A lot of times, people ask me for advices on securing a job as a radiographer in the UK. While some of my advices have been useful to those I have given them to, there are still many who need some guidance in applying and getting a job in the UK. Let me make it clear than I am not a job recruitment consultant or an HR expert. I am a Radiographer in the UK with my own level of experience and everything I shall be sharing here is based on that experience.
Working as a radiographer in the UK requires 3 steps.
1.
Applying for and getting
HCPC licence
2.
Applying for jobs
3.
Getting an interview
There is a 4th part which is getting a visa and relocating to the UK. But that is not within the context of this discussion and hence I won’t talk about that.
Applying for HCPC is a very simply process. I won’t go into that. But if you want more information on that, please visit https://www.hcpc-uk.org/registration/getting-on-the-register/international-applications/
I am going to focus on how to apply for jobs and what you need to know to increase your chances of success during an interview. For this post, I shall be discussing how to apply for jobs in the UK. In the next post, we will discuss how to prepare for an interview.
As you may know, you can only apply for a job in the UK only when you have completed your HCPC registration and have a registration number. There are a lot of sites online for radiographer jobs. The very popular ones are
https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
https://www.indeed.co.uk/
https://www.reed.co.uk
https://www.cv-library.co.uk
There are many more when you search “radiographer jobs in UK” on google. However, please be very careful when using any other sites than the ones I have listed above. If any site is asking you for payment or asking for information relating to your bank account or credit/debit cards, there is a high chance it is a fraudulent site. When you go to sites like the one I have listed above, you can search for jobs using key words like “radiographer”, “CT”, “MRI”, “Mammographer”, “Ultrasound” etc. It is usually best to also sign up for notifications so new job postings can come to your email directly.
The method of application are different for each of the sites. Some job sites require you to register your details and upload your CV (and a cover letter). You can update the CV and cover letter as you wish. When you see a job you want to apply, you just click on it and provide a few information and they just send off your CV (and covering letter) directly to the hiring manager(s). Sites like Reed and CV-Library operate like that. Make sure you have a well written CV. Your CV should typically be with 1-2 pages. It needs to have both your work experience and education background arranged in a chronological order. Please ensure you have a valid phone number and email. Information like sex, age, nationality, hobbies are very unnecessary; please do not include them. For referees, simply put “available on request”. Your cover letter needs to convince the reader (or the software in most cases) that you have read the job description and you are the right candidate for the job. Please avoid using same cover letter for all applications.
The NHS job site (www.jobs.nhs.net) is perhaps the most popular for radiographer jobs and this is because it is a centralized job advert site for all NHS hospitals. All NHS radiographer jobs must appear on this site but may or may not appear on other sites which mostly advertise private hospital jobs and/or locum jobs. I strongly recommend you register on the NHS job site and this is also because about 95% of radiographers from Nigeria are hired by NHS hospitals. Job application on the NHS job site does not require CV. A lot of the information you need to put in are pretty straight forward but please be careful to indicate that you will need tier 2 visa sponsorship and when answering questions about criminal convictions, please be careful to answer correctly. Now where a lot of people have problems is in writing supporting information. This section takes the form of a cover letter and the trick to writing a good supporting information is to read the job descriptions (and requirements) and construct a well written essay to convince the hiring manager that you are qualified for the job. But remember that job adverts could receive dozens of applications and hence, the hiring managers may not sit down and read all the information before shortlisting for interview. The most valid assumption is that the applications are uploaded to a HR expert software and it screens the applications using keywords and present candidates to be shorlisted. These keywords can easily be identified in the job descriptions / specification. I have attached an example of job description/ specification below
While writing your supporting information, the essay must address the essential and desired qualities/ requirements. They need to be concise and must contain key words from the qualities mentioned like “IT skills”, “Analytical Skills”, “Competent in administration of IV contrast” etc. It is usually not necessary to repeat information you have provided somewhere else on the application in the supporting information. For example, you don’t need to mention places you have worked, the year you graduated etc. It makes your “essay” unnecessarily long.
Generally, your ability to get shortlisted for an interview depends on how well you present your application.
I will summarise my advices on job application as follows
1.
Sign up to job sites.
2.
Have a concise CV and cover
letter. If you need help in constructing a good CV, please send me an email.
3.
Do not use same CV and
cover letter for all your applications. Some jobs might need you to twerk your
CV to present yourself appropriately in line with the job description and
requirements.
4.
If you are applying for NHS
jobs, please pay attention to the details you provide
5.
While writing a supporting information,
do not repeat information you have already provided elsewhere in the
application. Read the job description very well. Identify key requirements and
key words and make sure your essay covers/ contains them.
6.
Do not lie on your CV. It
will create an unnecessary pressure during your interview. If you say you have experience
in cardiac CT, please expect to answer questions in cardiac CT during your
interview
7.
Be patient and apply to as
many jobs as possible.
Good luck. My next post will be on what to do after you have been shortlisted for an interview.
