NHS admin interview advice

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I’ve had a number of professional interviews and I’m generally quite successful when I interview. In fact my manager told me only last week that when I interviewed for my role 2 years ago I blew everyone else out the park and he didn’t see the need to carry on with the rest of the interviews (where’s my trumpet? 😂)

Never had an NHS interview but I can offer more generalised advice…

- smile a lot! Be professional but also make sure you come across very friendly and approachable

- make eye contact with the interviewers when answering questions

- have an example in your head of when something “went wrong” or a difficult situation and how you handled it. Whenever I answer this question I always explain my example and explain how I handled it as they have asked, then I say “mistakes will always happen, it’s human nature but what’s important is how you deal with it and how you can try to prevent it from happening again. Mistakes are there to be learnt from”

- don’t be afraid that you’ve not had experience in this sector, just sell yourself.
When they ask what you can bring to the role, tell them you’re excited for a new opportunity, you’re extremely motivated and committed, you want to acquire new skills while also developing your current skills and capabilities further. Think of what skills you currently have can be applied in the new role.

- do some initial research, find out a few facts about the department, what their core values are etc and quote one of them when they ask why you applied.

- They might ask how you prioritise workload and handle the pressure of lots of work and different deadlines.
For this one I always say I write my to do list down to clear my head. I always say how important communication is, for example if something urgent came in from person A while I was completing a task for person B I would make sure I communicate with both people and explain the situation. If struggling I would speak with my manager and ask what they would like me to prioritise - they like to know you’re not afraid to ask for help!

- Similarly to the last one they may ask how you handle stress. Again I always say I write my to do list down, talk to my manager if it becomes too much, work out priorities and get any quick tasks done first so my head is clear to focus on the bigger longer term tasks.

- They may ask what aspects of the job you think may be challenging for you. The key here is to be positive. You don’t have to lie and pretend you’ll know how to do everything, you can 100% say there are certain things you’ve not done before BUT you’re excited to learn, you’re excited for the challenge and you’re a quick learner. You can say you’re aware there will be new systems to learn but tell them that excites you.

- A lot of interviewers ask what your weaknesses are and you should always provide them with one, even if it’s made up. But reinforce it with a positive! For example I often say “I consider myself to be a people pleaser which often means I have a hard time saying no and can take too much on, but I’m aware of this and it’s something I’m trying to work on so I don’t overwhelm myself.” The employers want to know that you’re honest and can admit to your own weaknesses but that you’re also always looking to improve yourself.

- Finally, at the end ALWAYS ask a question. Ask them sometime challenging that may surprise them, but make sure it’s about the job, not how much money you’ll be earning 😂
Examples I use are:

“What is the most challenging part of working here?”
“What do you enjoy most about your job?”
“Why did you choose to work for this company?”
“What would you say are the biggest challenges in this role?”

It’s time to make THEM think and answer a question and also see how keen and enthusiastic you are.

Good luck 💖
I am job hunting at the moment and am crap at interviews, so this is super helpful! Thank you xx
 
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Hey guys I thought I would just let you know I got the job ☺ I’ve actually turned it down as I’ve realised it’s too many hours and I’ve got a small baby but fear not, I’ve got 2 more applications pending for a 3 day role doing virtually the same thing in a different department, so keeping my fingers crossed. I feel really silly that I’ve turned it down but I knew it wasn’t right for me. If anything, it’s given me fantastic experience and I’ll let you know how I get on with the others 🙈
 
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Hey guys I thought I would just let you know I got the job ☺ I’ve actually turned it down as I’ve realised it’s too many hours and I’ve got a small baby but fear not, I’ve got 2 more applications pending for a 3 day role doing virtually the same thing in a different department, so keeping my fingers crossed. I feel really silly that I’ve turned it down but I knew it wasn’t right for me. If anything, it’s given me fantastic experience and I’ll let you know how I get on with the others 🙈
Congratulations!
 
