Our Hiring Process

It begins with your application, where you'll provide details of your skills and experience relevant to the role. If shortlisted, your hiring manager will invite you for an interview to explore your suitability further. Upon a successful interview, you'll receive a formal offer, followed by necessary employment checks, such as references and background verification. Your hiring manager will keep you informed at each step, ensuring a seamless transition into your new role.

Our hiring process follows the key steps below.

1 / Application

Whether you are referred by a friend or family member, or you apply via a job advertisement, your application starts here. We aim to make the application process as straightforward and accessible as possible.

2 / Interview

We aim to notify all applicants about whether or not they are shortlisted for interview within two weeks of their application. Sometimes processes take a little longer, but feel free to reach out to the recruitment team for an update if you have not heard back within three weeks. If you are invited for an interview you will be given plenty of notice to help you make the arrangements to attend.

3 / Offer

Congratulations for making it to this stage! We look forward to welcoming you to our team.

4 / Employment Checks

As part of our hiring process, we undertake a number of common checks to ensure our organisation remains a safe and fair place to work. We will take employment references, ask you to complete a medical questionnaire, and undergo criminality / DBS checks as part of this process. We will also ensure that you have eligibility to work in the UK and will require proof of identity. You may be asked to provide evidence of educational qualifications and certificates, depending on the role you are applying for.

We are committed to equal opportunities and make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to allow you to be your best at work. We want our workplace to reflect the community we serve, so whatever your background, we encourage you to be transparent during this part of your journey with us.

If there is something you would like to talk to us about before these checks take place, please reach out to the team for a confidential conversation.

OnBoarding

We provide a comprehensive onboarding experience to help you settle in and thrive from day one.

At West Berkshire Council, our onboarding process is designed to ensure you feel supported and prepared from day one. Your manager will ensure you receive all the necessary equipment for your role, so you can hit the ground running. We'll provide you with essential online training modules to help you understand our systems, policies, and values. Our goal is to make your transition into the team as seamless as possible and set you up for success in your new role.

IT

If your role requires it, you'll have a laptop set up with your personalised IT access ready and installed on your first day, so you can hit the ground running.

Access Pass

Get around the buildings freely with the right security access from day one.

Training

We offer online training modules to ensure you know how to keep yourself safe at work. This training is designed to help you integrate smoothly and understand our workplace policies and procedures.