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?
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Never had an NHS interview but I can offer more generalised advice…
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smile a lot! Be professional but also make sure you come across very friendly and approachable
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make eye contact with the interviewers when answering questions
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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