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Getting the right information from your applicants, so you can find and shortlist people who share your values and vision. 

Getting the right information from your applicants, so you can find and shortlist people who share your values and vision. 

Job application processes should be as simple and accessible as possible. The process should help candidates to understand what your values and culture are.  

Candidates should be able to share how they live up to, and are aligned with, your values and culture. This is important because it:   

  • doesn’t put off people who are thinking about applying to work with an application process that is long or inaccessible to them 
  • encourages candidates to think about how their own values and behaviours align with the culture and values of your care home before they apply to work for you 
  • sets clear expectations of the behaviours and values you, children, and young people, will want to see 
  • tells you more about the candidate – beyond the safeguarding and employment information – so you can make safe and fair recruitment decisions about their suitability to work in your residential care home. 

How to collect and assess values and behaviours information in the application process

You can collect and assess values and behaviours information in the application process by: 

  • explaining the values and behaviours you expect from candidates in a recruitment pack, so they can think about how they’d show these in their application 
  • asking candidates at the application stage, in the application form or cover letter, to give you examples – from their work, volunteering, or any other experiences – of when they have shown your values and behaviours 
  • including values and behaviours in your shortlisting criteria, and shortlist candidates who have shown your values in practice in their application 
  • training people who do the shortlisting to know the values and behaviours you’re looking for, and how to spot whether candidates have shown them in their application. 

Resources

Here are some resources to support you to include your values and behaviours in your application and shortlisting processes. 

Top tips for making values part of your application process – Social Care Wales 

Explains how to design a values-based application process, from the application form to shortlisting.