Check you are ready to design the application form
To design the application form you need to have:
Adapt the application form template
The application form template includes guidance to help you design your form.
The form should make it easy for candidates to show how they meet the eligibility criteria. It will also help you and selection board members with the assessment process.
Decide the type of information you want candidates to provide in the application. This is the information that you will assess according to the selection process you mapped earlier. For example, to make eligibility and shortlisting assessment decisions; and to assess skills and competency areas.
Key information
You must include the following key information:
- closing date and time
- how to return the application form
- contact details (if the candidate has questions on the recruitment process)
- likely interview date
If it is necessary for the role, you can ask candidates if they have:
- a driving licence
- evidence of continuous professional development
The application form template includes information about data protection and GDPR and protected disclosures. It also provides guidance on how to complete competency questions (if relevant).
Candidates must provide:
- name, address and contact details
- current employment contractual status
- EEA status (and non-EEA citizen status if relevant)
- evidence of how their qualifications and professional experience meet the eligibility criteria
- educational achievements and overview of their career to date
Candidates who are proficient in Irish can indicate if they want to undertake an Irish assessment exam to demonstrate their ability to perform their duties through Irish.
Helping candidates show how they meet the criteria
The eligibility criteria in the job specification should have a matching field in the application form. Candidates must be able to match the individual criteria to their answers. To help candidates, tell them to:
- link their answers using the essential qualifications, experience and skills in the job specification
- provide a detailed and accurate account of their qualifications and experience
Keep the sections as straightforward as possible. Use ‘yes/no’ answers where possible instead of giving free-text boxes. This should help candidates to include only necessary information.
Check any eligibility criteria that expires at a specific time to make sure it does not have implications for panel management. For example, when a new register with a professional regulator is in development.
Equivalent qualifications
Equivalent qualifications refer to equivalent qualifications awarded outside the Republic of Ireland.
If you decide at the planning stages that candidates with an equivalent qualification are eligible to apply, they must indicate if they have registered with the relevant professional body or regulator. Include the table in the application form template to capture this information.
Information on equivalent qualifications and recognition of qualifications must be included in the panel management section of the applicant information document.
Submitting evidence of qualifications
Set the deadline for when candidates must submit supporting documentation.
Documentation must clearly show the name of the course. Latin parchments are not acceptable as they do not show specific information to help assess eligibility.
Where there is no professional body, statutory regulator, or competent authority the selection board will assesses the equivalence of other non-Irish qualifications.
You must outline how candidates can have their qualifications recognised against the agreed criteria.
For example, candidates can use NARIC’s Foreign Qualifications Database to download a comparability statement to compare an academic qualification to an Irish qualification of a similar major award type and level on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), where possible.
If the database does not list their qualification, they can apply for advice on the general academic recognition of their qualification.
Candidates should note:
- comparability statement only provides advice and is not a legal document
- qualification should be awarded by a nationally-recognised awarding body in their country of origin
- decision on recognising a qualification for employment purposes is made by the individual employer
- decision on recognising a professional qualification is made by the appropriate Irish authority for that profession
Getting the right information from candidates
Check that questions on the application form are relevant to the post.
Help candidates demonstrate their suitability for the role by asking questions relevant to the skills and experience needed for the role.
If you are using competency questions, base them on the skills and competencies in the job specification. These questions determine if candidates have the skills and abilities needed for the job.
You should have decided at the mapping stage if you will collect this information on the application form or ask for it later in the selection process.
Steps for including competency based questions
- Decide which competencies to include on the form
- Include any competencies used for shortlisting, if relevant
- Give the competency title and summary description. Use the behavioural indicators in the job specification to help you write the summary description. Ask candidates to provide an example of where they best demonstrate that skill
- Three competency areas are standard on an application form (but this can vary depending on the post)
- Each competency area should not exceed an A4 page using Arial size 10 font
Post specific requirements
Check the post specific requirements section of your job specification.
Make it clear to candidates the information they need to include. This helps selection board members assess the application.
For some roles, you may need a question about specific criteria or experience and achievements relevant to the role.
Post specific requirements might include education or experience required for a particular post in a specified location (for example, ICU course or experience).
Criteria are either essential or not essential to the role. Do not include nice to have or desirable criteria.
Do not include a specific length of time to show experience in an area or role. It is more helpful to detail what it is you want the candidates to know or be able to do.
Other requirements specific to the role
There may be other requirements specific to the post that you will need to include on the application form. Check ‘other requirements specific to the role’ section on your job specification.
Include any specific practical requirements candidates need for the post. For example, candidates might need to:
- have access to appropriate transport to fulfil the requirements of the role
- participate in an on-call rota
Make it clear to candidates what information they need to include in this section.
Check the application form
Review the application form to make sure that:
- job title, reference number and panel information match those in the job specification
- correct email address and subject title are included for returning the application form
- eligibility criteria are the same as listed in the job specification
- recognition of overseas qualifications question is asked, if applicable
- competency questions align with the behavioural indicators listed on the job specification
- post specific requirements included, if applicable
The application form length should be appropriate for the role's level and contain only questions you will use in assessment.
