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Are you already in the NHS? Have you got an interview lined up?
Thank you to those who have contributed so much on this thread, I’ve got a band 4 assistant practitioner interview on Monday.
I’m absolutely crapping myself
I don’t do well in interviews cause I get so anxious and struggle to get my words out. I’ve only ever had interviews for a band 2 and then a band 4, which I was successful for both (I didn’t accept the band 4 as I was referred for IVF soon after so couldn’t fully commit) so I really want to show myself that I can do it and everything will be ok.
I’ve done a lot of prep already but I feel I just need some words of wisdom now to get me through it
I’m absolutely crapping myself
I don’t do well in interviews cause I get so anxious and struggle to get my words out. I’ve only ever had interviews for a band 2 and then a band 4, which I was successful for both (I didn’t accept the band 4 as I was referred for IVF soon after so couldn’t fully commit) so I really want to show myself that I can do it and everything will be ok.
I’ve done a lot of prep already but I feel I just need some words of wisdom now to get me through it
I’m sure you’ll be fine, good luck! Interviewers will always take nerves into account. XThank you to those who have contributed so much on this thread, I’ve got a band 4 assistant practitioner interview on Monday.
I’m absolutely crapping myself
I don’t do well in interviews cause I get so anxious and struggle to get my words out. I’ve only ever had interviews for a band 2 and then a band 4, which I was successful for both (I didn’t accept the band 4 as I was referred for IVF soon after so couldn’t fully commit) so I really want to show myself that I can do it and everything will be ok.
I’ve done a lot of prep already but I feel I just need some words of wisdom now to get me through it
Hi, just wanted to let you know I didn’t get the job.
Tbh I feel like they already knew who they were going to employ. It seemed like an effort for them to interview me, and I was only in there 20 minutes, I feel I didn’t get much time to tell them all about myself?
I feel so deflated 🥲
She did call me to say that she thought I interviewed really well and that she’d passed on my details to a different department who were interested in me. So I’ve had some bad and good news
Ah i'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like perhaps it might have been that they knew who was getting the job, but they have to go through the motions of looking like they're offering it to other candidates, in which case you never would have stood a chance and it's no reflection on you.Hi, just wanted to let you know I didn’t get the job.
Tbh I feel like they already knew who they were going to employ. It seemed like an effort for them to interview me, and I was only in there 20 minutes, I feel I didn’t get much time to tell them all about myself?
I feel so deflated 🥲
She did call me to say that she thought I interviewed really well and that she’d passed on my details to a different department who were interested in me. So I’ve had some bad and good news
Hi! I just wanted to say thank you so much for this postI’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 used some of your examples for my interview the other day and I got the job! I’m so happy! 
xx
Ahhh that’s amazing!! Well doneHi! I just wanted to say thank you so much for this post
xxAmazing! Well done xxxHi! I just wanted to say thank you so much for this post
Got another interview for a different department, same banding. This time it’s a zoom meeting
I’m actually more nervous about this one, I’m much better if I’m face to face with the person who’s asking the questions
I’m sure it’ll be ok
I know what sort of questions to expect so I hope I can be as confident as before
Well done on getting the interview! I’ll have my fingers crossed for you. I know what you mean - I was defo more nervous about it being a video call. Good luck, you’ll be fab!Amazing! Well done xxx
Got another interview for a different department, same banding. This time it’s a zoom meeting
I’m actually more nervous about this one, I’m much better if I’m face to face with the person who’s asking the questions
I’m sure it’ll be ok
I know what sort of questions to expect so I hope I can be as confident as before
Sooooo….I have some good news.
I got a call from the person who had been given my details & application from the job I didn’t get before. She was asking me a few questions but nothing ‘interview’ like, but we had a formal chat about my experience & skills.
long story short, she offered me the job there and then!!!!!
She was happy with the previous interview score I got, and my application and having a chat over the phone so towards the end of the call she said ‘well I’m pleased to tell you, Id like to offer you the job, congratulations!
I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it! I had to submit another application for this role and the teams interview was 22nd, but I no longer have to do that now.
I’m so happy!!!thank you everyone on the thread for your kind words xx
I got a call from the person who had been given my details & application from the job I didn’t get before. She was asking me a few questions but nothing ‘interview’ like, but we had a formal chat about my experience & skills.
long story short, she offered me the job there and then!!!!!
She was happy with the previous interview score I got, and my application and having a chat over the phone so towards the end of the call she said ‘well I’m pleased to tell you, Id like to offer you the job, congratulations!I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it! I had to submit another application for this role and the teams interview was 22nd, but I no longer have to do that now.
I’m so happy!!!thank you everyone on the thread for your kind words xx
Congratulations that’s great news xSooooo….I have some good news.
I got a call from the person who had been given my details & application from the job I didn’t get before. She was asking me a few questions but nothing ‘interview’ like, but we had a formal chat about my experience & skills.
long story short, she offered me the job there and then!!!!!
I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it! I had to submit another application for this role and the teams interview was 22nd, but I no longer have to do that now.
I’m so happy!!!thank you everyone on the thread for your kind words xx
Well done!! So happy for you!Sooooo….I have some good news.
