Unlocking Opportunities in the NHS.From Application to interview #NIUK

Space Summary

The Twitter Space Unlocking Opportunities in the NHS.From Application to interview #NIUK hosted by NIUKCommunity. The Twitter space 'Unlocking Opportunities in the NHS' hosted by the Nigerians in UK Community provided valuable insights on navigating the NHS job market. From application procedures to interview preparation and career advancement strategies, participants gained key knowledge on succeeding within the NHS. Networking, effective communication, and continuous learning emerged as crucial factors for success, complemented by the support networks offered by the community. By balancing cultural integration with personal identity and focusing on professional development, individuals can unlock various opportunities within the NHS.

For more spaces, visit the Infrastructure page.

Questions

Q: How important is networking for Nigerians seeking opportunities in the NHS?
A: Networking can open doors to job prospects, mentorship, and valuable connections within the NHS.

Q: What are some key strategies for preparing for NHS interviews?
A: Researching the NHS, practicing interview questions, and showcasing relevant skills are crucial preparation steps.

Q: Why is effective communication essential in NHS roles?
A: Clear communication skills are vital for patient care, teamwork, and professional interactions within the NHS.

Q: How can the Nigerians in UK Community support members interested in NHS careers?
A: The community can offer insights, networking opportunities, and mentorship to navigate NHS job prospects.

Q: What role does continuous learning play in advancing a career within the NHS?
A: Continuous learning ensures professionals stay updated with industry trends, enhancing career growth and adaptability.

Q: How can individuals balance cultural integration with maintaining their identity in the NHS workplace?
A: Adapting to the NHS culture while preserving one's identity involves understanding and respecting cultural differences while embracing diversity.

Q: Why is personal branding important for success in the NHS job market?
A: Building a strong personal brand helps individuals stand out, showcase their skills, and align with NHS organizational values.

Q: What types of professional development opportunities are available within the NHS?
A: The NHS offers various training programs, certifications, and career advancement initiatives to support professional growth.

Q: How can mentorship impact career progression for Nigerians in the NHS?
A: Mentorship provides guidance, support, and industry insights, facilitating career advancement and skill development.

Q: What are the benefits of joining the NHS support networks within the Nigerians in UK Community?
A: These networks offer a sense of belonging, shared experiences, and resources for navigating NHS opportunities and challenges.

Highlights

Time: 00:13:45
Navigating NHS Applications Insights on understanding the NHS application process and requirements for Nigerians in the UK.

Time: 00:28:19
Networking Strategies for NHS Success Tips on building professional connections and networking effectively within the NHS sector.

Time: 00:36:55
Interview Preparation Tips Guidance on preparing thoroughly for NHS interviews, including research and skills showcase.

Time: 00:45:02
Career Advancement in the NHS Exploring professional development opportunities and growth pathways within the NHS.

Time: 00:57:30
Personal Branding for NHS Professionals Importance of building a strong personal brand and highlighting relevant skills in the NHS job market.

Time: 01:10:15
Community Support and Insights Utilizing the Nigerians in the UK Community for valuable support, connections, and career guidance.

Time: 01:25:40
Cultural Integration in NHS Settings Balancing cultural adaptation with personal identity while working in the NHS.

Time: 01:35:22
Continuous Learning and Adaptability Emphasizing the significance of ongoing learning for staying competitive in the NHS.

Time: 01:48:11
Mentorship Impact on Career Growth Exploring the benefits of mentorship in advancing careers for Nigerians in the NHS.

Time: 02:00:05
NHS Support Networks Benefits of joining support networks for accessing resources and connections within the NHS.

Time: 02:15:30
Effective Communication Skills Highlighting the importance of clear communication for success in NHS roles and interactions.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the NHS application procedures and requirements is crucial for Nigerians in the UK.
• Networking within the NHS sector can significantly enhance job prospects and career advancement.
• Preparing thoroughly for NHS interviews by researching the organization and practicing common interview questions is vital.
• Professional development opportunities within the NHS can be accessed through various programs and initiatives.
• Building a strong personal brand and showcasing relevant skills are essential for success in the NHS job market.
• Support networks within the Nigerians in UK Community can provide valuable insights and connections for navigating NHS opportunities.
• Effective communication skills are highly valued in NHS roles, emphasizing the need for clear and concise articulation.
• Continuous learning and upskilling are key aspects of staying competitive and relevant in the ever-evolving NHS environment.
• Seeking mentorship from experienced professionals in the NHS can offer guidance and support for career growth.
• Adapting to the cultural and organizational nuances of the NHS while maintaining one's identity is pivotal for integration and success.

Behind the Mic

Introduction and Welcome

Hello, hello. Good evening and welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Right. Good evening everyone. Good evening. Yeah. Okay. All right. Good evening everyone. Please share this space with your friends and families or anybody that you know that will benefit from this space. Today we'll be talking about unlocking opportunities in the NHS from application to interviews. So please and please send the link to your friends and family. Let's do that in 1 minute and then we can get started already. In the meantime, please follow the NIK official handle and also follow our guest speakers who I'll be introducing in a bit just so that you can keep up with the conversation again. We want to encourage people to use the chat room to react to things being said and ask questions. Because we might not be able to take everybody on the stage, there's a limit to what we can take on the stage.

About NIK Community

For those who don't know, this is Niuk. Nigerians in the UK Twitter community we're a registered community in the UK and the aim of this community is to give Nigerians in the UK that feeling of being at home, away from home. We do this by connecting together and supporting each other to win together. Part of the ways we do it is by hosting spaces like this. Discussing topics that are affecting us as immigrants in the UK. Discussing topics that will better our lives. Discussing topics that will make us achieve our aim and objectives of being in the UK. We have over 20,000 members in our community and we also have different WhatsApp groups for different locations. We are Instagram Niuk community, we are on TikTok and you can also check our website www.niukcommunity.com where you can see some of our events. We have a calendar on there where you can see upcoming events and past events that we've done and also just general information about what Niuk does.

Community Guidelines and Membership

Also, if you want to be a part of the community, we have just very simple rules. To join the community, you need to have a profile picture on. This is just put in place to reduce the number of bots and catfish accounts that we get requested to join the community, and also to put a face to who we are interacting with in the community. You need to be resident in the UK. We might randomly ask you to prove your UK residence and this is not malicious. Just to ensure that we have members in the community that actually living in the UK. The community, we have different expenses that we run, part of which will be maintenance of the websites, running errands for the community, and all of that. For that reason, we have put a token of a pound, which works out to be about twelve pounds a year, as voluntary emphasis on voluntary subscription it is voluntary. You do not have to pay this before you accept it into the community.

Subscription and Community Support

It is voluntary, but this is just a way to support the community so that we can get things done when it needs doing. Every other thing about the community, we will be, at intervals, we'll be talking about it. But this is just a brief overview of what the community stands for. If you have any other queries about the community joining the community, pending applications to join the community, please send a message to the official handle I'm trying to divert traffic away from myself now. Sometimes I might be able to do it when I'm free, but other times please direct the traffic to the official and any of the moderators to get the list of moderators. If you check on the community, click on the members of the community and then you will see a list of people who are moderators. Send a message to any of them or catch their attention on the main TL and then they will be more than happy to help you, provided that you meet the criteria.

Criteria for Joining

To join criteria, one, you must be resident in the UK. Two, you must have a profile picture and you do not have to pay. It is a voluntary payment because I've been getting feedback saying, oh, you have to pay before you join the community. That's not true. It's a voluntary payment. You can pay or you can decide just to be a random member of the community now. Thank you for that. I haven't said that. I think it's time for us to go straight to the topic of tonight. And before we do that, I would like to introduce our guest speakers who, together tonight, will be dissecting this topic. And hopefully before the end of tonight, we'll be able to get the best out of it.

Introducing Guest Speakers

With no further ado, I would like to introduce our person. Our. I like to call her the unofficial VC, the VP. The unofficial VP of the Nigerians in the UK community. She's always there. Like anytime you call on her, she's always there to assist us with everything and anything we request from her. He's no other person than Bookie Abpmdeh Buki. Good evening. How are you tonight? Good evening, sk. I'm great. I'm actually looking forward to this, even though. Even though we know the genesis of this. But yeah, I'm glad to be here. Is it possible to pull up the two other speakers? And when you were saying we're speakers, you're also a speaker as well. So can we invite Esi mem? She's here already. She's on space.

Setting the Stage for the Discussion

He's not showing up on my. Yeah, she is. She is. And is Ayola here as well? Yeah, he is as well. I think I might be having a glitch because it's not showing on my screen, but that's all good. So should we. Should we get started being there? Yeah, yeah. Please, please. I'm time boxing everything. I'm one of those people that when I'm in spaces, I don't like to do more than 60 minutes to 2 hours maximum. So, without further ado. Hi, everyone. Really pleased that you are here. Thank you for joining us today for us to talk about this topic. This topic was introduced. Well, it's been going. I've been seeing it on Twitter, you know, quite a few people trying to come into the NHS and, you know, I've been seeing, you know, unsolicited advice flying up and down in the streets of Twitter.

Discussion on NHS Opportunities

And for the longest time, I tend to kind of, like, bite my tongue and not say anything. But there was a particular tweet that caught my attention and there wasn't anything particularly wrong about that tweet. It was just the impression that it was giving and that was the reason why I counted it. And we will talk about it later on. But it's great to see you all here. It's great to even be seeing all the messages on Twitter space and people being enthusiastic about wanting to learn about exploring careers, their career in the NHS, which is brilliant because the NHS is very. Is the core of the health system in the United Kingdom. Now, before we dive in, I'd like to clarify that all views, including my own and insights shared by me today, are my own views, right.

Core Objectives for the Talk

And they are a reflection of my personal and professional experiences. Right. I really want people to literally, I hope you've got a pen, paper. If you've got your laptop in front of you know, take notes. If you hear any websites or anything, go to those websites and put it on your saver. Right. Really? Now, what are the core objectives for this call, for this talk? The core objectives is, what we would like to go through is obviously give you an introduction to various opportunities that you can find in the NHS, because I don't think many people actually know, and if you do, fantastic. Those are the kind of tweets I want to be seeing opportunities days in the NHS. So hopefully one of the speakers will talk about that. We're also going to try and give you information on as to where you can find job opportunities, job openings, and then what we'll like to do is also give you, hopefully, a step by step walkthrough of an application process as best as possible.

Application Process and Interview Insights

We've got an HR professional that works in the NHS as one of the speaker and we've got a recruiting manager, so it's nothing, just my perspective as well as a recruiting manager as well. We'll also hope to shed some light on how to have an effective interview that can possibly give you the opportunity to get yourself a job and then obviously talk a little bit about the COS as well and in terms of referencing as well. So we've got a lot packed in a two-hour conversation. So we do have a plan for today. Let me quickly go and check what that plan is. So without further ado, I am going to pass the mic back to SK, maybe all the other speakers get to speak a little bit and then you go in and talk to us about opportunities in NHS.

Exploring Employment Opportunities

Are you back? Yeah, I'm back. I'm back. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you. I think you've given a really great list, which is brilliant because quite a number of people just used to think it was just NHS dot jobs or NHS.net. There are so many just like, track jobs that you've mentioned. There is also, I'm not sure whether you mention NHS digital for those that are trying to come into the. To the digital space. I don't know. I'm not sure if you mentioned that while I was away, I've just shared in the bubble. We tweeted a government link site. Link. Where can I find jobs in the NHS? Please read through that. It's really useful and I'm sure when Issi meme comes on, she'll be able to share more light on that.

Job Application Insights

But we do have a running order, so bear with me. So I would like to invite Ayolai to come and talk to us about navigating the application process from start to finish from the perspective of a recruiting manager. Ayola, are you there? Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. Really appreciate you being here. Yeah, thank you so much. And thank you for the opportunity, actually. So I'm known as Tolu Oluwe and Ayola is also part of my name anyways, but I'm known as Toluolope and I'm a medic. But at the moment I work as one of a senior operational lead of one of the directorate in my trust. And I'm also, based on the fact of my position, I've been exposed to a lot of recruitment process from start to finish.

Navigating the Recruitment Process

And also I'm also a value-based interview trained and one of the BME representative when it comes to interviews. So I've been opportunistic, witness so many interviews and go through the recruitment process. So just like you said in the beginning, what all the. All the views I'll be sharing are personal views based on my professional experience. I've been able to do this within three trusts. So I'm not saying that whatever I'm saying are perfect, but like I've been able to, these are experiences I've acquired over time and not just in one particular location in three different trusts. So yeah, I think SK was mentioning something in regards to places you could find job. There's another site that you could also get job and I think that is specifically for University hospitals of Birmingham.

Job Opportunities at University Hospitals

You've got so many job opportunities there that most of the time they don't advertise their job on track. So you can just go to the link, university Hospital Birmingham, you can see different jobs and the website or the way their own application process is being done. It's a bit similar to track, but somehow simpler to track. And I've had a lot of people get jobs there and because it's a big, is a big trust. We've got like four. Four trusts under them. We have the, we have Atlant, we have Queen Elizabeth, we've got so many, so we've got Bermier children Hospital. So it's a lot of trust is a lot of hospitals under theme and they got so many opportunities from admin roles to so many roles. So it's something that people should look out for.

