The place to make a great first impression
Improve your chances of landing your dream job at the Northern Care Alliance. Learn about our recruitment process and steps to application success by following this comprehensive guide. This page is for anyone who wants to learn about applying for a job at our trust and would like further details on how we conduct our recruitment and selection.
Getting started
Not sure where to begin your job search? We have listed five simple steps to help your job hunt at the Northern Care Alliance.
You can receive job alerts straight to your inbox via Trac jobs. To set this up, simply log into your account, click the ‘Find a Job’ tab then select ‘Jobs-by-email’. From here you can add your preferred search criteria and amend the frequency of email alerts. It’s a great way to keep tabs on the latest vacancies in your preferred area or organisation.
You can search for advertised job vacancies at the Northern Care Alliance on our careers website or via NHS Jobs. We recommend all initial searches take place on our website to get the best overview of our open positions. Vacancies are split into professional staff groups to help direct you to the most appropriate area. If you wish to conduct your searching via NHS Jobs, enter ‘Northern Care Alliance’ in the ‘Employer’ section in the search engine. Here is a video on how to conduct a search on NHS jobs.
NHS vacancies use different display fields to summarise the job area, contract type, working hours, base location and closing date. They also display the grade point, which stands for the NHS Pay Grade. The Grade (also termed Band) is set by Agenda for Change NHS Terms and Conditions. This is used for all NHS staff, with the exception of doctors, dentists, and very senior managers. The Band is set based on the advertised posts level of responsibility, and seniority. All new starters must start on the bottom of the Band stated, unless there is recognised continuous service. To become more familiar with the NHS pay system, please visit the NHS Employers website.
If you’ve seen a role you like, you are ready to apply online. Begin your application by clicking ‘Apply Now’ and enter your saved registered details to sign in.
Writing a successful application
Your job application will be split up in to six key areas. These areas include personal details, employment history, education and professional qualifications, equal opportunities, supporting information and references. Each section of the application form requires accuracy, so we recommend completing this in a quiet space away from distractions.
An application form is your opportunity to provide a clear written demonstration of skills, qualities, behaviours and attributes which match the requirements on the person specification. The hiring manager is assessing whether you have the skills to work in the advertised role. It is therefore crucial that your application is reflective of all the essential criteria, and if possible, the desirable criteria too. You can find the list of qualifying criteria for the role in the job description. These documents are attached to the advert as a PDF and can be downloaded onto your desktop or smart phone device.
Job application tips
- Read the job description and person specification carefully before completing an application.
- Include your most recent work history, qualifications, and professional registration (if required).
- Check your grammar and spelling before pressing submit.
- Keep the supporting information clear, concise and relevant to the role you are applying to.
- Produce something that is unique and authentic to you.
- Read our values page prior to completing your application. We are always looking for people who can evidence our three main values: inspire, appreciate, and care.
- Don’t reuse an old application form. Your application must be up to date, and specific to the role you are applying for.
- Don’t assume the hiring manager will know about your skills and experience. They need to see clear evidence of this in your application form.
- Don’t rely on artificial intelligence (AI) including ChatGPT to complete your application. Your application may come across as generic and fail to distinguish you from other applicants.
- Don’t copy someone else’s application form as plagiarised application forms will be flagged and rejected.
- Don’t wait until the closing date to complete your application. Some of our vacancies may close early, so it’s always best to be organised and submit your application as soon as you can.
When you are happy with your application form, press submit. Your interest will then be stored and saved on our recruitment system for the manager to review. You will not hear about the outcome of your application until shortlisting has been completed. This is normally within 2 weeks of the vacancy closing. We will always aim to notify you on the success of your application.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist your job application writing, it’s essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement.
While these tools can help streamline the process, they may not fully understand the context or requirements of the job you are applying for and therefore, they may not be a true reflection of your skills and experience.
Writing a supporting statement in your own voice will help to convey your interest and qualifications effectively. Relying solely on AI is not recommended and can negatively impact on your chances of success in the application process. This is because AI responses:
- usually lack relevance and fail to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.
- may come across as generic or plagiarised.
- may include skills or experience that you do not possess, and would be unable to evidence in an interview.
Interview Stage
Congratulations for getting to interview stage! We’re really interested in considering you for the advertised position and think you could be the perfect person for the job. Interviews help us to learn more about your skills and experiences and determine if you could be a good fit for our team. During an interview, you may be asked to complete assessments so we can observe your skills more closely. If this is required, we will always provide formal notice of this in the interview invite. Your interview will either be held face to face or through a video link. The format of the interview will be stated in your invite, so please check this.
