6 Top Tips & 15 Key Questions to help you secure your next Primary Care Network job opportunity

At THC Primary Care, we provide resources to support Primary Care Network Leaders.

Usually, our blogs focus on supporting you to lead and manage your network, but we know that some of you may be looking for new job opportunities, hopefully still within the PCN community, so this blog is for you.

In this blog, we provide the following:

• 15 questions to help you identify what’s important to you and what you need from your next employer

• 3 top tips to help your application stand out

• 3 top tips to help you stand out in your job interview

There are also 2 further pieces of advice touching on your salary and leaving a lasting impression.

Let's jump in!

1. Understanding what you want and what you need

If you are looking for a new position, this blog is designed to help you think through what you need from your employment. Do not rush this, and it's okay if you’re on the fence for a while.

Check out the video below, where I walk you through 15 questions to help you identify what's important to you.

Copy and paste the questions below into a word document and really take the time to answer these.

1. What does progress look and feel like to me?

2. What salary range am I looking for, and what level of responsibility am I looking for?

3. Am I happy to work from home, or am I happy to commute?

4. What do I not enjoy about my current job?

5. What do I love about my current role?

6. Am I happy to learn new skills and potentially undertake training in my own time?

7. What are my strengths?

8. Am I looking for a new, scary and exciting challenge?

9. Do I need less responsibility and a routine I am familiar with?

10. Will I need to change aspects of my home life?

11. Am I looking for a long-term or short-term move?

12. Do I essentially want the same job in a different primary care network?

13. What could make me happier career-wise?

14. What would my ideal employer look like?

15. Am I truly able to commit to a new team, given my personal circumstances?

Your employer will likely not want to lose you, so talk to them to see if you can get the progression or the change you are looking for before you start your job hunt.

If it is time to move on, now that you know what you want, it’s time to update your CV, assess the opportunities, and put yourself out there.

2. 3 top tips to make your application stand out

In this short video. I share with you 3 top tips to help your job application stand out and bring you one step closer to landing your dream job.

1. Carefully read the job specification

2. Showcase your key accomplishments which are aligned with the job specification

3. Apply early

3. 3 top tips to make you stand out in your job interview

In this short video, I share 3 top tips to help you stand out in your job interview.

1. Research the organisation you are applying to

2. Be ready to ask questions at the end of the interview

3. Send an email after the interview to thank them and follow up

For those of you looking for more support for a PCN Management role, here are 10 not-so-obvious questions to ask in your PCN Manager job interview.

We also provide some advice for those of you who have been asked to prepare a presentation. Click on the image below.

We hope this helps!

About the Author

Tara and Team THC provide project and network management and training to Primary Care Networks. Between our training programmes, facilitation and interim network programmes, we have now supported over 80 PCNs! Tara has an MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management, is published in the London Journal of Primary Care, is the author of over 200 blogs, and also hosts The Business of Healthcare Podcast.

Find out more about THC Primary Care at www.thcprimarycare.co.uk and sign up for our newsletter here.