How to use the NHS Jobs website

NHS Jobs (jobs.nhs.uk) is the main recruitment website for NHS organisations in England and Wales. You can search vacancies without an account. To apply you create a free account and fill in a form for each job, including a supporting statement scored against the person specification. Some trusts list jobs on NHS Jobs but take applications through a separate system called Trac, so you may end up using both.

Creating an account

Register with an email address and password. Pick an address you check daily and will keep, because interview invitations, requests for information and job offers arrive by email, sometimes with short deadlines. Check your spam folder while you are applying.

Your account stores the basic parts of an application: personal details, education, qualifications, employment history and referees. Much of this carries across to each new application, which saves time. Check it every time, since a referee or job that was right last month may not be right now.

Searching for jobs

The search filters by keyword, location and distance, pay band, contract type (permanent, fixed term, bank), working pattern and staff group. Some habits that help:

• search by role name and by band, for example “band 3 administrator” or “healthcare support worker”
• try both old and new job titles, since trusts use different names for similar roles
• set the distance generously at first, because many trusts have several sites
• use the “salary” or “band” filter to stay within roles you are eligible for

Each advert shows the band and salary, the closing date, the employer and a link to the job description and person specification. Download these straight away. Adverts are removed after closing and you will need them at interview. For what the bands pay, see NHS Agenda for Change pay bands.

Saved searches and alerts

Save a search and you get email alerts for new matching jobs. Popular entry-level jobs, especially band 2 and 3 posts, can receive many applications, and some adverts close early once the trust has enough. Apply within a day or two of an alert if you can. The closing date shown is the latest you can apply, and the advert is not guaranteed to stay open until then.

Where Trac fits in

Trac is a recruitment system used by many NHS trusts and health boards. Some advertise on NHS Jobs with a link that takes you to Trac, where you register a separate account and complete the form there. Others use Trac for the later stages, such as references, pre-employment checks and contracts, even if you applied on NHS Jobs.

The Trac form looks similar: personal details, history, references and a supporting statement. Keep a copy of your statement and history in a document so you can paste them in.

In Scotland, NHS boards advertise on the NHS Scotland jobs site. In Northern Ireland, HSC trusts use HSC Jobs. GP practices in England often advertise on NHS Jobs too, but they set their own pay and terms.

The application form

The supporting statement is the section that counts most. Shortlisters score it against the essential and desirable criteria in the person specification, so address each essential criterion with an example. The guide on writing an NHS supporting statement covers structure and length.

Other parts to get right:

• employment history: include all jobs and explain gaps briefly; see explaining employment gaps
• references: NHS employers usually want references covering the last three years of employment or study, and one should be your current or most recent line manager
• registration details if the job needs professional registration
• the guaranteed interview option, if you are disabled and want to be considered under Disability Confident

NHS recruitment is values-based, so expect questions and scoring that look for the trust’s values and those of the NHS Constitution.

After you submit

Each application shows its status in your account: submitted, shortlisted, invited to interview, unsuccessful or offered. Shortlisting usually happens after the closing date and can take a week or two. If you are shortlisted, the invitation arrives by email with a link to book an interview slot.

After an offer, the trust runs pre-employment checks under NHS Employment Check Standards: identity, right to work, references, occupational health, qualifications and registration, and a DBS check where the role needs one. The guide on how long NHS recruitment takes explains why this can take several weeks.

An unsuccessful application just changes status, with no explanation. You can ask the recruiting manager for feedback; their name is usually on the advert.