To new beginnings

Posted by: Meric Oztap - Posted on:

The past few months have brought a lot of firsts – first time being in London with a full time employment and not feeling like a student, first ever payslip, and now my first blog post.

The Application

Although not too long ago, applying to the GMTS does feel like a little bit of a blur. I do, however, remember thinking my interview had not gone well. My interviewers were definitely playing good cop – bad cop. But one thing I did feel happy about during my post-interview reflection was that every answer I had given was honest and unrehearsed. Despite some of my examples probably not meeting classic interview style guidelines, they did demonstrate my passion for healthcare, and in particular the NHS.

The assessment centre, on the other hand, was actually an incredible experience. Prior to attending, I would not have thought I could enjoy a full day of being vigorously assessed! And yet, I came out at the end of the day feeling more energetic than I had felt going into it. The AC was structured in such a way that we were actually stimulating real life situations we are likely to face in our roles over the years to come. It was also an opportunity to meet so many people who are now on the scheme with me!

The Offer & On-boarding

I would just like to shout-out to the Uber driver who shared my excitement after getting my formal offer call during the ride (it is, of course, very likely he put on a stellar act to guarantee that 5 star rating – but I’m going to pretend he truly cared…)!


The on-boarding process may have been the most overwhelming part. Continuous exchange of documents and lots of waiting. And although the regular emails sent to us by the leadership academy kept us well informed on the whole process, it still felt never-ending.  

The Welcome Event

And the day finally arrived! After the two days in Leeds meeting so many graduates, networking, and finding out more about the scheme from the ‘older years’ we were all ready to get started. If you happen to read this before you attend your Welcome event, make sure to stock up on cough drops because I had lost my voice by the end of the 2nd days from non-stop talking!

The event also involved inspirational talks, a massive welcome dinner, and nervously laughing at the finance trainees because their workload really sounds like a walk in the park #sarcasm #firstblogposthashtag.

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