Appoint the successful candidate

Making a selection decision; Making an offer; Probation periods; Completing the interview record and offer details forms

Making a selection decision

Once you have seen all of the candidates, you will need to assess the extent to which each one met your selection criteria, based on evidence they gave from the questioning and any tests or exercises. It is very tempting to start comparing the candidates against one another; however, it is best practice (and minimizes the risk of discrimination) to try to stick to looking at how they each meet the person specification and selecting the individual who best fits this profile.

Some panels like to construct a scoring system. This could be something fairly simple such as looking at each area of criteria and assigning, 'Fully met', Partially met' or Not met' to each one. You will need to decide on what constitutes evidence for each category before you start the process. It is not essential to follow this sort of system. However, it can be useful in justifying decisions and making them as objective as possible.

The most important thing to remember is that you will need to be able to justify your decision, and you must complete the Interview Record & Offer Details Forms for each candidate, stating brief reasons why they were successful or unsuccessful. Many interview panels have a second choice candidate who is a suitable appointee, if the first candidate declines the offer. This should be marked clearly on the Interview Record and Offer Details Form.

Making an offer

Once the panel has made their decision, the Chair of the panel should verbally offer the position to the successful candidate (please refer to the Selection Code of the Recruitment Policy for further details). If the Chair is unable to make the offer, the Human Resources Manager for your area may do so on your behalf. Please keep your Human Resources Manager informed of when an offer has been made so that they can ensure that the candidate is contacted promptly and that the correct documentation is sent out as soon as possible.

• When a verbal offer of employment is made, all the relevant information from the Interview Record & Offer Details form should be covered; the key points are:

• The salary scale and the increment that the candidate is to be appointed to, including London Allowance

• The start date and hours/pattern of work

• The offer is subject to receipt of two satisfactory references

• For some senior and all manual and catering posts, posts which involve dealing with animals, and any appointment where there is concern about the ability of the appointee to fulfill the requirements of the job (and adjustments may need to be made), a satisfactory medical report from the College Health Centre (CIHS) will be required

• Verification of certain qualifications where appropriate

• Verification of the individual’s right to work in the UK, and where required, receipt of a valid work permit issued to the College by the Home Office

• There is a probationary period of six months for support staff, or up to three years for academic staff.

Probation periods

New appointees to academic posts are subject to a probationary period of up to three years, dependant on their experience and qualifications. Please indicate on the Interview Record and Offer Details Form if the probation is to be less than three years. New appointees to all other professional, research and support posts are subject to a six months probation period. Please refer to the Probationary Policy, which is available on the web, or from the Human Resources Team before making the offer to the successful candidate. The probationary period should be discussed at the interview.

Please note that existing Birkbeck employees whom have already completed their probationary period will not be required to complete another period of probation if they are successful in obtaining an internal appointment. They should, however, have some form of induction into their new role, where they receive the appropriate support and training.

Completing the interview record and offer details forms

The Chair of the panel must complete an Interview Record and Offer Details form for each candidate, even if they did not attend, and return them to the Human Resources Team immediately so that a contract can be sent to the successful candidate, and the unsuccessful candidates can be notified of the decision. 

If the successful candidate wishes to consider the offer of employment for a few days it is recommended that a deadline (of not more than 5 working days) be agreed by which time the candidate will communicate his/her decision to the Chair. In such circumstances the Interview Record and Offer Details forms should still be returned to the Human Resources Team immediately after the offer has been made with a covering note stating the situation. If there is another appointable candidate this should be clearly noted and he/she will be sent a holding letter. Once the Chair has been notified of the candidate’s decision he/she should inform the Human Resources Team in writing.

A copy of the appointment letter is sent to the School Manager and to the Executive Dean/Director of Professional Service Department. Candidates are welcome to contact the Human Resources Team if there are any questions. Please note that due to their legal status, written offers of employment should only be sent by Human Resources, and not directly by Schools/Professional Service Departments.