Thank you for your interest in working for Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent.

The Citizens Advice service is working towards equal opportunities for all, both in its work as an advice giving agency and as an employer. All employees are expected to support and promote this policy.

The information you provide in your application is the only information we will use to decide whether or not you will be short listed for interview.

The application form is therefore very important and the following advice is designed to help you complete it as effectively as possible.

Each vacancy is based on a job description which lists the main duties of the post and a person specification which describes the skills, knowledge and experience we are looking for. Please read these carefully so that you know what the job involves and the qualities and experience required.

• Some posts require the completion of an application form, you may submit a CV, but it will not be considered on its own, the selection panel will shortlist candidates on the basis of the application form. A CV alone will not be considered.

• Some posts do not require an application form and a CV will be sufficient.

• Whether the post requires an application form or CV will be made clear on our recruitment site.

• One of your referees should be your present or most recent employer. If you have not been employed or have been out of employment for a long time, please give the name of someone who knows you sufficiently well to confirm the information you have given and to comment on your ability to do the job. This should not be a relative or a purely personal friend.

• The person specification lists the requirements for the post. When shortlisting for interview the selection panel will only consider the information contained in your application and will assess this against the person specification.

• The selection panel cannot make assumptions about the nature of the work you have done or your experience from a list of job titles. It is therefore important that you use the space provided to demonstrate how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification. Paid work is not the only experience worth quoting. Other life experiences such as community and voluntary work, leisure or political interests. Consider in what ways you have had to develop or use skills relevant to the post.

• If you are shortlisted for interview, the selection panel will ask you questions based on the person specification and will explore your experience in more detail.

• The information about the job on our recruitment site will state a closing date for the application to be returned by, ensure that your application arrives in time and that you have kept a copy for your reference.

• After the closing date, the application forms are read carefully to see how each applicant's skills, knowledge and experience relate to those set out in the person specification Applicants who meet the requirements will be called for interview. Shortlisted candidates may also be asked to complete a task as part of the selection process.

Monitoring for Equal Opportunities

In order to help us monitor equal opportunities, there is a monitoring survey which we ask you to complete. This will be separate from your application form and will not be used in any part of the selection process. The information will however help us to monitor our recruitment and selection procedures in the longer term