Find a job | Our Recruitment Process
THE DEDICATION THAT OUR COLLEAGUES SHOW FOR OUR COMMUNITY EACH DAY IS PRICELESS
Our approach to recruitment
We’re proud to employ some of the very best talent in the Derbyshire and beyond. Their talent and dedication are what make our force so successful. In order to select those people, we apply an objective process and provide a world-class candidate experience. Our process is built on ensuring equality of opportunity for all and appointing the best person for the job.
We celebrate diversity. Our community is incredibly diverse, so we should be, too. That’s why we’re working hard to build an inclusive workforce, where you can be yourself. Whoever you are. Wherever you’re from. We’re currently under-represented in a number of areas and recognise that this message needs to reach talented individuals who can add diverse skills and experiences to our organisation.
We're always pleased to hear from talented people. So if you have any questions about the opportunities that we have available across the force, or if there's anything else you'd like to know before you apply (or indeed during the recruitment process), please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Our typical recruitment process
Your recruitment experience may differ slightly depending on the role that you’re applying for. But the process does contain some core aspects - application, shortlisting, interview, pre-employment checks and offer. Whatever the process, you can be sure that we’ll keep you informed of your progress.
What to expect
Police Officer and Special Constable:
All applicants must be a UK Citizen, EU Citizen with EU Settled Status, a Commonwealth Citizen or Foreign National with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom. Whether or not you were born in the United Kingdom, you should have lived here for the three years immediately preceding your application.
For all other roles:
All applicants must be a UK Citizen, EU Citizen with EU Settled or Pre-Settled status, a Commonwealth Citizen or Foreign National with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom. Whether or not you were born in the United Kingdom, you should have lived here for the three years immediately preceding your application.
You must also be between 17 and 57 years old on the date of submitting your application.
You must declare any previous spent and unspent convictions and have a basic background check to get Security Check level clearance. Applicants with cautions, convictions or reprimands, other than some motoring offences, may not be accepted.
You will be sent interview guidance if you are invited to interview. This will provide a comprehensive guide to the interview process. If you are required to do a presentation a briefing will also be sent to you via the E-Recruitment portal so you are able to prepare. You will also be advised on the location of the interview in this invitation.
Interviews are scheduled frequently and slots will be released on E-Recruitment once these have been arranged.
Once you have booked an interview slot, you will receive an additional email that will provide names of the interview panel.
We advise that the dress code for interviews is smart attire. Please refer to the interview confirmation email, which states what documentation you will need to bring with you. If you are successful for the role, your ID will be required to send to the vetting department so it is important the correct documentation is brought in.
You will be advised of your result within 5 working days, after the interviews have taken place you will also receive your feedback along with your result. This is the only feedback we can provide and it will come directly from the panel.
If you are successful the recruitment team will be in touch shortly regarding your pre-employment checks and documentation to complete. You will not receive a formal offer of appointment until all pre-employment checks are cleared.
Please speak to the recruitment team if you cannot make your interview slot by calling 0300 122 8900 or emailing Recruitment@derbyshire.pnn.police.uk.
If you are successful at the interview stage your offer is conditional to successfully clearing pre-employment checks.
If you are currently employed, please do not hand in your notice until you have received a contract of employment from the force. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a guide on how long the pre-employment checks will take, due to individual circumstances and level of checks required.
You will be asked to complete a medical health questionnaire and eyesight test form, please return these documents within 10 working days. Depending upon the role you have applied for and the current COVID guidance you may be required to attend a medical appointment with our Occupational health team at force headquarters.
You will receive further information about the medical appointment upon invite. You will be required to undertake a drugs screening which will take the form of two small amounts of hair are taken from the base of your head. You will receive more information regarding this in your drugs screening invitation. If you have any concerns around a hair sample being taken, please contact recruitment@derbyshire.police.uk.
Vetting helps to reassure the public that the appropriate checks are conducted on individuals who are in a position of trust. It also identifies areas of vulnerability which could damage public confidence in the force or the wider police service.
We aim to issue your offer letter 4-6 weeks before your start date. When you have passed all pre-employment checks, your line manager or the recruitment team will contact you to arrange a start date, this is when you should look at handing your notice in at your current employment.
A Welcome Pack will be sent to you with your contract of employment and offer letter which contains useful insights into working for the police. You will need to complete the documentation contained within the pack.
We require a wet signature to process the acceptance of your offer of employment.
Making a great application
Preparing your application
When you have found the job you would like to apply for, don't start filling in the application form straight away. Take some time to prepare, as this will make the task much easier. Gather together all of the information that you'll need, including details of your academic achievements and training, your employment history, your referees, any criminal and financial history and photos of any tattoos on your hands, forearms, face and neck. Finally, read the instructions carefully to ensure that you complete the sections correctly and in full on the application form.
Making a great application
Writing your application
Our vacancies are advertised on our careers website. Each advert will detail the purpose of the role, responsibilities and essential job specific criteria required for the role. Before you make your application you should carefully read the job advert and or job description and assure that you can provide sufficient evidence to meet the core skills and job specific criteria for the post. You should plan the completion of your application being mindful of the closing date for the vacancy, as this is a fixed date that will not be negotiated (except where a reasonable adjustment is appropriate and has been agreed beforehand).
Making a great application
Submit your application
When you’ve found a position that you’re interested in you'll have to complete an online application form via our E-Recruitment Portal to be considered.
If it is your first time applying for a position, you will need to register for an account on E-Recruitment. This can be done by clicking “apply” and the portal will ask you to register. You can track the status of your application and view correspondence through this. If you log into the E-Recruitment portal, and click into “Your applications”, you will be able to view the status of your application, communication history, your application form and any other relevant updates.
You will be contacted via the E-Recruitment portal after the vacancy has closed regarding the next stage of the process.
Making a great application
Performing well at interview
The interview is a competitive process - not everyone we see can be offered a job, even if they all interview well. Your goal is to be the preferred candidate by providing high-quality evidence and creating a good impression. We want you to be yourself. But there are ways to ensure interviewers see you at your best. One thing you can do to make a real difference is to prepare. The more comfortable and familiar you are with the demands of the job you’ve applied for and how you can personally add value to it, the better you’ll come across at interview.
Our recruitment team
People are the key to our organisation's success, and we pride ourselves on our friendly and highly effective approach. We don’t want you to feel like a number, despite the volume of positions that we recruit for we want you to know that we’re always on the end of the phone if you ever need anything.
We want to get the best out of you, allow you to really show yourself at your best and really get to know you. We’re always looking for new ways to improve our knowledge, advance the service we offer and develop our processes to make them as clear and efficient as possible. So, if you’ve got any feedback please let us know!
We also listen to you if you feel that you want your unsuccesful application reviewed, and you can see your rights in this regard in our appeals policy.
