Candidate FAQs
We’re a local, independent recruitment agency and, for that reason, you can trust us to pay attention to you. As an efficient team, we guarantee that we’ll always have the time to focus on you, so you’ll never be a CV in a pile or a number on a database – you’ll become a truly valued and respected part of our team.
We do our utmost best to place you in suitable jobs that match your skills and interests, although we have offered work to candidates that they never considered before, and it has turned out to be the job of their dreams!
We have great connections and strong relationships with a variety of businesses across North Cumbria and South West Scotland to save you from spending hours searching for the right job.
If formal interviews make you nervous we can assure you that you have nothing to worry about coming to see us
We believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity for employment, so we make sure that everyone is taken into consideration and given the chance for recruitment.
We’re optimistic people which means that we like to look at life as a glass half-full. We focus on your forte and capitalise on your strengths, so we’ll look at your transferrable skills to find your true potential and broaden your prospects, paving your path to employment.
We do our utmost best to place you in suitable jobs that match your skills and interests – the goal is to remain open-minded whilst we search for the best fit for you!
Whether temporary work is a want or a need, we have your back – there’s no shame in temping! It’s an ideal way of enhancing your CV and exploring different working environments in a variety of jobs, especially if you’re unsure of what career path you want to take. Temporary work can often lead to permanent employment too, so it can be a great way to experience a job before making a more long-term commitment – it can also be an ideal way to earn some income for those who are unable to make a long-term commitment to an employer.
We are responsible for paying temporary workers. We take care of all your tax, National Insurance and pension contributions where applicable – and we ALWAYS pay on time. We’ll even reward the milestones along your employment journey!
Easy! Just email us your C.V or you can leave a few basic details and we will contact you. You will need to have a telephone number for us to be able to contact you.
If we think we can help you, we will invite you into our office to register in person at a mutually convenient time. When you come, you’ll need to bring some ID with you. When you’re here you’ll need to fill in a medical questionnaire, a skills profile and watch or read and complete any relevant induction material. After that you’ll have an informal chat with one of us and we will establish what area of work you are looking to get into, the skills you have to offer, the hours you can work and your salary expectations and then if applicable we’ll discuss any vacancies that match your expectations or that we think you could do but maybe haven’t considered. You’ll also receive a copy of the Terms of Engagement for Agency Workers (Contract for Services) which outlines our and your obligations.
After that we’ll do the rest!
We need 1 of;
- A passport (current or expired) showing the holder.
- A passport or passport card (current or expired) showing that the holder is a national of the Republic of Ireland.
- A current document issued by the Home Office to a family member of an EEA or Swiss citizen, and which indicates that the holder is permitted to stay in the United Kingdom indefinitely.
- A document issued by the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey or the Isle of Man, which has been verified as valid by the Home Office Employer Checking Service, showing that the holder has been granted unlimited leave to enter or remain under Appendix EU to the Jersey Immigration Rules, Appendix EU to the Immigration (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Rules 2008 or Appendix EU to the Isle of Man Immigration Rules.
- A current Biometric Immigration Document (biometric residence permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder indicating that the person named is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
- A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK, has the right of abode in the UK, or has no time limit on their stay in the UK.
- A current Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the named person is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK or has no time limit on their stay in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer. Initial check before employment Follow-up check on an employee
- A birth or adoption certificate issued in the UK, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer
. 9. A birth or adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number and their name issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
- A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, together with an official document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance number.
We also need proof of address – we need 1 of.
Full UK Driving licence
utility bill
bank or building society book or statement or mortgage letter
Solicitor’s letter
Council tax or rent letter
HMRC NI/Tax or self- assessment letter
NHS medical card or letter from doctor to say you are registered at that surgery
The above information is taken from HMRC guidance only. Additional information may be required.
We will liaise with the relevant client/s and, if necessary, arrange an interview, informal chat, induction time or find out start times and dates.
