Candidate guidance: applying to work at the Health Research Authority

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Making your application

Finding the right job

When you think you’ve found a job you’d be great for, you should spend some time assessing yourself against the essential and desirable criteria set out in the person specification.

For the best chance of being shortlisted, you’ll need to meet all of the essential criteria for the role.

You’ll also need to make sure you’re eligible to apply to work in the UK. The HRA doesn’t have a sponsorship licence, so we are unable to accept any applications under a sponsor arrangement.

Most job adverts will include contact details for the recruiting manager. If you're unclear about any aspect of the role, you are welcome to contact them to find out more.

Applying online

The most important part of your application is the additional information section. The purpose of this section is to showcase the skills and experience that you have, relevant to the requirements of the role.

This section is your opportunity to give examples of how you meet the essential criteria from the person specification. We know it isn't always easy telling others how brilliant you are, but let us reassure you we are simply looking for facts about your experience and the results you've achieved. Before writing it, it is important that you have read the job description and person specification, so that you are clear on what is required.

When writing the additional information section, make sure to:

• outline the skills and experience that you have that are relevant to the person specification, and have used examples to help demonstrate them
• keep to the word limit - if your statement is too brief, you won’t have provided the required level of detail and evidence to assess your experience fully
• proofread your statement before submitting it to make sure it is clear, easy to read and relevant

In your statement, you only need to include examples that relate to the criteria that the person specification says will be assessed through your application. For example, look at the table below detailing criteria in a person specification:

For this role, you would only need to write about your continuing professional development work and your patient advocacy experience. Your communication skills would be assessed with a question at the interview stage.

Supporting access needs

We want to support you if you need an adjustment during the recruitment process and we are committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. Adjustments usually relate to health, disabilities, or neurodivergence, which includes differences such as autism or dyslexia.

We may also be able to make changes to accommodate things like caring responsibilities. To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any adjustments that could help you, and where these are reasonable, we commit to making them.

Requesting an adjustment

When applying to work here, you will be asked if you need an adjustment at any of the stages in the process. This is the main way we identify those needing an adjustment, although you may also wish to contact the recruiting manager – particularly if you are invited to interview. It is important to note:

• the reason you need an adjustment,
• possible adjustments which could help, and
• previous adjustment you have had (if any)

Examples of reasonable adjustments

Some examples of adjustments that have been offered to candidates include:

• changing the time, location, or format of interviews
• providing interview questions in advance of the interview
• additional time for presentations

Please know that this is not an exhaustive list, and we will always consider any adjustments that you tell us you will need.

Disability confident scheme (guaranteed interview / two ticks)

We are a Disability Confident Leader. Wherever possible we will offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria in the person specification. Sometimes though, when we receive a very high volume of applications, we may need to apply further selection criteria to ensure that we offer a proportionate number of interviews to disabled applicants.

Workplace adjustments

If you are successful in your application and are offered a job, you can discuss ongoing adjustments before starting work.

We use a health and accessibility passport to enable discussions with your manager, as well as acting as a record of your needs and the adjustments agreed to meet them. Sharing and regularly reviewing your completed passport ensures that the adjustments made continue to meet your needs. Read Barbara and Jonathan’s blog on how adjustments at work have helped them.

Flexible working

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement from day one. If it works for you, we’ll do our best to make it work for us.

Shortlisting

We will assess your application against the criteria listed in the person specification which are marked as essential, and as assessed at application.

The applications that best meet the essential criteria will be invited to continue to the next steps of the recruitment process. During this longlisting stage, desirable criteria may be used to differentiate between applicants and select candidates for interview.

Unfortunately, and due to the volume of high-quality applications we usually receive, if you are not shortlisted for interview, we won’t be able to provide any feedback on your application.

Assessment

The most common assessment method we use is an interview, but no matter how you are being assessed, it should always be clear what you are being assessed on.

The purpose of all interviews is the same: to assess your suitability for the job. Our interviews are usually conducted via Microsoft Teams or Zoom and will usually last between 45 and 60 minutes.

You should expect at least three interview panellists, and they will usually introduce themselves to you before formal questions start. We aim to ensure our panels represent the diversity of the organisation. You may have an opportunity to ask questions before your interview, but if not, there will always be time given at the end.

During the interview, the interview panellists will generally take it in turns to ask questions. The questions that you are asked will be formed around the essential criteria from the person specification that states it is to be assessed at interview. In the example person specification below, you could reasonably expect questions such as:

• tell me about a time when you have advocated for a patient to achieve an outcome which was in their best interest
• can you give me an example of when you have needed to translate complex information to deliver it in a way that was accessible and easy to understand

We recommend that you prepare for your interview by thinking about, and noting down examples of how you meet these criteria as this will help you during your interview. You may also find it helpful to reflect on anything you’ve learned as a result of the examples that you have.

Our panellists will want to be clear on how all of the STAR elements apply to your answer before they move on. Don’t be unnerved if you’re prompted to expand further on some of your answers, or asked follow-up questions.

A model answer will clearly communicate what you did and what your role was. Unless the question is specifically looking at how you have worked with others, you should try to avoid using phrases that begin with 'we', or describe collective effort:

• we implemented…,
• the team worked hard with…,
• we found success in…

Instead, clearly describe the concrete actions that you took. We recognise it can sometimes feel awkward to sing your own praises, or be seen as boastful, but panellists are looking for objective statements of fact that relate to the example that you’re giving:

• the team worked on the project, but I was specifically responsible for stakeholder engagement…
• I needed to apply a change to the business planning process…
• I was successful in persuading my manager to implement…

Preparing for your interview

As well as preparing your answers, think about how to prepare your mindset and your environment. Almost all of our interviews are held online, so have a think about:

• the lighting at your desk. Strong light behind you will leave you in a silhouette
• having some water, a pen and notebook to hand
• limiting disturbances from others in the home
• wearing what you feel comfortable and confident in. We don't have a dress code. We welcome religious and cultural dress, and as signatories of the Halo code, we welcome Black hair worn naturally or in any style.
• a few breathing exercises before your timeslot to calm your nerves
• positive thoughts - if you've made it to interview, we already think you're great!

Outcomes and feedback

At the end of your interview, the lead interviewer will let you know when you can expect to hear an outcome, and you may be asked if you would prefer verbal feedback (a telephone call), or written feedback (an email).

We are committed to letting all interviewees know of their outcome in as timely a manner as possible. Our recruiting managers will usually wait until any verbal offers have been accepted before letting other candidates know they have been unsuccessful. We know you will not want to be kept waiting so we will let you know the outcome as soon as possible.

In all cases, you should be offered specific and constructive feedback based on the criteria that was assessed at interview. If for any reason the hiring manager doesn't offer this feedback, please do ask as we expect this to be provided to all candidates.