Step 3 Selection Process - Shortlisting and Interview

Selecting your Candidate

This is the most crucial stage of the recruitment process. As the hiring or line manager for the post your aim is to ensure that the most appropriate selection methods are used to enable the best candidate for your job to be identified. 

We need to ensure our selection processes encourage diversity and comply with best practice and appropriate NHSGGC policies and employment legislation.

Recruitment process key tips 

Shortlisting your applications

Once the closing date has arrived candidate applications will be made available to the hiring manager. We use a SharePoint link to enable hiring managers access candidate applications.  Recruitment Services will send you an email link to access Sharepoint

Medical & Dental posts:  the shortlisting information will be forwarded via email to the interview panel members. When shortlisting it is essential that prospective candidates meet the minimum entry requirements and hold the appropriate specialist registration for the post.

For all posts candidates must be shortlisted against the essential and desirable criteria outline in the Job Description/Person Specification/ for the post.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde participates in 2 schemes aimed at supporting the employment and career development of disabled people :

• Disability Confident scheme
• NHS Scotland‘s Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) scheme.

What is Disability Confident?

Disability Confident is a government scheme that promotes the benefits to businesses of recruiting and retaining people with disabilities. The scheme offers advice and support to employers, enabling them to actively seek, hire and retain disabled people. Organisations’ complete a Disability Confident self-assessment, agree to undertake all of the core actions to be a Disability employer, and offer at least one activity to attract and retain disabled staff.

In February 2017, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHSGGC) became accredited as a Disability Confident Employer under the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Disability Confident Scheme.

The Disability Confident accreditation means that, as an employer, the Board is proactive in ways to recruit disabled people, and also have mechanisms in place ensuring that people with disabilities and long term health conditions feel supported, engaged and able to fulfill their potential in the workplace.

What is the NHS Scotland Job Interview Guarantee Scheme?

NHS Scotland operates a Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) scheme, which means that if a candidate declares a disability , and meet the minimum/essential  criteria outlined within the Person Specification for the post then they  will be guaranteed an interview. 

It is the hiring manager’s responsibility to ensure that those involved in the shortlisting and interviewing process are aware of their responsibilities and have the appropriate level of competence to participate in recruitment and selection activity.

The results of the shortlist should then be submitted to the Recruitment service. A clear rationale should be provided as to why applications have and have not been shortlisted. You will be provided with template documents to record that information.

Shortlisting should take place within 5 working days from receiving access to the applications received for the post.

Shortlisting must be done objectively, assessing all applicants consistently against the criteria specified in the Person Specification for the post.

Interviewing your candidates  

Evidence shows that effective recruitment decisions are more likely when a range of selection methods are used in addition to interview questions. Evidence about a persons suitability for a post can also be gathered by including for example presentations,  ability testing , work based scenarios etc.  Guidance on what you can include in the selection process can be obtained by contacting the Recruitment Service.

The Recruitment Service will be responsible for sending out invitation to interview to shortlisted candidates.

It is good practice to give candidates invited to for interview at least 10 calendar days prior to the interview date.

An Interview Panel should normally consist of a minimum 2 people.  Some posts may also include external panellists who provide an expert opinion on a particular job function or aspect of a role. Often external panel members may be drawn from other NHS Scotland health boards or universities.  Typically for specialists or senior posts there maybe 4 to 5 panel members 

The hiring manager must ensure that members of the interview panel are competent in recruitment and selection and the panel members are aware of their responsibilities in regards the Equality  Act (2010). 

The interview panel should meet at least 30 minutes before the first interview to agree format for the day, who will meet and greet candidates, allocation of questions and sequence of tabling questions to the candidates. It is good practice for the members of the interview panel to agree in advance a range of questions used to ascertain if the individual has the knowledge, skills and competencies outlined within the Job Description/Person Specification. It is important that the interview process is structured to ensure that all the necessary information is obtained during the interview.

