Application window and applications

To increase the number of applications, ensure that you have provided enough time for prospective applicants to apply and acknowledge that individuals may have other priorities or support needs. Here are some pointers:

• Wherever possible give an application window of two weeks as a minimum – longer can increase the chances of a greater number of completions.
• Look to advertise outside dates when people may have other commitments, for example school holidays, religious festivals, etc.
• Set closing dates and times that are meaningful, making it clear exactly when the vacancy will close for new applications (for example, specifying the time that the vacancy will close on its closing date).
• Don’t close the application deadline early based on submissions – Fair Museum Jobs has outlined the ableist implications of doing so. If we want to encourage the best and most diverse range of applicants to apply, we need to remove all arbitrary and excluding barriers.

Traditionally, organisations have either asked for the submission of a CV or an application form, with the latter recently facilitated by online portals. There are ways to make these traditional approaches more inclusive:

• Indication of a maximum or target word count or number of pages can ensure that individuals allocate the right amount of time and energy to an application.
• Provision of the ability to start, stop and resume an application before final submission.
• Creation of a space for applicant support or positive interventions, where applicable.
• Consider that an application form can focus attention and, unlike a CV, may not require additional digital knowledge around formatting or advanced writing and editing skills. Application forms also create more readily comparable information for shortlisting.

Not everyone is strong at composing written applications, so providing different methods of application (for example via a vlog or an audio file) can play to different strengths and encourage more people to apply.

For example, the submission of a film or vlog was used as part of the Museums Association’s recruitment process for Transformers, a programme facilitating the recruitment of diverse talent to the sector.

More recently, the Curating for Change programme focused on sharing stories from collections through the lens of disability, and adopted inclusive recruitment practices to attract the widest possible number of applications.

Explicitly stating that there are multiple ways for people to apply (and providing examples) highlights that your organisation is both progressive and inclusive.