Before you apply, get
the direction right.
The most common question in UK public health careers is not how to write a better application. It is whether you are targeting the right role in the first place.
This page is built around that question.
Direction before applications.
Most career advice skips straight to the application. How to write your supporting statement, how to structure your evidence, how to get shortlisted.
That advice has its place. But it only works if you are already pointing in the right direction.
If you are unclear on what area of public health fits your experience, or unsure whether you are targeting the right band level, no amount of application technique will fix the underlying problem. You will keep applying, keep getting rejected, and remain unclear on why.
Career clarity comes first. Everything else follows.
FOR PEOPLE EARLIER IN THE JOURNEY
You know you want to work in public health but you are not sure what area fits your background, or where your experience actually points.
This tool gives you a structured way to work that out before you start applying.
FOR PEOPLE ALREADY APPLYING
You have been applying for a while but something is not working. Before looking at how you are writing applications, it is worth checking
whether you are targeting the right roles at the right level. That is what this tool is for.
Why this matters more than you think.
NHS shortlisting is a scored process, not a checklist. Panels evaluate applications for evidence of responsibility, leadership, autonomy, and impact at the level expected for the band being advertised.
If your experience genuinely signals a different band, or a different area of practice, the application will not score well regardless of how it is written.The problem is that most people discover this after submitting multiple applications. This tool is designed to surface it before you start.
What the tool works through.
The Public Health Role Targeting Tool is a structured self-assessment.
It takes you through five steps and gives you a clear decision at the end:
apply now, or address a specific gap first.
Download the tool.
No sign-up needed.
Work through it before your next application. It takes around fifteen
minutes and gives you a clear, honest answer about whether you are ready
to apply and what to address if you are not.
Free. No email required. PDF format, printable.
Once you have your direction, the next step is structuring your evidence.
The Resources page has everything you need to prepare a strong public health application, all in one place.
Where this fits in the journey.
Getting the direction right is the first step. Once you know what you are targeting and why, the work shifts to how you present your evidence. Here is how the platform is structured to support that progression.
STEP 1 — YOU ARE HERE
Get your direction right
Use the Role Targeting Tool to confirm your area, band level, and role targets
before applying.
STEP 2
Prepare your evidence
The Resources page has free tools to help you structure your application
evidence around the signals NHS shortlisting scoring rewards.
STEP 3
Diagnose what went wrong
If you have already applied and were not shortlisted, a Shortlisting Failure Audit identifies the specific reason and gives you a clear direction for next time.
The responsibility level assessment in this tool references our Four-Signal Framework developed from NHS Agenda for Change band descriptors and applied epidemiology experience. The framework is currently in beta validation. The role targeting questions in this tool are based on publicly documented NHS band expectations and do not require framework validation to be applied.