We recognise that tools such as ChatGPT and other AI applications can be helpful when preparing a job application. They can help you organise your thoughts, improve your writing and make your application clearer.

There is nothing wrong with using these tools to support you. But the information you submit must be an honest reflection of your own skills, knowledge, experience and achievements.

We want to get to know you through your application. What you have done, what you can offer and why you are interested in the role. AI can help you communicate this, but it cannot show your suitability on your behalf.

Our values are important to us and shape the way we work. We value people who work collaboratively, treat others with compassion, have the courage to be themselves and take accountability for their actions. We encourage you to reflect these qualities through your own experiences and examples.

Writing your supporting statement

Your supporting statement is your opportunity to show us how you meet the requirements of the role. We want to hear about real examples from your work, volunteering, education or other relevant experience.

A good supporting statement will:

• address the essential requirements in the person specification
• include specific examples of things you have personally done
• explain your contribution, the skills you used and the difference or results you achieved
• be clear, relevant and written in a way that feels natural to you

You do not need complicated language or impressive sounding phrases. We are interested in what you can genuinely bring to the role.

How AI can help

You can use AI tools to:

• help you understand the job advert and person specification
• suggest ways to organise and structure your supporting statement
• check spelling, grammar and punctuation
• improve the clarity and readability of something you have written
• help structure your own examples using a format such as Situation, Task, Action and Result (‘star’)
• research publicly available information about our organisation

Always check any suggestions carefully. Make sure they are accurate and reflect your own experience and the way you would naturally express yourself.

What we ask you not to do

Your application must be an honest account of your abilities and experience. Please do not use AI to:

• invent examples, skills, qualifications or achievements
• exaggerate your responsibilities or level of experience
• generate a supporting statement that you submit without making it genuinely your own
• copy generic responses that do not reflect your individual experience
• complete additional questions, tests or exercises where we are asking for your own knowledge, judgement or input

Remember that AI-generated information is not always accurate. You are responsible for checking everything you include in your application.

Preparing for an interview or assessment

AI can also help you prepare if we invite you to an interview or assessment. You can use it to:

• practise possible interview questions
• identify relevant examples from your experience
• research our organisation
• get general advice on interview techniques and presentation skills

However, all answers, presentations and exercises must be your own work. You must not use AI to generate responses to present as your own, complete assessments on your behalf or provide live assistance during an interview or assessment.

We want to understand how you think, approach situations and apply your knowledge and experience.

Taking responsibility for your application

When you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm that the information you have provided is true, accurate and reflects your own skills, qualifications and experience.

Taking accountability for your application means being confident that everything you submit is accurate, genuinely reflects your experience and is something you can confidently talk about if invited to interview.

We may ask you questions about the examples in your application to understand your personal contribution in more detail. Applications containing misleading or inaccurate information, or which do not genuinely reflect your experience, may not be progressed.

Ultimately, we are interested in you, not how well you can use AI. Use it as a tool if it helps, but make sure your application tells your story, in your own words.