I got a call from the person who had been given my details & application from the job I didn’t get before. She was asking me a few questions but nothing ‘interview’ like, but we had a formal chat about my experience & skills.
long story short, she offered me the job there and then!!!!!
I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it! I had to submit another application for this role and the teams interview was 22nd, but I no longer have to do that now.
I’m so happy!!!thank you everyone on the thread for your kind words xx
xxJumping in on an old thread in the hopes for some advice.
Does anyone have experience where the interview is for a promotion within your current department? Say from band 2 to band 3, both admin roles? I’m hoping it’ll be more of an informal interview as the panel are my current management but the role was also advertised externally so not sure if I have to do the same questions as other candidates so that it’s fair under HR reg. I’m struggling to prepare as I can’t see them asking me the usual questions like ‘tell us a time when..’ ‘when have you made a difficult decision..’ etc but I don’t know if they have to. Also struggling to prepare questions to ask at the end as I already know everything I need to know about this specific role as I currently work in the department and work closely with someone else doing this new role.
It’s such an odd situation to be in where I tick all the boxes in what they’re looking for, have the experience and advantage of already being in post within the department but also feeling SO underprepared for the interview!
Does anyone have experience where the interview is for a promotion within your current department? Say from band 2 to band 3, both admin roles? I’m hoping it’ll be more of an informal interview as the panel are my current management but the role was also advertised externally so not sure if I have to do the same questions as other candidates so that it’s fair under HR reg. I’m struggling to prepare as I can’t see them asking me the usual questions like ‘tell us a time when..’ ‘when have you made a difficult decision..’ etc but I don’t know if they have to. Also struggling to prepare questions to ask at the end as I already know everything I need to know about this specific role as I currently work in the department and work closely with someone else doing this new role.
It’s such an odd situation to be in where I tick all the boxes in what they’re looking for, have the experience and advantage of already being in post within the department but also feeling SO underprepared for the interview!
It's always harder preparing for an interview when you know the interviewers. I would say prepare and present your answers as if you don't know them. They will ask you the same questions as the other external candidates.
I'm in NHS finance, and the STAR technique is something that we were generally advised to use when answering interview questions.
A good question to ask at the end I suppose, is if there's a chance of job progression, or study/training funding etc
I have a band 7 management role in the NHS and I do a lot of recruitment. Even when it's an internal application we have to ask the exact same questions and score the answers from 1-5. The highest overall scoring applicant has to be considered.
Even though the interviewers know you it's therefore really important that you sell yourself, even if you are saying things they already may know about. At my workplace we have to send our notes with people's answers/our scoring to HR after the interviews so they can confirm the interview process was fair etc.
Good luck! I'm sure you will be great - just pretend the interviewers know nothing about you
I agree with the poster above - questions about progression, how will your job role change with the new job etc. they literally have to do it to tick boxes I reckon. But it’s all points based so asking a question is better than not doing so!
They may change the questions for each band. I ended up going on YouTube and looking at band 4 questions for nhs.
a few weeks ago I asked to go from part time to full time and they were like you may need to interview for it, I was like ffs
totally get why though. Anyway I was lucky enough and my manager did a C form for me 
I have a band 7 management role in the NHS and I do a lot of recruitment. Even when it's an internal application we have to ask the exact same questions and score the answers from 1-5. The highest overall scoring applicant has to be considered.
Even though the interviewers know you it's therefore really important that you sell yourself, even if you are saying things they already may know about. At my workplace we have to send our notes with people's answers/our scoring to HR after the interviews so they can confirm the interview process was fair etc.
Good luck! I'm sure you will be great - just pretend the interviewers know nothing about you
Thank you so much! Going to prepare as much as I can tonight. I’ve tried to remember some questions I was asked in my initial interview but it’s honestly a blur now as it was over a year ago. All I can do is my best. I will update once it’s all over and I know the outcome. Thanks againI agree with the poster above - questions about progression, how will your job role change with the new job etc. they literally have to do it to tick boxes I reckon. But it’s all points based so asking a question is better than not doing so!
They may change the questions for each band. I ended up going on YouTube and looking at band 4 questions for nhs.
a few weeks ago I asked to go from part time to full time and they were like you may need to interview for it, I was like ffs
I got the job
I was really nervous during the interview and wasn’t happy with how I answered a lot of the questions but I think because they know me, they knew what I was trying to say. They said I did really well though and ticked all the boxes and my experience already working in the department was an added bonus. I’m glad it’s all over and I can now relax!!
Thank you again for the advice!
I was really nervous during the interview and wasn’t happy with how I answered a lot of the questions but I think because they know me, they knew what I was trying to say. They said I did really well though and ticked all the boxes and my experience already working in the department was an added bonus. I’m glad it’s all over and I can now relax!!
Thank you again for the advice!
Congratulations!! Such a good feelingI got the job
I was really nervous during the interview and wasn’t happy with how I answered a lot of the questions but I think because they know me, they knew what I was trying to say. They said I did really well though and ticked all the boxes and my experience already working in the department was an added bonus. I’m glad it’s all over and I can now relax!!
Thank you again for the advice!