NHS shortlisting process and should I follow up?

[Allthatwegotisthispalebluedot]

I applied for a job in the NHS. The vacancy closed on 11th June and I haven’t heard anything yet, just that the application was submitted and received (this is what the trac jobs says on the platform when I look at my application).

I am really keen to leave my current role, so I have absolutely no chill about this process and I am feeling very impatient which is making me second guess myself and everything in horrible paranoia. My questions are:

• how long does shortlisting for interviews typically take? Is my unhappiness in my current job making me feel like it should be done by now irrational?
• would you follow up? If so, what do you say?! I’m so out of practice.

It’s a band six job if that makes any difference, and I am a bit over qualified and over experienced for it - however it is more than my current salary (and slightly less responsibility having looked at the JD and person spec!). Will any of that go against me/work in my favour?

thanks for reading! I am trying to get all the anxiety out here so I don’t do anything rash.

I suspect this post isn’t truly in good faith due to some of the wilful misinterpretation and sarcasm however I will reply like it is. I didn’t actually say it closed on Friday - nor did I say I expected them to have read and shortlisted hundreds of applications by 9am on Monday. I am not sure where you read that.

I asked a question about how long short listing typically takes in an organisation I don’t work for and have never worked for (so have no real idea of the culture there). People have been helpful in their responses - and it’s really clear, private sector work is obviously a very different culture when it comes to the speed that recruitment and everything else works. Sending a follow up email several weeks after applying for a role in my current company would be seen as proactive - not pushy (but it’s unlikely that you’d be left waiting that long to hear something back). It’s not a ‘magical super industry’ - it’s just a different process, a different organisation and a different culture. Being pushy would be classed as a good thing in my current role!

That is why I made the post - it’s helpful to gauge different organisational cultures. It is hard to find out these things if you haven’t worked in the NHS (and I don’t suppose you’d know the other side of it if you had never experienced the private sector). That’s why forums like this exist, isn’t it?

I also made a flippant comment expressing how being keen to move on makes me feel impatient and irrational. It does - I find job hunting stressful. I haven’t sent a follow up or expressed my impatience in any way which could hinder my job hunt or make me look irrational to anyone who actually counts in this process. Just had a bit of an anon moan on mumsnet while fielding some views. It’s been helpful.

From your OP.

I applied for a job in the NHS. The vacancy closed on 11th June and I haven’t heard anything yet, just that the application was submitted and received.

You said the vacancy closed on Friday. And you posted at 9am Monday asking if you should chase your application. I don’t think I’m the one who’s not posting in good faith.

The 11th wasn’t a Friday.

I dont understand what you are hoping to achieve?
If they have shortlisted very unlikelyTrac will be updated with interview/ not
If they havent, you will be told they are still waiting for shortlisting
Dont be that person, it looks very pushy

Well, this was what I was trying to achieve, actually. A bit of understanding of organisational culture. As I said in a previous post, ‘pushy’ would be seen as a positive in some organisations. My question around the follow up was more intended around ‘is this a thing people expect?’ rather than ‘I’m going to crack on right away’.

Seriously
The applications closed on Thursday and on Monday you are thinking of chasing already ?

This would ring alarm bells with me and Ive worked/ recruited in both private and public sector

Calm down

I’m not sure there is much point in continuing the back and forth about this.

I haven’t chased. I asked a question on an anonymous forum to gauge whether this was expected. No alarm bells are ringing anywhere because nothing outside of this thread has happened. I submitted my application in good time before the deadline and then….didn’t do anything else. I’m not sure I’m the one who needs to calm down here.

I applied for the county wellbeing service (contact centre operator working shifts) who used trac as well as the nhs itself, chasing it up oh maybe let’s hope so, 2 weeks later unsuccessful under the county wellbeing service.

Went to the proper nhs got checks done in 6 weeks, start next month.