Increasing Your Chances: Advice on how to apply for jobs at NHS England
I have seen a quite a few job applications over the years and have been giving advice to anyone who asks for some. I thought it would be helpful to write down some of this advice to help those who consider applying for our roles.
This is my personal advice, and specifically directed at our user-centred design job roles. I cannot guarantee it will work for every role at NHS England or for every person shortlisting applications. Following these tips won’t guarantee you an interview. But I do hope these points will help.
At NHS England, we run an anonymised application process and as a key part of this, we request you to submit a supporting statement with a maximum of 1500 words (max 10,000 characters). We also ask for you to upload your CV, but please note that we will not be able to see your CV until after the shortlisting. So, please, do not refer to your CV. Make sure you cover everything in your supporting statement. Details from your CV will be pulled through to your application form and you can edit or update this as you complete your application.
1. Read the job advert carefully
I don’t mean you have to exclude yourself if you don’t meet every single criterion. But I do want you to make sure you understand what the job advert is asking for. We don’t write our adverts to include tricks or puzzles to trip you up. Instead, we include key words and phrases to help you understand if the role is for you.
A good example of this is service design. The term service design is used for at least two main disciplines. These are user-centred service design and ITIL service design. I represent the former, our live services are keen on the latter. They sound the same, but they are not the same. I’d hate you to waste your time and effort applying to a wrong job.
Please read the job advert and find those key phrases we are looking for. This will ensure you are applying for the right job.
2. Use the “About You” section in the advert to structure your application
We have listed the key skills and experience in the advert. We will look for these in applications. Please, use these to structure your supporting statement to make sure you don’t miss anything.
One good way to do this is to use the key skills and experience bullet points as sub-headings. Then, write an answer to each of these. In your answer, make sure you cover how you have used the skills in your career and what was the outcome of this.
Think wider than in your current or immediate previous role. Was there something you did in a different job that could prove your skills in that area? Or was it in your volunteering role?
And don’t worry if you don’t meet every single criterion or feel like your example is not “good enough”. Sometimes, even the smallest of things may have had a big impact and deliver an outcome. We are not looking for perfection here.
You may be applying for more than one job. That’s fine, but make sure you tailor your application to the job you’re applying for. Use the job advert and the role profile or job description (these are attached to the advert as downloadable documents) to guide you to show us you have the skills and experiences.
3. Make your application easy to score
This is the ultimate point; you want to make your application easy for us to score.
We will score every application, but we may receive tens or even hundreds of them for a single role. Make yours stand out, by ensuring it is easy to score. This helps you to get the maximum points for your application and will get through to the next phase.
What does this mean? I can only speak for myself, but as a rule, think about your end users; us. We will score every application based on set criteria for the role. This will give your application a score. If it meets the minimum criteria and scores high enough, you will get invited to an interview.
I’m Finnish and prefer Scandinavian simplicity. Give me a bulleted list of examples that meet the key skills and experiences, and I’m happy. I don’t care much about flourishes and over the top polite phrases. Don’t be rude, get to the point, and I can score your application easily.
By making the supporting statement easy for us to read and understand, you make it easier to score.
And where are the set criteria you may ask? It’s all in plain sight in the job advert, go and read it carefully.
4. Don’t simply list the same words back to us
Do not simply use the same words and sentences from the job advert. Prove to us that you understand what they mean and have experience in them. For example, if we ask about experience in user-centred design, tell us how you have identified user needs through user research. Explain how you used them in an iterative design process to design and deliver the product.
I recommend using a structure like STAR to respond to each criterion. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Using this, will ensure you cover everything you need, yet keep it concise.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Writing a 1500 word supporting statement which has clear and concise answers to all the requirements in the job advert, can be a daunting task. Do not be afraid to ask for help from your family, friends, or colleagues. Talking through your examples with somebody will help you to clarify your points. It will also ensure you don’t miss anything crucial. You could also ask someone to read through your supporting statement before you submit it.
It may also be tempting to use AI tools, like ChatGPT to help you with your application. These tools can be a great help to structure your answers, check grammar (ask for British English spelling!), or avoid the fear of a blank page at the start.
Don’t be afraid of using any AI tools to help, but do not let them do all the job; you still need to provide all the facts. Make sure you go through the AI writing and make the language your language. Remove the unnecessary flourishes and check all the facts are in fact correct. It needs to be your application, after all. Don’t let mistakes created by AI let down your application.
Don’t feel you need to use the full 1500 words if you don’t need to when you’re completing your supporting statement. If you can clearly give us the relevant detail in fewer words this is fine and helps us to keep the details clear.
Also, do not hesitate to ask us for adjustments. We will do everything we can to make sure the process is as inclusive as possible, and every applicant can have the opportunity to present themselves at their best.
Good luck!
