NHS Jobs Site

[Sycamore]

Hi All

My wife is looking to apply for an NHS job, which requires the application to be sent through the dedicated site.

Looking at it however, there's a CV section that simply asks you to paste the text from your CV into it, and to not include any identifying information.

Is there really no way for her to apply with a proper cover letter and formatted CV as you'd expect for most other jobs?

Seems a bit of a naff system if the employer will just see a big wall of text from everyone in some anonymous format.

It's an admin position with the local GP surgery, so the thought was that being able to show a properly structured and formatted application might go a long way.

There's an email address in the vacancy for the practice admin/IT manager to use for any queries on the role - Reckon it's worth sending a cover letter and CV over to that as well as going through the NHS jobs website, or will that have the opposite effect?

My wife is currently working in a private care home, and I'm just a silly engineer so I'm not sure on how she's best to approach it.

Cheers.

[Countdown]

I think one of the reasons they ask you to copy your CV information into the application system is to streamline their recruitment process. So, rather than the Hiring manager getting 200 different emails, all with various attachments, the Recruiting System will collate all the applications, combine them into one ODF and send it to them.

[Brainpox]

The supporting statement isn't a copy of your CV. It's a statement to demonstrate you meet all the essential criteria listed in the person specification. Personal details/qualifications/employment history have their own section separate to the supporting statement. The applications may be shortlisted (or longlisted if there are many applicants) by someone with no connection to the role being advertised. All they will do is look at the supporting statement and if it doesn't match the essential criteria they will bin it off. No point emailing CVs to the manager as all the shortlisting is intentionally done anonymously for fairness and won't be used.

[xx99xx]

This is how all public sector recruitment is done. Been like that for years.

I don't think I'd like to sift through loads of differently formatted CVs, especially when the process is usually just 1 round of sifting and 1 round of interviews. We want to get all the important info out of them at the first step and the detailed application process, answering questions we've set, does that quite well.

[bigpriest]

A covering letter and a CV would not be acceptable - if there was a challenge to the shortlisting / recruitment results then a standardised application and scoring system is in place and can be provided as evidence to ensure fairness. I'd be surprised if any large company doesn't do the same.

[Sycamore]

Makes sense as to why it's done - I've just never seen it myself. I've always just used a CV etc.
Seems very public sector-y

The input box said something simply like "Paste the text from your CV" - Seems odd to have the same text in one big block rather than in a formatted CV considering it's the same information, but I'm sure the NHS is very well run and efficient.

Cheers for the responses all, much appreciated

[Collectingbrass]

Does it say paste CV in or upload your CV? The last NHS job site I used (there were 2 different flavours as I recall, depending on the trust) took an uploaded document and auto-populated the career history section of the website - badly it has to be said. There should be a place to upload supporting documents and that's where I would upload the "traditional application" documents.

That said, any employer with a careers / job application website these days will require the same thing - and they are all as bad at auto-populating.

[kevinon]

It could be that this is designed to strip away any identification - so where you live, name etc. Even these 2 things could point to the applicant being from 'rough' postcode, or a a particular ethnicity or religion.

So Giles from SW1 - we might infer something about his suitability.
Gary from C2D - similiar.
Kevin from Dublin.
Satvinder from Southhall

Now, this falls apart, despite best intentions (unconscious bias minimised) when the other details make it clear it's the CV of the colleague who sits 2 desk away.

That's my thinking on the clunky process

[Badda]

Sycamore said:

It's an admin position with the local GP surgery, so the thought was that being able to show a properly structured and formatted application might go a long way.

You’re living in the last century if you think the format of your CV reflects on you as a person. As if there was no other way a cv could be prepared other than by the applicant.