Job Application Submission and Scoring

So based on what I'm talking about, shortlisting, and so I've actually been able to split that into different sections so that I could pick that one after the other. So let me start from, let me continue from where SK stopped. So you're able to find a job. The most important thing is the fact that you need to know if you've got the necessary equipment, experience, and the requirements. So it's important that you download the JD. Literally, they've made this thing very easy. So most times when I see people say they want to pay, I understand that people are desperate. I'm not against that, but this is just my personal view. I understand people have tried, but it's so very easy. So that's the reason why it's always takes us as IRA manager to prepare the JD and the P's.

JD Preparation Process

So we spend weeks because we have to prepare the JD because we just want to make life easy for you. We want to see because for us as hiring managers, we go through the shortlisting process and we have KPIs on by the time the vacancy has closed on track. There's a particular timeframe, the KPI timeframe that you need to be done with shortlisting. So for us, we want to make life easy for you. I want to also make life easy for us. So that's the reason why it's important that we always spend time. There are times that after writing the JD and the P's the library. The library team will reject that because they want it to be precise. They want it to be, you know, well articulated.

Understanding the Job Description

So the first thing when you've got the job or when you. Can anyone hear you, he's probably gone on a call. Let's give him 2 seconds. Let's send him a message, because I'm not sure if he's aware, but can I just say, Twitter is glitching. So for the longest time, I had to go out and come back as well. So I think what I, Oli, was trying to do was trying to explain to you the process from the start as a hiring manager, in terms of what we do to prepare ourselves in terms of the requirements to ensure that the process is easy, well, as easy as can be for anyone that's applying for the job, and also to remove essential criteria. You will see the desired.

Job Specification and Criteria

Now, we lost you for about 45 seconds. You went for about three minutes. So can you start from when you complete in the jds and then it's approved? Because there was a part where you said that it gets rejected and then we didn't hear you. So if you stop. Yeah. Oh, all right. I'm sorry. Okay, that's fine. So, as I said, so just to make life easier for both the recruiting managers or the IRA manager, whatever they call them, and the applicants, the library department or the library service unit, they ensure that everything that is written in the JD and the P's is actually well articulated so that, you know, the.

JD and Specifications Importance

The applicant will be able to see clearly to understand if this is what I can do. If the. If this job is for me, if I have the necessary transferable skills or I also have the necessary experience, or I think I can learn on the job and all sort of things. So it's always something that we really work on. It's so important that. And that's like the bottom line of application. So when you've got a job, let's say you've got any job, you download the JD. Some will say the. Some will put it as a JD alone, some will put it as a Jdps. So when you download that, as I've said, it will tell you more about the job description, the title, or you're reporting to, your requirements or the job, what they expecting you to do.

Specificity in Job Applications

But the, but the catchy point and or what is the most important thing for you is to go down to the person's specification, which is always in the tabular form. So you've got the essential criteria, you've got the desirable criteria. So now we use a particular application in shortlisting, definitely we use track. So for, if it's based on a track job, so we use track. So we've got, like the track admin, not like the normal track that everybody's got. So on the track admin, when everybody applies. So on the track admin. Yes, continue. Perfect. So on the track admin, when people apply as IRN manager, you always have the lead.

Using Track for Applications

Irene manager. So just like the person's name. So most times when you see some job advertised on track, you say the person's name. So most of the time the person is always in charge of the application. And I forgot to say this, it's so important that you can also reach out, you can also call, you can actually discuss some things before you also apply. You're not shooting yourself on the leg or you're not doing too much. It's expected. And that's the reason why I've got the numbers there. I'm always receiving calls when there's always an application or advert out. So you could even get more clarification. You could discuss some things further if the IRA manager really is a very nice person, but you could discuss some things for that to have a full understanding of what you're doing.

Essential Criteria in Job Applications

So back to what I was saying. So you've got the essential criteria. It's always in the tabular form. So you see measured at. Some will tell you. So it's always like the a C I. At times you just see the a and the I alone. The a is always at the application. The I is always on the interview. This will give you an overview of the kind of question you receive. This will give you an overview of how you should make your application. And with this, you don't necessarily need to pay anybody any fee to get this application done because the track, as of when people apply, we don't even know he's applying.

Transparency in Applications

We don't even know their names because the track admin application for we, the IRA managers, we don't see anybody's name. So we're not going to see. The only way we could see if the person is from this particular location or this region is based on the education. When your region is, oh, you see someone from Nigeria. Most times when I see that, I'm always very happy. But the thing is, as a shortlister, you're not the only one. So most times we'll get like three or four people shortlisting to ensure fairness. And we are. We're going to add all our scores together.

Shortlisting Process

So it takes time to read all those things. So before, I used to hear people say they use an application or they use, like, a particular computer. No, it's. You have to. We read. I read through most times I've got. Because most times you recruit nurses, you recruit advanced clinical practitioners, recruit phlebotomist, recruit admins and all sorts of things. So you have to read through everything. So for the admin app. So when you've got the person and at the end of the application or at the end of the job, if the job vacancy has closed on track, it will tell you, we need to move this job to the shortlisting stage.

Shortlisting and Scoring

So it brings out everybody that has applied. So the first thing that is going to come out when you're shortlisted, it will give you, like, the score. So if I get to like, the training and qualification, it's going to give me, like, a score. Like, like a, like a score sheet. So it's going to give me, like, the marking scheme. Let me use that word, a marking scheme. So there's something I'm looking for. So let's say that I've got, like, a particular job in front of me and I'm using this as an example. So let's say it's saying educated to a degree level or relevant experience.

Criteria Verification

So in your application, you just need to prove to me that you are educated to a degree level. So probably when I'm reading through, I need to see, oh, this person has got like a bachelor's degree or it's irrelevant or whatever experience that you've, you know, you've acquired, it's actually relate. Or it's. We can actually qualify that to be like a degree level. So we've got that. And another thing, while I'm saying, I just remember this, I've got. I've also had people say, oh, the desirable, you don't need to bother yourself about the desirable is the session. It's a lie. We both score the same, though they.

Desirable vs. Essential Criteria

So it's always happening like a score. So at the end of. At the end of the d day, the essential might have you, like, the essential might give you, like a session. The overall score for the essential might be like 40. Why? The desirable can be like 20, but we are still going to add the old score together. So at times you can add 40 plus 20 to give you 60 as overall. Or we could say this is the score baseline for us to move you to the interview stage, we can say you must have at least 38 over 40. The essential, we can say we must have like 35. I'm saying based on what I used to do in three different trusts, so I need to mention that.

Final Scoring and Shortlist Considerations

So for the desirable, you could say, oh, since it's over 20, you must have like 15. So at times, and when we've got like a tie, we always use something. If somebody has got more in essential, more than desirable, we can actually prefer to give the person based on, after all the shortlisters have come together. And I need to let you know that after we've done this, the recruitment team to also checking, so they also ensure fairness. They, they review this and they go through every process. So as I've said, now you've got the educated to degree level, so you just look for a way to, you know, prove to them that you are educated to a degree level when they are checking under your qualification.

Demonstrating Qualifications

So it's not necessarily about you. I understand. We want to impress, we want to put all this stuff we've got, but you can just look through it, evidence of a CPD. So if you've got like a continuous development program that you know of or like, there's any teaching that you've done, so any training that you've done and that can be classified as a CPD, you could pull that out under the qualifications. So knowledge of. So I'm just using this as an example, what I've got in front of me, knowledge of the NHS in the acute sector. So now that is always where the issue is.

Realistic Job Preparation

So no matter how much you're using an AI or you're using chat GPT, if you don't have a knowledge of NHS in the kids sector, there's no way you could be able to get. So it's always important that though, when you see the job, it might look sketchy, you might look, oh, I can do this. It's always very important. So, you know, stress yourself and just waste bullets. Download the person's specification to read through and so avant. So after that you've got the training, you've got the experience. It's always classified like that. The training and qualifications experience, some of them will tell you communications and relationship skills, analytical and judgment skills plan.

Detailed Examination of Roles

So depending on the kind of job role. So it will highlight how you should describe all those things. Now for skills. Now, looking at one of these jobs as an example, well developed it skills, particularly word and excel. So when you're writing under your experience. So your experience should show that you've used what an excel is. So that simple. By the time I'm seeing. Oh, what is not even. I've never got into personal statement. I'm not. I'm just talking about your experience. So you don't necessarily need to copy and paste the experience or, sorry, the job experience on the JD.

Effective Application Writing

You don't need to even copy the full job description. It's also important when you just look at the person's education, you have an understanding of what you're doing. So, like the. Like the planning and organization skills. Now, demonstrative planning and organization skills. So that will take us to probably your personal statement. So you should be able to demonstrate all this in your personal statement. So, I haven't put all those things in your. So you've. You've been able to demonstrate everything. The relationship skills, analytical and judgment skills, all sorts of skills. Then we score.

Scoring Applications

So when we see you have, if you say the degree, someone that has a degree, we have like, five points or ten points, we'll give you that same point. So let's say somebody has a degree together with some CPDs and some other experience, we give 20 points and. But you've. You've got like, few of those things. So it's just based on the shortlisted discretion to say, okay, let me give this person ten. Let me give this person 15. So, because we've got, like, like a score sheet and, so that.

Application Feedback

That gives us an idea of how to score wherever that we. We are scoring. So after that, the whole thing. Now, I've realized something recently that during the past, during, shortlisting, a lot of people, most especially Nigerians, we. We are. We are good at words. You know, some of the. Some of our personal statements are worded and, you know, we put all sorts of things, but at the end of the day, it's tiring reading all through all those things. It's not, it's not, it's not. It's not in the length of the words or it's not in the amount of what you're writing.

Strategies for Strong Applications

Because to be fair, this is me being sincere. There are times you read through and I'm like, I'm just tired. It's so. To make life easy for the hiring manager, there's a particular strategy that I've always tell people in my church and some of my friends, and it's been working now because it's working for them. Might not necessarily work for you but this is what I'm trying to say. So what you do during your personal statements, the same way they've actually outlined the peers, right. The same way they've outlined their person's person specification is the same way I was expected to do it.

Threading Through Personal Statements

Training and you put during instead of writing. Fine, I'm right. I've read so many personal statements about. Gosh. So instead of writing all those things, so easy, straightforward, no necessary drama, just go straight to the supporting statement. Under the supporting. Just like using like the subject line system put trading and qualifications. Now they're expecting you to. Sure. Or demonstrate that you. So just write it. I have so, so evidence of a CPT. Mention the CPT. You've done like just like you're writing but you've got like an headline.

Clear Communication in Applications

So as a recruiting manager I know that this person is an organized person. This person knows what he or she is doing. I just go straight to it. I'm like oh under the 20 qualification, instantly I can see okay this person has got that, fine, I'll go forward because I have like that score. You know that score sheets that is giving me that marking scheme. The next thing that I'm looking at is the experience. The same way they've been able to highlight it on the person's specification is the same way that score is.

Importance of Experience in Job Applications

So the next thing is the experience. So if you've just written all the words and I would have to start skimming through where's the experience in this? Where is it? What did this person say? But if you've under the experience as a sub heading you've mentioned related to what they are saying now a minimum of two years. Now with this particular job I'm looking at minimum of two years experience in a management role. So you've been able to and I can tell you categorically that you can actually use your transferable experience.

Leveraging Transferable Skills

While I was in Nigeria, I was a full clinician but I jumped into the management role with my experience in Nigeria and that's what I've been using. So you can actually use your. So there are some of these experiences that are transferable. It's just about knowing how to write some of those things. Knowing. I've read so many Nigerians applications of like Gosh and I've met so many Nigerians during time. I'm like oh God. So as I've said to make it easy and don't make the stuff clumsy for you just the same way but if you feel that you're not comfortable that you can still go with how you feel.

Application Style Considerations

But just understand that what they are looking at is that measured at a interview application. So all the application they are expecting to just put all these things, they will demonstrate all these things in your application. See for those that might have test. So I've gone for interviews that they'll give you tests, some, some skill test, you know, try to task your brain and other things or presentation. So some of them, they'll put p presentation. So they are. So for some higher jobs like I think from band six, some jobs now from band six, band seven, band eight a and sort of things definitely you have to present.

Understanding the Interview Process

So the I is interview. So you need to have an idea of what interview will look like automatically instead of paying someone to prepare you for an interview, which is not that bad, but it's so easy. You, you can have an idea of the question they will ask you. Like this one now is asking is saying commitment to trust value must be able to demonstrate behaviors consistent with the trust value. And he's saying measured atI. So automatically if you expect questions that's going to talk about the trust value.

Preparation for Trust Values

So what is important for me as an applicant is to go through the trust value, read about the trust value and find examples in my head of how I have demonstrated some of these behaviors. Because definitely there will be questions that will come out of it they won't lie to. We don't have much time to start looking. Paying somebody to write questions for us. We've got so many things to do, right. From the shortlisting, from the, to put a job, say to put a job on track is so stressful.

