About us and our recruitment process

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Why work with us?

The University of Sheffield is a world-class institution renowned for its pioneering research, innovative teaching, and strong commitment to social responsibility. We are a vibrant community of talented individuals, dedicated to making a difference.

Our Mission

To be a global force for positive change through outstanding research, innovative teaching, and engagement with our communities.

Our Vision

• To be a world-leading university, recognised for excellence in teaching and research.
• To be a catalyst for innovation and societal impact.
• To be a diverse and inclusive community, where everyone feels valued and empowered.
• To be a sustainable institution, committed to environmental responsibility.

Our Values

• We are ambitious and strive for excellence in all that we do.
• We believe in collaborative working.
• We champion an inclusive and diverse community.
• We are responsible – for our people and the wider world.
• We are open and transparent about the decisions we make.

Join Us

We offer a wide range of career opportunities for talented individuals, from academics and researchers to technical and professional services staff. As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to:

• Advance your career in a collaborative environment, in a fantastic city, with a welcoming community.
• Shape the future of UK Higher Education.
• Work with world-leading experts and equipment in your field.
• Access a broad range of benefits - from flexible working schemes to retail discounts.
• Contribute to groundbreaking research.
• Make a positive impact on society - both in Sheffield city region and beyond.

To explore our current vacancies and apply, please visit our careers website (opens in a new window).

Disabled Candidates

We are a Disability Confident Employer (opens in a new window), and we are committed to inclusive recruitment and workplace practices.

If you consider yourself to have a disability, you can  tell us about this on our application form, or at any other time during the recruitment process. 

If you need any adjustments during the process, please let us know and we will endeavour to provide these for you. If you are invited to the interview/ assessment stage, we also ask all candidates if they need any adjustments as we want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability.

For further information please see our Disabled job applicants guidance (opens in a new window).

What will the recruiting department be looking for?

The recruiting department will aim to select the applicants best suited to undertake the role successfully based on the evidence provided in relation to the person specification criteria indicated to be “assessed at application. Applicants successful at this stage will be invited to the next stage of assessment. This will normally include an interview combined with some other form of activity, such as a presentation, written test or practical test relevant to the role.

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to the selection panel that they should select you to go through to the next stage assessment. Remember that the selection panel will only be able to base their decisions upon the information provided in your application. We regularly receive high numbers of applications for many of our roles, so invest the time in ensuring that your application stands out. Provide the selection panel with a full picture of your ability to undertake the role by submitting a well-structured, informative and interesting application.

How to Apply

If you would like to apply for one of our roles, please apply online via our recruitment  system, SuccessFactors (opens in a new window). To apply, you will need to set up an account, if you have not done so already.

Please note - any personal details supplied to the University of Sheffield by you will be held on our systems in line with our Data Privacy Statement (you will be able to review this in SuccessFactors before creating your account).

When writing your application we encourage you to adopt the 'STAR' method. The STAR method provides a framework that allows you to evidence how you meet the selection criteria through structured examples. The National Careers Service has more information on the STAR method (opens in a new window).

Our application form will ask you for the following information. Note that you can save and return to your application at any point. To save, scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Save’:

CV and Cover Letter 

We ask those applying for academic roles to upload a CV and a cover letter. They are not usually required for other roles although you may wish to upload a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the selection criteria if there isn’t enough space in the Application Statement section. For some roles, candidates may be asked to upload additional documents - for example a research statement or example publication. This will be outlined in the job description if needed. If so, these should be uploaded under the Cover Letter heading. Please do not upload any other documents unless they have been specifically requested.

Profile Information 

This includes personal information, for example your name, telephone number, and email address. As part of our commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunities employer, the University may anonymise this information at the initial selection stage if applicable for the specific vacancy for which you have made an application.

Previous Employment 

List all of your relevant work experience, including your most recent employer. This section can also include any voluntary work or membership of any groups or committees. For roles that involve working with children, you must include a full record of your employment history since leaving school (including education, employment and voluntary work), including reasons for any gaps in employment. It may be worth reviewing this section for each application you submit to ensure the most relevant work experience is given for the specific role.

Education and Training 

List all of the relevant education and training that you have in relation to the job you are applying for. For roles that involve working with children please include the awarding body for all qualifications.

Job-Specific Information 

• Application Statement – this is where you will evidence your skills and experience which are relevant to the role. For this section you are limited to 4,000 characters (approximately 635 words), so be as concise as possible. Refer back to the person specification so you can focus on the person specification criteria which are listed as “Assessed at application”. If 4,000 characters are not enough, then you can upload a cover letter in which you can expand on your experience (see CV and Cover Letter information above).
• Application Information – this section asks you about how you found out about the role, and if you require a work visa If applicable to your circumstances more information about work visas can be found at our Information for international candidates web page (opens in a new window).
• Criminal Convictions – In line with our policy on the recruitment and employment of ex-offenders (opens in a new window), the University of Sheffield is committed to being an Equal Opportunity employer and this policy aims to ensure that ex-offenders receive fair treatment throughout their experience of recruitment and employment within our organisation.
• Academic Teaching Qualifications – here you fill in any teaching qualifications you may have.
• Reference Details – here you need to enter two references, with your most recent/current employer first. Referees will only be contacted for the preferred candidate, following your interview. For roles that involve working with children, we may contact referees prior to interview in line with the Department for Education guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education.
• Equal Opportunities* - we recognise that a diverse community of staff with different backgrounds, experiences and ideas can enhance team and organisational performance. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of what we do and are important for delivering our university vision and strategic plan. The information collected in this section helps us to monitor how effective we are in doing this, and enables us to meet legal requirements. We appreciate that not everyone will feel comfortable answering all of these questions so there is a ‘prefer not to say’ option which can be used as an alternative to the “Yes” or “No” answers.

*This information can only be viewed by the University’s Human Resources team. It cannot be viewed by selection panel members or recruiters. Therefore please ensure that you notify the named recruitment contact separately if you need any support, equipment or adjustments to help you to participate in any stage of the recruitment process.

Disability Confident 

This section is where you state whether you wish to apply under the Disability Confident scheme. We are positive about employing disabled people and maintaining the standards set by the Disability Confident scheme. This means that we aim to invite all applicants who apply via the scheme and meet the essential, selection stage criteria, to the first-stage selection activity in line with the Disability Confident scheme guidance.

As part of the job application form you will be asked whether you would like your application to be considered under the Disability Confident “offer an interview” scheme. This is a mandatory question and you can answer “Yes” or “No”.

This scheme forms part of the University’s Disability Confident commitment. Disability Confident is a UK Government initiative to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.

If you answer yes to the question and therefore opt-in to the Disability Confident “offer an interview” scheme, you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the recruitment selection process if you meet all the essential criteria as outlined in the person specification for the job.

The answer to this question is based on your personal choice on how you would like your application to be treated at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process. If you have a disability or health condition there is no requirement for you to answer “yes” and opt-in to the scheme. However, we would encourage you to do so as this is a positive action initiative designed to support the recruitment of disabled people and those with health conditions. Even if you do not wish to answer yes to this particular question, this does not prevent you from requesting support at further stages of the recruitment process, for example adjustments to the selection activity.

Applicant Acknowledgement 

Here you need to read the statement and tick ‘I Accept’ if you agree with it.

Once you have completed the above, you can then press ‘Apply’ in the bottom right of the page to send through your application.

Use of Generative AI Tools by Candidates During the Application Process

The University of Sheffield recognises and embraces the potential benefits that Generative AI tools (for example Chat GPT and Google Gemini) may bring to some candidates during the application process.

In particular, we recognise the positive impact such tools may have with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion.

When using AI however, we encourage candidates to use the technology responsibly, ensuring that submitted applications provide an accurate representation of your skills, abilities and experience. 

Our selection activities are designed to robustly test and evaluate the extent to which candidates meet the selection criteria outlined in the job description for each role. This includes the use of interviews, work simulation tests, written exercises and other additional selection activities as appropriate for each role.

What Happens Next?

As part of the selection process, applications will be reviewed by appropriate university colleagues.

We contact all applicants to confirm the outcome of their application, whether they have been successful or not, so make sure you check your emails regularly to view our correspondence. We will not be able to provide personalised feedback if you do not progress at this stage, due to the number of applications we receive.

You can also check the progress of your application by logging into your account and clicking on ‘Jobs Applied’.

Please note: emails  sent from our recruitment system will come from correspondenceuniversi38@products55.sapsf.eu. 

Longlisting and Shortlisting

Depending on the amount of applications for the role, there may be a longlisting process. During this process, any desirable criteria that have been included in the Person Specification may be used to filter candidates to form a longlist. (The exception to this are those candidates who have opted into the Disability Confident “Offer an interview” scheme who will be invited to take part in the next stage of the recruitment selection process if they meet all the essential criteria as outlined in the person specification for the job.)

This will be done by the Hiring Manager and usually at least two other people. This is usually done by reviewing the applications only, however there may be instances where another assessment method, such as a knowledge test or an in-tray exercise, may be used. If this is the case, a member of our staff will be in contact with you to provide relevant information.

At the shortlisting stage, the Hiring Manager and at least two other people will review each application against the Person Specification to see who is the best suited person for the role. They will assess each candidate and create a shortlist based on this assessment. This is usually done by reviewing the applications only, however there may be instances where another assessment method, such as a knowledge test or an in-tray exercise, may be used.

Assessment Stage

If you are selected for the Assessment stage of the recruitment process, you will either be invited to book your assessment date and time via our recruitment system, SuccessFactors, or we will contact you directly in order to confirm arrangements.

During this stage, you will be invited to a selection event, usually consisting of an interview and one form of assessment, for example, a presentation, a knowledge test or a group assessment, etc. The types of assessment used will be communicated to you before your assessment day.

There might also be a first stage selection stage which does not include an interview (this is the case for most academic roles).

The Outcome

If you are successful following the interview you will be notified and then sent an offer letter within a few working days. Unsuccessful candidates will either be notified by telephone by our Recruiters or via email and can request feedback from the interview panel.  

Job Offer

If you are successful following your assessment you will receive a conditional offer letter from HR via email, which you will be asked to sign via DocuSign. DocuSign is an electronic signature platform that allows you to securely sign documents digitally (opens in a new window). This will also include the terms and conditions of your employment.

All offers are subject to the following mandatory pre-employment checks:-

• Right to Work
• Occupational Health Clearance
• Employment References
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure (dependant on the position)
• Professional Registration (dependent on the position)  

If you have any queries about the job offer, then this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager.

Salaries

Starting salaries are determined by School/Department. Salaries are based on experience. Generally:  

• Newly appointed applicants or those with no or little previous experience will typically start at the  bottom point of the advertised grade.
• Those who are joining the University with previous experience will commence on a salary point commensurate with their years of experience. This will be determined by the HR function.
• Once in post, progression through the grade is attained subject to satisfactory performance.

Your School/Department will be in touch with you to arrange your first day and your induction

Should you have any questions at any stage of the process please do not hesitate to contact the Recruitment Team. We will be happy to assist you in your application to work for the University of Sheffield.

To help us with our on-going development of our on-line system and recruitment action in general, we welcome your feedback. Send any comments or suggestions to jobs@sheffield.ac.uk.