APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT WITH APCOA PARKING UK LTD GUIDANCE NOTES To be sent to all job applicants together with an Application form and Equal Opportunities monitoring form. These guidelines will assist you in completing the application form and to ensure that you provide us with the relevant and correct information. We strongly recommend that you read this guide thoroughly before you start to complete the application form. Remember! Complete the form in black ink and write the detail of the job vacancy that you are applying for on the front of the application form. Application form Sections Section A – Personal Details This information is essential for processing the applications and for identification purposes. All applicants must complete this section in full. If your contact address is different to your home address you will be expected to give an explanation for this if you are selected for interview. Section B – Miscellaneous Previous employees of APCOA – to enable us to keep records and link information we would like to know if job applicants have previously worked for the organisation. If you have worked for us before let us know. Advertising – Please state how or where you learnt about the job vacancy, for example, from a friend, the job centre, a newspaper, online etc. This will help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment advertising. Section C – Education/Training and Qualifications Although your previous education and training may not be essential criteria for job selection we would like to have some background information. Please include any education or training undertaken outside of the UK. You should complete this section starting with your educational background from the age of 11 (sometimes referred to as Secondary or High School education). You should finish with your most recent education or training. If you have been previously employed and attended a training course or participated in a training programme that you think is relevant to the job you are applying for, please outline the details in this section. In addition, please give details of all qualifications and the level of attainment (grade or pass mark) achieved. Include all types of certificates, for example, RSA, City & Guilds, GCSE’s ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, NVQ’s, HND, degree and Professional Qualifications/Bodies. Section D – Employment History It is essential that this section be completed in full with at least 10 years employment history. Any periods of unemployment must be accounted for, for Employment Application Guidance Notes APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd Page 1 of 4 Last updated: January 2013 example, sabbatical, travelling. You should start by completing the details of your present employer first and then work backwards. Any periods worked abroad or of self-employment should be included in this section. If you have not been employed for 10 years, you should provide details of your present and any previous employers, starting with your current employer and working backwards to the first organisation that employed you. If you have not worked prior to this job application then leave this section blank. Please note that depending on the job vacancy that you are applying for it may be necessary for us to obtain further specific details from your unemployment benefit office if there have been any periods of unemployment. Further information on your business will be sought if self-employed. Section C and D – Curriculum Vitae (CV) If you prefer you may attach your CV to the back of the application form as long as it provides all the information requested in sections C and D. If you decide to enclose your CV you should put a line through sections C and D and write ‘See CV attached’. If you send a CV that does not provide all the information requested in the application form it may affect your chances of being invited for an interview. Section E – References References will be taken up only when a job offer is made to you. Any job offer will be made subject to satisfactory references. If a successful applicant cannot provide the references as stipulated below, any job offer will be withdrawn. If you are applying for a job that involves working in security or handling cash and your application is successful APCOA will obtain references from all your employers for at least the last five years and in some cases the last ten years. By signing the application form you are agreeing that we can obtain these references from your previous (and if applicable) present employers. Please note that references from your current employer will only be taken upon acceptance of any job offer. All applicants must be able to provide as a minimum two references from previous employment and one of these must be your present employer (if applicable). We will accept work references from overseas organisations. In addition we will also require two character references. If you have not been previously employed we will accept two character references from someone who knows you in a professional capacity for example, a teacher/tutor/lecturer at a school/ college/ university that you have attended, a recognised community or religious leader etc. If you have been involved in voluntary work you may ask your volunteer coordinator to provide you with a reference. This also includes volunteer work overseas. Employment Application Guidance Notes APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd Page 2 of 4 Last updated: January 2013 Character references from relatives, relationship partners or co-habiting partners are not acceptable. Please note: If you provide a pre-written reference, and your application is successful, we will still contact your referees for a further reference. Section F – Personal Qualities/ Skills/ Knowledge/ Experience This section of the application form gives job applicants the opportunity to demonstrate why they think they are the most suitable person for the vacant position. To complete this part of the form, you should think about your key qualities and skills. In other words your strengths (the things which you are good at doing) that are relevant to the job. It is not appropriate to simply state that you have the skills or experience - you must be able to provide evidence that you have used the skills/knowledge required to fulfil the requirements of the role advertised. Section G – Driving Licence All applicants are required to complete this section. Endorsements on your current licence and driving convictions may be taken into consideration for recruitment purposes. Section H – Declarations Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 APCOA aim to provide equality of opportunity for all applicants we welcome applications from diverse applicants. Criminal records will be taken into account for recruitment purposes only when the conviction is relevant. Unless the nature of the work demands it, you will not be asked to disclose convictions which are “spent” under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Acts 1974. Having an unspent conviction will not necessarily bar you from employment. This will depend on the circumstances and background of your offence(s). Criminal Records Certain clients require standard or enhanced disclosures of cautions, reprimands and final warnings of all persons working at their site/contract. (Please note that cautions and final warnings are not criminal convictions). As APCOA meet the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment on such sites will be subject to a criminal record check from the Criminal Records Bureau before their appointment is confirmed. Please feel free to raise any questions regarding this section if you are invited for interview. Right to Work in the UK The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 require an employer to check documents to establish a person's eligibility to work in the UK and compliance Employment Application Guidance Notes APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd Page 3 of 4 Last updated: January 2013 with any restrictions. We are required to check your eligibility to work in the UK before you start work. We ask all candidates to bring proof of their right to work to interview and a copy will be taken. If you do not currently have the right to work, and need to apply for a certificate of sponsorship please note this on your application form and raise it at interview. You should also be aware that we may contact the Immigration Department to verify that you are entitled to live and work in the UK. Further Background vetting If you are applying for a vacancy in security or for a job that involves handling cash and your application is successful we will need to obtain your full employment and unemployment history for the last 10 years. As part of our checks we may need to contact (if applicable) your Benefits Office therefore by signing the application form you give consent for APCOA to do so. Without your consent, we will not be in a position to offer you employment. We may also need you to provide a record of your National Insurance contributions if there are gaps in your employment history or references cannot be obtained to support your application. Application Declaration & Confirmatory Statement The information provided on this application is subject to the Data Protection Act 1998. By signing the application form you are consenting to APCOA storing and using the information provided for recruitment and selection and other employment purposes. Signature & Date All applicants should sign the declaration to confirm that the information contained within the application form is true and correct. You should note that if your application is successful and it transpires that your records have been falsified your employment may be terminated by APCOA. Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form APCOA Parking UK Ltd regards itself as an Equal Opportunity Employer and our policy is that job applicants and colleagues receive equal treatment regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, gender, religion or belief, sexual identity and marital status, where any of these cannot be shown to be a requirement of the job concerned. Recruitment, selection and promotion procedures will be monitored to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of the relevant merits and abilities. To assist us in monitoring the operation of our equal opportunities policy and for no other reason, please complete questionnaire with the application form. Employment Application Guidance Notes APCOA Parking (UK) Ltd Page 4 of 4 Last updated: January 2013