Take time to prepare and understand what we expect to see in your application documents.
How do I apply?
Our jobs are always advertised on:
If you decide to apply for a job with us, you will need to register for an account on myjobscotland or login if you have an existing account. This website is also used by councils across Scotland and other public sector organisations, so you can use the same account if you have applied to any of these organisations previously. You can save your application and come back to it at any time.
We are seeing an increasing number of CVs and application form responses that have been generating using AI and will shortly be implementing software to run AI checks. Please avoid using AI and show us your true self.
Forms of application
Depending on the role, we usually ask for applications in one of two ways:
- CV and cover letter
- CV and application form (with or without behaviours)
CV and cover letter
Your CV presents the first opportunity to truly impress, so make sure it's up to date, easy to read and paints an accurate picture of your most relevant skills and experience for the job. This might mean you have to tailor the order and focus for different jobs to ensure the hiring manager can quickly see relevant information.
As a general guide:
- Present your most recent experience first, working backwards to your early career.
- When detailing your experience, include your employer, job title, dates of employment and main duties/any achievements.
- If the content of older jobs is no longer relevant, just list employer, job title and dates.
- If there are specific educational requirements for the role, ensure they appear on the first page. If not, education can appear after work experience.
- A short ‘profile’ can be helpful, but avoid generic statements, ensure it adds something to the CV and always check it is still relevant for the role you are applying for.
- Two pages should be sufficient for most roles. Academic/research applicants may choose to provide additional information on research and citations.
Your cover letter is your opportunity to identify how you meet the essential education, knowledge, experience and any behavioural requirements of the role detailed in the person specification.
- Direct the reader to relevant experience on your CV and provide more detail about how you meet each requirement, providing examples wherever possible and highlighting relevant achievements.
- Although desirable requirements are a bonus, they might be the difference between you and the next candidate, so don’t ignore them.
- The cover letter provides more freedom for personal style and creativity than a standard application form, so be sure to use that freedom to reflect your true style and nature.
CV and application form (with or without behaviours)
The CV guidance provided still applies for roles requiring CV, together with an application form.
When we provide an application form, we break down the key requirements of the role into four sections and ask you to respond to them individually:
- Qualifications and Professional Memberships
- Knowledge
- Experience
- Behaviours (not always included, depending on the role)
These correspond directly to the requirements on the person specification, which you should take time to study and highlight any relevant experience/achievements, as directed in the cover letter section.
If you have completed an application with RGU previously, it may copy over the last responses you completed. Do not be tempted to leave this content without reviewing it, as the requirements for the current job are unlikely to be the same.
When providing evidence against the behaviours, be sure to read the guidance in the application. In this section, we are specifically looking for examples of situations you have experienced that demonstrate that behaviour/competency. So, if you were asked to demonstrate how you have provided exceptional service to a customer:
- DON’T make generic statements such as: ‘I always go above and beyond in my job and ensure people receive exceptional service… ‘
- DO provide specific examples such as: ‘In my role at…..I noticed that the ….process was not very efficient, so I surveyed x customers to understand what the main issues were, then made the following suggestions for change to my manager…….’
What happens after I apply?
You will notified by email that your application has been received and all future communication will be sent by email.
Once the closing date has passed, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager and you will normally be contacted within 10 working days to either invite you to interview, or advise if you have been unsuccessful. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to provide feedback as to why you have been unsuccessful.
In some circumstances, you may be invited to interview before the closing date has passed, although final decisions will only be made once all applicants have been reviewed.
If you have been selected for interview, you will usually be invited to choose a convenient interview slot. Once a slot has been selected, you will receive a confirmation email with further details of the interview, but you can generally expect a number of questions around your relevant experience for the role, as well as a series of behavioural questions. You can find the behaviours in the person specification for the role and you will be asked to provide examples of situations you have experienced, that demonstrate each of the behaviours.
The majority of our interviews are held on campus with panels of 2-4 interviewers, but if you have any special requirements for the interview, you will be provided with contact details in your invitation to arrange this.
What happens after the interview?
Applicants will be notified of the outcome within 5 working days of the interview, but the hiring manager would normally aim to contact successful applicants within 24-48 hours to make a verbal offer and agree a provisional start date. A formal contract will follow by email as soon as possible.
Diversity monitoring
We will always ask you to complete a diversity questionnaire so that we can continue to monitor our efforts to improve diversity. This information will only be used for statistical purposes and is not seen by anyone involved in the selection process. Your application will not be affected if you choose not to complete this form.