Why am I not getting the NHS admin role?

[Indu29]

Hi everyone,

I have been getting interviews for band 3 admin roles. However I have no nhs experince but I am able to give relevant examples for my interview.

I keep getting rejections because the recruiters all say the same thing to me "you have very good, structured answers however we have other applicants who have NHS experince"

I just dont understand- why bother asking me to come in for the interview when it's obvious on my application that I have no NHS experience anyway?

I have admin experience btw, just not nhs

Unfortunately there is a lot pressure in the NHS finance wise and certainly likely redundancies at the Trust I work in so existing staff are moving around. It is an advantage if staff already know the relevant systems etc. If you are not presently working then it would be worth signing up to NHS professionals or a similar agency and temping. This gets you a experience and your foot in the door.

They know that if you have worked in a vaguely competent and functioning organisation, you'll leave the NHS after about a month in frustration at how shit it all is.

Because people who are currently band 2 in NHS admin will be getting them.

Locally it's almost impossible to come in on a band 3 in admin in the NHS here. Almost every band 3 role is given to someone already a band 2.

If you're dead set on NHS admin if you can afford the pay it would be wise to apply for entry level band 2. I know a lot of people who were only a band 2 for about 12 months and then moved to band 3 easily.

Would you consider applying for a band 2 with a view to then apply for band 3's in my experience (worked in the NHS for 18 years) most jobs go to someone within the department on a lower band so for any band 3 jobs you are applying for if there are any band 2's in the department it will probably go to them.

Sorry I have just seen @WeightoftheWorld has said the same thing

Yes I will consider band 2 roles 100%
Would I be able to get the role even with no nhs experince for band 2?
I have a band 3 interview for tommorow and band 4 interview next week. Both admin.
I feel like cancelling them both because I have no nhs experince anyway

The issue is with the systems the NHS use. I interview admin officers and someone with experience of our current computer systems will always rank higher as it is hard to get training as most of us have learnt as we go along. In nursing areas we don’t want staff giving up clinical time train admin. I would suggest applying for roles in outpatient or referral centres were there would be more support/training. In my area the referral centre are always desperate for staff but they are band 2.

I wouldn't cancel, it's good practice for the future if nothing else.

Yes I am sure you will be able to get a band 2. It's an entry level role and if you have admin experience you will be a good candidate. Good luck!

Don't cancel them, you could be lucky and no one within the department is applying.

Is the trust you are applying to competency based questions?

It's both,competency based questions and 1 scenario question.
If I was to become sucessful in getting a band 2 role, could I apply for band 3 roles within the same trust? Would this cause any issues?

I went in as a band 2, non admin type role (I've only ever done admin), stayed there for a couple of years and am now a band 3 admin again, it is possible. I know the NHS has issues but once you're in it's much easier to move around (and up)

Yes you can apply for band 3/4 roles within the same trust, it will be people doubt exactly that, that's getting the roles you have been interviewing for.

No that would be fine, plenty of people work their way up like that. Good luck!

Thank you ladies 😊
I really do hope I land with something, I do have strong admin experience, just not nhs.
I just wish these employers would just give me a chance

I’m band 3 admin and started as a temp. After 8 months I was able to apply for a permanent position and because by then I had the experience, I got it.

Don't cancel. My sister is a band 4 admin now, but she had a few interviews until she got that job. She enjoys it and is based in outpatients. She worked for a building society for many years, and I think she found the public sector quite different.

I wont cancel.
I will ask for the interviews to be held remotely though, so I'm not wasting money on travel for a job that I might not even get.
I will give it my best shot, remember values and keep things like confidentiality, dignity and nhs policies in mind

Did she get into band 4 straight away or did she work her way up in the nhs?

I'm amazed you're not getting band 3 admin jobs with admin experience. I often recruit band 3's and it's painful how poor quality the candidates are, I'd bite your hand off!

Do you look for previous nhs experince when recruiting for band 3 NHS admin roles?

I would think carefully before asking for remote interviews unless it is offered as an option.

Face to face candidates may find it easier to build rapport with the panel, and I would have concerns employing someone not prepared to attend an interview in person. You may be able to claim reasonable travel expenses if you ask.

If you’re not appointed into one of the roles next week, consider signing up to the trust’s bank/temp team. Many bank staff move into substantive roles when they are advertised due to having NHS experience. Also look at fixed term roles which could lead to a permanent position.

Obviously you would have to still interview for the substantive role due to fair recruitment.

The thing is, I'm only available on certain days of the week due to caring commitments. And I have a permanent job already (something that I dont like lol).
My issue is that it just doesn't make sense for me to quit my permanent role, just to enter into nhs bank which is not permanent.
Also my current role is quite flexible, they will give me guaranteed hours and days. I'm not sure if NHS bank will do this for me as well.

In my Trust we aren't allowed to mix interview methods, so if we decide to do them face to face, then we can't do one online, so as po said, be careful in asking for that. It might be possible to move the interview to another day but with the popularity of b3 admin roles (or b2) then it's unlikely we'd move it due to interviewer availability.

Caveat- someone immediately post-op we could interview online as opposed to F2F but it's an exception to the rule.