Using Structured Interviews to Test for Caring Behaviours in the Recruitment Process

A key theme of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Quality Strategy is that Person Centred Care is delivered with compassion , dignity and respect.  Much work has been taken forward to encourage and promote Caring Behaviours among our staff . In addition to ensuring candidates meet the essential requirements of the post in regards Clinical /Technical competencies , qualifications, training , experience ,and skills you should also ensure that candidates demonstrate evidence of applying the most widely recognised Caring Behaviours expected in our workplace whether in a clinical or non clinical role . Follow this link  to access Interview Guidance which will guide you in using Structured Interviews to test for caring behaviours as part of your candidate interviews. Caring Behaviour Structure Interview Guidance

Key tips interview format

Prior to the interview 

• Make sure the panel is introduced to the candidate
• Let the candidate know what the format is and that notes will be taken
• Use open questions –how, who, what and remember to probe if the answers are not providing the evidence you need
• Remember to cover any gaps in employment history
• Ensure all candidates are asked the same core questions
• Let the candidate know at the end of the interview what will happen next and when they are likely to know the outcome
• Remember to keep notes           
• When choosing your interview venue to give consideration to accessibility of the location

At the interview event the hiring manager or a nominated member of the interview panel is responsible for checking documentation to provide the candidate’s identity.  This ensures the right candidate is being interviewed against the application which was submitted for the post. Professional Registrations and Qualification Certificates should also be verified at the interview.

All interviewers must keep adequate notes to ensure that a fair comparison can be made between candidates and reasons provided to justify a decision. The hiring manager must ensure that there is a clear and fair way of selecting the successful candidate for the post which is based on objective criteria directly related to the post being recruited to. There must be a written note of the reasons for selecting the appointed candidate and reason for not selecting the other candidates. These notes must be recorded on the template documents provided by the Recruitment service.  NHSGGC will retain this recruitment documentation for 12 months after the appointment is made. Notes taken should avoid inappropriate references to the candidate’s appearance, sex, age, disability, religion or race, etc.

UK Immigration rules

Offering posts to Non-UK European Economic Area citizens

All our vacancies are open to all candidates who meet the relevant criteria and we will not shortlist or make decisions about candidates’ suitability based on their nationality. However, we are obliged to carry out checks and assure ourselves that candidates appointed are legally entitled to work in the UK before we can confirm an offer of employment.

If you wish to offer a post to candidate who is a Non-UK European Economic Area citizen you will need to ensure that the appointment meets the requirements of the UK Immigration rules. The UK ‘s  points-based immigration system governs the way Non-UK European Economic Area individuals can work, train or study in the UK .

Where you have several appointable candidates, UK Immigration rules are very clear in stating that settled workers i.e. those candidates who are UK / European Economic Area citizens must be prioritised for appointment ahead of non UK/ European Economic Area migrants even if the non- UK /European Economic Area migrant is more skilled or experienced. This is referred to as the Resident Labour Market Test.

There are some exceptions to this rule as some occupations are recognised by the UK Immigration rules as Shortage Occupations. If an occupation is on the shortage occupation list, it means that there are not enough suitably qualified and skilled workers from the resident labour market to fill the available vacancies. This means we can therefore legally offer a post to a non-EEA candidate without having to prove that we cannot fill that vacancy from the resident labour market i.e. UK European Economic Area citizens  in the first instance.

The Home Office who are responsible for managing Immigration in the UK will only issue a work visa if we can prove it has not been possible to recruit from the UK /European Economic Area in the first instance. Visa’s to work, train or study in the UK are issued under the UK‘s Points Based Immigration system. Most non Non-UK European Economic Area candidates who are offered posts with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are recruited via the UK‘s Points Based Immigration system under the Tier 2 sponsorship route and the Tier 5  . These rules do not apply to Non-UK European Economic Area candidates or staff where they have been already granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK (a visa with no end date) or for other reasons do not have restrictions on their stay in the UK.

What is a resident worker? A resident worker is a person who is a UK / European Economic Area (EEA) national or someone who has settled status in the UK within the meaning of the Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Citizens of member countries of the EEA and are entitled to free movement and employment rights as EEA nationals:

UK, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

This also includes Nationals from Switzerland and their family members also have the same free movement and employment rights as EEA nationals.

Turkish nationals (already residing in the UK): If someone is a Turkish national, they may benefit from the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) with Turkey. The agreement provides Turkish nationals, who are already working legally in the UK, with certain rights when they need to extend their stay.

Please contact a member of the Recruitment Service team if you wish further guidance on appointing candidates who are required to acquire the right to live, work or study in the UK.

For further information, visit the UK Visas and Immigration website at https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration