Job specification - a bit baffled

[SingleUseNickName]

Could anyone answer an HR question for me?

If a qualification is listed as essential on a Job Spec would it be possible to offer the job to an unqualified person when there are qualified applicants?

Also, would it be possible to offer the job to an unqualified person at all?

I've just been encouraged to apply for something when I don't have the qualification in question and I know at least some of the other applicants have it, it seems... odd.

I can always use the Interview experience of course.

Depends on the job and your experience in the role. Plus what the qualification is.

Is it NHS? If yes, I thought you had to have the qualification.

I think if it's actually an essential competency you shouldn't even get shortlisted for the role - so I would question again whether it is worth you applying. Is the person encouraging you the recruiting manager?

I would generally put an accountancy qualification as essential, but I would still consider those without, you get the odd person who is 'qualified through experience', less desirable in some ways but sometimes these people have additional skills/experience that outweigh the lack of the professional qualification.

The qualification named is specific, level, type and name, there is no "or equivalent" or "equivalent relevant experience" option given, which is a shame because I do have a fair bit of the latter, plus higher level qualifications in a different, but related field.

I'm not sure it actually is an essential competency, my suspicion is they've chucked it in because it does have some relevance for the role, they can be a bit... slapdash.

Sorry Tribpot, I missed the question about whether it was the recruiting manager.

It isn't, it's the Line Manager, it's a small organisation, but part of a much larger one, no HR available to be consulted in the central office.

Not the NHS Bonvivant.

Thanks for your replies and apologies for being vague.

In that case I think you might as well apply but be clear you are missing the relevant qualification, although do have related ones etc etc

It sounds like they might have a bit of discretion about how rigidly they stick to their recruitment process, although this isn't really very fair to any of the candidates. What would happen if one of the qualified people didn't get it and you did, do you think there would be any comeback from HR?

Who encouraged you to apply? If it is someone senior enough to have a say in the recruitment then you would be nuts to ignore it - they encouraged you for a reason!

Totally - our job specs are often "aspirational" in the requirements. It totally depends on what the group of candidates is like.

Qualifications are one of the areas where it's most common for recruiting managers to put them as being essential when they are in fact not. People use things like this as a lazy way of reducing the number of applications they get.

In terms of whether it's possible to offer the job to someone without a qualification, often yes, unless it's something where a qualification is genuinely completely essential, which doesn't sound to be the case here.

Whether they will or not, who knows, but as it's the recruiting manager who's encouraged you to apply, I would do so.

Thanks everyone, I have applied, though I'm vaguely wondering whether anyone else has been put off.

What would happen if one of the qualified people didn't get it and you did, do you think there would be any comeback from HR?

Well, I suppose that's their look out, the worst that could happen to me is the job being taken away (could they even do that?) Anyway, I will emphasise the point at interview if I get one. In theory they should already know and they have my application form as well so they should certainly know before they consider offering me an interview.

That's assuming they actually read my application form . It's a lovely place to work and they're actually very good at what they do, just not so much at all the paperwork that goes with it.

[ahem]. When writing job specs I usually included qualifications as essential, when in fact they were not.

My caveat is that I usually stated 'or equivalent experience'.

In my defence it was because the way a post was allocated on the pay scale depended on how many points it scored. Criteria written for healthcare professionals didn't apply well to my department -income generation. If I hadn't made certain qualifications "essential" there is no way the posts would have scored high enough to pay roughly in line with industry standard. And I would have struggled to recruit anybody of the required calibre.

Our HR insists on "qualification or equivalent relevant experience" and they have a view on what constitutes "equivalent" depending on the level (3 years, 5 years etc). If I'd listed the qualification as an Essential then I couldn't include you in a shortlist unless none of the candidates had the qualification, and/or your experience so evidently made you a very strong candidate. HR would ask me to justify your inclusion. Are you in the public or private sector? Practices will vary.

Thanks Knackered and 2014

2014 It's Public Sector.

For anyone who was interested....

Turns out the job available isn't quite the job as specified as they've decided to expand the role, so I'm now lacking an essential qualification and a chunk of relevant experience and won't be getting an Interview....

I did mutter "It's a lovely place to work, it's a lovely place to work, it's a lovely place to work, it's a lovely place to work..." under my breath for a bit .

Sheesh. So presumably they have pulled the existing job ad and will be readvertising when they actually know what the role is?

Sorry you've had your time wasted, SingleUse.

Well I'd like to think that they would...

Thanks Tribpot not a huge amount of time thankfully.