The recruitment process

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Whichever role you’re interested in, we want to make sure you have all the information you need to land your dream job. 
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Our recruitment process varies from role to role, but here are some hints and tips designed to make it as easy as possible to apply for a job at Oxfordshire County Council. 

How we hire

1. Research

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We make sure you have the right information from the start. We always advertise a salary or salary bracket, and tell you when we plan to interview, so that you can get it into your diary nice and early. If you’ve got questions, you can also give one of our hiring managers a ring to chat more about the role.

2. Apply

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No two organisations are the same. Whatever your background and experience, before you apply, make sure you do some research to understand what makes Oxfordshire different – especially our vision and goals. The application form is your chance to tell us what you can do and how you meet the requirements for the job. We’ll tell you what we want and need from candidates – so make sure you provide the evidence that you’ve got what it takes to do the job. We guarantee an interview if you are disabled, a care leaver or a veteran of the armed forces as long as you show us how you meet all the requirements of the job.

3. Select

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Your application will go straight to the recruiting line manager who will contact you within two weeks with a decision. We’ll then explain the interview stage. This will include what you need to prepare for and provide, and how and where it will take place. If you don’t hear from us, we’re always happy to give feedback to help you with future applications.

4. Interview

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Well done, you’ve made it through to the interview stage. You’ll get the chance to find out more about the job and we can get to know you. Don’t forget that we’ll do our best to make your interview as relaxed as possible and let you know what happens next. If you need any help to do the interview, let us know.

5. Offer

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Congratulations, you’ve got the job! Our hiring manager will be in touch to offer you the role. Don’t worry if you need some time to think about it, or have some more questions, that’s fine. You’ll need to share your references with us, and there may be formal checks to be done – but we’ll help guide you through each step of this process.

6. Welcome aboard

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Your journey begins with a series of induction sessions, where you can get to know your new team and our organisation. From there it’s full steam ahead with training to get you up and running in your new job. And, because we want to improve, we’ll ask you for some feedback on your experience.

Your application form

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You’ll find that many of our jobs are applied for through Hampshire County Council. This is because we’re in partnership with them and use their portal for job applications that have to comply with national processes. We’ll make this clear when you apply. 

If you do apply through the Hampshire County Council portal, all confirmation email and text messages will come from them. But don’t worry, your application will go to the right person here at Oxfordshire. 

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Apply for a job Oxfordshire County Council

Handy hints and tips

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We know that applying for a job can sometimes be a daunting process.
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So we’ve put together some useful hints and tips designed to help you give it your best shot.

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How to apply for a job Oxfordshire
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Three key steps

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1. Get to know us

Do your research. Find out about our organisation and the service area you want to work in. This will help you learn more about our priorities and give you the edge when it comes to your application and interview. 

2. Tell us as much as possible

When completing your application form, it’s important that you tell us as much as you can and provide us with all the paperwork we ask for. This will help us understand whether you meet the criteria. Remember to complete all parts of the form and if there are any that don’t apply to you, then write ‘not applicable’ or ‘N/A’. If you have a disability, are a care leaver or an armed forces veteran and can show how you meet the job requirements, then you'll be guaranteed an interview.

3. Interview presentations

You might have to give a presentation or a specific task as part of your interview. You’ll get the brief in advance so that you’ll have time to prepare – but let us know if doing it will be difficult for you. 

Our contracts

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When you start a job with us, you will receive a copy of your contract from our recruitment team. Here are some of our example contracts.

Got any questions?

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Get in touch with any questions and our recruitment team will be happy to help.