Recruitment and Appointment

There are many different ways to ensure you are getting the best candidate for your role, whether this is on a long-term, short-term, development, or casual basis, and it's important to consider all options. 

If you have a vacancy, please get in touch with the Resourcing team, who can discuss the options we have available, which include:

• Various contract types, including Zero Hour Contracts and Externally Provided Workers (sometimes referred to as agency workers)
• Fixed Term contracts
• Secondments - inwards and outwards 
• Permanent appointments 

Resourcing Options Guidance

The CFRS Resourcing Options Guidance covers all of these and more, and offers guidance on the different options to ensure managers are making informed decisions. 

Please find the guidance here [WORD]

Before any vacancy is approved for a corporate role, a post specification must be reviewed and finalised. It is important that managers factor in time for this when looking at recruitment timescales - we always advise to have your post specification ready before you seek approval to recruit. 

Existing Roles

To find the current version of the role you are looking to recruit to, please contact the Resourcing team directly, via email: Recruitment@cumbriafire.gov.uk 

The team will send you the current version, which managers should review and advise if edits are to be made. Where there are significant edits to be made, the role may require being moderated to make sure it's grading is correct. If this is the case, the Resourcing team will advise and contact the Pay and Reward team, who can undertake the moderation. 

New Roles

If you are recruiting to a newly created role, you will have likely already worked on the post specification with the Pay and Reward team, who will have done an Allocation and Job Grading process. If you haven't done this yet and would like some advice, please contact the HR directly, via email: HR@cumbriafire.gov.uk 

VACANCY APPROVAL FORM

To approve a corporate vacancy, you will need to complete RT1 - VACANCY APPROVAL FORM [Word]  

• Please use this form for Secondments, Fixed Term appointments, and Internal Only recruitment as well. 
• This form needs sent to Finance and SLT, and must be authorised before the Resourcing team can begin to work on advertising the role. 

Completed RT1 forms must be sent to the Resourcing team - without this form, there may be delays with getting your vacancy live. 

EPW BUSINESS CASE

If you are considering utilising an Externally Provided Worker (or agency worker), you will need to complete RT9 - EPW BUSINESS CASE [Word].

• This form needs sent to SLT for approval. 

The Resourcing and Talent team will work with the recruiting manager to process all adverts.  

The below principles will be followed when writing adverts:

• The language is accessible and understandable to a wide range of reading ages.
• An honest description of the role/team/service is given.
• All recruitment dates are confirmed, allowing applicants to plan. Where possible, it is also advised to have the assessment process included on the advert (e.g. interview, Drill Assessment, timed online agility test).
• The correct salary and contract information is included. Please note - you cannot change the terms and conditions after interviewing candidates, all options must be included on the advert. 
• It is essential to have the level of DBS check required on the advert. This allows applicants who may be on barred lists or have restrictions when working make informed decisions when applying for roles.
• A consistent format is followed for all adverts, except for campaigns where they are part of a dedicated microsite.
• Gender-coded language is removed as much as possible. An example of gender coded language is: ‘must thrive in a challenging and decisive environment’. The words in bold have been identified, through multiple studies, as gender coded words for men. Similarly, words such as ‘collaborative, compassionate, and committed’ are identified gender-coded words for females. If can be especially disadvantaging to non-binary applicants as well, if a considerable amount of gender-coded language is included in adverts. To ensure we receive a diverse pool of applicants, it is key to be aware of the message the advert is giving out.
• The use of logographs is minimised, supporting accessibility functions who may struggle to read the letter, sign, or symbol. Examples of common logographs are: &, @, +, and %. Using a logograph for an email address is acceptable.
• It’s good practice to include a contact on the advert for applicants to reach out to and informally discuss the opportunity. This contact must ensure that any informal discussions do not give the impression of being a telephone interview (especially if the contact will also be sat on the panel) and that all information given to applicants is consistent, especially around internal and external applicants. Informal discussions should also not discuss any personal circumstances with applicants.

The Resourcing team will ensure the above principles are applied before any adverts go live.