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Hey guys I thought I would just let you know I got the job ☺ I’ve actually turned it down as I’ve realised it’s too many hours and I’ve got a small baby but fear not, I’ve got 2 more applications pending for a 3 day role doing virtually the same thing in a different department, so keeping my fingers crossed. I feel really silly that I’ve turned it down but I knew it wasn’t right for me. If anything, it’s given me fantastic experience and I’ll let you know how I get on with the others 🙈
What questions did they ask
 
What questions did they ask
So they asked 3 scenario questions. I can’t remember them exactly but they were

“how would you deal with a distressed patient on the phone”

“how would you react if a consultant was rude to you infront of a patient”

“How would you deal with a situation if a colleague made a mistake”

they then asked me questions about my local Trusts visions values and behaviours. They are so hot on this so I’m glad I made notes on them and made examples of how I can relate to them and the job role itself and then after that it was literally just an opportunity for me to ask a question. They liked it when I asked them “what would you say is the most challenging part of the role”

Hope this helps and I hope we’re not applying for the same job 😂
 
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I was literally about to make a post about interview questions but some of these answers are so helpful, Thankyou!
 
So in a turn of events, the woman who interviewed me got in contact with me again and said that she had another job going live in a couple of weeks time which is actually much more up my street! I must have made a good impression if she wants me to apply for it 😊
 
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I know this is not strictly NHS admin related but I have been selected for interview for a Trainee Nursing Associate in a couple of weeks. I currently work in the NHS as a Covid vaccinator and have worked on and off for the NHS for nearly 30 years. I have always wanted to be a nurse but the timing and life situations have always gotten in the way. Does anyone know any questions that they may ask me and how to answer? I know safeguarding comes up in everything but I just want to be as prepared as possible as this could potentially be different to any NHS interview I've had before. Many thanks in advance and good luck to those having interviews in the near future.
 
I wish I’d seen this earlier! I’ve been a 4, 5 and just got a band 6 role. If you come back wanting some last minute tips I’d say go back and get some interview feedback (regardless of if you got or not, always invaluable), but my main one would be EXAMPLES EXAMPLES EXAMPLES!!! They love it!!
Trusts values was a good one, rightly popular, and keywords will get you lots of the points.
You sound like you’ve got a fab attitude and how you’ll get on with the rest of the team will be taken into consideration. You’ve got it in the bag doll❤
 
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I know this is not strictly NHS admin related but I have been selected for interview for a Trainee Nursing Associate in a couple of weeks. I currently work in the NHS as a Covid vaccinator and have worked on and off for the NHS for nearly 30 years. I have always wanted to be a nurse but the timing and life situations have always gotten in the way. Does anyone know any questions that they may ask me and how to answer? I know safeguarding comes up in everything but I just want to be as prepared as possible as this could potentially be different to any NHS interview I've had before. Many thanks in advance and good luck to those having interviews in the near future.
ooh i’m interested too (not applying for the role yet) but my friend done this course and she is looking for a full time role. she loves doing phlebotomy and wound care, but she’s finding it difficult to get a job which is quite surprising as they are cheaper to pay than nurses!

I wish I’d seen this earlier! I’ve been a 4, 5 and just got a band 6 role. If you come back wanting some last minute tips I’d say go back and get some interview feedback (regardless of if you got or not, always invaluable), but my main one would be EXAMPLES EXAMPLES EXAMPLES!!! They love it!!
Trusts values was a good one, rightly popular, and keywords will get you lots of the points.
You sound like you’ve got a fab attitude and how you’ll get on with the rest of the team will be taken into consideration. You’ve got it in the bag doll❤
band 6 you gooooo girl i’m trying to get up from band 3!! but i can only currently do part time hours 😭
 
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ooh i’m interested too (not applying for the role yet) but my friend done this course and she is looking for a full time role. she loves doing phlebotomy and wound care, but she’s finding it difficult to get a job which is quite surprising as they are cheaper to pay than nurses!
Yes, I think as it’s a fairly newish role they’re still getting around to creating more posts for it. With the one I’m applying for, they’re taking the successful applicant on straight after qualifying - so a guaranteed job at the end of it which would be nice. Im a band 4 at the moment but would go down to band 3 whilst training, then up to band 4 again. I’m ok with that, just give me the job! 😂
 
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yes! what i love about the nhs is there is so much opportunities!! but you’ll get back in band 4 soon enough lol x
 
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I know this is not strictly NHS admin related but I have been selected for interview for a Trainee Nursing Associate in a couple of weeks. I currently work in the NHS as a Covid vaccinator and have worked on and off for the NHS for nearly 30 years. I have always wanted to be a nurse but the timing and life situations have always gotten in the way. Does anyone know any questions that they may ask me and how to answer? I know safeguarding comes up in everything but I just want to be as prepared as possible as this could potentially be different to any NHS interview I've had before. Many thanks in advance and good luck to those having interviews in the near future.
My advice would be go back to the job advertisement and find the list of essential skills, competencies and values. For each on I’d write out a few examples, giving specific situations. Use the Star technique:
S - situation - give a brief outline of the situation you were in
T - task - what the task was, keep it brief maybe just one or two sentences
A - action - this is where you score the most points, give detailed answers on what action you took in the situation, the decisions you made etc. Always start these answers with ‘I’ because as an interviewer I want to know what your role was not the others in the team.
R - results - what the outcome of the situation was, it doesn’t always have to be the desired outcome.

