Free Resources
Practical tools to help you understand what NHS shortlisting actually rewards and how to demonstrate it in your applications.
Both resources below are free. They are based on NHS Agenda for Change band descriptors and applied experience of public health recruitment in the UK. Enter your email to download, you will receive your resource by email and occasional updates from the Public Health Careers Hub.
Why You’re Not Getting Shortlisted
A diagnostic guide to UK public health applications
Many public health candidates meet every essential criterion in the job description and still don’t receive an interview invitation.
The problem is rarely lack of experience.
It’s that the written evidence in their application doesn’t clearly communicate the level of responsibility expected for the band they’re targeting. NHS shortlisting is a scored process. If your examples don’t clearly signal responsibility, leadership, autonomy and impact at the right level, they may score below the shortlisting threshold, regardless of your actual ability.
This guide walks you through why that happens and what your application evidence actually needs to demonstrate.
What’s inside:
∙ Why meeting essential criteria is not enough to guarantee shortlisting
∙ How NHS shortlisting scoring works and what panels are rewarding
∙ The four signals your application evidence needs to communicate clearly
∙ What Band 5, 6 and 7 applications are expected to demonstrate differently
∙ How to identify where your own applications may be falling short
Who this is for:
Early career public health professionals, career changers into public health, and international graduates who are applying for NHS Band 5 to 7 equivalent roles and not reaching interview stage.
Disclaimer:
*By entering your email you agree to receive emails from the Public Health Careers Hub. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This guide reflects a structured framework developed from NHS Agenda for Change band descriptors and direct experience of public health recruitment. It is professional guidance, not a guarantee of outcome. The framework is currently in beta validation.
Public Health Application Signal Checklist
A structured review tool for your application before submission
Most application mistakes are fixable before you submit, if you know what to look for.
Shortlisting panels assess written applications against structured scoring criteria. They are looking for clear evidence of responsibility, leadership, autonomy and impact at the level expected for the band being advertised. If your examples don’t communicate these signals clearly, they may score below the shortlisting threshold even if your experience is strong.
This checklist gives you a structured framework to review each example in your application before you submit it.
What’s inside:
∙ A section-by-section review checklist covering all four shortlisting signals
∙ Prompts to help you identify where your evidence is clear and where it needs strengthening
∙ A final quality check before submission
∙ A reflection prompt to identify one concrete improvement before you apply
Who this is for:
Anyone preparing to submit a public health job application who wants a structured way to review their written evidence before the deadline.
Disclaimer:
This checklist is a structured self-review tool. It helps you assess whether your application evidence clearly communicates responsibility, leadership, autonomy and impact. It does not guarantee shortlisting and is not a substitute for tailoring your application carefully to each specific role and person specification.
*By entering your email you agree to receive emails from the Public Health Careers Hub. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Two structured diagnostic tools are currently in development: a pre-application band alignment assessment and a post-rejection application review service. If you’d like to be notified when these open, join the wait list below:
Diagnostic services coming soon
*By entering your email you agree to receive emails from the Public Health Careers Hub. You can unsubscribe at any time.