Navigating the Recruitment Timeline

So from recruitment most times takes three to six months. So from the, from, from putting the job on track to even them approving it to. Because most times we defend some. We have to present some of these jobs to the finance team and Hrtaine. Tell them why we need this for. If you're not even a trust that is going through financial issues, it's always stressful. So we already stressed already. So just make life easy.

Challenges in Recruitment

So the questions are around all this already. How to, you know, so the thing you need is just to go and download the person's specification and in regards to supporting statements the same way they've been able to, you know, highlight those things. Just use the sub headline system for your interviews. for, yeah, for the supporting statement and the interview too. You have an idea of the questions from the interview. The last thing that I feel like saying is in regards to, yeah, the value-based interview.

The Shift Towards Value-Based Interviews

Now, most trusts that I know at the moment, they are looking at going beyond what you have on the paper because some of these trust we're aware that informations are flying everywhere. So it's so easy to, you know, basically, it's so easy to use. They also have chat GPT, definitely. So it's so easy to use the chat GPT to, you know, to get. You get interview, but want to see how. And that's the reason why most trust. Now I'm moving to the value-based interview.

Key Skills and Attributes for Trusts

I'm trained, I was trained by them and there are times that I. Most times I volunteer and if there's any other interview in another directorate that is not even in my own directorate, I want to go there to see how interviews are being done because my question we have to be obeyed. So most times they will give me the opportunity to ask questions based on the trust value. So let's say a trust that has a trust value as pact. Pact, partnering, ambitious, caring, trust.

Effective Team Dynamics

Yeah. So it's so important that you know how to demonstrate because there'll be questions that will come out of that. They could give you tasks that require you to see if you're ambitious, tasks that require to save you. So there are times that when we score, we now score on both. You might actually score very well during your interview, but if the IRN manager does not feel that you are going to be a team player, because to be fair, nobody always want to change the winning team.

Aligning Skills with Team Values

Nobody want to change the winning team. We understand the fact that there's a vacancy. I want to recruit you. Now, I'm not saying that if you've got the score that they will not take you. Please. That's all I'm trying to say. But most times, it's always very important that to also look into doing well as someone that will fit into the team. So always be always looking to the trust value, because, as I've said, trust.

Assessment of Candidate Fit

Now they are looking beyond. I've gone from one interview before and while I was trying to, I was even expecting so many questions and they said, we know what you can do. We've seen. We've seen your application because during interviews, we also download your applications, so we'll know what. So we know you're the right person. So I've seen what you can do. I know you have. You got this, you've got that. We want someone that will be someone that will fit into the team, someone that will give what the team does not really have.

Final Thoughts

And these are the two. How will you demonstrate some of these values? And I was like, gosh, I was already prepared for interview, so most of the time, many trust. Now I am not saying I don't know for all trust was three trusts that worked in the past and the present trust. They are really looking into the value-based interview. So really be sure that you have the value you know, you have. You can actually let the iron manager see that you actually what the team needs, not just, you know, someone that is just willing to do the job and.

Conclusion

Yeah, I think that's all anyways. That's all. That's all. That's amazing. I don't even. That's amazing. Thank you so much.

Concerns about AI in Job Applications

Literally, you explained the reason why when I saw that tweet to my head sparked, because I just felt like, so I've been doing my work the right way and someone says, I'll just use chat GPT and get a job. Honestly, I'm not saying people shouldn't do that and I'm going to talk about it in extensive, as much as I can to talk about, you know, the right way to do and the right way not to do it. But listening to how you share your process is really, I hope people are listening. And one thing I want to, I am taking from that is sometimes people are listening and saying, oh, my God, I have to do all of that work just to get a band three just to get a band four just to get a band five role. Honestly, the process sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but it's really easy if you listen to everything that Tolu says, if you haven't come back and listen is very important.

Starting Point in NHS Careers

So without, you know, I want, I. Just want to add something. Sorry, just a minute. Yeah, I understand the fact that a lot of people might be concerned about having such case of sponsorship or sort of things. There is really no job with NHS that it's a waste. One of the. One of the easiest. One of the easiest way to. One of the easiest way to get to the top in NHS is by just start with something, right? Just start with the lowest bounding, like, just start. To be fair, SK did something for me. Well, it's not part of it, but SK did something for me that I'm sure you did not know. To be fair, it's actually changed a lot of things at the moment.

Experience in the NHS

So you could see that band two job, or that band three job. You might feel that, oh, it's too low, just get it. Just two months experience within NHS, it's just enough for you. You can change your level, you can change different bands within five months. So I was able to change my band in the space of six months. Like, different. So just start. Irrespective of the degrees or the qualification you've got, as long as probably sponsorship is settled. Start with something. Just start with something. And that's just the beginning. Thank you so much, Tolu.

Introduction to Recruitment Process

Thank you. Thank you. I hope people are listening. Just start with something. Just come in and start with something. Thank you so much for your patience. I'm going to pass the mic to Issi, who's going to talk to us about confirming the application process, and also to follow us through with the interview process from an HR perspective. Am I saying your name correctly? Is it IsI meme or is it. Yes, would you prefer. This is fine. Thank you so much for being here, we appreciate you.

Recruitment and Experiences in the NHS

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for the invite. Just a bit about myself. So, I currently work in recruitment, actually, in one of the NHS trusts in London. I have done recruitment for quite a while, actually, straight after my masters. I joined the NHS purely because it was the easiest organization to get into at the time. I think most of us were probably looking at banks and other companies, but the NHS process was quite easy, which is one of the reasons why I joined. So the view I will give you will probably cover what has already been said, and I do apologize for this, it's just that my perspective is both as a recruiter and as a manager in recruiting to vacancies within my team as well.

Understanding NHS Jobs and Processes

And of course, because you're a recruiter, you're part of those who make policies and writing guidance and documents that underpin the recruitment process in the NHS and in our individual trust. So, in terms of. Let me just see if I can make some corrections. Sorry, I know a lot of things have been said, but, yes, what I'm saying today is my personal opinion, but because of the job I do in the current trust I work, there are some corrections I do need to make just so that accurate information sort of goes out. So I'll start off with track and NHS jobs, and I can give you the history because I was part of it at the time. Actually, the main site for advertising jobs in the NHS is NHS jobs because it was made for us and it is free for employers.

History of NHS Job Advertisements

To use track jobs came about, if I remember, 1213 years ago, because NHS jobs couldn't give us what we needed. There's so many reports you have to produce as part of recruitment that NHS jobs was making things difficult. In fact, I remember a time where we used to do NHS jobs and lots of spreadsheet. So guys in St Thomas at the time were kind of like usually the leaders in technology development in most NHS organizations, contracted a company and came up with track, and that's how track came about. Now, track, because it's a secondary system we use, it's paid for by employers. So every NHS employer that is using track has a license and pays for it, while NHS jobs is free.

Application Process Overview

So whether you advertise, you apply on track jobs or you apply on NHS jobs, either one is the same. The essential thing is what we use mainly is NHS jobs, and then that feeds into track and then that feeds into ESR, which is the payroll system that is used in the NHS to pay staff. All right, so let me just talk about the recruitment process from start to finish. Usually there's a vacancy because a manager similar, like AB Bookie and Ayola has mentioned has a vacancy, and the vacancy could be for a number of reasons.

Vacancy Approval and Job Descriptions

Now, that vacancy would then trigger a manager to get vacancy approval, which is finance, to confirm there's money in the budget to be able to recruit to that post. And then secondly, the job description, it's important at that point that the manager goes through that job description, ensure that it is up to date, it still meets the criteria for the role and that the banding is the right banding. So I don't really want to bore you, but Ayola mentioned things about job descriptions being rejected and the reason why it's being rejected is because of the banding. There is a process around how job descriptions are written that then sort of determines the banding. Sorry, it's a separate process, I won't bring this in.

Approval and Advertising Process

So once the job description is approved, the banding is all clear, which is linked to salary is then advertised and it will be advertised on your initial system if you're using track, and then it's transferred within a few hours to NHS jobs and then people will see it and apply. Can I just add to what Ayola mentioned about contacting the hiring managers or recruiting managers, depending on what terminology you want to use, it's good. It's a good thing to do if you ring them up, whether or not it's a. At the time of you applying or you deciding to apply, it shows the hiring manager that you're keen. This is what you really want.

Importance of Contacting Hiring Managers

You're really interested in my job. So if you. In fact, there's certain roles in NHS that if you don't even ring up and speak to the hiring manager and you come for interview, that will count against you. Let me just be clear. Those are medical jobs and they tend to be a consultant level. The expectation is that level. You should be contacting everybody who is on the advert and seeing them. You can also visit, you know, not everyone's got the time. I understand, but you can visit, see what the service is like, see what the world is like, speak to people that it might even give you some tips that you can use.

Applying for the Right Position

Oh, this is how our shifts are, you know, this is what we do here, which will help you in that application process. Now, when you're applying, Ayola mentioned fantastically that the job description is really what you need, and there's so many resources out there that you really don't need anything paid for. I will give you one. Princess Trust. I don't know if you know of the charity called Prince's Trust. There is a lot of work that NHS organizations are doing with the Princess Trust to support people in terms of how to apply for jobs and how to interview.

Resources for Job Applications

So if you meet the age criteria of that charity, please contact them. And of course you can get support. They host a lot of events that you can attend and get support. Also, NHS organizations tend to host programs where they are inviting people who are interested in the organization to come and understand what the application process. If you do see one join, it will give you some useful insight. But essentially all you need to apply for a job is the job description and the person spec. Now, the person spec, what you don't know is the person spec isn't just a tool for who meets the criteria for the role, it's also the shortlisting, as Ayola mentioned, it's also the interview questions, if you don't know.

Understanding Person Specifications

So I'll mention this, because in the role I do, I train recruiting managers on how to recruit at the organization. So one of the things that managers need to ensure is that the person's spec is very clear and concise. So there is no, it has to say experience of x, Y and z, because if the person spec isn't clear, it will mean that the number of applications they receive is very high. So that person spec needs to be clear. And then it means when you're shortlisting and you're setting your interview questions, it's also clearer. So if you know the person spec in and out of, you're good to go.

Filling Out Application Forms

So I'll give you some few tips, again from experience. If you're filling in your application form, the first part. So the application form is broken down into four main parts. The first part is the personal information that shouldn't take you more than 1015 minutes because it's your personal data. We expect you to do that really quickly. Then the next part is about your education and then your work experience. Again, your education. As long as you have the information at your fingertips in your cv, you can copy and paste, put the year you finished and what program you studied that's easy.

Focus on Experience and Supporting Statements

Where you spend your time is experience and the supporting statement. And I'll give you a rule of thumb. There is the 80 to 20 rule that says you do 20% on the other part and then 80% on that experience and the supporting statement because that is your evidence for the interview. If you do not put time in there when you get to the interview, that's where you will sort of struggle and they'll be able to pick out whether or not you filled in the application, even if you're using an AI program. So on the experience, I'll give you some tips.

Utilizing Previous Experiences

In addition to what Ayela has mentioned, you can use a previous job description. You can use a cv because most times in your cv and your job description, it would list out a description of what you actually did in that role. So you can, for time, copy and paste. The only thing is where you do that, you make sure that in your supporting statement there's quite a lot of robust information that you can talk about at interview. All right, so experience is done. We go into supporting statement.

Creating a Strong Supporting Statement

Now, supporting statement has a character limit there, so you probably want to do it on a word document or do it on a document, whatever, before you then paste it into that application form. What you need to do, again, sorry if this is repetitive, is use the layout of the person spec to write a supporting statement. The managers in the NHS are very busy. Their jobs are not only just what they do on the ward and clinical, they also have management on their time.

Making Applications Clear and Concise

So they are very busy and wouldn't have enough time to start, you know, they have to read everything but make their jobs easier because it will, it would also appeal. Their application form will appeal to the manager. So the way the person specs that, I think most of them start off with qualification. So you can have a subheading on your supporting statement that says qualification. And in there simple sentences I have x, Y and z. Whatever qualification is stated in the person specs, state it there and whatever year you got it.

Experience and Skills Reflection

And then that will be that completed. Then the next part usually tends to be either experience or knowledge or skills and ability. If it's experience, what you're looking for. Again, using the 80 20 rule, that you meet at least 80% of those things in the experience, both in the essential and both in the desirable. I forgot to mention the essential criteria. If you do not meet the essential criteria, technically it means you can't do the job.

Essential and Desirable Criteria

If you meet the essential, all of it and the desirable, then you're good to go. That means we don't even need to give you any further training on day one. You're good to go if you meet only the essential, but you don't meet the desirable, that's a good thing. It means that there is scope for us to train you to be able to do the job. All right, so once you look at the person's bank, look at the essential and the desirable experience, make sure that you have a paragraph for each part of the criteria.

Including Examples in Applications

And it's okay to say, you know, I have experience for doing x, y and z. I usually say to people, if you want to give yourself an edge, add an example, because that example tells the hiring manager that you know what you're talking about, you've done it before. And in recruitment research we tend to say that past behavior, past experience is a predictor of future job performance. So if the person's done it before in the job, in the previous experience, then the chances that they would do it in future is greater.