Also they may ask follow up questions like what did you learn from this, what went well, what didn’t go so well, what would you do differently next time. So it’s good to have a few sentences in these areas for each example.

Also practice practice practice, say your answers out loud or get a trusted family member to ask you some questions.

I imagine for this role they may focus on areas like:
- working as part of a team
- making decisions effectively (weighing up evidence, assessing situations)
- knowing when to seek advice from others
- escalating issues to people in more senior roles
- dealing with difficult customers / patients

You sound like you have tons of experience so you’ll have loads of examples to call upon, just make sure you can create the time and space at home to give it serious prep as that will make the biggest difference.

Also don’t be afraid to ask for questions to be repeated or take a few moments before you answer to collect your thoughts.

Sorry for the long winded post but hope it’s of some use. I have experience of interviewing in the public sector and preparation is the key, makes such a difference when you have a well structured answer as it makes it easy for the interviewer to score you well.

Good luck, I hope everything goes well for you.
 
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My advice would be go back to the job advertisement and find the list of essential skills, competencies and values. For each on I’d write out a few examples, giving specific situations. Use the Star technique:
S - situation - give a brief outline of the situation you were in
T - task - what the task was, keep it brief maybe just one or two sentences
A - action - this is where you score the most points, give detailed answers on what action you took in the situation, the decisions you made etc. Always start these answers with ‘I’ because as an interviewer I want to know what your role was not the others in the team.
R - results - what the outcome of the situation was, it doesn’t always have to be the desired outcome.

Also they may ask follow up questions like what did you learn from this, what went well, what didn’t go so well, what would you do differently next time. So it’s good to have a few sentences in these areas for each example.

Also practice practice practice, say your answers out loud or get a trusted family member to ask you some questions.

I imagine for this role they may focus on areas like:
- working as part of a team
- making decisions effectively (weighing up evidence, assessing situations)
- knowing when to seek advice from others
- escalating issues to people in more senior roles
- dealing with difficult customers / patients

You sound like you have tons of experience so you’ll have loads of examples to call upon, just make sure you can create the time and space at home to give it serious prep as that will make the biggest difference.

Also don’t be afraid to ask for questions to be repeated or take a few moments before you answer to collect your thoughts.

Sorry for the long winded post but hope it’s of some use. I have experience of interviewing in the public sector and preparation is the key, makes such a difference when you have a well structured answer as it makes it easy for the interviewer to score you well.

Good luck, I hope everything goes well for you.
You’ve been fantastic, thank you! I’ve found STAR to be very successful for me in the past, employers love that don’t they. I always prep for an interview to within an inch of my life too 😂 so no worries there either. I guess I just hate not knowing exactly what questions they’ll ask but that’s the idea, obviously.

If I manage to get through this, they’ll be an interview for the university part. I would have to prove I could cope with studying, I already have a degree so I think I’d be ok there. My daughter is off to uni in a couple of weeks so I’ll have all the time in the world to commit to the demands of it.

Thanks so much for your advice ❤
 
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I just wanted to say that I was lurking on this thread as I applied for a job via NHS (not an admin role) but all the advice really helped me - I had the interview today and they called straight after and offered me the job! 🎉
 
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I just wanted to say that I was lurking on this thread as I applied for a job via NHS (not an admin role) but all the advice really helped me - I had the interview today and they called straight after and offered me the job! 🎉
That’s brilliant! Congratulations 🥂
 
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I just wanted to say that I was lurking on this thread as I applied for a job via NHS (not an admin role) but all the advice really helped me - I had the interview today and they called straight after and offered me the job! 🎉
Brilliant news, congratulations 🥳
 
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Hopefully this is the last update from me but I got offered another band 4 job today and accepted it 😁 so shocked as I didn’t feel confident but just wanted to thank you all for your great advice x
 
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