Recruiting criteria and screening methods
used at recruitment
ARMY
A potential recruit/candidate goes through a
number of eligibility and criteria checks before being allocated
a place in training for a specific job/trade in the Army. At any
stage the candidate may be rejected or deferred for a variety
of reasons. The outline process, once a candidate has entered
an Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO) or Army Careers Information
Office (ACIO) is as follows:
(a) Enquirer. This is the initial
stage of the recruitment process. The candidate is interviewed
and the process is explained. Information is sought from the candidate,
mainly through the completion of the Armed Forces Careers Office
(AFCO) Form 4. The AFCO 4 requests information on the candidate's
personal and family details, as well as information such as civilian
offences, financial commitments, previous employment and education.
The form also requires the candidate to provide two referees.
At this stage a Headmasters Report may also be requested. Once
the information has been provided, the Recruiters complete an
eligibility check, which will lead to either:
(i) Candidate being eligible to proceed further.
(ii) Candidate not being eligible and being rejected.
(iii) More information being required from the
candidate in order to proceed further.
(b) Applicant. Once a candidate
is regarded as being "eligible" (a table entitled "Comparison
of Eligibility Criteria for Entry into the Armed Forces"
is included at Annex F) they proceed to take a series of tests,
which are designed to assess which job/trade the candidate is
best suited. Each one of the 147 employment groups in the Army
has its own unique criteria and a candidate must achieve the required
standard if he/she is to be considered for that job/trade. Part
of this process includes a formal interview with a Recruiter and
either a Senior Recruiter or an Army Careers Officer (ACO); this
interview is to assess the candidate's "Personal Qualities"
(PQAP see sub para i). Other tests include a psychometric test
designed to assess the candidate's ability to learn new information
quickly and solve problems in a logical manner (BARB see sub para
ii). The results of these tests and interviews are recorded and
form part of the selection criteria. Medical information is requested
at this stage and this is forwarded to the Recruit Selection Centres
(RSC), for review by Medical Officers. The Army has recently introduced
Basic Skills in numeracy and literacy as a selection criterion
(BS IA see sub para iii). Throughout this part of the process
the candidate is regularly briefed and interviewed and before
he/she can proceed further there will have been numerous interviews
with the Recruiter and at least one interview with the Senior
Recruiter or ACO.
(i) PQAP—Personal Qualities Assessment
Profile. PQAP was introduced in 1991, following research
from DERA, with input from Army personnel involved in recruitment
and training. The PQAP is a series of 11 questions, based on factors
that can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful
recruits in training. Assessed factors include, for example, family
background, performance at school and participation in sporting
activities. Each factor is graded between 1 and 7 by the interviewer.
This assessment is completed a total of three times by three different
interviewers (including one at RSC). The total of the scores is
combined to give an overall score. It is accepted that this is
a rather subjective assessment but it is very useful and a tried
and tested part of the assessment process.
(ii) BARB-British Army Recruit Battery.
BARB is a computer-based, psychometric assessment that was developed
by DERA and Plymouth University. It is a series of timed questions
that assess a candidate's ability to absorb information quickly
and logically. The computer automatically calculates the candidate's
score, based on the number of correct answers and time taken.
The final score is referred to as the GTI (General Trainability
Index).
(iii) BS IA-Basic Skills Initial Assessment.
The BS IA was introduced on 1 Apr 2004 and is a computer-based
assessment. It was developed by West Nottinghamshire College and
is recognised by the National Learning Curriculum and DfES. Candidates
wishing to join the Army must now attain Entry Level 2 or higher
in both Literacy and Numeracy.
(c) Recruit Selection Centre (RSC).
Once the candidate has completed the "Applicant" stage,
he/she is briefed and sent to a RSC of which there are two in
England, one in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland. At the RSC
the candidate undergoes further testing, including fitness and
full medical tests. He/She will undergo additional interviews
with the Personnel Selection Officers (PSO) who assesses the candidate's
attitude and suitability for their chosen job/trade. At this stage
the candidate may be:
(i) Accepted and given a provisional job offer.
(ii) Rejected for fitness/attitude/medical reasons.
(iii) Deferred for fitness/medical/maturity reasons.
(d) Pre-Enlistment. Once a candidate
has passed all of the above stages and been given a provisional
job offer, they return to the AFCO/ACIO to confirm that they wish
to accept the job offer. At this stage the candidate is allocated
a place in training.
RAF
Recruitment to the Ground Trades and Non-commissioned
Aircrew elements of the RAF centres on the basic eligibility criteria
of:
Age.
— Ground Trades: from 16 years to age
30. The minimum age to sit the Airman Selection Test is 15 years
and nine months.
— Non-commissioned Aircrew applicants,
the minimum age on application is 17.5 years with a normal upper
age limit of 33.
