When can you start job hunting?
You can start applying for jobs after you finish your plab 2 exam. Some jobs will require you to have full GMC registration at the start of the application process, but some will not.
Personally, I only started applying properly for jobs after getting my GMC Registration but in hindsight I should have started applying during my registration process.
How do you start looking for jobs?
There are three main sites where you can look for jobs in the NHS
- NHS Jobs – This is the main website through which I applied for jobs, you will need to create a job profile before you can start applying for jobs.
- TRAC Jobs – This is another website where you can apply for jobs in the NHS – the majority of applications you make in NHS jobs will be imported to trac jobs after the application deadline.
- Jobs in Scotland – Jobs in scotland have their own website where you will have to make your own profile.
Importing of jobs
When you apply for jobs on the NHS jobs website, after the deadline passes, the majority of the jobs will be imported to Trac Jobs. This is because the majority of the hospitals use Trac jobs to conduct recruitment. This is why you MUST MAKE a Trac jobs account with the same email that you use in your NHS jobs account.
Once your application has been imported, you need to login into your Trac jobs account and claim your application that has been imported. You will receive all further messages about your application through email/ trac jobs.
It is very important that you claim your jobs on trac jobs. You should also regularly log into your trac jobs account – it is possible you get shortlisted for an interview and not receive any email and only get a notification on trac jobs.
Search Strategy for Jobs
I think people underestimate the number of jobs on these various sites – there are several ways to search for jobs, this I believe is the most comprehensive way to search for jobs.
- NHS Jobs
- Search for ‘FY2’ ‘Junior Clinical Fellow’ and ‘Trust Grade Doctor’
- Search for ‘FY2’ ‘Junior Clinical Fellow’ and ‘Trust Grade Doctor’
- On Trac Jobs
- I didn’t only use NHS jobs to find jobs but I also used Trac Jobs
- I would take the reference number from Trac jobs and put that into the NHS jobs website and then apply through NHS jobs. This way I didn’t need two different profiles and only had to use the NHS Jobs profile.
- The reason I searched for jobs through Trac jobs is that they are easier to find and sorted accordingly on Trac jobs
- In Trac Jobs, you can sort the jobs based on the level that you are applying at, so I would sort according to FY2 and Junior Clinical Fellow, find the jobs I wanted to apply for, take that reference number and then apply through NHS jobs.
- I didn’t only use NHS jobs to find jobs but I also used Trac Jobs
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