How to complete your application form

This is where you add the essential information about yourself such as name and contact details, most recent job and reference. All communication through myjobscotland is by email, so please ensure you include a current email address that only you have access to.

Make sure your referees are willing to provide a reference before adding their names to your application – they will only be contacted if you reach the preferred candidate stage as part of the pre-employment checks.

Your reference is usually your most recent employer/line manager. If you don’t have a recent employer that can provide a reference, you could include the name of someone who knows you well and could speak to your ability to undertake the requirements of the role. For example, a teacher or a leader of a club or group you attend.

Guaranteed interview scheme

We have a number of guaranteed interview schemes available to applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our roles and who:

• have a disability
• are care-experienced and aged 16-29
• are aged 16-24 and live in Aberdeen city or have been to an Aberdeen City Council school and are applying for a Modern Apprenticeship (except trades apprenticeships)
• have done a Foundation Apprenticeship with Aberdeen City Council and are applying for any apprenticeships relevant to the area in which they did their Foundation Apprenticeship
• are New Scots aged 16-24 and are applying for any apprenticeships. 

All jobs

1. As a Disability Confident employer, we offer a guaranteed interview for applicants who have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

2. We offer a guaranteed interview for looked after young people, those that are in continuing care or are a care leaver up to the age of 29 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile.

Modern apprenticeships (not trade)

1. As a Disability Confident employer, we offer a guaranteed interview for applicants who have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

2. We offer a guaranteed interview for applicants who are aged between 16 and 24 who are resident in the Aberdeen city boundary or have attended a secondary school in Aberdeen City and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

3. We offer a guaranteed interview for looked after young people, those that are in continuing care or are a care leaver up to the age of 29 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

4. We offer a guaranteed interview for "New Scots"* aged between 16 and 24 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

5. We offer a guaranteed interview for all those who have undertaken a Foundation Apprenticeship with Aberdeen City Council up to a maximum of two years ago and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile.  The Foundation Apprenticeship must have been in an area related to the role being applied for.  
    

Apprenticeships (trade)

1. As a Disability Confident employer, we offer a guaranteed interview for applicants who have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

2. We offer a guaranteed interview for looked after young people, those that are in continuing care or are a care leaver up to the age of 29 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

3. We offer a guaranteed interview for "New Scots"* aged between 16 and 24 and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile. 

4. We offer a guaranteed interview for all those who have undertaken a Foundation Apprenticeship with Aberdeen City Council up to a maximum of two years ago and who meet the criteria set out in the job profile.  The Foundation Apprenticeship must have been in an area related to the role being applied for.  
    

*"New Scots" are defined as refugees and asylum seekers who are in Scottish communities and include those who have been granted refugee status or another form of humanitarian protection, people seeking asylum, those who have been refused asylum, and those whose application has been refused but who remain in Scotland.

Please note that eligibility to work in the UK is dependent on legal status and all applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK.

This is where you list your work history as well as information on any qualifications and professional memberships you have as well as training courses you have attended.

When you complete your work history, it’s useful to include information on any key tasks, activities and responsibilities that you had in the role. This helps the recruiting manager get a clear understanding of what you did and how it’s relevant to the post you’re applying for.

When it comes to your qualifications you only need to include the highest level qualification you have unless a specific qualification is asked for in the job profile. So, for example, if you have a Scottish Higher in Maths, it’s assumed you would have the Standard Grade that precedes this.

If you have any Professional Memberships that are relevant to the post you’re applying for, this is where they would go. For example: BASW (Social Work), CILIP (Libraries), CIPD (Human Resources), CIWM (waste management) etc.

Again, if you have completed any training courses which are relevant to the post you’re applying for, it’s useful to include them here along with a brief description of the content, what you learned and how you’ve applied it. For example, first aid, manual handling and other training courses can be included here.

This is your opportunity to say how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the post you’re applying for. And if you’ve not already done so, it’s useful to have a copy of the job advert and job profile at hand while completing this.

Our recruiting managers are interested to find out what you’ve done before and how this matches the role you’re applying for.

So it’s not enough when applying for an admin role to say ‘I have 5 years of experience in an admin role’, you need to provide real examples which demonstrate the range of tasks that you can do, and the skills you have as well as your approach to work. 

You want the recruiting manager to be in no doubt that you meet the requirements of the role in order to be shortlisted for the next stage.

For example:

Job profile asks for "excellent communications skills"

It's not enough to say "I demonstrate excellent communication skills in my current role"

Instead, write about the communication skills you have. Think about:

• Why you communicate - to provide information, get others involved in something
• Who you communicate with - colleagues, customers, senior managers
• How you communicate - face to face, by phone, by email or all of the above