Present the information in a clear, concise and persuasive way.

We will expect to see the following:

Personal details

When you registered with this site, you will have given us information including your name, address, phone number(s) and e-mail address. Because we already have this information, you need only provide your name and the personal reference number you were given when you registered. Please also include your preferred method of contact.

Educational and professional qualifications

A significant number of our jobs have particular educational or professional qualification requirements. Please tell us about all the qualifications and grades you have been awarded, especially those which have been highlighted in our job description as being critical to the role for which you are applying.

When we invite you for interview, we may check any of your application details (particularly your highest level of educational qualification) with, for example, Experian, a licensed credit reference agency. Before submitting your application, you are asked to agree to this action.

Employment history

Starting with your present or most recent employment, please tell us about all your jobs (full-time, part-time, voluntary or any periods of self employment). Describe your experience in short sentences or bullet points highlighting your achievements and general responsibilities.

If there are any gaps between jobs, it is important that you tell us about these, for example: career break, studying, travelling etc.

Please let us have the full name and addresses of your employers, past and present. Before making you an offer of employment, we will need to request references from those employers.

Experience and achievements

This is your opportunity to tell us why you are the best person for the job and your main reasons for applying. Study the description of the job you are applying for so that you can focus on your most relevant experience and achievements.

Some hints and tips

Good presentation of your application is essential to create the right impression.

Do:

• Highlight your achievements, not just your responsibilities Be concise and factual
• Make your most relevant experience and skills prominent, to assist us in assessing your suitability
• Check thoroughly for correct spelling and grammatical errors
• Preferably state your current salary and future salary expectations
• Quote job reference numbers

Don’t:

• Leave any gaps in your experience
• Use fonts and colours that are difficult to read
• Send out standard applications for different positions

Before the interview…

Naturally, your performance and presentation at interview will be vital in getting the job you want. We aim to give you at least one week’s notice of an interview, so that you have time to plan for it. Things you might like to prepare include:

• Some research about us, the job and the business area in which it operates via www.caa.co.uk
• What you might like to ask the interviewers – such as any points of clarification about the job or the selection process. Asking questions may help you decide if this is the right job for you. It will also help us to engage with you.
• Personal presentation. Many of our roles involve contact with customers or other professionals. Sometimes you even find yourself talking to government ministers! With this in mind, we do prefer everyone to dress appropriately and look smart.
• Your CV. Be prepared to discuss the detail of your CV with the interviewers.
• Make some clear notes about how your skills could be used in the role you have applied for. You may have developed relevant skills outside the workplace, so be sure to remember these as well.
• Familiarisation with the location of the interview. Allow sufficient time to get to the venue and register your arrival, prior to the stated interview time.

At the interview…

Do:

• Use your research about us as an organisation and the job in question. This will help you focus your answers and show enthusiasm and motivation.
• Remember that the interviewers are looking for evidence that you fit the role. Feel free to use notes that you prepared before the interview, if you prefer.
• Keep your answers structured, focused and concise. Start with an overview and expand where you feel it is necessary.
• Make sure you direct your answers to all parties if more than one person is interviewing you.
• Be open and honest about your strengths and development areas.
• Be aware of your body language. Frequent eye contact is good; folding your arms is not so impressive, etc.

Don’t

• Be late for the interview.
• Be afraid to ask for clarification on questions you don’t understand.
• Focus on the achievements of others, rather than your own personal achievements.
• Get distracted. Try to focus on the conversation.
• Feel unduly nervous. The interviewers want you to succeed, not to fail.

What sort of interviews do we conduct?

An interview is a two-way process enabling us to decide whether you are suited for a role. It is your chance to tell us about your achievements and potential.

We normally invite you to just one interview. Usually there will be 2 or 3 interviewers. This ‘panel’ can be composed of various people, but in general you can expect to be interviewed by the person responsible for the role you have applied for, plus someone from a related business area.

Similar questions will be asked of all candidates for each vacancy. The questions are intended to allow you to expand upon the information you provided in your application and to explain how you feel you meet the requirements of the job.

The interview will be used to explore your experience that is relevant to the job, your knowledge, achievements, motivation and potential. We will use your application and the criteria we have set for the job as the basis for questions, but you will also be asked questions which probe your individual experience of situations, in order to predict how you would react or behave in the future. You will be asked to give specific examples of situations that you have dealt with and what the outcomes were.

For certain posts, we may use additional selection methods, such as further interviews, practical exercises, personality questionnaires or presentations. If we intend to use any of these methods, you will be advised of such in your interview invitation letter.

Some questions you might have, and the relevant answers:

When will I be told whether my application has been successful?

We will try to let you know whether you will be offered a position as soon as possible after your interview - typically within one week of the final part of the selection process. It is not always possible to interview all candidates on the same day, or even in the same week, so the timing does vary.

Should I expect some feedback on how I got on at interview?

We do not automatically provide feedback to candidates on their interview, but please feel free to contact the recruitment administrator who communicated with you during the selection process. They may be able to help with your request.