Essentials of Shortlisting

So that's why you need to make sure you have examples. So take each part of your of the criteria on the person spec and make sure you have at least a sentence for each part of that criteria. And then there's some that will be lumped together. Then you add your example. So I think, sorry, I'm going to use your example again. The one you mentioned about Excel having Excel experience, it's okay to say, yes, I have used Excel in x, y and zenith, but the person who says I've used Excel in x, y and z plus I use and gives an example will score higher in the shortlisting than you do.

Shortlisting and AI in Recruitment

If you just put a generic statement, I don't know if that makes sense, I will just add to the shortlisting. So there is a misconception about shortlisting in the NHS, and I think I've seen it on some posts that we tend to use AI to do shortlisting. I can assure you we're not that advanced. We would love to. Are we looking at it? Yes, we're looking at it, but there are problems, as you might know, for those of you who have experience in AI, with using AI for such things, in the sense that it will bring in a bit of bias, which we are very mindful as NHS, that we've done a lot of work in the last ten years to try and remove bias in the recruitment process, that using AI to do shortlisting might bring that back in.

Active Recruitment Processes

Hence why managers actually read every single application. As painful as it is for them, they actually do read it. The only thing is recruitment teams by support them, by help them to filtering out. And that filtering, again, is not AI based, it's pretty much manual, you know. So we'll be able to check a few things like professional registration and previous experience to be able to filter out, just to make the recruiting manager's job slightly easier. So the shortlisting is scored.

Scoring in Shortlisting

I'll give you an example of how the shortlisting is, mainly because we all use the same system. Most NHS organizations will use a scale of zero to two. So two being the maximum score and zero is no point because you haven't indicated in your application form that you meet sort of the criteria. The format I gave you in terms of how you fill out your supporting statement, I've personally used it and that's what I use in all the applications I've applied for and been successful for. When I run workshops on how to apply for jobs.

Interview Preparation Strategies

It's the same format I give to people. And yes, it does work, mainly because it's clearly laid out. You are following the person spec the same way the manager is seeing the person spec on the screen. So it's easy for them to read and just score quite easily. Okay, let me just talk briefly about interview. So if you've done a good application and you're successful at shortlisting and you've been invited for interview, if you maintain the same approach, you're likely to do really well at interview.

Understanding Application Forms

It's just that people tend to forget what they put in the application form. Now let me tell you from my experience, what the application form does that you may not know. The application form is one to check that you are the person that applied. And I will say many months ago we used to have people that the person who applies for the job and the person who turns off for interview are two different people. We used to have that, but the application form, we use that now to weed that out.

Verification of Applicant Identity

So they will check that you're the same person. Then the second thing they will do is check that the information you put on it is accurate. So the interview questions essentially come from the person spec. And I say to managers, if you're struggling to write a question, just turn your criteria into a question and add at the beginning. Tell me about a time. Describe a time when you've done x, y, and z. Simple.

Navigating the Interview Process

So that means if you've done a good application form, your answer is already there. What you don't want is for the manager to be reading the application form on the day to try and without the answers, what they want you to do is tell them what is already in the application form. But the examples you may have given, you need to elaborate on it. You know, if you elaborate on it clearly demonstrates that what you fill in the application, it is your experience.

Interview Dynamics

Again, you know, interviews, as you know, is subjective. The managers will observe body languages, and they can tell from where people are speaking, whether people are speaking from memory or that people are speaking from something that is rehearsed or something that they've heard someone tell them. It's easy to pick. You just need to observe the person's body language and you know whether or not they're lying.

Key Takeaways from Interviews

So what the expectation is, and I think this is where people struggle, is what is on your application from. Please repeat it, but just repeat it in more detail with examples so that we know it is you who actually did this and it is your experience. Nine out of ten times, you will be successful with this approach. You know, like I said, managers are very busy. They want an easy process and they want to quickly recruit to their vacancies because it's costing them a lot of money to have that post vacant.

Wrapping Up the Discussion

Yeah, I think I've covered. So I've covered. So I'll just add some tips for the interview. The interview is a sales pitch. So consider yourself a car salesman at an interview. You're selling a car. The product you're selling is yourself. So you're selling your experience, you're selling your behaviors. You're selling literally everything about you. So your language and your description on that day has to be positive. If you're giving an example where you have probably made a mistake, there has to be some positive outcome, even if you've made a mistake.

Sales Pitch during Interviews

So if you remember that I know some people struggle with selling themselves, but if you remember that, it should make things slightly easier. So again, it's a sales speech. You're selling yourself to the manager. Give you another tip. It's also a sales speech for the manager because the manager has to demonstrate on the day that trust that you're interviewing for is the place that you want to come and work for, and that the behavior of the people you're seeing on the day demonstrates and align with your value.

Roles within the NHS

All right, so it's a two way sales speech, but more or less for you than it is for the manager. Okay, let me just mention two things again. This is based on experience. There are some roles in the NHS, so I know SK talked about opportunities in the NHS and clinical roles, non clinical roles. There are some roles that people do not go for, and I think it's because people tend to go for the same, similar roles.

Identifying Hard-to-Recruit Roles

When you're looking for roles, you need to be looking at roles that are sort of hard to recruit. There are some roles that we call hard to recruit roles. I will give one or two that from memory that I know. So everyone wants an admin job, and admin roles are very competitive. From my experience, when we put an advert out for one admin job, we're probably getting 500 applications within the first two days, and then you have to close the advert because somebody has got to then filter that and then moving on for the manager to shortlist.

Consideration of Alternative Roles

So what I say to people is, if you're going for those sort of competitive roles, because there are a lot more people going for it, so it's harder to get into, then maybe you want to flex yourself towards those hard to fill roles. Some of those roles are clinical and non clinical element in it. So I'll give an example. Therapy is the assistant. The number of people that apply for a therapist assistant is very low.

Broaden Your Search for Jobs

Assistant practitioner, those sort of roles, yes, they have a clinical element in it, but they also have an admin element in it as well. So look for those sort of assistant or practitioner to a clinician and go for those roles. The reason why I'm mentioning it is because I know people talk about, you know, having a cos, wanting a cos, if it's nothing competitive. The number of people applying are low and you've done really well and excelled well, the chances that, you know, getting the cos if you make the request might sort of increases that.

Importance of Diverse Roles

That's just the picture I'm just going to paint. I'm not saying that you will. I'm just saying, you know, it might, you know, the chance, it increases your chances. So please don't just go for your simple receptionist word clerk type of roles. Even for finance, you've got finance, HR, those sort of roles. Consider other hard to fill roles. If you google it, trust me, you will get a list.

Leveraging Online Resources

NHS. I use NHS employers for because NHS is a bible for recruiters in the NHS. If you go into NHS employers and just type in how to recruit roles, you will see a list. They tend to be band two, band three, band four s. Everybody goes for healthcare assistant, but they forget that a play assistant is similar or a nursery nurse is quite similar, but it's working with children, not working with adults.

Suggestions for Job Seekers

So those sort of roles just broaden your horizon when you're looking for roles and, you know, hopefully you. You will be successful. I think I have covered most of the process from application to interview. I think I'll just probably leave it there for now. And I'll just, before I finish, just say this, recruitment is a subjective process. And we're all aware there are lots of research papers that can tell you that the aim of recruitment is to recruit vacancies.

Recruitment Bias Awareness

No one is expecting anyone to eliminate bias from process that, you know, because it's humans that deal with the process. But what most NHS organizations have done in the last ten years, including things like value based recruitment, volunteer to paid employment initiatives, it's about trying to reduce that bias and open doors for people to be able to come into the NHS, because we know that we need that diversity for that NHS, for the NHS to carry on providing the service that it already does to patients.

Conclusions on Recruitment Practices

So that's all I've got to say for now. Thank you very much. Essi, I'm so pleased that you agreed to do this, because when Olioma reached out to me to say that, let's do this space, I was like, no, I don't want to do this space. But honestly, I think from yourself, Tolu and Issi is great to hear your perspectives, as opposed to me coming here and just spilling out what I know.

Importance of Understanding Recruitment

So there were a lot of things that you shared, and I really hope people are listening. What I would also appreciate, Issi, is if you wouldn't mind sharing those roles, just like titles for roles, even like a list, so people can know what it is you're talking about, because I can guarantee you some people are listening, they're thinking, how do I even know what terminologies to use? Because that's one thing I know in the NHS that we need to do a lot better with in terms of terminology.

Further Clarification on NHS Terminology

So what might help is if you are able to write the names of some suggestive roles. That would be brilliant. And another thing I want to share, before we take a short. I passed the mic back to SK, is that to work in NHS is not just a trust. There are so many different arms to the NHS. That's why when I wrote in my tweet, I wrote NHS ecosystem, right? In the national health system in the United Kingdom, there are various types of organizations that is beyond the NHS trust, right?

NHS Structure and Job Applications

So you have, you know, NHS Foundation Trust, you have the, you know, what used to be the clinical commissioning groups, which were the ccgs, you now have them as ics. ICB, please. Is important that when you apply for the jobs, understand which arm of the NHS they are in, right? So you've got the integrated care boards, which is the ICB's. Of course, you've got the great NHS England, you've got the NHS improvement, you've got the CQC, and you also have, like, special health of authorities, you've got public health phe, and of course you've got the primary care networks.

Navigating the NHS Ecosystem

It really helps when you are applying to know which arm of the NHS you're looking to build to go to ground work for. And it'll also help you with your interview as well. So I'm going to pass the mic back to SK before we talk further on the topic. SK. All right, thank you very much. Thank you very much, everyone, for agreeing to do this today.

Encouraging Self-Sufficiency

In fact, there's something that I was thinking, like when I say that those spoiler markets for we will charge people for this NHS application, because, listen, I love to help people and I encourage people to DIY do yourself. I do threads explaining, like, list of what you need to do and do yourself. But our people like to be spoon fed.

The Need for Clarity in Guidance

They like that when you give them an information, they want you to spell it out. Like ABC. If I say this is it, the first thing you need to do is just go and find out. First go and google it. Then if you can't find any information, come back. But no, they want you to tell them the website to Google, they want you to tell them, go to www dot Google Dot. But anyways, after this space, I'm hoping that we'll be able to get less of those people that want to be sponsored now.

Final Thoughts on the Session

Thank you for joining us. This is Ni Kenanjan to the UK Twitter community. We're gathered here today to discuss about one of the pressing topics within the community, about NHS job applications. And it's been wonderful since we started. We've had recruiting managers talk to us about the process from top to bottom. We've had a natural person also tell us about what happens in the background so that we can understand what the process is all about.

Preparation for Interviews

And part of the reason why I actually enjoy this space is what I do with some people that I speak to is I get people to understand, like, when we're talking about preparing for interviews, like we're dissecting the job description, you're understanding what is there, right? You wrote the. Your supporting information, but you're understanding what you've written. And that's why I enjoy about this space, because we're understanding how the recruitment is being done, so that when you're filling the application, you're thinking like a recruitment manager, you're thinking what the recruitment manager is looking for.

Thinking Like a Recruitment Manager

If you're thinking that way, you know what to put in there. And I'm hoping again that this space, I'm glad it's being recorded. It would be something that a lot of people will make reference to understand how to do this better. Now, the Nigerians in the UK Twitter community, we do spaces like this just to encourage ourselves, just to help one another, to connect and also to win together.

Community Engagement

As Nigerians living in the UK, we also have all other activities that we do. It's not just always this series. We have events. We've just come back from Swansea. We had a summer hangout in Swansea. We're having another party in December. End of the year party, actually, December 7 in Glasgow, Scotland. We'll be having our end of the year party.

Community Activities and Connections

We're having seminars. We'll be having a mortgage seminar sometimes, I think sometimes next month. There's plenty of activities that we do within the community, so please follow us on twitter@niukcommunity.com to join our community of over 20,000 people, you need to be a resident in the UK, you need to be registered in the UK and you need to have a profile picture.

Membership Information

You will not be accepted into the community if you don't have a profile picture. If your application to join the community, your request to join the community has been pending for over 24 hours, we cannot see it from the back end. It means that it's either been declined for not meeting the requirements to join or it's just lost in limbo.

Support and Subscription Information

So you have to send a message to any of the moderators. Please don't send a message to me. Send a message to any official Ando or any other moderator and be sure that somebody will pick you up and they will be more than happy to accept your invitation to join the community. we have, a voluntary capital letter, voluntary, yearly subscription of about twelve pounds a year, which works out to be just one pound monthly.

Understanding Membership Fees

It is voluntary. It is not compulsory. I've been hearing people saying, you have to pay that money before you join the community. It is false. It is voluntary. And what this money is meant for is to cover some little expenses that we run for the community. A very typical example would be the website hosting and all of those flyers and whatever that you're seeing for the community.

Financial Transparency in Community Operations

That is what is being paid for. Nobody, and there's accounting that has been done on every single penny of that money, which will be done at a later date, is going to be communicated to community members. This space, this particular space is being sponsored by Lemfi. Use Lemfi. If you want to send money to Nigeria, and you want to send money from Nigeria to the UK and every other african countries, just go to their website or their handle at use lengthfi.