All vacancies will be advertised on the CFRS external website, and external opportunities will be promoted through CFRS social media channels. External roles will also be advertised on the NFCC Jobs Board, and any other relevant jobs boards identified by the recruiting manager.

As part of our work under the Armed Forces Covenant, we will also post jobs on the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and Forces Families Jobs (FFJ). 
 

APPLICATIONS

For most corporate vacancies, the service’s online application form will be used for applications. This application form will also be provided in document/paper format for any applicants who request this.

If a process has been advertised as ‘internal only’, the Resourcing team will exclude any external applications and will inform these applicants.

SHORTLISTING

The recruiting manager will identify which other individuals are on the Shortlisting Panel. After the closing date, the Resourcing team will download/collate the applications and input the required information into RT2 - SHORTLISTING SPREADSHEET. 

If a process has been advertised as ‘internal only’, the Resourcing team will exclude any external applications and will inform these applicants.

The information the Shortlisting Panel will receive at this stage will be:

•    Job title of the vacancy
•    Are they an internal candidate?
•    Are they on the Alternative Employment Programme?
•    Do they consider themselves eligible for the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
•    Qualifications, Training or Expertise 
•    Knowledge and Skills 
•    Current or most recent job title
•    Name of current or most recent employer

The recruiting manager and shortlisting panel will need to complete the required sections on the spreadsheet, and return this to the Resourcing team, clearly identifying which candidates are to be invited to the next stages. 

Guidance on the Alternative Employment Programme and the Guaranteed Interview Scheme can be found in the Resourcing and Talent Guidance, found here [WORD]. 

E-LEARNING

All managers who are recruiting, shortlisting, or assessing candidates must complete the Resourcing and Talent e-learning. The Resourcing team will work with Learning & Development to inform them who needs signed up to the e-learning and confirmation of completion will be required prior to any assessments (as a minimum.)

ASSESSMENT TYPES

There are many ways of assessing applicants and their suitability for roles, and where multiple assessments are offered this can allow applicants the opportunity to demonstrate wider skills or even an opportunity to shine at something they are more competent and comfortable with.

The below principles should always be followed:

• Ensuring the assessment method doesn’t advantage or disadvantage a certain group of people, e.g. On-Call applicants.
• Where possible, assessment methods should be shared with applicants at the advert stage of the process. If they are required to give a presentation, for example, it’s helpful if they know and can have some practise in the lead up to the interview.
• Assessments should be fair and accessible to all. Where there may be a disadvantage to a disabled applicant, reasonable adjustments should be considered and implemented. It is important the service has an open and supportive approach to reasonable adjustments, as often applicants will not ask for any for fear of seeming at an advantage.
• For all panel interviews, where possible, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service promotes applicants having ten minutes before the panel starts to sit with the questions and make notes. This allows the applicant to enter the interview panel with a little preparation and helps get a better performance out of them. Applicants should be given RT5 – Candidate Notes Sheet for this part of the process.

For guidance on suitability of assessment methods, please refer to the Resourcing and Talent Guidance, Appendix D – Assessment Methods, linked here. 

Once you have confirmed your assessment methods and dates, plus all other relevant details, managers must invite the selected candidates using RT3 - Invite to Assessment (Word). All yellow sections will need edited. 

Reasonable Adjustments

On the CFRS application form, there is a section where candidates can confidentially disclose any reasonable adjustments they may require at interview or assessment. 

It is important all information regarding reasonable adjustments is kept as confidential as possible and consent must be sought with the applicant to disclose this to anyone else involved in a recruitment process. The Resourcing team will get in touch directly with any successfully shortlisted applicants to discuss what they need and if it can be reasonably put in place.

The Resourcing team will also offer additional opportunity for applicants to request reasonable adjustments throughout the stages of any process. An applicant must not be disadvantaged or declined reasonable adjustments because they did not disclose it on the application form or inform the team sooner.

All employers in the UK have a responsibility to check if an applicant is allowed to work in the UK before they are employed. There are two ways of doing this:

• You can check the applicant’s right to work online, if they have given you a share code
• You can check the applicant’s original documents.

