Application and candidate review

The application stage marks the beginning of a candidate’s journey. Most applicants will start with an application form or an expression of interest (EOI), though alternative methods (below) can help broaden access and increase diversity. Whatever method you choose, your process should be designed from the applicant’s perspective, ensuring a positive and fair experience.

Before selecting your method of application, consider what will work best for your service.

• If you expect high numbers of applicants, an application form provides a structured way to assess candidates consistently and demonstrate fairness under the Public Sector Equality Duty.
• For non-operational roles requiring creativity (such as a design or media role), or if applicants will have similar qualifications, then allowing the submission of a CV may be a preferable approach. This could be supplied and considered in place of or in support of an application form. Similarly, you may want to include a technical test or similar.

Regardless of the method, it is essential to communicate your process clearly, so applicants know what to expect and how to succeed.

When designing the application stage, consider the following factors:

• Timeline – how long your process will take
• Communications – how you will keep applicants informed throughout
• Engagement – how you will maintain interest and contact with your applicant pool
• Candidate information pack – ensuring applicants have all necessary information, including key dates and deadlines
• Reasonable adjustments – how you will consider and respond to adjustment requests, including those from neurodiverse applicants
• Use of technology – how digital tools will support your process, and whether alternatives are needed for offline applicants
• Relevance of information requested – ensuring questions on employment and qualifications are genuinely necessary for the role
• Predictors of success – whether past experience reliably reflects potential in your roles
• Values alignment – how you will assess personal values against service values
• Transferable experience – recognising a wide range of skills and backgrounds
• Clear shortlisting criteria – what you are looking for and how decisions will be made
• Transparency – ensuring your process is open, fair, and clearly explained

Once your approach is defined, you will need to complete an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) to ensure your process is fair and accessible for all applicants.

The NFCC Equality Impact Assessment Toolkit, including the EqIA template provides further guidance on this process.

Finally, you will need to complete an Equality Impact Statement for your finalised process.

Application forms ensure all applicants provide the same information. This creates a structured and consistent approach to assessing high volumes of candidates and supports a fair and comparable shortlisting process, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Pros

• Familiar format for most candidates.
• Collects consistent, comparable information.
• Enables assessment against specific criteria and supports completion of a shortlisting matrix.
• Easy to link via online advertising and digital channels.
• Online portals can automate emails, shortlisting, and reporting, reducing administrative burden.

Cons

• May exclude people who use online job boards requiring CV upload only.
• Reliance on online forms may disadvantage those without digital access.
• Can restrict how candidates showcase their strengths or values.
• May deter neurodiverse candidates such as those with dyslexia.
• Manual shortlisting can be resource intensive when volumes are high.
• Written forms may be a barrier for applicants whose first language is not English.

Best practice for application forms

• Information collection: Collect only meaningful and relevant information aligned to the role and person specification.
• Standard fields: Standard fields include personal details, contact information, employment history, qualifications, driving licence (if required), declarations (public office, convictions, etc.).
• Optional fields: Optional fields include diversity monitoring, where the applicant saw the advert, public office eligibility, membership of proscribed groups.
• Statements: You may wish to include social media, criminal convictions, data protection, and employment monitoring statements.

An example social media statement could read as follows:

XYZ Service values its public reputation highly. This can be negatively impacted upon by the actions on social media of those identified as being employees and those undertaking selection for employment. If during your application process, it is brought to our attention that your public social media profile contains posts which contravene our core values or contain items of a discriminatory nature, this may impact on your application progressing.

• Questions to avoid: You should avoid collecting any information relating to protected characteristics (age, race, gender, religion, etc.) or personal circumstances (marital status, childcare, health).
• Additional considerations: Allow candidates to include experience outside paid work and ask for values-based examples linked to organisational frameworks.

CVs can offer a quick route for candidates applying via online job boards and can work well as an initial step before asking more targeted questions.

CV styles include functional, chronological, combination, creative, and academic formats.

Pros

• Allows applicants to present information in their own style and showcase personality.
• Highlights qualifications and work history when relevant.
• Shows motivation for the role early in the process.
• Demonstrates literacy and IT skills.
• Can reduce time and resources in early sifting, especially with digital tools.