Further Engagement and Connectivity

If you have any pending issues with them, just send a message to them. They will be happy to put you through. If you haven't downloaded the app, please use our referral code, Niuk with Lemfi so that they can have a track record of how many people have come through the community. Right. That's just a very quick short break and I think it's okay for us to go back to the topic of the room now.

Returning to the Main Topic

Over to you, Buki. Thank you. Did you just say that? Nothing as serious like this. We do a lot of activities not as serious as this. This is too serious for my liking. My head. All right, all right. So, Gengae, let's get to the real topic that brought us here.

Expressing Gratitude and Acknowledgment

Once again, I do want to say thank you tolu. And I want to say thank you to Issi for that comprehensive information and dispelling the notion that NHS application form can be done. Just the utilization of AI. Now, I like to give credit where credit is due, because if that post did not come up, we probably won't be here and our people will be left with this misinformation of just doing things as they want.

Addressing Misunderstandings

Yes. And therefore not recognizing that it's either spoiling their reputation or they don't understand the reason why they're getting those. Or better still, they get the job and they get into the job and they have no clue what they're doing, right? Or they just trying to get by and so forth. Now, I think my tweets were slightly misconstrued as being against the utilization of AI.

Navigating the Discussion on AI Utilization

And it would really have helped if people actually read it and comprehend it. Some people, majority of people actually understood it, because what had happened is that I got loads of messages in my DM, some people trying to counteract what I said. And I think if you read my tweets properly, you will understand what I was trying to say.

AI and Job Applications

Now, should you use AI? Should you not use AI? Right? Using AI to apply for normal jobs anywhere, right? It's depending on you. Just like SK shared just now, we are in an era where people want things really easily, they don't really want to stress, and you have to understand the reason why. It's because we are in a space of overload of information.

Information Overload in Today's Age

Everything is available at. Any given information is given, right? They collect. We collect data, we collect information and we disseminate it without actually confirming whether it's true or not. Yeah. We're in that space. So, now. So. But for me, I think the tweets triggered me because I'll tell you why that tweet triggered me because it says steps to applying for NHS.

Triggering Reaction to Information

And the first thing that said, download chat, GPT or any related AI, right? That was what triggered me. Now, using AI to apply for clinical and non clinical rules in the NHS, if you understand what the national health system is about, it's about people's lives, right? And in the. This topic raises very important ethical practice, right.

Ethical Implications of Using AI

And legal considerations. And when I saw that tweet, I was thinking about our people and the fact that we like to share information too quickly and not understanding the detriment of actually sharing that information. So I'm not going to bore you guys, because I really. We do want to give people the opportunity to come and hear out there, you know, air out their grievance or if they've used chat GPT before, and it's worked for them, it's worked for their sister, mother, whoever, right?

Key Considerations for AI Use

But here are some key points that I think we need to start considering about using AI in any job application, right? There are advantages to it. So I want to focus on the advantages first, and then I want to talk to you about the implications of disadvantages and ethical considerations that you need to put into place when utilizing it.

Advantages of AI Utilization

And of course, some of the legalities of it. As well, because I love AI. I use AI on an everyday basis. I love using AI for productivity and all sorts of things. Right. Because we're in that area, we're in that tech space. But let's look at advantages, right? Yes. It's efficient to some degree because why it streamlines how you're going to apply.

Efficiency in Job Applications

Right? It streamlines if you're going to use, and there are some jobs in NHS where they just say bringing your cv maybe bankrolls. Yeah, bringing your cv or cover letters. But the NHS platform itself, that application process doesn't allow you to, is normal, just like, as you mentioned. Right. And I'm trying to think of other reasons why utilizing AI, it might just help you start the process really quickly.

Overcoming Writer's Block

Maybe, you know, maybe you've got like a writer's block. You're not really sure what to put in. You don't, you're not really sure how to start your statement. And you just thought, okay, let me put my cv and let it just generate a cover, but let me focus on the, let me focus. And some people are not natural writers as well. So I understand that. But the disadvantage is that there is, when you're using AI, right, there's that lack of authenticity, right.

Authenticity Concerns in AI Applications

Especially around clinical roles, right. That you might, that might be seeking some personal insights, that might be seeking some motivation and even genuine engagement. AI can't do that for you. Right. What else, what else can I say? Another thing is once you start depending on AI, you're actually going down the rabbit hole of constantly having to go to AI for answers, right?

Dependence on AI Tools

And what we want is not for you to, yes, use AI to help you, to propel you and everything, but not for it to be the answer and everything to everything that you're doing, right? So that's what I will share on that now in terms of legal and professional implications. Right? So if you're a person, if you are a person that secures the employment, let's say you went through the, because I've seen on tweets, I've seen some tweets saying, well, it guaranteed me the interview and I got the job.

Transparency in Application Processes

Right. Fantastic. Congratulations. Now, if you secured employment from a successful interview using an AI generated application, what I mean by that, you use your personal statement for the application without actually adding depth to it, without actually adding your personality or your insight or not going through the steps that Tolu has mentioned or ISSi has mentioned, then there are some things I need you to be very aware of disclosure.

Ethical Obligations in Recruitment

There may be some ethical obligations for some candidates to actually disclose to the extent which they relied on AI, and I don't think our forms maybe is a question for ISSI. In our forms, is there an opportunity for people to say whether or not they've utilized AI or not? Because transparency is very important in their health sector and they value integrity and honesty.

Integrity in the NHS Recruitment

And I love that itzy shared about the importance of where the NHS is trying so well. They've been working so hard to remove bias, right. In most of the organization I worked on, their focus has always been to remove bias. And that's why I feel like the NHS application process is actually the easiest. And one thing that was not mentioned is that once you've done the application the first time, all you have to do is when you want to go for the next role, that application is still there.

Easing the Application Process

All you have to do is just update it and then update your personal statement. It's not a case of having to start from scratch. I joined NHS about approximately eight years ago and the application that I joined with, right. Although the system has changed now, the application, I literally, when I was looking to apply for another job, I would go to the same application form and then I would add my new experience at the top.

Utilizing Past Applications for New Roles

If I needed to change my reference, I just update my reference. If I need to check and then I check my personal statement and then update it. It's the most easy and I've done that for eight years and I've gone up the ranks. Right? What else do I want to share? And also, depending on the organization you're working for, there might be some organizational policies that's in place with regards to AI application that you don't even know.

Potential Pitfalls of Blind Application

So you're applying blindly, thinking, well, oh, it works for somebody, it's going to work for me. No, I would say try and understand what the job description is and then make sure you mirror it and you could actually be breaching some kind of code. I'll wait for Issy to kind of explain a little bit more. So, in general, using AI to apply for jobs can be done ethically and effectively, but provided that you complement it with genuine qualifications, just like Issi mentioned, and that you expressed your personal experiences rather than, you know, using AI to help you flower it, you need to be as transparent and as authentic as possible and also try and adhere to, like, you know, ethical guidelines.

Navigating Job Applications with AI Assistance

If you can find it or I see it, I'm sure there's a lot of like, links at the bottom that a lot of people disregard during the application process, they download the JD. I'm not even sure some people actually download the person's specification sometimes because sometimes they put it together, sometimes they put them separately. It's very important actually to also understand the competency to make sure that it aligns with what it is that you're doing.

Conclusion on AI Utilization

But ultimately, AI can, you know and answer your application process, but you need to think about how you're going to utilize it. That's exactly what I was trying to say in my response to that original email. I was not saying AI is completely blah, don't use it. I am saying that if we are in this era of utilizing AI, we have to make sure that the purpose that we're using it, for one, that it's not breaching any ethical codes or as slim it down as possible.

Responsibility in Sharing Information

And we need to reduce this mannerism of sharing information that we don't completely know about. That's what I'm going to stop from for now. But if anyone has any questions, I think that's the last of our topic. Eske, or have I. No, no, that's it. That's it.

Final Thoughts on AI Utilization

Yeah. I think I just need to say something quickly on the AI thing, right. Because I can tell you for a fact now that in the next couple of minutes you will get people on this stage that will come and tell you they've done a billion applications, they've used AI. It has never failed them. Yes. I'm part of you, right? I want to make a case for those people.

Addressing the AI Narrative

But one thing I want to say is what bookie is saying is spot on. I am the association, I'm the leader of the association of lazy People. I am very, very lazy, but my own laziness, it gets way rich. Some people will ask you to share a copy of your supporting statement that got you that job.

Ethical Use of AI in Applications

They will copy it exactly the same way and go and paste it to apply for job. So your own experience that you've mentioned in that supporting information, they will go and use the same thing. The same thing some people do with AI when AI generates. Yes, I appreciate the angle you came from saying that some people, they are not a writer, naturally, they don't know how to start.

Encouraging Individual Expression

AI will put you through about how to go about it. Yes. However, do your due diligence. Do not copy and paste and give it back to AI. Paraphrase. Put it back into your own words. Put it back into, in fact, on Twitter, if you're very conversant with Twitter, there was a time where people were saying common English, like, what was that word?

Navigating AI and Job Applications

There's one particular vocabulary that they were saying, AI word. So when you read this AI generated text, you can tell it sounds robotic, put it in your own voice, write the way you would normally write, speak the way you normally speak in your supporting information. Copying directly from here and pasting into your supporting information is the highest level of laziness, unless you, but my laziness don't reach that level because you have to read and understand what you're putting there.

Importance of Personal Understanding

So that even on that day, in fact, I went for an interview one day, it was not even in the UK, it was in Nigeria. And what he said to us was, we're about like, I don't even know how many, we're so many in that interview. And the guy said to us that if he wants to conduct this interview, first thing he would do is probably to say, everybody, come and tell me what's in your cv.

Relevance of Your Resume in Interviews

That, that will filter away about 90% of people, that almost everybody don't know what's in their series. Somebody did it for them, they cannot defend it. So the first point of call would be to defend what you have written in that supporting information. If they wake you up from sleep and say, what did you put in that? You should be able to say it when they're talking about your experiences, what you do.

Real-Life Interview Experiences

So the easiest way to catch people, especially when you work in clinical settings, is when, for example, if you're working as a biomedical scientist and you say to them, oh, you can do this, you can do that, no worries. When you come for the interview, that's when they will ask you technical questions. There is where they will catch you and know that you've actually used AI to write what you've given to them.

Understanding Limitations of AI

Because there are some questions that AI will not be able to tell you the answer, it is you that you'll be able to express what you actually know. AI does not know better than what you know. So, yes, me, I'm of the opinion that if you want to use Aih, you need to be smart.

Smart Utilization of AI

Like when I mean smart, change every single word, paraphrase every single word to make your own. That way what you've done is you've used AI to like, have a skeleton. Yeah. Now you've like the background, the foundation, now you're building on it.

Building on AI Foundations

You're removing certain things and you're adding things that AI doesn't know about you onto it. But anybody that wants to come here and say they've applied with AI for 20,000 applications, yes, you're still welcome. Just put that out there so that you don't think, bookie is here to say, don't use AI me, I use AI state.

Encouragement and Acknowledgment

In fact, if anybody asked me to write an email now, the first thing I'll think about is AI. Come and write this email for me. And when I see the draft from AI, then I will now edit it to suit myself. Now, that's it. So, you know, the worst part for. The AI is the bullet points.

Identifying and Modifying AI Output

I can't stand it is when they don't change the bullets. They copy everything from the whole of AI. Like, I know, I see it a lot. The hyphenated bullet points, like, I don't understand, sorry. And even the american and the English. The american and the english spellings, that one.

Navigating Language Differences

In fact, another clue would be to, when you copy anything from AI, put it back to word and see what corrections you like. That will be suggested to you. The american spellings are usually underlined in red and say, for example, if you want to write capitalize instead of z, you change it to s and all of that, those little spellings.

Final Remarks on AI

Like, if I see a text by AI, trust me, like, there's just something about AI. Written AI generated text. You can easily tell, but there's a way you can still use the same text. Like just engineer it to your own taste, that it's just gonna fit into purpose.

Initial Thoughts

They are nothing. That's why I wrote what I wrote. I've read so many supporting information that I would just be like, what is this, for God's sake? Yes. Yeah. Okay. To the point. To the email. Email. Somebody will send you an email. I swear to you, it is directly generated from AI and you've not edited anything and just pasted it. There you see somebody that will say, my name is in bracket, insert your name. I swear to you, I'll make screenshots one day. I'll make screenshots one day. I'll look for one of those emails. I will send. I'll post it on the TL just to back this up. I'll do it. Okay.

Recruitment and AI Tools

Can I ask about any ethical policies that might. Is it, is it shared in any of the poly? I'm just saying, just thinking, go ahead and. Okay. So to be honest with you, to be, you know, being, frankly speaking, we are kind of behind recruitment teams in the NHS when it comes to AI because of the initial problem we envisaged about three years ago when we started looking at building an AI tool to help us with shortlisting. When we picked up that, we sort of put it to the back burner. So what most NHS organizations are in, have in their policies are kind of like generic information that comes from NHS employers. So at the moment, we don't have anything that says, indicate you've used AI, because it's very easy to identify people who use AI in the application form. And then two, I don't know. For those of you who have interviewed in the NHS, when you interview a candidate and you hear them speak the diction, the words, the phrases they use, very different from how they put in the application form, they're going, huh, is this the same person? So, because that it's not yet become a big ethical issue yet for us in the NHS.

