At the University of Suffolk, we have bold ambitions. Our vision is to become an empowering force for individual and community growth and development by 2030. We want to make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of the people in our region and bring about lasting social and economic transformation. We need a diverse and inclusive workforce if we are to successfully deliver this vision, and each and every role within our university has a part to play in this delivery. We are proud of what we have achieved to so far and look forward to welcoming more talented individuals who share our vision and values as we continue to evolve.
It's important for us to recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds and with wide-ranging experience and approaches, and we want you, as a potential job applicant, to feel supported from the moment you consider applying for a role at our university. With this in mind, we have put together some guidance to support you in the application process.
- Take your time to read the advertisement and job description carefully. This document sets-out the purpose of the role and the tasks and outcomes that the job holder will be responsible for carrying out. This document also includes a Person Specification – this lists the qualifications, skills, knowledge, experience, values and behaviours against which candidates will assessed throughout the recruitment and selection process
- Browse our website. This is an easy way to access lots of information about the university which may help you to tailor your application.
- If you have any questions, or would simply like to have a chat about the role before applying, the recruiting manager’s email address will be on the job advert or you can contact the Resourcing team at jobs@uos.ac.uk; they will be very happy to speak to you.
CVs can take many forms and we don’t want to be too prescriptive about the formatting of your CV. However, there are some key elements that will strengthen your CV and make it easier for the recruiting manager to assess your suitability to the role. You may wish to bear the following in mind:
- It may sound obvious, but set-out your CV clearly and logically – make it as easy to read as possible by having distinct sections (for example work history, qualifications), using a clear and consistent font throughout, and spacing the text out appropriately.
- Tailor your CV to the role for which you are applying. No two roles are the same so ensure you are including the most relevant parts of your experience; this will make a real difference in demonstrating your suitability for the role. Read the job description and advert, and look at our website. Use any insights you may have gained if you have spoken to the recruiting manager.
- Make sure your recent employment history is comprehensive and has no unexplained gaps. If you have a long work history, you may want to include just brief details of your earliest roles.
The covering letter is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the recruiting manager. You may want to include what attracted you to our organisation and the role, demonstrating an understanding of the requirements of the job together with the university’s aspirations, culture, and values.
The cover letter is also your opportunity to set out in further detail how you meet the essential and desirable criteria of the post, as specified in the job description.
- Ensure you are demonstrating that you meet the requirements set out in the person specification for the role; the recruiting manager will use this as a guide when assessing your suitability at the shortlisting stage.
- When describing your current and previous roles, try to include some key outcomes associated with the tasks for which you were responsible. Provide evidence of what you achieved and what difference it made. The recruiting manager will be interested in how you have contributed to any organisational successes and how you have improved the experience of those you have worked with, so both quantitative and qualitative outcomes will be relevant.
You may find the STAR methodology helpful:
What STAR stands for:
- Situation - the situation you had to deal with
- Task - the task you were given to do
- Action - the action you took
- Result - what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience
Our values are very important to us, both in how we carry-out our work and in how we behave towards one another. Within our job descriptions, you will find the 6 core values of our university (Inclusion, Transformation, Collaboration, Empowerment, Professionalism and Service, and Creativity) together with brief definitions.
A video has been created to introduce our values which you can watch here.
In addition, there may be details of the specific values and behaviours that are of particular relevance and importance to the role for which you are applying. These will be specified within the person specification for the role together with an indication of at what stage they will be assessed e.g., shortlisting, interview and/or test or assessment. If it is indicated that the values will be assessed in your written application, you should ensure that you have included some specific evidence of how you are able to demonstrate these values and behaviours within your CV and/or covering letter. If they are being assessed through an interview or test, we would still encourage you to incorporate some reference to them in your application as evidence that you acknowledge their importance.
When including evidence of values and behaviours, avoid using generic words or phrases without any associated evidence. If you think you are a good team player, for example, don’t simply state this, try to include specific evidence of something you have done that demonstrates that this is the case.
Please note that if you fail to send any of the required application documentation (CV or cover letter), the recruiting manager will be unable to assess your suitability and your application will not be able to be taken forward to the shortlisting stage. In addition, we require all applicants to complete and submit the Equal Opportunities monitoring form along with their application. You will find a link to this in the ‘how to apply’ section of the job advert.
Documents should be sent as Word or PDF attachments by email to jobs@uos.ac.uk with the post title and reference number in the email subject heading.
If you have a disability and need to use a different method to apply for a role, please contact the Resourcing team so we can make the adjustments to the process for you - jobs@uos.ac.uk
