Application hints and tips

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Where to send your application

Applications should be sent by email to: recruitment@oft.gsi.gov.uk

Or by post to:

Recruitment Team
The Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London
EC4Y 8JX

to arrive no later than the date and time specified in the advert.

Please state the reference number on all correspondence.

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What to include in your application

Please include in your application:

A comprehensive CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements, and details of your current salary and benefits (in confidence). Please include full contact details.

A succinct covering letter (max three pages), setting out how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the posts. For more information and guidance, see Preparing for competency based selection (pdf 156kb).

Please provide a statement that you have no actual or perceived conflicts of interest or if you are unsure then the details of any such conflicts. In most cases these will be manageable.

Contact details of two referees together with a brief statement detailing for how long, and in what capacity, they have known you. Referees will not be contacted prior to preliminary interview or taken without the prior consent of candidates;

Please also complete and return a Diversity Monitoring Form and Nationality and Immigration Status Form. This does not form any part of the recruitment process and is not seen by the panel. It allows recruitment to meet their monitoring and reporting requirements.

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The application process

Normally, within two weeks of the closing date for applications, we will contact you to let you know if you have been shortlisted.

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Diversity monitoring and national and immigration status

All Government Departments are required to carry out basic security checks, known as the 'Baseline Standard' before recruiting new staff. These checks are to ensure that before an offer of employment is made the following four requirements have been met:

• A candidate's identity has been established - candidates called for interview are required to bring their passport with them
• Recent employment details have been confirmed.
• There are no restrictions to the candidate living or working in the UK - all applicants are requested to return a completed Nationality and Immigration Status form.
• Details of any unspent convictions have been declared.

These processes are all carried out under the principles of the Data Protection Act. Only relevant and sufficient information is requested, it is treated in the strictest confidence and will not be kept for any longer than is necessary. Refusing to provide any of the information requested will be a factor taken into consideration in any employment decision. 

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Security clearance

Please note that there are a few roles at the Office of Fair Trading which require a higher level of security clearance. You will be advised if this applies to you. 

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Diversity monitoring Form

We need to carry out diversity monitoring in order to meet our statutory obligations and to ensure our selection processes are fair. Please help us to do this by completing this form. You are not obliged to do so, or you may choose not to answer all the questions. Any personal data provided will be treated in strict confidence and will be used for monitoring purposes only. The information you provide will not be seen by the Selection Panel, nor will it affect the selection process.

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Nationality and immigration status form

Your application cannot be processed if this form is not completed. Where applicable, documentary evidence to support the information given will be required before any subsequent offer of employment is made. As a government department, the Office of Fair Trading can only consider applications from UK nationals; Commonwealth Citizens or nationals of EEA countries. 

For further information about our eligibility requirements, please refer to the FAQs.

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