Please confirm your attendance as soon as you receive your invite. You will be asked to select a time slot for your interview and will receive regular text reminders up to the day.
Let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments prior to interview. We will be happy to put adjustments in place to remove any barriers and help you shine during the interview process. If the interview is taking place face to face, plan how you will get to the interview location in advance. View Travel information. Be prepared to show any ID to confirm identity. We may also ask for you to bring paperwork to the interview. This will be stated in any correspondence to you so please always read what we send out to you.
At your interview, you will be introduced to a panel who will be with you for the duration of your interview/assessment process. The panel wants you to do your best and may ask prompting questions to stimulate recall. The interview itself will be specific to the role you have applied for. We may also ask you values based questions and situational interview questions
After the interview, the interview panel will make a decision based on their selection. You will be notified of the interview outcome and candidates who are unsuccessful can seek feedback on their interview. Candidates who are successful at interview will be sent a written offer of employment through their email and pre-employment checks will commence promptly. During this time, you will be in contact with the recruitment team, who will start your onboarding.
Interview Tips
Before the Interview
- Read about the Northern Care Alliance and role you’ve applied for.
- Review the job description and research our values and visions.
- Research the role and write down questions to ask the interview panel.
- Prepare a list of scenarios to use for your interview questions. We often use values and situational interview questions to understand your thought processes around how you would handle a particular task. Preparing past examples which are relevant to the skills and competencies we’re looking for will help you feel more confident when answering interview questions.
During the Interview
- Provide open and meaningful answers.
- Don’t be afraid of silence. Ask the panel to repeat the question if necessary.
- Interviews are a two-way process – the interviewer is expected to sell the job and the organisation. You are selecting them as much as they are selecting you so please ask questions.
- Remember to use ‘I’ rather than ‘we’.
- Do not assume the interview panel know the full detail of your application, make sure you sell yourself and give real examples of how you achieve an outcome.
Hear from an NCA Manager
“Enjoy the interview experience – its ok to feel nervous. Try your best to answer the questions or ask for clarity if you’re unclear. Don’t break confidentiality regarding your current or previous employer. It doesn’t come across well when interview examples are very negative or critical in nature.”
Frank, Audiology Service Lead
Your Offer with us
Congratulations on your new role! You must have made a fantastic impression at interview, and I’m sure you can’t wait for your career at the NCA to begin. Following a successful interview, the recruitment team will be notified and a conditional offer letter will be emailed to you. The recruitment team will also call to introduce themselves, congratulate you on your new post and answer any questions you may have.
Following a successful interview, the recruitment team will be notified of our success and a conditional offer letter will be emailed to you. A conditional offer letter will contain all of the following:
- Request for identification and proof od Right to Work documents
- Request for proof of National Insurance number
- Request for evidence of any relevant qualifications
- Occupational Health Questionnaire – Health Declaration or Work Health Assessment Form
- Model declaration form
- ESR1 New Starter Form (personal information requests including your bank details)
Additional checks may also be required for additional roles:
- A link for your DBS application
- Requests for any recent immunisations
Your offer will be subject to completion of several employment checks which we aim to process as quickly as possible and will be here to support you with.
As part of your employment checks you will need to complete an ID/Right to Work check – this can be done digitally via our identity service provider or in person at our office in Salford.
Once we have your completed documents and ID check, we will apply for your references, send your completed questionnaire to our Occupational Health department for clearance and apply for your DBS.
We are reliant on the information you provide to us, so please aim to complete your paperwork as quickly as you can.
Complete your ID and Right to Work as soon as possible so that we can get your DBS underway.
Ensure the information you provide us with is accurate. For example, referee contact details are correct and up to date. Keep in touch with us by regularly checking for any emails or calls from our recruitment team.
Attend any appointments that have been made for you. For example, with our Occupational Health department.
Once we have completed all your checks, you will be ready to agree a start date with your new line manager. As soon as we have your agreed start date, we will issue your Unconditional Offer letter and Contract of Employment.
On your first day with the NCA, you will attend our Corporate Welcome and Induction. The recruitment team will book this for you and the details will be emailed out to you.
Your new line manager will provide details of where to report and who to meet on your first day with your new team.
