Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)
The Person Specification Is Not The Job Description. The Difference Between These Two Documents Is The Difference Between Being Shortlisted And Not.
This is possibly the most practically impactful post in this entire week.
Because the answer to why most NHS applications fail is sitting in this single misunderstanding.
The job description tells you what the job involves — the duties, the responsibilities, the scope of practice, the reporting structure, the departmental context.
The person specification tells you the exact criteria against which your application will be scored — essential and desirable, how each criterion will be assessed, and what evidence is required to meet each one.
NHS shortlisting panels do not score your application against the job description.
They score it against the person specification. Criterion by criterion. With a number. And a minimum threshold below which no application progresses regardless of how impressive the rest of the document is.
Here is what this means in practice:
Every sentence in your supporting statement should be traceable to a specific criterion on the person specification. Not vaguely related. Directly evidencing.
If the person specification says: "Evidence of participation in clinical audit demonstrating change to practice" — your supporting statement must contain a specific, named audit, with a baseline measurement, an implemented change, and a re-audit outcome. One sentence about "audit experience" does not meet this criterion.
If the person specification says: "Ability to communicate complex clinical information to patients, relatives, and colleagues" — your supporting statement must contain a specific example with a named patient scenario (anonymised), a named communication challenge, and a specific outcome.
If the person specification says: "Understanding of NHS governance frameworks including patient safety and Duty of Candour" — your supporting statement must name specific frameworks. Datix. PSIRF. Good Medical Practice. The NMC Code. The HCPC Standards. Not "I understand the importance of governance."
The person specification is the scoring matrix. Your supporting statement is your evidence submission against it.
READ THAT AGAIN!
Read in that order — every time, before every application.
DM me "SPEC" and I will walk you through the person specification mapping process for your next application — step by step.
Post 5 drops at 5:00 PM — and it is the post that ties the whole week together in one place.
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