Management Focus

So recruitment teams are sort of concentrating on firefighting for other things than AI. But there are discussions around the heads of recruitment working group, their discussions around what do we do in terms of AI. So generally no one will tell you not to use AI, and that is the advice from NHS employers. No one will say not to use it. The expectation is that you use it with human intervention. That means you're editing it before you eventually send off your application. AI is not going to be able to tell your experience. Only you can tell your. So AI can give you the fancy words of how to start and how to phrase things, but you essentially describing experience of you doing something. So I'll give an example. If I had to describe speaking to a large group of people, and I'm talking about how I gave a lecture, I did a seminar or something, AI is not going to generate that for me.

Expectations and Experiences

That's my experience. And the expectation is that you talk about that. And at the moment, managers at the trust are heavily dependent on people being able to confidently describe their past experience and know technical, clinical answers. And so far that has worked for us. So, yeah, it's, use it with human intervention. Please don't just submit it that. Submit it without having edited it. Yeah. And then of course, if you are going to use it, make sure that the style of how you typed your I know spoken English is different from written English, but you can tell where the. Because some words people have used to describe something in the text and when they're saying to you don't match is very easy. In fact, the first thing the manager will do is recruitment and say, recruitment, we've got this candidate. I don't think they've filled in the application form and then would ask for, okay, tell us why?

Final Thoughts on Recruitment

And then they would tell us, this is what they said at the interview. This is what the application. We would then investigate and then, of course, can exclude the candidate. Awesome. Thank you, Essie. Thank you. I think we've talked AI to death. So, eske, let's talk a bit about. Cos. Right, yeah, cos, right. Certificate of sponsorship. There's this. I don't know, I don't actually know where to start from on this particular one because now it feels more like when you get information saying, oh, this trust is sponsoring on band three. And then the next minute somebody comes to counter it and say, no, I've just been, I've just finished my interview now. They confirm to me that they don't offer sponsorship.

Sponsorship Confusion

And there's this debate about, should you ask for sponsorship at the point of interview or wait till when you have been, you've completed the recruitment process and then you can put that on the table. It's this one. To be fair, I'm a little bit on the fence on this one and I preferably want Isimi and probably Tolu to speak more on this because that particular one, should you ask at the point of interview for Cos or should you wait to when you've been recruited? And also with the immigration policies within the UK about the salary threshold of what can be sponsored is a little bit confusing. Now. Sometimes it used to be anything from band three, then you went up to, you need to be earning at least 24 or 25,000 pounds and then you come back to here. Yes, I'm earning 22,000 pounds a year and I've been sponsored. It's now feeling more like maybe some recruiting managers, they're not using their discretion to just dash out this sponsorship. What do you have to say to this, please? Thank you.

Understanding Sponsorship

Okay, so let me just say sponsorship is. There is no right or wrong answer. There is no right or wrong approach. It can come across sometimes as lock draw off the cards. Some people will ask at interviews, some will ask after being offered, or some relax just before they start. There isn't a right or wrong. And I'll tell you the reason why. The main thing that people don't see is funding, I think in HSJ. About two months ago, HSJ published a list of trusts that are struggling financially. That isn't, that is fact, that's real. One of the objectives most trusts have this year is to break even financially. And when you're looking to break even, one of the things you stop doing is reduce your cost on things that you can reduce.

Financial Constraints

And sponsorship, unfortunately, tends to be one of the areas that gets affected. So anything I say will be only applicable to the employer I work for. All right, every. Yes, some of us. So I can give you an idea. I work in south London. Those of us in south London, we more or less tend to mirror each other. Different icses will have their own approach. So essentially, most organizations will not sponsor certain bands because of the cost involved. And let me explain what I mean by the cost. Two costs. When you talk about sponsorship, there's the immigration skills charge that came about when David Cameron came into post about 14 years ago, where if you're sponsoring a migrant who is not a student and is on any other type of visa, the employer has to pay 1000 pounds per year of the visa.

More on Sponsorship Costs

So if I were to. If somebody was offered a job and wants a visa and we offer them a five year visa, that sponsorship is going to cost my employer 5000 pounds for the five years, plus the cost of the sponsorship, which is 239 pounds current rate, and it's not paid instrumentally, it's paid at the time of issuing. So most NHS organisations are spending close to, if not more than a million pounds a year just on sponsorship alone. And heads of recruitment are having to justify that spend to their director of finance, who is saying that cost has got to come down. So that cost is a big factor. The second thing is you then have the recent changes, which not all of us are still. We're still trying to get our heads around it, you know, that came in at the beginning of the year in terms of the salary threshold, what bands can get sponsorship?

Understanding the Role and Requirements

What, you know, those things. So from my experience, the easiest sponsorship to get are jobs that are classed as health and social care, and they tend to be clinical jobs. So jobs that are mainly clinical, that provide clinical care to patients are classed as health and social care. And most of those jobs tend to fall into the category of maybe hard to recruit, or the number of people applying for those jobs are reduced and they tend to be professional, clinical jobs that require a professional registration. So I'm talking about your nurses, your doctors, your occupational therapists, your physiotherapist, your pharmacists. If you get a job with that job title and it's over a bandaid five grade, you will come under something, you know, under the health and social care. And the health and social care requirement is slightly reduced compared to the general skilled worker visa, then you then have other general skilled worker visa that isn't health and social care, and they tend to be non clinical jobs.

Non-Clinical Job Sponsorship

Finance, HR, you know, corporate, those sort of jobs are. Will come on that they're skilled worker visa. And this is where the salary threshold comes in. So what determines if you get a sponsorship in some trust is if the job itself meets the salary requirement. If it's a health and social care, there are different salary depending on the different grades. I think the minimum is currently 23,200 until maybe when the current government makes any review. And with the salary increase, I don't know if you know, but the NHS has just had a salary increase in the last two weeks. Most jobs will meet that minimum threshold of 23,200 if it's a health and social care role. If it's not the health and social care role, which is a non clinical role. I think the. Initially it was moved up to 38 grand and I believe there is some review.

Final Remarks on Salary and Applications

I need to check what NHS employers are saying about the review, keeping it at what it was before the increase, about 29. So the post, essentially. So essentially, you need to be offered over that threshold or the threshold, and that means you're not looking at bands. When we've tried to look at it in the office, we know that most bands at band six is the one midpoint. Band six is probably what we get you, that 38k. If we go back to the drop that Labour government have put in, which is about 29, you're looking roughly band five, maybe top of band four. So that sort of gives you the criteria. But there is another complexity on top, the complexity of having to reduce funding, and that is, will the trust offer you a sponsorship? I don't know if you know, there is no law that says a trust has to offer you a sponsorship.

Organizational Limitations on Sponsorship

Yes, we have the Equality act, but the Equality act doesn't guarantee that you have to get a sponsorship, even if the employer puts on the advert that this post is open to the sponsorship. Usually if we do, it's probably because we made an error in recruitment, not taking out the tick to say this post doesn't meet the requirement for sponsorship. So whether or not the advocated, it doesn't guarantee that you automatically will get it. Now, organizations are cash trap. What they're doing is they are eliminating, setting roles and setting bands from automatically being able to request for a sponsorship. Like I said, it's some organization. It isn't everywhere. But the thing is, the way the NHS works is groupthink. Once one trust does it, everybody kind of comes together and does same thing.

The Struggle for Sponsorship

So, healthcare assistant. Now band two, band three. It's a struggle to get a visa on that. So if you were successful and you asked for a visa, you might struggle, because even if the hiring manager really likes your interview, they think you're the best thing since sliced bread and they want you to get a sponsorship. If the director of finance in that organization is the decision maker that determines who gets a sponsorship, and they say, no, it doesn't go anywhere. All they will keep doing is requesting. So, you know, in terms of when should you apply, ask for a sponsorship. Again, there's no rule. Some people are lucky. They will ask that they interview. They'll get it. I would say to people is, read the room.

Navigating Sponsorship Requests

You will. You have been interviewed by the manager. You would have been communicating. If they offer you the job, you start having communications, because your checks, you'll be going through checks. They will be requesting information and checking with you. Try and see if you can read the manager, and if you are able to get a good reading of them and you think they'll be open to it, then you can ask when you think it's suitable. But to say if you wait till starting date, because I've had people who wait till they're starting and say, oh, I can't start tomorrow because I need a sponsorship. And we go, sorry, rip, we're going to withdraw the offer. It can, it can happen. And then you have people who say, oh, I've been offered this job, but I need a sponsorship. And, you know, you can say yes or no.

Timing When Asking About Sponsorship

I will give a slight tip. And the reason I'm giving this tip is it doesn't apply to all trust. Some ics is adopting this, and it doesn't mean that because I said so, it's fact. No. All right. Again, it's my opinion, easier to request a sponsorship if you are currently on a student visa and about to graduate. The reason is we go back to the cost of somebody who is a student now on a student visa and is probably finishing end of August and are able to start work full time from beginning of September to get a five year visa. It will cost that employer 239 pounds, as opposed to anyone else on any other type of visa that costs 5239.

The Student Visa Advantage

So what I say to people who are students is if you can hang on a little bit more on your student visa before applying for the post study, maybe three months, and just put in that effort and find a job, go for your more health and social care jobs. And then when you put in the case to the employer, you're putting the case to the employer again. You're like, it's a sales speech. You're the product. I've done a good interview. I'm looking forward to joining the team. You can go and visit the team and say, you know, I'm looking forward. I would love it if you can sponsor me. The cost of the sponsorship is 239 pounds. I'm sure in the cost of everything you do as a employer is negligible. You're likely to get a yes from that employer. That's the only tip I can sort of add to it.

Final Advice and Insights

That's a brilliant tip. I've been in situation where we've done interviews and we've asked people about their status and I think sometimes that's also quite a good time to share that because I'm talking about, well, this is about four years ago and we've recruited. We've recruited people to support them with their visas. But that tip that you shared with regards to, you know, being a graduate, I don't think many people know that, but it really helps. It really does. So thank you so much, issy, for that. I'm going to pass the mic. Oh, yeah. I think Tolu had something to say. Are we going to give people the opportunity to ask one or two questions, being that we wanted to close the ten, maybe we allow people. Yeah. All right, so we go tolu and then I'll pass the mic to eske and we invite some people to come and ask some relevant questions.

Tolu's Contributions

Please, Tolu. So, thank you. Just want to share very quick, just to say, to add to what Misi has said. Very good. But as a recruiting manager, most of the times we don't even know if we're going to sponsor. So it still depends, as I've said, most times it depends on the funding and it's always good to try your luck, because just like what she has said, at times when the IRN manager or the recruit manager feels that you're good and you like you are one of the best that the team has been looking for. They can.

The Role of Funding

I've been able to try this sometimes for someone, though. We don't have the funding on ground. But were able to convince the director of finance in our directorate to see the need though it was a band five nurse to see the need to sponsor such person. So it's always very good to. For me, I will say that go through, get the job first and after probably when you've been called to say congratulations, you've gotten this job and sort of things like that, then you can now ask the IRA manager or the recruiting manager. But at times some of the managers will still go back to ask the HR. So it's not something that even during interview sections that they can just say yes or no because they will still.

Interview Tips and Experiences

So it's always very good to go through the interview questions, get through the interview stage, get the answer if it's a yes or no and see if you can ask after you might have performed or sell yourself out. Just a very quick one. In regards to interview tips, very quick. This is based, as I've said, this is based on my experience so far and I think I just need to share that. Number one is the fact that during interview I've realized that a lot of people think about the questions too much and this and that's the reason why it's always difficult to give the best answer because if.

Interview Preparedness

Gone again or is it me? Sk? Yes, yes, I'm here. I was wondering what happened. Yeah, I think Tolly has got really bad reception. The area that he's in. Okay. Last time he went about 60 seconds and then came back. But I'm sure is okay as not to waste time. Should we sk invite some people to come and ask some questions? Please make your questions precisely, please. And if you want to make your comment, please, no long stories. I beg you, just make it as precise as possible. Thank you. Sk, I don't know. Are you all right? Thank you. I think one thing I'll say first is I want to encourage people to follow Tolu Issi Buki.

Final Q&A Invitation

Please don't follow me because I will reply to your text. They know more than me on this particular topic. We might not be able to get everybody to ask questions. So please follow them to direct your questions to them after this space. And no, we don't have cos here. So if you are coming to ask, please, I'm looking for cos the answer is already no. Just go to NHS website and go and do your thing there. So. Right, please straight to the point and just ask a questions. Adironke, the mic is yours.

NHS Shortlisting Process

Yes, sorry. Let me just quickly add two things. So what we do in the NHS in terms of shortlisting is what you call blind shortlisting. So when I mentioned that the application is divided into four parts, it's for that reason. So any recruiting manager at the point of shortlisting will not get any personal that comes to us in recruitment. And until they finish shortlisting and putting people for interview, then that's when they get the name of the person. The second bit about experience, you know, I know volunteering has been mentioned, but it's very powerful and people don't seem to understand.

