Vetting is so important because we need to be sure that all our people are reliable and trustworthy.

Everyone who works at HMGCC is security cleared to the very highest levels. When you join us you will have completed a comprehensive vetting process that can take between four and six months after you have been given your initial offer. It’s not long when you consider you could end up with a fantastic career for life.

If, after your application, you are asked for interview, you'll need to fill in the security forms. You will receive login details to complete your security forms online. There is a lot of personal information required in these forms so please start completing them as soon as possible to avoid any delays with your application. 

Please bring photographic I.D. with you when you come to any interviews or visits to site.

We welcome candidates keen to embrace new technologies, which is an important part of working in national security.

The application process is an opportunity to tell us about yourself and show us what you can do. Therefore, if you use AI to help with your application, it is important that use of AI is done in a way that is secure and does not distort your application. AI cannot be used during the online tests stage of your application, which need to be undertaken without any third-party assistance.

Protect your privacy

If you choose to use it in your application, as you are about to apply for a job in national security it is important that you protect your privacy: When using AI, avoid entering the names of organisations and your personal data (like your name, date of birth, address, etc.). Take steps to delete your data after you no longer require it being in the AI platform. We would suggest looking at guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre - ChatGPT and LLMs: what's the risk - NCSC.GOV.UK

There is widely available guidance online about how to use AI prompts effectively, the weaknesses and limitations of AI including its propensity to make up information. Whether you choose to use AI or not, please ensure your application showcases the real you, is accurate and error free.

Please check individual campaign details for any unique information.

Application stage

• Study the ‘Essential’ and ‘Desirable’ criteria for the position and answer all the questions on your application in full
• Tailor your CV to show us how your skills match our job description
• Don’t be afraid to shout about what you can do

Interview stage

• Before your interview, prepare in advance by looking at the job description advertised and thinking of examples of times when you have displayed these attributes to share with your interviewer. Each job will have specific competencies, so it’s definitely worth checking them out.

• Part of our assessment process is that we ask you to attend a HR interview which assesses you against our core competencies; these are based on the following so as part of your preparation have a think of some examples of these too. Remember, you can bring some notes in to your interview to use as a prompt.

Vetting stage

As previously mentioned, the vetting process is so important because we need to be sure that all our people are reliable and trustworthy. Vetting does take a while to process and this can take three to four months depending on your personal circumstances although, please don't worry if it takes a little longer. It might also feel a little intrusive at times but please be assured your information will be kept purely between the vetting officer and yourself. Confidentially is at the forefront of the process. If you have any questions about the vetting process, please feel free to ask us at any of the face to face stages in the process.

Drugs test

We realise that some of our candidates may have experimented with drugs in the past and this need not be a bar to your application. However, taking illegal drugs, legal highs or psychoactive substances is incompatible with holding security clearance and we have a strict no drugs policy. You will be required to undergo a drugs test, that involves taking a very small hair sample, during the application process so you should adhere to our policy from the date you submit your application onwards.

Reasonable Adjustments

HMGCC is committed to employing people with a wide range of backgrounds and welcomes applications from people with disabilities, are neurodivergent or have a long-term health condition. As part of this, we recognise the importance of reasonable adjustments and will do our best to provide what you need so you can focus on showing your talent. 

We’ll ask you at every stage what adjustments you need, however, if you’re unsure what would be helpful to you, please see below some examples of adjustments we’ve provided to candidates previously. 

Reasonable adjustment examples: 

• Extra time for assessments. 
• Any written documents in a particular font/ size or printed on a different colour paper. 
• An online or in person assessment dependent on adjustment required. 
• Interview questions provided in written format. 
• Additional breaks during the assessment. 
• Providing extra information about what to expect. 

This list is not exhaustive so if you don’t see what you need, let us know and we’ll arrange a time for a member of the team to contact you to discuss this. 

Offer of interview scheme

We are proud to offer candidates the opportunity to apply through the offer of interview scheme. The scheme ensures eligible candidates are selected for an interview as long as their application meets the minimum criteria for the post. 

To meet the 'minimum criteria' candidates must provide us with evidence in their application form which demonstrates that they generally meet the level of competence required for each competency as well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the job description. 

If you consider yourself to be disabled and you wish to apply for the offer of interview scheme then please complete the relevant section of the form when submitting your application. Whether or not you are seeking an interview under the scheme, please advise us if you consider that you have a disability, are neurodiverse or have a long-term health condition and will require reasonable adjustments in order to participate in the interview process. 

Please note: Any false declaration of disability to obtain an interview under the offer of interview scheme will subsequently invalidate any offer of a post. 

Armed Forces Covenant 

We endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are: 

• no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen 
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured or bereaved. 

HMGCC recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by:

• promoting the fact that we are an armed forces- friendly organisation; 
• seeking to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers; 
• striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners; 
• endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment; 
• seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible; 
• encouraging employees to be cadet helpers or instructors; 
• accommodating current reservists with their training by offering two weeks paid leave per Leave year to attend training camps 

We are publishing these commitments, setting out how we will seek to honour them and are happy to invite feedback from the Service community on how we are doing.