If you’re interested in applying for a job and the employer says that you cannot, you can ask them to tell you the reasons why. You can also ask them to share with you any formal rules they might have (for example, a recruitment policy) about how they recruit people.
The employer does not have to give you this information. But it’s a good idea they do, so that they can demonstrate that they’re being open in the way they recruit people.
You might be able to challenge their decision if you believe they are:
- breaking discrimination law, for example they have said you cannot apply for the job because of your sex or race
- not keeping to a recruitment policy, or any other rules, consistently – for example, you’re told the job requires a degree that you do not have, but they then let someone else without this degree to apply