must be offered an interview. Managers can identify internal applicants from their application form.

In exceptional circumstances, it may be appropriate to recruit to a vacancy using a ring‑fenced approach rather than open recruitment. Departmental Business Partners will provide advice on whether a vacancy can be ringfenced. ​

If you decide to use this route, you must clearly define who is eligible to apply and ensure this information is shared with everyone affected. Your vacancy should be created in iTrent and set it up as a ring‑fenced vacancy, including the reason for ring‑fencing in the Job Requisition section. The job will not be published on MyJobScotland but can be managed within the system once the successful person has been appointed. ​

Once the vacancy is approved, you should circulate the job details, along with the agreed Job Description and Person Specification, to the eligible group (normally by email). Applicants must be given a minimum of seven days from notification to submit an expression of interest. ​

All expressions of interest should be shortlisted in the usual way. Anyone who meets the essential criteria must be invited to interview, and all unsuccessful applicants should be informed of the outcome. ​

Although ring‑fencing is a more informal recruitment process, managers must still follow good recruitment practice. The process must be fair, consistent, and properly documented, and the principles of the recruitment policy must be applied to ensure no candidate is treated unfairly or unlawfully discriminated against. ​

In limited circumstances, a role may be ring‑fenced on a permanent basis to a single postholder only where they have been in the role for more than two years , there is a permanent requirement/ budget for the position and were originally appointed following a competitive interview. This can only be done with Trade Union agreement, and each case will be considered on its own merits. ​

Where you wish to ring‑fence a temporary vacancy, you must seek advice from the HR & OD Service and clearly record the reason for using this approach in iTtrent, within the Job Requisition section. ​

For advice, contact: hrservicecentre@argyll-bute.gov.uk ​

If ring‑fencing is linked to a Service Review, written Trade Union agreement is still required.​

Sometimes you may need to use an Agency Worker.

This should only be considered if the recruitment has been unsuccessful, or if there is a short-term, specific piece of work needs to be completed.

Any use of an agency worker must be agreed by Departmental Business Partners and Procurement. For more information you can refer to the Manager’s Guide to Agency Workers for more information or contact the procurement team directly to discuss - agency.procurement@argyll-bute.gov.uk

• Sometimes you may need someone to work on a one‑off or ‘ad hoc’ basis, which can not be predicted, for example, to help at a special event, to provide specialist skills, or to cover emergencies in a front‑line service. In these cases, you can offer work on a short-term casual basis.
• This does not apply to supply teachers, who follow a different process.  Information on this process can be found on MyCouncilWorks 
• Guidance for managers on using casual workers is available on MyCouncilWorks - Guidance for managers on casual workers

Temporary posts are used when the council needs extra staff for a specific reason, such as planned leave, secondments, externally funded projects, long‑term absence, or short‑term increases in service demand. Temporary posts should only be used for genuine short‑term needs, not as an informal way to test someone out for a permanent job.

When you advertise a temporary post, the job advert must clearly state the start and end date.

You also need to give the reason the post is temporary. This should match one of the following:

Covering for a person

• Sickness cover
• Maternity cover
• Secondment cover

Covering for a business reason

• Temporary funding
• A specific project
• A temporary increase in service demand (for example, extra ASN support in a school)

Other

• Any other valid reason not listed above

Panels for the recruitment process should be kept consistent throughout all stages and should have a gender balance where possible. 

The panel - Education jobs

• Panel members must declare any personal, professional, or financial relationship with a candidate that could be perceived to influence their judgement.
• Where a conflict exists, the panel member must take no further part in the recruitment process. The role should be delegated to an alternative appropriate person.
• Responsibility for ensuring this rests with the Panel chair with support from HROD. 

• The Council recognises that some posts are externally funded, jointly delivered, or subject to partnership governance arrangements.​
• In such circumstances, representatives from funding bodies, third‑sector organisations, or partner agencies may be involved in the recruitment and selection process to ensure alignment with funding conditions, service objectives, and partnership outcomes.​
• A record of panel composition and the role of any external panel members will be retained as part of the recruitment documentation.​
• The final decision to appoint remains the responsibility of the Council. ​
  

  
  Where appropriate, the interview or selection panel may include external panel members who are not Council employees, for example representatives from:​

  • Third‑sector or voluntary organisations​
  • Funding bodies​
  • Strategic or delivery partners​
  • Training providers (modern apprenticeship recruitment)​

  The involvement of external panel members must be proportionate, relevant to the role, and agreed in advance with HROD.​

  The role of external panel members will be clearly defined before the recruitment process begins and may include:​

  • Participating fully in assessment and scoring; or​
  • Acting in an advisory capacity to inform the panel’s decision.​
  • The external panel member must not be the panel chair

    The final decision to appoint remains the responsibility of the Council. All panel members, including external representatives, must:​

    • Be trained in fair and non‑discriminatory recruitment and selection practices, or be briefed by HR prior to participation​
    • Comply with the Council’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010​
    • Declare any actual or potential conflict of interest​
    • Adhere to confidentiality, data protection, and information handling requirements​

    ​External panel members must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Council’s values and recruitment principles.​

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• Recruiting managers should write their job advert at the same time as they review and update the JDPS. This helps make sure the advert highlights the most important parts of the role.
• To help you write the advert, supporting information has been created. This includes required wording and suggested wording to help promote both the job and working for Argyll and Bute Council. This can be accessed here on MyCouncilWorks. Within iTrent there are prepopulated templates which contain highlighted areas for recruiting managers to update or remove as appropriate. 
• Your job advert must also include the dates or timescales for interviews.
• All job adverts must include the recruiting manager’s contact details so potential applicants can get in touch with questions. These enquiries should always be handled fairly and consistently.