Will I automatically be contacted for similar vacancies, if I am unsuccessful at interview this time?

It is often impractical to compare applications for one vacancy with other vacancies, unless the interviewers have particular knowledge of the other role and compelling evidence that a candidate they have seen would be suitable. However, should it prove practical, we may ask your permission to pass your details to another set of managers who will determine your suitability before progressing the matter.

In the case of vacancies for which we recruit frequently, it may sometimes happen that you demonstrate the required skills and experience at interview but are not chosen as the closest match. Instead we might suggest to you that we keep your details on file for the next vacancy. As a rule, though, we do not keep waiting lists. If you are interested in a particular role, please use the RSS feed/personalised log-in on this website to receive notification when vacancies are posted.

I would like to be considered for a different position - will I have to complete a separate application?

In most cases, yes, you will, as we cannot retain applications indefinitely. Also, unless the vacancy is substantially similar to the first, you will probably wish to tailor your application to the particular requirements of the new job.

Under current legislation employers are required to ensure that they do not employ illegal workers. This legislation came into force on 1 May 2004. Should you require details on this subject, please either contact the Home Office directly or see:

www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

You should be aware that all candidates invited for interview will be asked to provide the following documentation.

A.   Right to Work in the UK

In order to demonstrate a legal right to work in the UK and at the CAA you will need to produce originals of the following from either List 1 or List 2:

     List 1

1. United Kingdom passport; or
2. A passport certifying that the holder has the right to abode in the United Kingdom; or
3. A passport or national identity card, issued by a state which is a party to the European Economic Area Agreement; or
4. United Kingdom residence permit issued to a national of a State which is a party to the European Economic Area Agreement or any other agreement forming part of the Communities Treaties which confers rights of entry to or residence in the United Kingdom; or
5. A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, has indefinite leave to enter, or remain in, the United Kingdom or has no time limit left on his or her stay; or
6. A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder has current leave to enter, or remain, in the United Kingdom and is permitted to take employment in question, provided that it does not require the issue of a work permit; or
7. A Registration Card, which indicates that the holder is entitled to take employment in the United Kingdom.

If you unable to produce any of the above, please see List 2 below.

     List 2

This covers combinations of documents (we must see both documents in the combination list).

First combination

1. A document issued by a previous employer, Inland Revenue, the Department for Work and Pensions’ Jobcentre Plus, the Employment Service, the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) or the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, which contains the National Insurance number of the person named in the document;
   
   AND one of the following documents from (2-8)


2. a full UK birth certificate containing the name of at least one parent; or
3. a certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen; or
4. a letter issued by the Home Office, to the holder, which indicates that the person named on it has been granted indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom; or
5. an Immigration Status Document; or
6. a letter issued by the Home Office, to the holder, which indicates that the person named on it has subsisting Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom and is entitled to take the employment in question in the United Kingdom; or
7. an Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office, to the holder, endorsed with a United Kingdom Residence Permit, which indicates that the holder has been granted Limited Leave to Enter or Remain in the United Kingdom and is entitled to take the employment in question in the United Kingdom.

Second combination

1. A work permit or other approval to take employment issued by Work Permits UK;
   
   AND either:


2. a passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder has current Leave to Enter, or Remain in the United Kingdom and is permitted to take the work permit employment in question; or
3. a letter issued by the Home Office to the holder, confirming the same.

B    Additional information required in relation to security clearance

Proof of residence at a given address, such as a bill from one of the public utilities (e.g. water, electricity or gas) or a Council Tax bill.

The following is an abridged version of guidance information published by the Government in April 1996. If you wear spectacles or contact lenses you should regard your vision with that assistance to be your normal vision and only answer ‘yes’ to the question if you still have substantial impairment. Any other medication or equipment you may use which helps impairment, such as an artificial limb, hearing aid etc., should be disregarded when you answer the question.

Substantial

Means more than minor. Examples may include: inability to see moving traffic clearly enough to cross a road safely inability to turn taps or knobs inability to remember and relay simple messages

Long term

Means that it: has lasted at least 12 months or is likely to last at least 12 months or the rest of your life or is likely to recur at least once beyond the 12-month period following the first occurrence

Day to day activities

Include the following broad categories:

• Physical mobility
• Manual dexterity
• Physical Co-ordination
• Continence
• Ability to lift, carry or move ordinary objects
• Speech, hearing or eyesight
• Memory, or ability to concentrate, learn or understand
• Ability to recognise physical danger

We are committed to equality of opportunity. To help us monitor our progress in achieving this, and to ensure our policy is effective, we ask all applicants to provide us with their gender, ethnic group, date of birth and whether or not they have a disability. This information enables us to identify and correct any potential barriers that may disproportionately affect particular groups.   

You don’t have to complete this part of the form, but the information helps us to ensure that our processes are as fair as possible to everybody. The information you provide is treated in confidence and will only be used for general monitoring purposes. The questionnaire is separated from the application form when it is received, and does not form any part of the selection process.