I was delighted, if slightly overwhelmed, to receive more than 200 applications for the posts I advertised to work in my parliamentary and constituency offices.
Because I knew some of the applicants, and not wanting this to bias the process, I established a set of criteria for scoring the initial applications. The actual evaluations on the basis of these criteria were then done impartially and professionally, but not by me. I will now interview a shortlist of the top candidates that emerged from this process. They will also have a written test.
To any unsuccessful applicant reading this, I thank you for your interest and would ask you not to be discouraged — there was a very high number of well-qualified and experienced candidates. You may wish to apply to other MEP colleagues, not least the newly elected Labour MEPs — though some returning Members may also be looking to recruit.