Cons

• Generic CVs may not provide information needed for a specific role.
• Inconsistent formats make comparison harder and may challenge fairness.
• May disadvantage younger applicants or those with less experience.
• The personalised format reduces anonymity.

Supporting statements allow candidates to explain their skills, experience, and motivation in more depth. They are particularly useful where applicants have similar qualifications or where leadership qualities are important.

Free-text supporting statements

Typically, free-text statements to support an application include the following elements:

• Introduction and current role
• What the candidate brings to the role (with specific examples)
• Motivation for applying
• Summary and availability; optional disclosure of disability and adjustments needed

Guided supporting statements

Guided supporting statements align with the person specification and provide a structured format, sometimes including guidance or examples of strong responses.

Below, you will find some examples of resources provided to applicants:

Guidance provided to support applicants when writing a supporting statement (Surrey Council, accessed 2026)

Supporting information provided by the Careers Group (Careers Group, University of London accessed 2026)

Example of a statement-based application form that includes a personal statement (Essex.ac.uk; accessed 2026)

EOIs help identify suitable candidates for internal and external opportunities and can support succession planning, applicant engagement, and building talent pools.

Internal EOIs

Internal EOIs are used to fill posts, support development, or create pools for temporary or specialist roles. Candidates complete a short form showing how they meet the required criteria; hiring managers score and provide feedback.

External EOIs

External EOIs can be useful for building interest ahead of wholetime or on call recruitment campaigns, especially where applicant pools are limited geographically or demographically.

Non-operational roles

Ongoing EOI pools can support recruitment for hard to fill or competitive roles and reduce reliance on agency staff.

Applicants living with a disability should be offered the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to help them apply for the role.

You should ask applicants to inform you as early as possible if they need adjustments, so arrangements can be made.

Any information relating to adjustments must be shared with assessors for decision-making but handled securely and in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Services must ensure staff involved in recruitment understand their data protection responsibilities and have completed relevant training.

The legal definition of disability is a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term effect on normal daily activities. Not all disabilities are visible, and applicants must disclose this information if adjustments are to be made.

For more information on reasonable adjustments, please see the NFCC Strategic CPD Masterclass – Implementing Reasonable Adjustments and Reasonable Adjustments for Applications.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) should be completed once your application approach is defined. It helps ensure your process is fair, accessible, and compliant with your legal duties.

Using the NFCC EqIA Toolkit will help identify and remove barriers within forms or application processes, including those affecting neurodiverse applicants. This completed example of an EqIA for applications may also be helpful.

Personal information collected for monitoring purposes should be kept separate from shortlisting and interview documentation to ensure panels do not see it.

Data must be held securely, processed in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and retained only for as long as necessary in accordance with your retention schedules.

If sensitive data is collected, services must ensure an appropriate lawful basis and condition for processing are met.

Application processes should only request personal information that is relevant to the recruitment decision. This includes limiting criminal conviction information to what is justified by the role.

Applicants should be told how their information will be used and the possible sources from which additional information may be obtained.

A secure method of sending applications must be provided.

Equality monitoring during the application process

Using a separate form to gather personal information about candidates for monitoring purposes can help to ensure that this personal data is not seen by the shortlisting or interviewing panels. In compliance with data protection legislation, data must be held securely and processed as per guidelines by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The retention of data will need to be managed as per your retention schedules and should not be kept for longer than required.

​​​Downloadable ACAS equality and diversity monitoring template

​NFCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Hub

EDI Data Toolkit

Employers who have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme commit to:

• inclusive and accessible recruitment;
• communicating vacancies fairly and openly;
• offering interviews to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria;
• providing reasonable adjustments where reasonably practicable;
• supporting existing employees with disabilities.

During shortlisting, each applicant is assessed against your agreed criteria. Technology can help by automating parts of the process, reducing administrative work where high volumes of applications are expected.

Online recruitment systems may also use automation and digital assessment tools, but services should ensure any technology is thoroughly tested, fair, and inclusive before adoption.

1. Initial sift

Used to identify applicants who do not meet essential criteria or have not completed all sections of the application form. This can be completed manually or via automated filters within online application systems.

2. Individual sift

Each panel member independently reviews the applications that passed the initial sift. If application volumes are high, the panel may divide the applications between members.