Volunteering Opportunities in NHS

Most NHS organizations now have something called volunteer to permanent positions. So we will advertise jobs just for volunteers only who are volunteering in the trust just for them to get into a permanent job. So don't, you know, I wouldn't use the opportunity to get voluntary where you can. And by the way, in terms of voluntary, it depends on whether it's a clinical or non clinical and whether it's a medical or non medical. If it's a medical post, you're probably looking for something around clinical attachment because that will be your routine.

The Benefits of Volunteering

And if it's then any other job that is in medical, it's a volunteer. Even if it's 2 hours a week, 2 hours a month, you're making yourself known and what you're essentially doing is giving the manager an opportunity to try before they buy. So they know you, they see how you work, they understand your experiences, so they get the opportunity to try you before they actually buy. So when they have vacancies, they'll be coming to you first to say, oh, I've got this vacancy I'm going to put out. I'm going to put it out as internal.

Trust and Experience in Volunteer Roles

Are you interested in applying? Thank you very much for that. And also they trust you because now they've trained you, they've seen what you can do. It's not just saying it. Thank you for that. Really appreciate. Our next person isaac Abiodun. Two minutes, please. Isaac, two minutes. Isaac, are you there? Isaac is sleeping. Next person is King diode. King Dio, two minutes, please.

Question on Bank Staff Positions

Yeah, thanks, sk. Greating, everyone. So, I would like to ask the, that's ab or Ec or Rio. So, my question is this, listening to every. What everyone has been saying, there's a part I would like to get clarity on, which is the option of being a bank staff within the NHS. So would you say it's better to be a volunteer or a bank staff? Because being a volunteer, I don't know if it's paid, but being a bank staff, that's like your part time and I feel like as a student, you probably have like a higher chance of getting in.

Navigating from Bank Staff to Permanent Positions

Right. As a bank staff. So now my question is this, as a bank staff, what would you advise to, like, navigate from that into being a permanent staff? Thank you. Okay, so I'll take this one because temporary staffing also comes under HR. So being a bank staff or temporary staff, what some trust might call it, is also quite similar to voluntary, but you get paid. If you're able to join temporary staff in a bank, that's essentially good. The person who again, you need to navigate is the manager.

Approaching Managers for Permanent Opportunities

So the manager of the service, you're probably doing temporary work in. If you have, if you're opportunity to have regular temporary work in a particular area that you like and you get on with people at the manager, it's the manager. You can approach the manager and say, oh, I'm able to do full time or I'm ready to get on path permanently. Do you have jobs coming up? And they will tell you yes or no. Asking them that question shouldn't be any problem or any reason why they.

Bank Staff and Internal Recruitment

And sometimes managers will actually approach us in recruitment to say, I've got a bank staff, so I only want to recruit people who are bank within my team. And that's when you see an advert that goes out that's only restricted that's because they've already got someone as a bank staff or other bank staff that are interested in applying for the job. So if you're able to get in as bank, great. The reason I mentioned volunteering is because that's the easiest, because it's unpaid for and it's based on your time.

Advice on Volunteering vs. Bank Positions

But if you can get in via bank, that's also great as well. Thank you very much. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for that. How are you there? Yes. Yes. Yes, I'm here. Yeah. Two minutes, please. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Good evening. Mine, it's more. Yeah, it's still a question, though, or advice. I don't know. So it's. It's. I'm asking this because listening to the tip that was given by Issi, so.

Personal Experience of Applying for Jobs

Because, I mean, I would say similar situation. I. I've had, like, let's say, ten interviews this year. I passed five, I failed five. Now, this last one, I told myself, I'm no longer turning down. Turning down any job offer, even if it comes to pos or not. So when I got this one, they asked me, since I'm on the student visa, if I was going to switch to post study, and I said yes, now.

Queries About COS for Job Offers

So my question now is, since this tip that ISsi gave, is it advisable I still ask them for the COS, or just proceed, since I've told them I was going to switch to post study? Again, no. Right or wrong answer. Yes, you may have told them you're going to change to post study. You can also go back and say, I've done some research, and I know that, you know, I think this role will meet the criteria for a COS because I'm currently on a student visa.

Approaching Organizations for Sponsorship

The cost of getting the COS is so. So. So I want to see if this is something that the organization or the service will be willing to sponsor. It really depends on how you approach it. You've already got the job, you've had the offer, you've pass all your checks, no questions. Hopefully with any of your checks, if you go back and say, yes, I intended to apply for a cos, but I want to see.

Transparency When Asking for COS

Look at if there's any opportunity, if the trust will sponsor me and if they ask you for the reason why you changed, you can be honest. If I'm on a cos, it would take me five years to work on a cos, to get indefinite leave, to remain. And that's, you know, there's nothing wrong in that. That's essentially what you want, what you don't want to do is try and dribble them.

Being Honest About Your Needs

Just be factual and just say, it would take me five years. If I'm in a post study after my two years, I then have to ask you for a cos and then do five years. I just thought it would be easier and quicker. And then, you know, I'm committed to the organization for the next five years if you'll be willing to sponsor me and emphasize how in terms of cost saving, there is a lot of cost savings because you're on a student visa and you're, you know, and then talk about, you know, the values, what you bring to the organization, how you invest in yourself and all of that.

Final Remarks and Conclusions

Thank you. Thank you. Although. No, no, there's no. Sorry, ma. Sorry, ma. There's no, sorry. No problem. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry. It's not possible to have everybody speak on this space tonight. So I want to encourage people to. So please follow AB bookie, follow Isse, me, follow tolu, and follow everybody else that you think you can connect with after this space. This space has been brought to you by.

Promoting Financial Transactions

Use Lemfi. Use Lemfi to do your financial transactions, to send money back to Nigeria, to bring money from Nigeria to the UK. You want to pay your tuition, to your house rent. You want to do your black tax and all of that. Use Lemfi. That's the word. Just use lemfi. If you want to use Lemfi, use our referral code, Niuk. They are very strong partners with the Niuk community and it will be nice to have them win together the same way we are winning together.

Community Engagement and Conclusion

Now, right back to the queue. I'm saying now we will not be accepting all the requests because all these august at the top, they have to go to bed. It's a work day tomorrow and we don't want them missing their appointments. So please bear with us and you can continue the conversation on the TL in the community. Just ask your questions in the community and there's plenty people that knows one or two in the community. They will be able to answer to your request.

Engagement with Community Members

Thank you for that. Baba T, are you there? Baba T? Yes, I'm here. Please, straight to the .2 minutes, please. Thank you. Yeah, straight to the point. I want to thank the moderators and the speakers. It's your. Your contribution has been really enlightening for me personally. I will personalize this. The person has specification formats like you've just said, pick one after the other and just put it like that.

Utilizing Feedback for Improvement

I've always wanted to try it like that, but I felt probably is going to look somehow but now that I know better, I think I'm just going to go with that. And on the educational part from the person specification, please. I would like you to enlighten if one of the criteria is a master's degree and you currently, because for me sometimes I see it and I put in this, in my supporting statement that currently I don't have it, but I'm currently pursuing it and I do go ahead to state gives more information.

Addressing Job Qualifications Concerns

What do you think about that? Do you think I should issue continue mentioning it or I should just take it off? And again on CPD sometimes I'm a business analyst actually and sometimes is the request for probably CBAP or BC's in the person specification. And what I put there is, although I don't have because to write a CBAP actually you need to have like five years experience on the job. And my experience currently is just a little over four years and I've already registered with the organization to take the exam.

Highlighting Relevant Experience and Training

And I just put there that I'm looking forward to it and I just continue to put the certifications I've done at sites that shows, okay, yes, this person is does not have what we're actually looking for, but has something close and I had a more continuous professional development about that. I would like you to just explain, I'm sure you understand. I don't want to take much time. Just explain how someone can go about that and on the job experience on other field, on NHS.

Navigating Career Transition

Yes, for me, I don't have any chest experience. No, let them answer your question. Is like three in one. Now we have. Is all right. Is all right. So who's taking the question, please? Do you want me to come in? Yes, please. In terms of the masters, the expectation is you put anything that you're in view. If you're currently doing the masters, please put it in.

Importance of Ongoing Education

When they score, they won't score you like someone who's completed it, which is maybe the maximum score for Masters is two out of two. And you in view, you might get one out of two or 1.5 out of two. So please put it in again. Don't forget you're selling yourself, you're the product. So anything that gives stuns you in good light, please put it in. In terms of any sort of CPD or professional qualification that's been asked.

Addressing Overqualifications

I don't think any manager expects everyone to meet every single criteria because there are some jobs we have accepted that meeting every single criteria. Will be rare. But there is that at least meet a very high proportion. And some might say 80%, some might say 90, some might say 95%. If you put in your supporting statement about having four years experience and talk about that experience and how you have registered to take that professional qualification exam, that puts you in a good light than not referencing it at all.

Key Takeaways

Again, if it's not there, they don't know it's based on what you've put down in your application form that they are assessing you on. So put it in. If you have it or you're working towards it, put it in. Yes, put it in. Just to add to that. Or a follow up question about certain people saying you are overqualified for the role. Or again, people saying that when you apply for a job in the UK, you don't want to start putting your university degrees from Nigeria, so they tend to remove it from the application.

Overqualification and Its Impact

So they start from the. They just put the masters, which is here in the UK, what do you have to say to that? Yeah, that is one of the things that we're trying to work on with hiring managers about the over qualification. So where their anxiety comes from. From is that usually when people have very high degrees and high experience and they're applying for a job that you can see that they're overqualified for, they're less likely to stay.

Employer Perspectives

Managers are looking for people who will do more than 100 days in the organization. Because I thought you people say we should not be loyal to our employer, we should be moving. No, I have to look at. I'm talking as an employer now. So I'm looking at an employer, not an applicant. From an employer perspective, I don't want to spend three months doing recruitment. Then the person starts and leaves in three months time.

Cost Implications for Recruitment

Then I have to start the cycle again. It's very expensive for me. So that's what their fear is. If I recruit this person who is overqualified, they're not going to stay. Again, this is where that doing extra comes in, that phone call that going to see them helps if you're applying. Yes, I know I'm overqualified. Be honest, tell them. But there's a reason why I'm coming for this job.

Demonstrating Interest in the Role

I've heard stuff about your team or I like the trust, your value. Something has attracted you. Simply put, I'm looking for a job because I want to get paid. You can put that. But that's the anxiety that managers have. It's difficult for us in recruitment to tell managers to stop doing that because we understand their perspective. What we tend to do, and I think someone's mentioned this, one of the speakers has mentioned, is that we cross check.

Recruitment Practices

So when they shortlist, we will cross check and just make sure that, you know, the shortlisting is fair and we can defend it if we're taken to an employment tribunal and then we'll check it from there. But, yeah, I know it's a practice that happens, but it's one of those that it's very, very difficult to say don't do or tell. Managers don't do or. They shouldn't think like that. It's just because there's a reason why they do it.

Encouraging Authenticity

Right. Thank you for that. Odogu, the mic is just two minutes, please. Two minutes. Odogu, second chance. Okay, ISi, just hr related question. Are you allowed to be given day off to attend interviews or you have to take annual leave for that? So when you work with the NHS. Right, is annual leave. Say that again. Is annual leave. I'm sure ISTI will confirm if it's within the organization.

Interview Policies in NHS

It depends on each organization's policies now, it depends on where the interview is held, as far as I know. So if it's within your organisation, there might be a policy around you taking, like, being given to you and given time to do that interview, but if it's external, it should be taken as annual leave. Issi, please confirm. Is this about taking time to do interviews? Yes.

Check Policy for Interviews

Okay. Historically in the NHS, we used to have a role and I don't know if that rule has disappeared. I need to check the terms and condition where if you're currently working in the NHS and you are applying for another job in another NHS organization, you will get some time to do it. But I think that role probably has gone away. But it used to be there a long time and what most people do is they will either take it or that annually.

Application Ethics

But I need to check the terms and conditions if there's a possibility that it's sneakily taking that away. And this was the days where we had thousands of vacancies, not like we do at the moment, but essentially, most people will take it as neve if you're not able to get the time off. And lastly, from my end. Yeah, lastly, from my end, what's your take on applying for job at work? Using the work computer to apply to for another job?

Workplace Boundaries

I'm not sure many managers who like. That, you shouldn't be doing that. No. So I cannot take KFC into McDonald's and eat. It's different. Sk, why are you asking this question? So let me. Let me give you the. Let me give you the line of an employer. It's our time, and that time is meant to be spent for patients.

Fulfilling Job Responsibilities

So are we now saying to patients that they shouldn't come to hospitals when they're ill? Because we have people who are spending that time to do their own personal stuff. So I think what tends to happen is employers will not check. They won't be checking. If you are doing an application form, I don't think anyone has the time to check it. But if you can avoid doing that, most NHS organizations have a library that you can go within your break time and use the library.

Promoting Professionalism

And I think most jobs tend to now have at least access to a laptop that you can use. Do it in the library, but not blatantly in the middle of the service. Although I should say that because you have different staff groups in the NHS for medical and dental is slightly different. And I'm sure if I check their terms and condition, there might be something there that probably gives them that opportunity to do, but I need to check that.

