Our Application Process - What to Expect
We welcome applications from everyone.
The House of Commons Careers Portal has a list of vacancies, including job descriptions and information on how to apply.
To apply for our roles, you’ll either need to submit your CV or fill out our online application form which usually includes questions specifically related to the role. You can save your application and come back to it any time before the deadline.
House of Commons Application Process
1. Apply
We'll ask you to submit a CV/Supporting Statement or Online Application Form via the House of Commons Careers Portal.
As a Disability Confident Leader, it's important that we're able to make appropriate arrangements or adjustments where necessary in order to create full and equal participation in the selection process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please tick the reasonable adjustments box on the application form and one of the Resourcing team will follow up with you.
2. Review
The Resourcing team will review your application with the recruiting panel. Applications are assessed against the criteria in the job description.
For specific roles, we may ask you to complete an online assessment as a part of our initial selection process.
3. Interview
If you are invited to interview, it will either take place virtually or face to face on the Parliamentary estate. The recruiting panel will ask you a combination of competency questions and role specific questions based on the criteria found in the job description.
Any additional requirements such as a presentation or interview test will be clearly communicated to you in advance of your interview.
4. Conditional offer
If your application is successful, we’ll make you a conditional offer for the position.
5. Onboarding/Security vetting
We'll ask you to complete our pre-employment checks which includes security vetting to Counter Terrorism Check level or higher. We'll check your right to work in the UK and will ask for your references for the last three years.
6. Formal offer
Once we've completed our pre-employment checks to a satisfactory level, we'll make you a formal offer for the position and confirm your start date.
7. Start
Before you start, we’ll make sure you have the right tools for the job – whether that’s a laptop or uniform. You'll be given an induction once you start your new role with us at the House of Commons.
Assessment and selection
For some roles we ask candidates to complete a test, presentation, or assessment as part of a selection process. These will always be relevant to the role we’re recruiting for, and the results will help us to understand more about your skills and experience.
For example, we might ask you to complete a written test to assess your ability to analyse information, or test your verbal or numerical reasoning skills, or ask you to deliver a presentation (where that’s appropriate to the role you’re applying for).
We’ll always give you notice of what we want you to do, plus advice on what we’re looking for and how to do your best.
Interviews
Currently most interviews are being conducted virtually, however in person interviews are beginning to restart on a case-by-case basis. If you're invited to an interview, the resourcing team will give you all the information you need, plus tips on how to prepare.
Interviews typically last 45 minutes and we’ll ask you questions focused on the criteria the role requires. Typically, these will be example-based questions that will give you the opportunity to talk us through your skills and experience in more detail. You can use the examples used in your application, or you can tell us about other relevant experience.
