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Your UCL Job Application: How To Interpret The Job Description and Person Specification

The document provides guidance for candidates applying for jobs at UCL. It outlines tips for submitting strong applications, including tailoring a supporting statement to demonstrate how the candidate meets the job requirements. Candidates are advised to thoroughly read the job description and use concrete examples from their experience that relate to the essential criteria. The document also prepares candidates for the interview process, noting interviews will assess candidates against the essential criteria through competency-based questions focused on past behaviors and performance. Candidates are encouraged to prepare examples using the STAR or PEE methods to effectively demonstrate how they meet the requirements.

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Alex S. Espinoza
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101 views3 pages

Your UCL Job Application: How To Interpret The Job Description and Person Specification

The document provides guidance for candidates applying for jobs at UCL. It outlines tips for submitting strong applications, including tailoring a supporting statement to demonstrate how the candidate meets the job requirements. Candidates are advised to thoroughly read the job description and use concrete examples from their experience that relate to the essential criteria. The document also prepares candidates for the interview process, noting interviews will assess candidates against the essential criteria through competency-based questions focused on past behaviors and performance. Candidates are encouraged to prepare examples using the STAR or PEE methods to effectively demonstrate how they meet the requirements.

Uploaded by

Alex S. Espinoza
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RECRUITMENT

CANDIDATE GUIDANCE

Your UCL job application


How to interpret the Job Description and Person Specification
Seen a role you like and want to apply? Read the following tips to see how you can get your
application off to a good start.

 When applying for a job we will often request you include a ‘supporting statement’
along with a CV or application form. This is very similar to a cover letter and gives
you the opportunity to expand on your experience, knowledge, skills and abilities,
and really ‘sell yourself’ as the best person for the role. A supporting statement
should be tailored to the requirements of a specific job.

 To submit a good application for one of our roles, it is essential to read and
thoroughly understand the job description and person specification for the role. We
often find that candidates who aren’t as successful in the shortlisting stage are those
who have not demonstrated how they meet the person specification criteria and are
therefore not using relevant examples.

 Before you begin, make sure you have read the instructions (if any) for the
supporting statement, so you know exactly what to include. If you have not been
given any specific guidelines for the supporting statement, you may find the following
framework useful.
Introducing yourself
The first paragraph should give a brief introduction of who you are and why you are best for
the role, e.g. ‘I am an award-winning project manager with excellent organisation skills’. It is
important to give a succinct and positive impression of yourself right from the start.
About working for us
You need to explain why you want this specific role and to work for us, which will involve
doing some background research on the department and team. If you’re unsure, read the job
description and advert again. Explain how you match the roles objectives, our core values
and what motivates and attracts you to work at UCL. Explore our website using the search
functionality.
Demonstrate your suitability through evidence of your qualities
You then need to familiarise yourself with all the essential requirements and desirable
criteria (if applicable) mentioned in the person specification and explain how you meet each
one, giving examples from your experience. Provide concrete examples and solid numbers
wherever you can, e.g., ‘increased efficiency by 25% while saving over £10k from the
original budget’.
Use positive statements about yourself, e.g., by saying ‘I ran multiple working groups…’
rather than ‘my last employer has…’. Bullet points and active verbs can help to make your
application stand out. Your closing sentence should recap your enthusiasm for the role and
why you could be best suited.
Keep it concise
It is important to keep your supporting statement as relevant and concise as possible, whilst
including all the requested information. Once you have finished, go back and remove
anything which is not as relevant, or does not clearly demonstrate how well you meet the
essential criteria. We also strongly recommend you get a friend or colleague to proofread the
statement before submitting your application.

Your UCL job interview


Well done! Now it’s time to revisit your application form submitted. You’ve got our hiring
manager’s attention, so now it’s time for them to learn more about you and for you to get to
know us. To review your application form, please visit ROME and select the ‘Returning
Applicant’ lin. Desktop use is strongly recommended.
Read your interview invite closely, check the date, time, location and any instructions you
may need to prepare for. Most importantly, let us know if you have any reasonable
adjustment requirements.
A typical job interview at UCL will assess all candidates against each essential criteria, and
you will be asked about:

 Past behaviours and performance


 Learning from past behaviours
 Knowledge and understanding of issues in relation to the post
What will a UCL job interview focus on?
Most interviews will focus on key areas. These will mostly be competencies but may also
include other knowledge-based essential criteria, such as leadership (if applicable),
teamwork, conflict, motivation, creativity, and technical skills related to the job specification.
Questions asked will be focused on criteria considered most critical for the particular role.
You may also be required to meet other essential criteria, for example an in-depth
knowledge of a particular area or previous experience of working in a similar role.
What should I expect at interview?
All UCL interview panel members are trained on Fair and Inclusive recruitment and any
selection decisions are made on this basis.
Competency-based interview questions will focus on past situations and your behaviour in
those situations. They’re always based on the requirements outlined in the person
specification for that role. The interviewer may use phrases such as ‘give me an example’ or
‘tell me about a time’, but they may also ask ‘when’ and ‘how’ questions.
Depending on the needs of the role, questions may cover the following areas: Teamwork,
Personal motivation, Decision making, Conflict & pressure among many others. If in doubt,
always refer to the person specification for guidance. You can find out more about the UCL
Core Behaviours and Ways of Working (professional services roles only).
What will the interview panel members be looking for?
Interview panel members will be looking for specific examples describing exactly what you
did in certain scenarios.
You can use relevant examples from your current job, a previous role or a situation outside
of work altogether. You will be asked to discuss the example in some detail. It is likely that
the interviewers will then follow with some probing questions, possibly to clarify a particular
point.
Our interview panel want to know the outcome of the situation too, what you achieved or
learnt. For example, if you generated income, state how much. If you launched a marketing
programme, what were the engagement results?
Interview response methods
Competency-based interviewing, also known as behavioural interviewing, requires you to
draw on past experience and describe specific examples of incidents that demonstrate your
competence in a particular area. The most effective way of answering these questions is to
use the "STAR" technique:

 Situation - briefly describe the background to the situation


 Task - specifically describe your responsibility
 Action - describe what you did
 Result - describe the outcome of your actions.
You may find it useful to prepare some answers using the ‘PEE’ method, which stands for
‘Point, Evidence, Explain.’ State your point, give evidence, so an example of something you
have done and explain the outcome (benefits/ problems.)
An interview at UCL provides an opportunity to learn more about the department and team
you are applying to work for, as a result you are strongly advised to prepare questions of
your own for the panel.
If anything is unclear about the interview itself or how it will run, please contact the relevant
department or person who sent the invite for clarification as soon as you can.

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