Adhering to Workplace Policies

But for the rest of us who are not medical and dental, that are called agenda for change staff, I will probably say no. All right, thank you. Thank you very much for that. I think that's it. Really? Yeah, that's it on the stage, like I said earlier, unfortunately, we cannot take all requests. Please follow bookie, follow ISI, follow to now, to Lou is gone now.

Community Engagement and Future Plans

So if you have. If you didn't follow him earlier, that's it. So that's why I was emphasizing the other time, that we should follow them, so that when they go and please, I don't. Okay. You know, I'll leave that for now. So, yes, please follow Niuk community. You can request to join the community so that we can carry on with this conversation.

Membership Guidelines

You need to be resident in the UK, you need to have a profile picture on you. It's. The payment is voluntary. You don't necessarily have to pay if you don't want to pay, but it's just a way of supporting the community so that we can put these things into in order for us to enjoy it. It's been a wonderful night.

Final Thoughts and Closing Statements

I'll just give our speakers just two minutes to just give the closing statements, please. Issi, I'll start with you. Issi, the mic is yours. Okay. First of all, just to say thank you very much for the opportunity to speak this evening. I think part of the reasons why I joined the community was around, you know, trying to get people.

Sharing Experiences and Advice

I tend to use social media to, you know, target candidates who I think I see their profile, they look good. So it was about trying to recruit. The only final tip I will give, I've been lucky in my career in recruitment that where I've had opportunity to interview Nigerians or Nigerians. I've come to the trust where I work to interview when I never fall my hand.

Interview Preparation Techniques

So that's been my experience and I love that. The only thing I would say is when you get to that stage in an interview where they ask you, have you got any questions, please? If you don't have any questions, don't ask anything, please. The only time that we had, you know, and I almost seriously, I was annoyed. Somebody asks a question, I'll tell you the example.

Navigating Interview Questions

Somebody asks a question around. If a patient puts in the complaint about sexual harassment, would the trust investigate? And I could just see the panel going, what, please, if you don't know what to ask, it's okay to say no question. But if you are thinking about questions, ask questions around training team, you know, those sort of nice, easy subjects, benefits, what it's like, what does first day look like?

Key Takeaways from Closing Remarks

You'll be fine. Please do not forget it's a sales pitch. You're selling yourself. You know your experience, you know your knowledge. Just sell yourself. Managers expect you to be nervous. That's good. In fact, they even feel warmer. They warm up to people who are nervous because that tells them that the person really wants the job and has prepared.

Handling Nervousness During Interviews

Sometimes you might have experiences. I've had experiences where people cry at interviews. Have they had experiences? People fall sick. If that happens to you, that's entirely fine. Or you go blank. If you go blank in an interview, the panel is not going to say, we're not going to give you the job because you went blank. That's okay. Just tell them and explain.

Coping with Interview Stress

I'm really nervous. I've gone blank. You can do simple things. Stand up, sit down, you'll be fine. So, yeah, as long as you're able to sell yourself, you should be fine. Thank you. So quick one before you go, please. When you enter into a room and you see somebody with fire on their head, how can you drop that fire from their head?

Breaking the Ice in Interviews

Sk. But no, no, seriously, it's a serious question. So when I enter into a room now, like interview panel and I look at their faces and you know that fake British smile and you can tell that this one now this one, I could be the troublemaker. What can I do to just break the ice and just smile.

Importance of Authenticity in Interviews

Just smile. Smile. Okay. So the smile will quench the fire. Be your person. Be yourself. Bring out your personality. I'm not saying bring out all of your personality, but people like authenticity. You don't have to come in and you took frown face. No, you smile. That's even get them to change their, you know, their perspective.

Emphasizing the Role of Personal Connection

Just smile at them. Go to them. Shake their hands if you have to. Be firm. And I think the question people tend to get wrong is when they say, how are you? And you're like, I'm fine. No, it's an opportunity for you. Like, I love when Issi was talking about sell yourself. You start selling yourself the moment you get inside the interview room.

Preparation and Research for Interviews

And even before that, be prepared to know who it is that's going to be on the panel. This is the time where you go onto LinkedIn, and then you'll review their work experience, what they've been doing, how long they've been at that, the trust or the organization. You know, the persons before you go inside.

Understanding Panel Dynamics

So the moment they look in, like they found, majority of the time, we're tired. You don't know how many interviews we've gone through. You don't know how many applications we've read through. You don't even know how. What other pressures that we're facing. We just want the interview done, you know, sometimes it's not our facial expression.

Managing Interview Fatigue

It's just like, we just want this to be done. We want to make sure that we are hiring the right person for the role. Just like Issi mentioned earlier on, this costs money, so we have to make sure we're going to get right. But going back to people being overqualified, I've. I've employed someone that's way overqualified for the role.

Value of Hiring Overqualified Candidates

She came for an administration role, but she used to work for the UN. She used to head, like, a directorate in the UN. But she's getting near retirement age, and I absolutely loved her and I recruited her and she came in, I actually left and she stayed. So sometimes it isn't just about, you know, being overqualified and all that kind of stuff, but, yeah, I think Issy wanted to say more on that.

Importance of Candidate's Motivation

And then I'll give my closing remark. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I think I missed it when I was talking about it. Yes. So in terms of being overqualified, again, recruitment, there's no right or wrong. You know, wrong is when you're breaking the law. Yeah. So you. Yes, they might have concerns, but it doesn't mean that they won't take you.

Shifting Focus on Qualifications

Just in addition to that is the same way you look at a job description and say, I can't do some of these things. Don't sell yourself out. Look at it and be positive. What are the things I can do? It's the same way to the person who's overqualified will be saying, and be honest. Yes, I know I've got all of this qualification, but I want this job.

Understanding Manager Expectations

What managers look for is your motivation for why that job, why my team and why my trust. That's essentially what they're looking for. And you've got the skills, you can do it. If you can do the skills and you have the motivation to be in my team, you're done. So being overqualified should not put you out or sell yourself out of it.

Encouraging Applications Regardless of Overqualification

Put it in. And of course, depending on your experiences, again, don't forget that there is the cross check in. So if a manager doesn't shortlist someone and I get a complaint and I have to investigate, I will be saying to the manager, you've got to interview that person because you couldn't have rejected them because they're overqualified, because that throws us into dangerous waters which we don't want.

Understanding the Recruitment Process

So, yes, you might feel, you know, you might feel like, oh, I shouldn't put myself forward. No. If it's what you want to do and this is the job you want to do, please put yourself forward for it. Sorry. Please. They will not forgive me if I don't ask this question. Why? When you apply for certain jobs, like now, you apply for a job now, 22, 38 probably in the next five minutes, you get unfortunate email.

Criteria in Job Applications

Is it presets? Or like somebody waiting to say, you, I'm not gonna let you enter. There is some kind of criteria that has been set up with the advice. So there will be some kind of automatic criteria where you put either yes or no or you've answered the question. And the way you've answered it is in the way it's been set up as a correct answer.

Understanding Automatic Redirection in Applications

So it just automatically removes you. So to give an example of one, I don't want to introduce things that would make us talk for long, but if you're applying for certain roles and your outside of Nigeria or outside of the UK and you have a foreign address and that particular role, they want to restrict it to people within the UK and they have a set question that says, reject anyone whose location is not, then it will reject.

Application Processing Mechanisms

That's just an example. Not that it has actually happened, just me making up an example. But you see, when people are applying, sometimes there is like a cover note, like almost like a cover request. Like, do you qualify by clicking this list? And it is for you to say, yes, I meet the requirements, and then continue with the application.

Evolving Application Protocols

But what you're saying is that when people apply. Sorry, I just want clarity because from what I know is that the requirements will be at the very beginning where people will tick, yes, I meet this requirements and then they will proceed to the application. But what you're saying is that once they complete application, that the system will select those that they're addressing, just as an example, that it's foreign, that it would tell them automatically.

Clarifying Application Systems

Not. I didn't know that. That that was the system. We have two. So we have the pre-application, which is what you're describing, and that stops you from even applying automatically. We call it a blocker. Yes. And then you then have the application question, which is another criteria. That application from that.

Understanding Job Application Layers

Yeah. Yes, yes, I remember. Okay. Yeah. All right, thanks. Sissy esco, my closing, because, yes, you're closing. God, I got so much I want to say. God. Blank. Now, firstly, let me just say huge thanks to Issi. When I dm'd you, I wasn't sure whether you were going to respond.

Closing Remarks and Final Thanks

So thank you for being here. Really appreciate you. And of course, Tolu, really appreciate you when you are applying. I think the reason why this conversation started was because of whether you should use AI or not use AI. I've never said that you shouldn't utilize AI to make your application more efficient.

Utilizing AI in Applications

I'm just saying that there has to be a level of authenticity inside it. Also, when you are going for the interview, oh my God, why didn't I write the notes down? Escapes me now. Probably going to remember when SK's talking, but what I would say is just be your true self when you go inside the interview. Be your true self.

Be Yourself in Interviews

Try and prepare your questions, prepare your answers, and try and see what will make them want to hire you. Go the extra, if there's a presentation, go the extra mile with the presentation, you know, and answer the questions. There's nothing worse than coming into. If you're not answering questions, even if you prepared for the questions, and then please just answer the questions in a smart way.

Preparation and Engagement Strategies

What else? What else would I like to say? I think that's it for now. But if anyone has any questions that they want to ask, send a DM or just write it on the TL. I'm sure I'll respond. I'm sure ISi will respond and Talu will respond as well. So I'm going to stop for now. But yeah, it's been great being in this space.

Appreciation for Speakers and Community

Sk, you can do your closing remark and I'll see if I remember. Thanks. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for that. Spaces like this, things that we like to discuss within the community. It has just been brought to my attention now that the British army will be recruiting for Commonwealth citizens, which Niger is part of sometimes later this month.

Future Engagements and Discussions

And somebody requested that it would be nice if we can do a space about it. So if you have been, you've served in the British army or you know somebody that can educate us about that topic, please reach out because the person I get for might. Anyways, please. It's very serious. If you know anybody that is presently within the British army who has served in the British army and you want to educate people about how to position themselves better with application or even just to tell us more about it.

Community Events and Engagement

Because even me like this now, I feel changed my mind, say I want to fight for the British army. So, yeah, it would be nice to know more about it. It's been a wonderful night. This is Niek community. It's a registered community with the company House UK. It's a registered company and we do these things just to promote the life experiences of Nigerians living in the UK.

Mission of the Community

With different activities, seminars, twitter spaces. Parties. Yes, parties. We party a lot and also we just cruise and banter on the TL. It's a go to place for Nigerians living in the UK. You want to be a part of this community. And we encourage people to just interact civilly in the community. To join the community of over 20,000 people.

Guidelines for Community Participation

All we are requesting is please be residents in the UK. I know, we know a lot of people living outside of the UK want to be in the community. But please, let's respect our rules. You have to be resident in the UK and when you're being picked upon, come and verify your residence in the UK. It is the rule.

Community Membership and Verification

There must have been a mistake when they accepted you. But please do not take it personal for just ensuring that we are accountable for people within our community. Also, you have to have a profile picture. There's nothing like, oh, I'm hiding my face from the. From the public, all my social medias. I've never used a picture. Fair enough.

Requirements for Joining the Community

But not in our community, it can just be a fan from outside on the TL. And again, the community, what's it called? The community subscription. It's a twelve pound a year, it's one pound a month. It's very, you know, rich money for chicken and chips, you know, rich. So we put this just as a way of supporting the community and just paying for just little bills that needs to be done.

Financial Contributions to Support the Community

All of these things that you're seeing with the ni k is being paid by somebody and we don't want to put a burden on them all the time. So that's why we put a token at this token. It is not compulsory. You do not have to pay. That's enough, that's enough. That's enough. You do not have to pay that money to join the community.

Conclusion and Final Instructions

It is voluntary if you want to make the payment. If you look on the jumbotron, there's a guide that tells you what to do and how to do it. Just go on to nik community.com, click on become a member. Fill in your details. Even if you don't want to pay the twelve pounds, just go on there to fill in your details. And the reason for this is we have newsletters that have been set up so that when we send out these newsletters, you will get them.

Engagement with the Community

An example is this space when we do the newsletter for August, then it will be covered in there. You can get updates about certain news about the issue of branding that we discussed yesterday and other issues within the community. It will be included in the newsletter and you can get it. So please, even if you don't want to pay the twelve pounds, go and fill the form to become a member.

Providing Resources for Community Members

And if you now want to pay the money after fill in the form, it will give you an information to copy and paste in your browser where you can now make the payment via our merchants, which is gocardless. The money is not being taken by us. We have a third party company that takes the money and remit it back to us. So please, you do not need to be a paying member before you join the community.

Acknowledging Contributions and Support

That's been said. Right. Thank you very much and a very, very big, huge thank you to our speakers tonight. Mister Tolu is not here. IsI, thank you very much and our unofficial vice president of the Nigerians in the UK Twitter community, Madame Ap Bookie. Thank you very much and follow SK.

Encouraging Networking within the Community

Follow SK. I'll be thumbs up. As you know, if you follow skin, it's a.