Make sure you have carried out an adequate and robust self-assessment and career exploration. You can work through the career planning pages on this website to help you with this. Carrying out these first two stages will really help you in writing your application and at the interview stage. For example, if you have completed your career exploration based on what you have discovered about yourself in the self-assessment stage, then you will be in a strong position to give an excellent answer to any questions related to why you feel you have the right personal characteristics to work in your chosen specialty.  

See our pages on decision making in the 4 stage planning model

• Take note of the competition ratios in the specialties you are considering. Click here for a further explanation of the importance of competition ratios
• Remember it’s important to also have a plan B, and even a plan C!

Exercises you can do:

On this website there are some suggested exercises that you can do, to help you come to a decision:

• Timeline exercise
• SWOT analysis
• Pros and Cons analysis

You should aim to make sure that you have worked through the first three stages of the career planning model. It is important to be at the fourth stage: plan implementation, before you prepare for your application to specialty.

Preparing your CV is something you can do now to help with your application. The application process for specialty is not usually by CV but via an electronic application portal with a standard application form and CV based questions. However, if you start to prepare your CV it will make filling in your application form much easier; for example, you will be able to refer to your CV for the dates of all your key achievements. In addition to this, you need to include your CV in your learning portfolio, ready for the interview stage.

Remember:
- CV = Life Story
- CV is a very important document
- CVs will change over time
- CVs can be tailored for specific purposes
- CV is a marketing tool

On this website we have advice on how to prepare a medical CV

Medical CVs - Dos and Don’ts:

Do:

• remember that there’s no limit on page length but good layout is important; get the most relevant information on page 1
• use quality white paper if possible
• use bullet points and headings.
• Use bold to make it easier to read
• get a “fresh” pair of eyes to look over your CV
• ensure there are no spelling/grammatical errors

Don’t:

• tell untruths or anything you cannot back up at interview
• use an e-mail address that you can’t access easily
• use underlining - it looks old-fashioned
• leave any gaps in your CV. Make sure each year is accounted for (i.e. take care with dates)

We have written some guidance as to how you may organise your portfolio. Organising your portfolio will help you to find some really strong evidence for when you are filling in your application form. Also, some interview stations will involve a portfolio interview so if you prepare your portfolio now it will enable you to become familiar with its content and save you the stress of completing it at the last minute.

Also remember to include a front page in your portfolio that is entitled ‘Commitment to Specialty’. This page should be adapted to show evidence of your commitment to the specialty to which you are applying.

After the application deadline the applications are long-listed; this means that eligibility checks are carried out. After this process the applications are short-listed and those candidates on the shortlist are invited to interview.  Some specialties have machine marked short-listing so no panel is involved.

How the forms are scored:

Forms are scored against nationally agreed person specifications.

What the panel looks for:

Those short-listing will be looking for evidence that you can do the job and have motivation for and understanding of your desired specialty.

You will score poorly if:

- you do not meet the essential criteria, which you can find on the person specification
- you do not follow the instructions provided
- you do not answer the questions, waffle or leave blank spaces
- your spelling or grammar is poor

www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk are grateful for the work of Dr Maire Shelley, Associate Dean of Health Education North West in the writing of this article.

Making sense of specialty person specifications

Person specifications can appear rather irrelevant documents – they just seem to state the obvious – yet applications are centred around these documents.  So how can you get what they are after and use this to your advantage as you apply for a specialty?

Reading the anaesthesia person specification as an anaesthetist, it is not news to me that I am aware of developing situations and that I have to be able to communicate clearly.  So when I see these characteristics in the person specification, it does seem to be stating the obvious  - it is describing characteristics that are so deeply part of me that I do not even think about them.  So talking through a person specification with somebody in the specialty you are considering may not be that useful, you are asking them to discuss characteristics that are almost beyond discussion - they just are!

A trick is to look at other person specifications, the more you consider the more complete a view you will have.  All the person specifications are different and while many of the differences are subtle, these may be the most important to grasp.

So, let’s assume I want to do anaesthetics.  I read through the (rather obvious) person specification and notice that the communications element states:

“Demonstrates clarity in written/spoken communication and capacity to adapt language as appropriate to the situation.”

I then read through several other person specifications and find that this element varies considerably.  For instance, surgery has this:

“Capacity to communicate effectively & sensitively with others, able to discuss treatment options with patients in a way they can understand.”