Applicants must be informed about the Right to Work check at interview/assessment, and this is detailed in RT3 – Invite to Assessment. The Resourcing team will share with applicants which documents can be accepted for this.

The recruiting manager will need to request to see the applicant’s original documents when they attend interview/assessment days. This must be done with the applicant present, and the recruiting manager will make copies of the documents, sign them, date them, and deliver them to the Resourcing team to store securely.

What to check:

• the documents are genuine, original and unchanged and belong to the person who has given them to you.
• photos are the same across all documents and look like the applicant.
• dates of birth are the same across all documents.
• if 2 documents give different names, the applicant has supporting documents showing why they’re different, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree.

Making a copy:

• make a copy that cannot be changed, for example a photocopy.
• make sure the copy is clear enough to read.
• for passports, copy any page with the expiry date and applicant’s details (for example nationality, date of birth and photograph) including endorsements, for example a work visa.
• for all other documents you must make a complete copy.
• record the date the check was made.

If there are any queries around any part of the Right to Work check, please contact the Resourcing team for advice and support. 
 

APPOINTMENT

Following the assessments/interviews, the recruiting manager must return all interview/assessment notes to the Resourcing team.

The recruiting manager and assessment/interview panel are advised to decide a suitable appointment as soon as possible following the end of the process. Only the performance of the required assessments is considered, as internal applicants will be at an advantage if previous work performance is taken into account.

The recruiting manager should contact all applicants to make them aware of the outcome. 

For the successful applicant, it is advised this is by phone, allowing the applicant to accept a verbal offer of appointment. If the applicant accepts the offer, the recruiting manager should email the Resourcing team and attach RT6 – Outcome Form [WORD]. 

PRE-EMPLOYMENT CHECKS

The Resourcing and Talent team will issue an offer letter to the successful applicant(s), stating the appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.

Managers should not agree a start date, encourage an individual to hand in their notice, or ask the applicant to begin working for the service until Resourcing and Talent have confirmed all checks are complete.

Disciplinary proceedings may be taken where a manager commences an individual’s employment prior to a DBS Disclosure (criminal records check) being complete. 

Pre-employment checks required will depend on whether the role is operational or corporate, and other circumstances, but will include as a minimum:

References

• All external applicants are required to provide a minimum of two references.
• An employment reference from the current or most recent employer is required.
• A character reference is also required.
• References cannot be from close friends, family members, or relatives.
• References for internal applicants will be sought from the current line manager unless they are on the interview panel. In this case a reference will be required from a manager with relevant working relationship with the individual.
• References will be requested for the successful applicant only and consent will be sought prior to contacting any references.

Medical

• All appointments will be subject to satisfactory assessment of a medical. The requirements of this will differ depending on role.
• Appointments cannot proceed without clearance from Occupational Health.
• Disabled applicants should never be excluded unless it is clear that the applicant is unable to perform a duty that is intrinsic to the role, having taken into account reasonable adjustments.

Right to Work 

• This will have been captured at the interview/assessment stage. Any copies of documents provided to prove Right to Work must be sent to Resourcing and Talent.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Following legislation change in 2023, all roles in the Fire Sector are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and require a DBS check.

• The level of check required will be included on the job description and advert wording, and applicants can disclose any convictions or cautions on a confidential section of the application form.
• DBS checks for new starters will be processed by the Resourcing team, using an umbrella body who is registered to submit checks on behalf of our organisation.
• Where there is a positive disclosure on a certificate, the Resourcing team will follow a Risk Assessment process, detailed in the Safer Recruitment and DBS Policy. For further information on DBS and recruitment, please refer to the Safer Employment and DBS pages, linked here. 

On-Boarding

The Resourcing team will on-board the applicant onto the HR system. This will generate a personnel number, which will allow recruiting managers to order any required kit. 

Contract of employment/Agreement

The Resourcing team will issue a contract of employment (or Agreement where relevant) before the agreed start date for new appointments to the Service.

Please go to our dedicated section on Induction, found here [link].