Qualifications.
— Most RAF trades do not require any
formal academic qualifications, with the requirements for the
remainder varying from one GCSE to five GCSEs and two A-Levels.
— In certain circumstances, vocational
qualifications may count towards the GCSE requirement.
Nationality. Applicants must satisfy
all of the following criteria:
— At all times since birth been a British
or Commonwealth citizen, or citizen of the Republic of Ireland
— Have been born in either a country or
territory which is (or was) within the Commonwealth, or the Republic
of Ireland.
— For certain trades both parents of
the applicant must also satisfy the above.
Residency.
— In view of the fact that all RAF
entrants are SC cleared, they must satisfy the minimum requirement
of residing in the UK, or a country in which meaningful background
checks can be carried out, for a period of five years. This is
extended to 10 years for trades that require Developed Vetting
clearance on entry.
Unspent civilian offences.
— Applicants must declare any unspent
civilian convictions in accordance with the Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 1974. For certain trades, including medical and
RAF Police, they must declare all convictions—both spent
and unspent—to comply with CRB requirements.
Medical exclusions.
— A list of the major medical conditions
that automatically exclude service is given in the AFCO Form 5
"Guide to Application".
Comprehension of the Armed Forces policy
concerning drugs.
— Acknowledgement and understanding
of the policy as set out in the AFCO Form 5.
Tattoos and body piercing.
— Excessive visible, offensive and/or
racist tattoos and excessive body piercing may debar a candidate.
Candidates for the Ground Trades are provided
with a RAF Eligibility Questionnaire, which they complete prior
to making an application. Any matters arising are discussed with
the recruiting staffs and any ineligible personnel are turned
away at this stage. Applicants for Non-commissioned Aircrew are
processed in the same manner.
Ground Trades applicants and Direct Entry Non-commissioned
Aircrew sit the Airman Selection Test. At this point, the procedure
for recruiting Non-commissioned applicants diverges from the Ground
Trades and will be covered later. Those who fail the test are
eligible to re-sit after a minimum period of six months. The test
may be sat a maximum of twice.
Ground Trades successful in the Airman Selection
Test undertake a medical examination conducted by a Civilian Medical
Practitioner in order to ascertain general service fitness. (Any
evidence of psychiatric illness or self-harming is investigated
with the candidate's GP and if necessary, the opinion of a Service
psychiatric consultant is sought. Those deemed fit for service
progress but are not monitored if they attest as they are "fit".)
Successful applicants at the medical are then
interviewed. At the interview, candidates are assessed against
the criteria laid down under 6 separate elements known as the
Personal Qualities Assessment Score. The 6 criteria headings are:
— Personal Circumstances.
Each criterion has 7 categories ranging from
an un-scored Reject and then scored from 1 to 6. To be successful,
a candidate must achieve a minimum score of 18, the total being
drawn from all 6 areas with no Rejects. Candidates who are borderline
(scores of 16 or 17) or who have a Reject in one or more categories
are re-evaluated, normally by a further interview.
Further screening points occur at the Security
Clearance stage and on receipt of references, which can be either
academic, employment, character or a combination of.
Some 6-8 weeks prior to attestation, candidates
are brought back for a final interview to assess any changes in
circumstances and their continuing suitability for service. Those
who are not found suitable at this stage through major change
to personal circumstances, or delinquency etc, are rejected.
Non-commissioned aircrew applicants
As mentioned above, all direct entry applicants
to this cadre sit the Airman Selection Test and, if successful,
attend a specific presentation on the Service way of life and
role of their chosen job. Some medical filtering applied at this
stage is via a questionnaire, which is forwarded to the President
of the Medical Board at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre.
Those successful at this stage are called forward to a Filter
Interview in the Careers Office.
Applicants are then Filter Interviewed to ascertain
their likelihood of being successful at the 3.5-day selection
process at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre. Recommended
candidates are called forward by Cranwell.
OASC Cranwell undertakes a significant screening
of candidates via aptitude tests, medical examination and formal
interview. Those who pass all elements are then subjected to a
leadership assessment phase. Successful candidates at this stage
are then offered places against a manning vacancy or rejected
in competition.
NAVY
All potential RN/RM recruits volunteer to enter
the selection process and their personal choice is paramount in
their selection of Branch. All are assessed against a number of
Eligibility Criteria. These relate to:
Additionally, and in the case of Applicants
for a limited number of Trades, minimum Educational Standards
must be met ie specific GCSE Subjects and minimum Grades.
During the Selection Process further assessments
take place:
— The Recruiting Test is a 4 Part psychometric
test which assesses General Intellectual Ability and the likely
ability to succeed in Naval Training.
— The Selection Interview assesses
Personal Qualities and matches them against the requirements of
a Naval career and life.
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