Paediatrics, this:

“Capacity to communicate effectively at different levels, eg with babies, young people and their families”

Histopathology, this:

“Capacity to answer questions clearly, concisely and appropriately.  Capacity to build rapport, listen, persuade and negotiate.”

Psychiatry, this:

“Capacity to communicate effectively & sensitively with others.  Capacity to listen & engage others in open/equal dialogue.”

And ophthalmology, this

“Capacity to adapt language as appropriate to the situation, open and non-defensive.”

So anaesthetists have to demonstrate their clear communication skills, other specialties have to have the capacity to communicate as described, that tells me something about the emphasis of the interview and possibly its marking scheme.  Also, when might it be particularly useful for me, as an anaesthetist to be particularly clear in my communications,   What are the different situations in which I will be working and how might I need to adapt my communications in each of these?  Similarly, asking a surgeon how anaesthetists communicate in an emergency may be more useful than asking the anaesthetist.

These elements of the person specifications throw up lots of questions for me about different specialties  Why do ophthalmologists have to be non-defensive?  What is the difference in the way surgeons and psychiatrists demonstrate sensitivity?  How do paediatricians relate to each member of a family, often at the same time?  Why do only histopathologists have to answer questions in a particular way?

Once your curiousity is aroused, it is fascinating to explore other areas.  How do different specialties view teamworking – not simply who is in the different teams but how do the specialists relate to the other team members?  What is the function of the team?  What part does the specialist play?  Is this always the same? Under what circumstances does it change?

Then person specifications start to be more than stating the obvious.  They are thumbnail sketches of the people who work in each specialty.  As each specialty has different requirements, it demands slightly different skills, abilities and attributes from the people who work in it.  While people experienced in the specialty may take these attributes and abilities for granted, those applying for the specialty have to understand what makes a specialty unique.  Only then can you know how a specialty will suit you and how you will suit it.

The specialty person specifications are available to view on the MMC website.

How to make a strong application

Think about STAR when filling in your application form:

S – Situation (first write about what was happening in the particular situation- be concise and informative)

T – Task (then write about goals you set yourself- keep this brief)

A - Action (then write about what you did)

R – Result (finally, write about the outcome of your action)

It is a good idea to concentrate approximately 50% on the A –Action part of the answer, as it shows what you actually did. Note that you should generally aim to talk about what you did, rather than using ‘we’. Using ‘we’ demonstrates your team-working skills and it is fine to mention it occasionally, but using ‘I’ will demonstrate that you were acting autonomously.

You should spend approximately 20% of your answer on the R –Result part. Here you can reflect on what you have learnt from the situation.

• Read the question and get an understanding of what is being asked, not what you think is being asked
• Read the person specifications very carefully. This will give you a clear indication of skills and attributes your answer should address. You should have the person specification beside you when you fill in your application form
• Where there are defined sections for you to present information, check for word counts; it is best to do a first draft in Word
• If a general ‘supporting statement’ is requested, don’t ramble; list your evidence against specific competences
• Think about specific examples to showcase personal skills e.g. teamwork, communication, ethics etc
• Vary your examples to match specialty
• Describe not just an experience, but what you learnt from it
• Use STAR (see strong applications)

Do:

• complete a CV – this can be done now!
• organise your learning portfolio – this can be done now!
• start considering likely questions, and thinking of clinical scenarios that are applicable
• read the questions very carefully when the forms come out
• think about your non-medical interests/experiences
• keep it simple – pick examples that clearly answer the question (e.g. audit)
• be positive. A good application form, one which is focussed, clear and coherent is the first step towards securing you the job in the specialty that you want

Don’t:

• leave submitting your form until the last minute as the deadline is very strict (In 2012 the Quick Guide produced by the MMC team stated that ‘in one LETB in 2008 over 400 doctors failed to get shortlisted due to poor planning and organisation’)
• go over the word count
• lie or mislead the markers of your form
• plagiarise your answers – people have been caught out by anti-plagiarism software
• be unclear if the question calls for a specific answer - try to avoid being vague and leaving blank spaces
• keep putting it off!

The preparation that you do for your application form will help you move towards the interviews.

Remember:

• Although it is more important at ST3 level interviews, it is still a good idea to keep up-to-date with current affairs in medicine (e.g. by reading a broadsheet newspaper; looking at the BMJ website)
• Have a good understanding of the basics – research, audit, clinical governance
• Approach people for help, tips or interview practice

Finally, this site also contains information on interviews and selection centres