Panel members should have access to their own copies of the applications and their own shortlisting/rating forms. To support their assessment, they may also, highlight key evidence; annotate copies with notes; and record their own scores against each criterion.

3. Panel sift

Finally, the panel collectively reviews candidates’ scores and evidence to agree who progresses. Initial scores may be amended if other panel members identify additional relevant evidence.

Panel members must allow sufficient time to assess each application thoroughly, ensuring fair and consistent marking. Wherever possible, assessments should be completed in one sitting to support consistency.

Panel members typically use:

• application forms;
• shortlisting or rating forms;
• scoring matrices

Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek information that confirms a pre-existing belief or hypothesis, impairing objective assessment. The Halo and Horns effects are examples of this.

The Halo Effect

Allowing one positive attribute of an applicant to influence judgment about their overall suitability. This can be particularly strong when a candidate appears similar to the assessor.

The Horns Effect

The opposite of the halo effect – one negative attribute triggers a disproportionate negative judgment. This may relate to appearance, accent, or even a candidate’s name.

Transference

When an assessor unconsciously transfers the characteristics of someone they know onto an applicant, leading to assumptions based on past experiences rather than current evidence.

Successive contrasting bias

When a very strong candidate affects the perceived quality of the next candidates, making subsequent assessments harsher.

See more on behavioural biases on page 16 of the CIPD report ‘A head for hiring’.

Training

Unconscious bias training raises awareness of how bias can influence decision-making across all recruitment stages. It is recommended that everyone involved in recruitment completes relevant training, ideally through a structured development programme.

Using principles such as ‘notice the first thought, act on the second’ can help assessors pause and challenge assumptions.

Providing a diverse panel

Diverse panels help challenge groupthink and promote fairness. Panels should ideally include someone outside the line management chain and a representative from HR. Considerations include gender balance, ethnic diversity, and visible inclusion of people living with a disability.

Blind recruitment

Some services use blind recruitment – removing personal details such as name, gender, age, and education background until the interview stage. This allows decisions to focus solely on evidence of ability.

Other services consider blind recruitment less effective because it removes contextual information and may favour applicants who have benefited from previous recruitment bias.

Common challenges include:

• a high volume of applications;
• more high-quality applications than anticipated;
• a higher-than-anticipated volume of good-quality applications;
• a shortfall of applications meeting essential criteria

Regardless of the number of applications you receive, you will need to make sure that your shortlisting criteria are applied consistently, fairly, and objectively.

When you launch your recruitment process, it is good practice to provide applicants with support materials to help them prepare. These may include downloadable PDFs, guidance on tests, and examples of the assessments they will complete. This reduces surprises and helps applicants feel confident ahead of testing days. Greater Manchester FRS have a recruitment process guide to support candidates to prepare.

Services may also provide links to information sessions, ‘Have a Go’ days, volunteering opportunities, and resources such as fitness guidance or preparation tips for assessment and testing. These activities support candidates and help maintain engagement throughout your process.

Once sifting is complete and candidates have been shortlisted, you should provide clear and practical information about the next stages, including assessment activities and interview arrangements. Offering a choice of dates where possible helps applicants manage personal or work commitments.

Services should also be mindful of religious festivals, especially those involving fasting, as these may affect candidate performance. Religion or belief is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, so reasonable adjustments may be required.

​Please refer to the NFCC Equality Impact Assessment Toolkit, which includes the NFCC Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) template.

Using this template provides a structured way to assess how your process is likely to affect different people and will help you to meet your legal duties, while also delivering other benefits.

Providing constructive feedback supports candidates’ development and helps maintain positive engagement with your service.

Feedback should:

• focus on observed evidence;
• highlight both strengths and areas for development;
• use specific examples to aid understanding;
• be factual, clear, and non‑judgemental.

You should also check that candidates have understood the feedback and offer clarification if needed.

There are many feedback models available; the most important point is to choose one and train assessors to use it consistently across your service.

Managing limitations

High application volumes may limit your ability to provide individual feedback. In these cases, it is still possible to provide generic feedback, based on common themes identified during assessment. This can also help you refine your process for future recruitment cycles.

Some services take a varied approach, offering individual feedback to internal applicants while providing broader feedback to external candidates. This helps maintain engagement and support staff development.