Securing a dream role in the NHS

The NHS is a vast organisation employing over 1.5 million people across the UK, and they are not all doctors and nurses. In fact, the NHS has various roles and career opportunities throughout its network of organisations. 

Despite the vast number of roles, the type of candidates that thrive within the NHS are largely the same, and the NHS’s worldwide reputation is partly down to the workforce it employs. As a public sector recruitment specialist, we have the pleasure of working with the NHS to fill some of their lesser known roles, each of which can offer the right candidates a long and rewarding career, and have a great deal of experience in finding the right type of candidate.

In this blog, we look at the types of people that often do well in this UK institution and some of the more obscure positions we have recruited for in the past.

The types of people that thrive in the NHS

The NHS is famed for its employees, each of whom have a desire to help people and work for an organisation that gives back so much. So it will be no surprise that it takes a certain type of person to work within the NHS. First and foremost NHS employees need to be compassionate and have a passion for looking after people. Every NHS employee is hugely important to the organisation, and everyone is working towards a common goal, helping UK citizens when in need.

Candidates also need to be flexible in order to make the most of a role within the NHS. Due to the nature of the NHS and its 24/7 operation, recruiters look for candidates who are flexible and able to work hours that suit the needs of the organisation and its patients. This may not be as relevant for roles within Finance & Accountancy for example, but even within office functions, the needs of the organisation come first, so the need to be flexible is still of huge importance. Candidates therefore need to make it clear that they are open to working flexible hours from the offset.

The NHS faces lots of scrutiny, therefore, an ability to defend it and work despite any criticisms is vital, however tough pressure might be. For that reason, we generally look for candidates that have proven experience of working within a team. Teamwork and camaraderie are needed at every level and department within the NHS, so we often try and test candidates on this throughout the vetting process.

For candidates that are interested and are suited to working in the NHS, the benefits are endless. Our candidates regularly praise the work/life balance they are able to have, the benefits on offer and probably most importantly, the satisfaction they get from their role day-to-day.

Securing a dream role within the NHS

There are over 350 different careers within the NHS. These include medical and non-medical roles and all require a variety of skills and experience. However, despite the number of roles on offer, securing a job within the NHS has been known to be challenging due to the competitive application and interview process involved. Candidates therefore need to utilise all the resources available including online job boards, recruitment specialists and even networking with NHS professionals on social media networking sites such as LinkedIn can help.

Candidates also need to show that they have the right skills, experience and attributes for the role. Now this is not simply past experience. NHS recruiters are looking for candidates that are the right cultural fit as well as those that have the skills needed to do the job in question. The NHS looks for candidates who that meet its values as a result of its Values Based Recruitment policy. Candidates therefore need to have a clear understanding of these, and showcase how their values align.

Finally, it is important for candidates to always seek feedback, even if they are not successful in order to continually improve. In doing so they can ensure that they do not make the same mistakes when applying for their next NHS role, and all going well, will manage to secure their dream role within the NHS later down the line.

If you are interested in securing a role within the NHS, or would like to find more about the benefits on offer, please feel free to contact one of our expert Consultants now.

Or if you know someone that you think would be perfectly suited to a role within the NHS, you can recommend them to us.

Alternatively, you can check out our latest NHS jobs.