Do NHS jobs tell you if your application is unsuccessful?

Applying for jobs in the NHS is a complex and time-consuming process, especially if you’re navigating the process without much NHS experience.

Once you’ve completed your application, you face an anxious wait to find out whether you’ve made it through to interview or not, with platforms such as NHS Jobs and Trac only providing limited updates to the candidate. In recent years, the job application process has also become much lengthier, with the rise of AI and drastically increasing volumes of applications making shortlisting a task that often takes weeks rather than days.

In theory, all applicants should receive confirmation (usually via email) of the shortlisting outcomes, with the possible outcomes being typically one of the below:

• Invited to interview
• Interview reserve list (for applicants just missing out on scoring well enough to make the interview, who may be invited if other applicants withdraw)
• Rejected

However, the way that the Trac platform works for hiring managers means it is sometimes possible to send out interview invites without having sent rejections to those who have not been selected for the next stage. NHS HR teams may spot this and send out rejections, but it is entirely possible for this error to be missed and no confirmation ever to be sent.

In practice this means that if you have been waiting for more than about 3 weeks past the closing date of a job, you are unlikely to have made it to interview – but it is worth emailing the contact on the application form to check.

Do you get feedback on unsuccessful NHS job applications?

No – you would not normally receive feedback on an NHS job application. This is due to the sheer volume of applications that hiring managers have to review, alongside completing their normal “day job” – most roles now receive more than 100 applications.

If you make it through to interview, you should expect to get feedback from the hiring manager, who may also be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your application with you.