We’ll then contact you to explain everything you need to know about the role/s we have to offer you. We’ll give you as much information as possible e.g. hours of work, duties, pay, duration, location, and travel directions so that you can decide if you would like to be put forward or start the role. You’ll also get written confirmation of the details from us if you decide to accept the job we’re offering you. If you don’t like the sound of what we have to offer you, just be honest with us – you don’t have to accept work that you don’t like!
We’ll call you when you’ve started, just to check how you are getting on and then keep in touch during the assignment. We’re at the end of the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you need any help or advice.
If we have nothing suitable to offer you immediately, we will contact you when we do.
Our temporary candidates have peace of mind knowing that we are responsible for their payments: We take care of all their tax, National Insurance and pension contributions where applicable – and we ALWAYS pay on time. We’ll even reward the milestones along your employment journey!
Our state pension provider is NEST. You are paid weekly in arrears, this means that any work you do between Monday and Sunday (week 1) will be paid to you on the following Friday (week 2). You will be paid by BACS transfer, which means you need to have a bank account for us to pay you. We do not deal with any cash payments. Your payslip is sent out via Royal Mail directly to your home address, so please remember to advise us if you do change address.
Great! We’ll be sorry to see you go, but just give us a call and as much notice as possible so that we can replace you in your current role. If you’re not working for us already, just let us know so that we don’t put you in an awkward position by contacting you in your new role to offer you work elsewhere.
We hold all details of our registered candidates indefinitely, so if you’re ever out of work in the future just get back in touch with us and we’ll get everything updated and hopefully get you back out working for us ASAP.
Yes. Please make sure it is up to date and upload your CV along with some notes about the type of job and business environment you are interested in, the hours of work you desire, how far you are able or prepared to travel and your salary expectations.
We will contact you to discuss any vacancies that we have to offer which meet your expectations and if we have something of interest we will invite you into our office to register in person, go through more in depth details and give us your permission in writing, before we put your CV forward to any of our clients. We’ll then liaise with you to make interview arrangements.
We will give you a full outline of the job you’ve been put forward for. If necessary, we will advise you to do some research of your own. The more prepared you are, the more chance you have of getting the job.
It is advisable to go on the company’s website so that you have a good knowledge of what they do. Prepare some general questions, but you’ll maybe also want to ask something more specific. Make sure you fully understand the job description and if there’s anything you’re still uncertain about, ask one of us and if we don’t know, we’ll find out for you.
We will advise you of the dress code, but remember first impressions are critical! Arrive in good time and make sure you know who to ask for. If you’re uncertain about the location of the company or how long it will take to get there, do a trial run ahead of the day. At the interview make sure you listen and answer questions fully without waffling and be yourself! If the role is really appealing, let them know. You could also ask, if it is not explained, what the next stage in the recruitment process will be.
Call our office as soon as possible after your interview with your feedback and let us know how keen you are/aren’t on the job. This will help us when we speak with the client. If you’re not successful at an interview, we’ll always try to give you feedback, which could be helpful for future interviews.
We don’t provide a CV writing service but below are some pointers to help you to put one together.
Your CV is your most important sales tool and you want it to sell you. Make sure you check it for spelling mistakes and any errors which predictive text may have caused– potential employers will disregard CVs with mistakes. It should be easy to follow and your contact details need to be correct and appropriate. Sexymama, Raging Bulldog and Hotrod are examples of unsuitable email addresses when applying for work! Your CV should be no more than 2 pages of A4 in a simple font and have a clear and uncluttered layout. List your jobs starting from the most recent, put the company name, your job title and the dates you worked there and then your responsibilities in bullet form-you can expand on these at interview. If there are any gaps in your employment, explain them or if you have done temporary work, don’t leave it out. It is better to show that you have done some work rather than none.
Include a personal profile, your education and qualifications as well as any relevant skills you have. Don’t exaggerate your CV as you will be caught out!
