Better Health For All

It wasn’t that long ago in 2017 that I was approaching ST5 and worried about getting my first consultant post. Here are my top tips gathered for Consultant job applications during the final stages of Public Health Specialty training.

Think forward

• In the last 12 months before the end of training, ask for lists of interview questions from recently qualified Consultants. Use these to undertake a personal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, then develop an action plan linked to your personal development plan and work programme. One of my gaps was working with elected officials, therefore it was better to know this early and proactively seek out opportunities sooner rather than later.
• Consider what training and courses there are available as you might need to book on early due to demand. I was lucky to attend a deanery funded course ‘preparing for interview’ with Anna Jackson but the FPH also run a similar course. This really helped with identifying what is my ‘unique selling point’ and frameworks for answering interview questions e.g. (Situation Action Outcome Reflect)
• Look at what courses are available through the Deanery too. My Deanery provided a Consultant Careers Awareness Workshop, Leadership, Resilience and Educational Supervisor Accreditation. I was also able to access political awareness training through the local authority where I was based.
• The most impact in my preparation in readiness for Consultant interviews and work life was through coaching and mentorship from new Consultants and a Director of Public Health (DPH). I choose a DPH coach who was quite different in ‘type’ to me.
• Know about what is important to you in a future Consultant job – a career anchors assessment can help with this. At the time I was applying, I knew I needed a post that offered job satisfaction, stability, supported work-life balance (preferably no on-call) and with a main work base relatively close for school drop off and pick up.
• Sign up to job alerts (NHS Jobs/FPH Jobs/BMJ Jobs/Jobs Indeed/ Public Health Jobs – Twitter), as knowing what types of jobs that have come up recently gives you a sense of what’s out there. Looking at job descriptions and person specifications also help you identify your gaps so you can work on these before you start applying for jobs.
• Review and update your CV – it will then be fit for job enquiries. I found this HEENW Checklist useful and asked my Educational Supervisor to review my final draft. Identify your referees and make sure they are happy to be named on your CV or future job applications.

Job Enquiries

When you make that initial enquiry, you don’t know who might pick up the phone. On one of my first enquiries, I thought I would be booking a time slot for a future call but ended up directly speaking to the DPH for 30 minutes.

Think about what are you going to say about yourself and what questions you are going to ask. First impressions count, so even though it’s an enquiry, treat it like an ‘informal’ job interview.

It may sound obvious but before you even pick up the phone to enquire about a job make sure you have checked the following: –

• Job Description and Person Specification
• Organisational website and twitter
• Organisation/DPH/Consultant Team through online searches
• Local Public Health Outcomes Framework and public health annual report

Use your networks to find out more information about the team and location – Public Health is a small world!

Applications

In advance of ‘the job’ being advertised, start preparing your application: –

• Ask your Consultant colleagues if they would be happy to share any previous applications they have made with you.
• Prepare a generic application that can be flexed and adapted for different posts, organisations and job specifications.
• Seek feedback from your coach, consultant and DPH. They all have experience and insight to offer.
• Double check your referees are still happy and available to give you a reference and let them know that you have started applying for jobs. Reference requests can get lost in busy inboxes or junk mail folders.
• Always make sure that any application matches the Job Description and Person Specification, plus use information gathered during your enquiry phone call and pre-visit. Make it easy for the recruiting team to ‘mark’ your application with clear layout and headings.
• Don’t underestimate the time it takes to complete applications – formats vary considerably depending on the organisation and country.
• It sounds obvious, but if known from the advert, protect the date of the interview in your diary. It’s hard to get an alternative date for an interview, so if you know there is a clash with another important event, let the recruiting team know in advance. If they really like your application, they may try and set another panel date.

Summary

Take control of the consultant job application process through your individual strategic plan.

The biggest preparation that you can do for a job applications and interviews is on-the-job learning, shadowing and experiences in the year before hand. In future weeks I will be sharing a blog on interview preparation.

Be confident as you have passed FPH exams and gained a wealth of experience through training – now is the time to get your first Consultant post! Good Luck!

Written by Hayley Mercer, Screening & Immunisation Lead – Public Health Consultant, Public Health England, North West

You can follow Hayley on Twitter

You may also find this bog from Kathryn Ingold on transitioning from Registrar to Consultant.