Hopefully, by now you have found a vacancy that interests you and matches your abilities. In this section we provide guidance to help you with your application – everything you need to know from preparing your application through to what to expect from the interview process.
On this website we have featured current vacancies and frequently advertised opportunities. These listings describe the roles and identify the qualifications, skills, experience and personal qualities we seek from applicants. If the job you are interested in is a frequently advertised opportunity, you may also be able to read a profile of one of our people who does that job. You can browse the website at your leisure or use the Search facility to find the job that interests you and to see if it is a frequently advertised opportunity.
If you have not found a vacancy but you know the sort of role you would be interested in applying for, you can use the RSS feed/personalised log-in on this website to register your interest. When a position becomes vacant, you will receive a notification that the opportunity is being advertised.
If you have not seen a reference to the type of role that interests you, or if you are thinking of applying to the CAA on a speculative basis, you are advised to read our list of Frequently Asked Questions. The answers to these cover everything from work experience and graduate recruitment to Air Traffic Control.
Please remember that the information you provide in your application will help us to decide whether or not you will be shortlisted for an interview. Take your time to study the job requirements, to write your CV correctly and to complete the application in full. The guidance notes below will help you check that you’ve covered everything.
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 qualificationsA 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 historyStarting 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 achievementsThis 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 tipsGood presentation of your application is essential to create the right impression.
Do: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:
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.
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.
You should be aware that all candidates invited for interview will be asked to provide the following documentation.
A. Right to Work in the UKIn 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 1If you unable to produce any of the above, please see List 2 below.
List 2This covers combinations of documents (we must see both documents in the combination list).
First combinationProof 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.
SubstantialMeans 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 termMeans 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
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.