fair FAQs:

When should I contact candidates?

Schools should contact candidates of interest to them in advance of the events with an invitation to interview with them at the fair. Many schools will pre-schedule their interviews and this undoubtedly helps to secure interest from candidates. The database will be open for schools to use at least a month before the fair itself - we advise contacting candidates early. Consultants will also be referring candidates to schools in advance of the fair and will provide a USB with a selection of candidates upon arrival who can be contacted on Friday.

When can I view attending candidate details?

Our online database of attending candidates will open in November. Candidates, however, will register right up until the day before the fairs and therefore the database is continually being added to. All candidates should be available for the end of the academic year or earlier and will have contacted us this academic year. We recommend that schools log into the database on a weekly basis in the weeks leading up to the fairs. Please note that very late registrations will not be in the online system. We do still allow attendance, but with the requirement that any schools considering offers only do so pending receipt of satisfactory references (please see the question on vetting).

What vetting is carried out on candidates?

Our vetting process is as follows:

1) A consultant has a ‘pre-screening’ call with each candidate before directly applying for two to three references for each candidate, covering at least the last two employments.

2) Candidates are asked to provide us with details of supervisors only and institutional, rather than personal email, addresses.

3) Complete references are saved on the database along with a candidate’s profile. If references are not available there, they can be requested through the ‘contact consultant’ tab or by emailing your consultant.

All candidates that we have pre-screened are viewable on the database to ensure the maximum range of candidates available to schools. Schools can decide whether to interview a candidate prior to receiving references or not. Explore CRS consultants will follow up for any references that are not available or incomplete.

Can we make an offer before references are received?

It’s important that schools are satisfied themselves that sufficient referencing has been obtained in order to make an offer of contract. In many cases, offers are made pending receipt of other references or confirmation of references. Explore CRS is not in a position to undertake any qualification or police checks prior to the fairs and therefore schools must ensure that any additional checks needed are undertaken according to their school’s policy. Again, offers of contract can be made pending these.

How many representatives from my school should attend?

This often depends upon the number of vacancies the school is recruiting for. Two to three representatives from each school tends to work well.

What should I bring with me?

An exhibition/banner stand, school brochures and any documentation relevant for potential new appointees (eg salary scales or HR policies)

Is it worth delivering a PD workshop?

The professional development sessions definitely help to showcase a school’s quality of management and approach. It’s also a valuable time to interact with candidates in a professional setting without the time constraints of the interview days. Recruiting schools delivering workshops find it a useful way to get to know candidates.

How long should I schedule for each interview?

In our experience, 30-minute blocks are sufficient as this allows a good number of candidates to be seen with the opportunity to arrange second interviews for shortlisted candidates. Many schools, however, will want to take a different approach which is absolutely fine. This often depends on the number of vacancies the school has as well as the number of recruiters attending.