Hi all, grateful for any help that can be given.

Restructure at work and all new positions are ring fenced. I fall within the ring fence. I have been given a list of four jobs that it has been established I have the skill set for. 8 staff all have the same four jobs on our list. 5 other members of staff will assimilate into new roles. 1 other member of staff is taking retirement and her job remains and will be filled as part of the restructure ring fence along with a brand new role. I work for a local authority.

Expression of interest were invited from all staff for 2 jobs that were not on my skill set list and we were told that we could include a personal statement if we wanted to. 4 members of staff expressed interest and supplied a personal statement. I was one of the 4. 2 members of staff were interviewed for 1 of the posts and 1 memeber of staff was interviewed for the other post. I received a telephone call advising me that my personal statement had been assessed and I would not be interviewed as did not display enough evidence to meet the personal specification and job description.

My queston is this .......... If a personal statement was invited but not a requirement and I was within the ring fence should I have automatic right to receive an interview and the opportunity to meet the personal specification etc as part of the interview process. I could understand if lots of people applied and we had been told we must provide a personal statement to support our interest but this was not the case. Exact wording of email was............(I have left out the actual job descriptions and service area due to sensitive nature of the posts.) ......................................

" Dear all, Expressions of interest are invited for those wishing to apply for the following positions

1 (Job description)

2 (Job description)

Job profiles are attached.

Expressions of interest must be received by 5pm Thursday 3rd February. Interested candidates may wish to submit a personal statement in support of their application and this must also be received by 5pm on Thursday 3 Fenruary. Interviews will be held on Monday 7 February.

These vacancies are ring-fenced to staff within the ............ service. "

Whilst I did not think that I would actually get either of the positions I very much wanted the benefit of the interview experience and feedback that would follow. I feel I have been cheated of this opportunity.

Should I have been entitled to an interview ???

Many thanks for any help you can give me.

I don't think you can put much emphasis on the fact that a personal statement wasn't a requirement of the job, merely an option. i always used to view these as an integral part of the application itself, and an extension of the CV. They weren't compulsory, but if somebody enclosed one, it was always read as an opportunity for the candidate to convey additional information that might separate them from other applicants.

Unfortunately for you, I also see nothing in what you have said that would make me think that everybody had to be interviewed as a matter of right, and it seems as though you have missed out purely through sifting - it may well even be that certain people were not just ring-fenced, but had also been earmarked for certain positions, but sadly there is little that you can do about that.

I am desperately sorry for your position and can quite understand how you feel. Have you considered asking for a chat with somebody who was part of the selection panel and asking for some off the record feedback in order to improve your chances of being sucessful in future job applications? This might well give you some useful pointers and again, I can only speak from experience, but I have been asked for this on many occasions in the past and never saw it as a problem.

Thank you for your comments sidewinder, very much appreciated.

The general feeling amongst the staff is that certain people are favoured for certain positions and this has been the feeling since the restructure was announced. There were no surprises about who applied for what post and who was successful. It is exactly as we predicted. The selection panel was just 1 member of staff who is also the person in charge of delivering the restructure. I was probably the only surprise candidate that was not expected to apply. The interveiws were subsequently conducted by said member of staff and the head of service.

I have been told that I can have feedback on my personal statement and a mock intervew in preparation for the position that I am most hoping to secure and that's great. It just feels that I was not given fair opportunity on this occasion.

It's difficult as 2 of the most senior management team who have now secured the 2 posts have close family members within the service and also have long time personal ties with 2 other members of the team. There has been much favourtism over the years in this regard which has been obvious to everyone and reported on several occasions. I just want to do everything within my power to ensure I am given a fair crack at the whip.

Once again your comments and time are very much appreciated.

from what i read " I have been given a list of four jobs that it has been established I have the skill set for."

and a 5th job came to light "Expression of interest were invited from all staff for 2 jobs that were not on my skill set list "

;i would say the ring fence gives you strength for the initial 4 jobs to get a interview but the 5th job is free for anyone to apply for and for any employer to request a interview with based on cv or statement

i would say by 5th job not being in your skill set is the reason why you did not get a interview. the personal statement are usually asked incase the company records failed to include skills which fit the job role that you may have achieved over the time.

if you simply did not produce a personal statement and hoped to explain yourself at a interview instead then they could only base who qualifies for a interview based on the skills they already know of. which in own admission were not applicable to the role.

did you send in a personal statement within the timeframe showing skills they did require to do the job? if so ask them for the feedback to aid you in the 4 jobs you are ring fenced for to ensure you appear sparkling on the list of potentials