• Application Guidance

    We’re thrilled you’re considering a career with us! From the hiring managers you’ll meet, to the dedicated Recruitment team who’ll support your every step, we’re here to help you feel prepared for every stage of the process. We’ve also created some guidelines so you know what to expect, when to expect it and how to make the most of your application with us. 

What you need to know​

Applying for your next role can be confusing, but we hope to make it easy. ​

  • From within the job advert, all you need to do is press 'apply’.​
  • You will then be shown exactly how to start your journey with us.​
  • You will need to fill out the online application form and attach your CV. For some roles, we might ask for some more information, such as a supporting statement, or some evidence of previous research.​

For applications to the OU Students Association, Open College of Arts or OU Worldwide, guidelines will vary.​

To talk to someone in the Recruitment team, please reach out to Careers@open.ac.uk.

Your CV

The CV you provide, as part of your application, should tell us about you, your employment history, education and skills. Include information such as:​

  • Secondary or higher education attainment and grades​
  • Technical, professional or occupational training​
  • Employment history​
  • Details of relevant publications (for academic posts only)​

Please remove any equal opportunities information such as age, date of birth, gender, sex, marital status, ethnicity or religion. This information is not relevant to your application.​

If you have any questions about sharing your CV, as part of the process, please contact Careers@open.ac.uk.​

Supporting statement

If we ask you to write a supporting statement, you should tell us about you, your experience, how you meet the essential criteria and why this role is right for you. Use evidence to back up what you say and, remember, just be yourself. You can also tell us about your eligibility for the role, disclose any useful information and more. If you have any queries or questions regarding your supporting statement, please contact Careers@open.ac.uk.

Reasonable Adjustments

We welcome discussions on the support and adjustments we can provide you with during the recruitment process, to ensure you have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills, talent and abilities. Contact us to discuss how we can support you at Careers@open.ac.uk.

If you are offered a job, you can also discuss ongoing adjustments to your role ahead of your start date.

Interviewing with us

We continue to operate in a hybrid manner at The Open University, and this means that many of our interviews are virtual. We use Microsoft Teams to support our virtual interview process.​

Unsure on how to use Microsoft Teams for virtual calls? Information will be provided before an interview. Click here to learn more about Microsoft Teams.

In addition to virtual interviews, on some occasions we will invite candidates to interview with us onsite, at one of our offices (role location specific). We will endeavor to confirm the location of your interview as soon as possible during the process.

Data Protection

Our Staff, Workers and Applicants Privacy Notice gives you all the information you need about what data we collect and how we use it. Find out more about Privacy at the OU >