Searching for the perfect job
There are around 350 careers in over 70 different professions available throughout the NHS alone. In addition there are several non NHS organisations who have chosen to advertise their health related vacancies on NHS Jobs too. In total NHS Jobs is receiving approximately around 20,000 adverts a month.
So how do you go about finding the position that is right for you?
If you are clear about what you are looking for, simply make the most of the search tools available to you and quickly identify those jobs that are relevant to you and apply.
Detailed search
Your jobs by email and quick search options are a good way to get started with your job hunting but if you want more focused results, the advanced search lets you search using the following criteria:
Job title
This is a simple way to start your search, looking for words in the job title only although words like 'manager' may return many matches.
Skills
This will search all the description text in the job advert itself and can be a useful way of refining your search – especially if there are specific skills you know you want to make use of.
Location
How specific you are is up to you. Remember you can search around a location by choosing a radius of up to 50 miles. To suggest more than one location simply separate the words with a comma or try searching by an employer. Employers who have a main account on NHS Jobs can be found via the 'Employers list'.
Salary
Some positions will not indicate an actual salary although information on the NHS Careers websites can give you an indication of what you might expect.
Job Type
This is in relation to contractual arrangements being offered i.e. permanent, fixed term or temporary.
Search for a specific employer
Dependant on your circumstances you may wish to search for vacancies available with a specific employer. If you go to the 'Employers list' this opens up a list of employers either alphabetically or by a specific region. Choose your region to see a list of employers and click 'see jobs'. Remember you can also specify an employer's name using the advanced search.
You can also narrow your search by using the refine your search options on the right hand side of the search results page. This enables you to select more keywords, define or refine salary ranges or locations that will help you identify the closest matches to what you are looking for.
Other hints and tips for searching
- Imagine that the different search boxes are joined by an invisible 'and' so you will only get results that answer the criteria you have submitted.
- You can separate keywords with commas which basically function as an 'or'.
- To search for an exact phrase, surround the keywords with quote marks ".
- If you do not want to specify too much, it is fine to leave some boxes blank. For example you may want to use the staff group and salary options only.
Remember to find out more about the different roles available within the NHS and what kind of skills and attributes you need to carry out the role please visit Health Careers.
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