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ADDING A VACANCY
Before you add your first vacancy to the site, we recommend that you create an application pack, including all the relevant documents that would usually send out to anyone applying for a vacancy in your school. There are options to select more specific documents in relation to a particular vacancy, and we will discuss those later, but the aim here is to identify those documents which are usually used, and save them within your school profile.
Go to My Pool, and click on Edit Application Pack. Here you have the option to add up to five documents to create you default application pack.To add the first document, click on Browse, select the file on your computer, and click Open. The selected file will then appear in blue, underneath the Browse button. Repeat these steps for the other documents you wish to use, up to a maximum of three.
When you have added all your documents, click on Save Application Pack, and these documents will be saved in your school profile for use with each vacancy. Remember, you can amend this selection of documents at any time from this section in My Pool, and each time you add a new vacancy you have the option to change the documents and / or include additional ones as necessary.
Now return to My Pool, and click on Add a New Vacancy at the right hand side of the screen. This takes you to the Add a Vacancy page, and you will be asked to enter the specific details of the vacancy. Many of these fields have drop down menus for you to choose from, and the options available on the screen will change to reflect the job role that you select.
Use the Experience field to indicate the minimum experience required for the post, but be careful not to set this too high, unless it is absolutely essential to the role, as you may exclude potential candidates from applying when you would actually choose to consider them for the post.
Consider NQT? Indicate whether or not a newly qualified teacher would be considered for this vacancy; if the answer is Yes, click on the box, and if the answer is No, leave the field blank.
The Description field is a free text box that allows you to type in details of the position, explaining the nature of the job role in more detail. Please do not include your school name or personal details as this will be viewed by anyone viewing the website. Your school name and address will only be revealed when you choose to send an application pack to a candidate. You can upload the job description document into the application pack, so we suggest that you use this free text area to talk to your target candidates and sell this job opportunity so that you increase the number of applications. Always think “what’s in it for me” from the reader’s perspective and spell that out to the candidate. Too many descriptions are based on what the employer needs and wants, with little mention of what the successful applicant would gain. People move jobs to increase the enjoyment of the role, and sometimes even the simplest things can encourage an application.
Use the Candidate Description field to describe your ideal candidate, based on the person specification for this role. However, be careful when describing the ideal candidate that you do not create barriers to prospective candidates. Try to avoid the use of “MUST HAVE” and “ESSENTIAL” unless it really is a MUST HAVE. Is it your intention that someone who meets your criteria perfectly in every respect but has only 2 years in the role, and not the specified 3 years, will be discounted from the process? If you have stated a minimum of 3 years experience, you may effectively reduce the number of applications that you receive. Similarly, if you are equally as interested in a rising star who is aspirational, as in an experienced practitioner, then make sure that your description makes this clear.
Select a Cut off date for applications by using the calendar. Please remember that potential candidates will not be matched against the vacancy after this date, so it is important to leave enough time for candidates to apply. You can edit this cut off date at a later stage, should you need to do so.
Select the appropriate online application form from the drop down menu to indicate which form you require candidates to use to apply for this vacancy.
At the bottom of the screen, you will see the Application Pack details.The files that you see here, shown in blue text, are the files you added when you created your default application pack. Now you can add additional documents which relate specifically to this vacancy, including the job description and any other relevant document. These additional documents will only appear against this particular vacancy. When you have added all your documents, click on Add your vacancy.
You will also be prompted at this stage to create a filter questionnaire. Please remember that this is your only opportunity to create a questionnaire for this vacancy – if you do not create one now, you will not be able to do so at a late date.