The Pen Warehouse Our Recruitment Policy - The Pen Warehouse HR Department

This recruitment policy sets out the minimum requirements of our recruitment process that aims to:

Attract and select the best possible applicants to vacancies.
Identify the strongest candidates for each role and reject those who are unsuitable in a respectful manner.
Meet statuary requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
Treat all applicants fairly and transparently.

Procedures

The Pen Warehouse are vigilant in our recruitment procedures. We follow this procedure every time we recruit a new member to our team.

We use pens.co.uk, onsite external advertising boards and web-based recruitment job boards to advertise our vacancies.

All applications will be reviewed by HR and Departmental Managers.
We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applicants will be considered based on their suitability for the post, regardless of their marital status, age, gender, culture, religious belief, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.
A shortlist will be produced of those candidates best matching the job specification.
These candidates will be invited to attend a first stage interview.
All applicants will receive correspondence confirming whether they are successful in reaching the interview stage or not.

Interviews will always be face to face.
A minimum of two people, usually the Department Manager and Human Resources, will sit on the interview panel. Both will be involved in the overall decision-making.
At the interview, each candidate will be required to prove their identity against photo ID (for example a passport or driving license) and also produce documents to prove they are eligible to work in the UK.
At the interview, candidates will be asked questions that are role-specific. All candidates applying for the same role will be asked the same questions.
Candidates will always be required:
- to explain satisfactorily any gaps in employment
- to explain satisfactorily any anomalies or discrepancies in the information available
- to declare any information that is likely to appear on a DBS disclosure
Candidates applying for office based roles will be required to complete basic testing in literacy, spelling, math and visual accuracy.
The Manager will then select the most suitable person for the position based on performance at interview and test scores (where applicable).
All interviewees will receive communication as to whether they have been successful or not.
Offer letters will be sent out by HR within one day of a verbal offer being accepted.

The successful candidate will be offered the position subject to at least two references being obtained from previous employment or for those who this is their first job, their tutor and a personal or professional reference. These references will be taken up BEFORE employment commences.
References will be sought directly from the referee. References or testimonials provided by the candidate will never be accepted.
Referees will always be asked to:
- Confirm dates of employment
- Confirm the candidate’s suitability for the role
- Confirm if they have any reason to doubt the candidate’s honesty or integrity
Candidates working closely with high value stock will be subject to a DBS check.

For all new staff, a clear induction process is in place. This includes completion of employment details, tour of facilities, introduction to key staff and presentation of the company handbook which contains the company’s policies and procedures.
All new staff will be allocated a buddy/mentor who will introduce them to the way in which the setting operates.
All new staff are subject to a 3-month probation period.
Throughout the probation period, all new staff members will receive regular meetings with their manager to discuss how the role is going and identify any further training and development needs.

Click here to view our Current Vacancies or visit our Recruitment Hub.