Trac Jobs

Trac is an applicant tracking system: software an employer uses to run vacancies, shortlisting, interviews and pre-employment checks. NHSBSA lists Trac among the third-party systems that send listings to NHS Jobs, and says applicants then apply directly through the third-party system. Trac's own site states that it is independent of the NHS and the Department of Health.

For you, the practical point is that the same NHS vacancy can be found on NHS Jobs but completed on Trac. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, for example, tells applicants that pressing Apply now on its adverts takes them to Trac.jobs, where they sign in or create an account.

1. Click apply on the advert and follow the link to Trac, or go to apps.trac.jobs and choose to register.
2. Register with one email address. Trac allows one account per email, and sign-in uses a one-time passcode sent by email.
3. Answer the pre-application questions. Employers commonly ask about your immigration status and whether you need sponsorship, so answer accurately.
4. Complete each section and save often. Torbay advises saving every 10 minutes to avoid losing work.
5. Submit before the closing date, then follow progress under My applications.

The recruiting team contacts you through Trac, which sends an alert to your email, so check junk folders and mark Trac messages as safe. Interview invitations, offers and later conditional offer tasks, such as uploading documents for your right to work check, DBS check and references, are often handled in the same account. Trac's support pages say previous applications are stored for 400 days and then deleted, so keep your own copy of anything you may want to reuse.

• NHS Jobs is the official recruitment service for the NHS in England and Wales, run by the NHS Business Services Authority. It is where most NHS vacancies are listed.
• Trac is one of the employer-chosen systems that adverts can link to. The employer decides which system receives your form.
• Accounts are separate. NHSBSA says you do not need to register with NHS Jobs if you apply through a third-party system, so you may hold an NHS Jobs account, a Trac account and accounts with other systems at the same time.

Search on NHS Jobs, then apply wherever the advert sends you.

• Two accounts. Registering again with a different email splits your history. Use one address.
• Locked out. Trac's support pages say repeated wrong passcodes freeze login for a period, and too many failed attempts lock the account. Use the password reset and Trac's support pages.
• Lost drafts. Drafts are removed after a period set by the employer; Torbay says 90 days after the closing date.
• Asking Trac about the job. Trac runs the system; questions about the vacancy, sponsorship or your application go to the employer's recruitment team.

See how to find sponsoring NHS trusts and NHS interview questions for what comes next.