How to apply for a role

All our adverts have job descriptions and a candidate pack attached on the job board. These clearly outline the requirements for the role, including any relevant disclosure checks and additional information relating to that role.

To apply for a role you'll be asked to complete an application form. This must include your full work history including explanations for any gaps in your employment, in accordance with safer recruitment practices. You'll also be asked to upload a CV and for some roles, a cover letter. It's a good idea to make sure the information you provide is tailored to the role to highlight your relevant skills. Read our tips for completing an application form for more help.

The recruiting manager will shortlist all the application forms against the job description that was used in the advert. Our managers are looking for evidence of your experience against the criteria in the person specification. We will only shortlist against the information included in your application form (made up of your CV, online form, and if required, cover letter), so please make sure you include everything you want us to know.

Our interviews may feel a bit different to others you might have experienced. As well as looking for the skills and competencies needed for the role, we are also checking how your behaviours align to our Guide Dogs behaviours, and what your motivations are for joining us.

We understand that interviews and assessments can be a bit scary for some people, so we will make sure you have all the information you need to be at your best throughout the process. Each role will have a slightly different assessment process, some may solely rely on interviews whereas others may use practical assessments or assessment centres.

If you’re shortlisted and invited to meet with us, you will be asked to complete a criminal declaration form. This is reviewed before your interview and if anything is disclosed we will check it with the Safeguarding Team and, if required, discuss it with you. Our recruitment of ex-offenders policy has more details.

If your application is successful and you receive a job offer, please do not be surprised if a specific start date cannot be provided at that stage. This is because we need to ensure satisfactory pre-employment checks are received before a start date can be confirmed.

As part of our commitment to safer recruitment we need to obtain professional references covering the past five years of your employment history. If you have any gaps in your employment during this time, we will discuss these with you, and alternative checks or referee details may be required to ensure they are covered.

Some roles will require you to have a disclosure check, so this will need to be obtained before you can start working with us.

Sometimes it’s hard to think of specific situations. For example, if you deal with difficult customers, you might be tempted to say “Whenever I get a difficult customer, this is what I do...”. Don't fall into this trap! You need to talk about specifics, for example “On one occasion, I spoke to a customer who was angry and I...”. This explains exactly what you did in this situation, rather than what you might hypothetically do.

We’re interested in what you did, more than anything other people did, so make sure you say ‘I’, and not ‘we’.

If you’re using examples where lots of people have been involved in making something happen, don’t be tempted to say “We decided that... We did this...”. We want to know how you work and what your skills are so you can only be given points for things that you personally did – “I talked to my friends and I agreed that I would do this...” Always talk about 'I'.

Assumptions cannot be made about your contribution so if you don’t specify exactly what you did, the recruiting manager will not know.

The information you put on your application form needs to demonstrate what you understand about the criteria in the person specification. Make sure your answers show you understand the skill or ability you are demonstrating. Remember, if you don’t specify exactly what you did, the recruiting manager will not know.

Sometimes, people feel that examples should always be taken from their experiences in work. Not true! You can use examples from any area of your life, a lot of skills are transferable.

While it’s good to be aware of all your skills and experience, only provide those relevant to the person specification as this demonstrates your understanding of the role and means you don't waste time writing detail which will not be useful in shortlisting.

It’s a good idea to keep a note of your additional skills and experience as they may be useful if you're invited for interview.