From deciding where to apply to the interview itself, here are some absolutely key things to consider when preparing for your NHS Consultant Interview

1. Preparing for Consultant
Interview
Dr Barbara Stanley
Consultant Neuroanaesthetist
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS
Trust

2. Some General Points….
• Consultants are a huge investment
• The point of the interview is to find out if you
will fit in and be a good investment
• Your only opportunity to blow your own
trumpet
• Justify why they MUST have you as a colleague

3. What is the Consultant Role
http://bma.org.uk/developing-your-career/medical-student/the-role-of-the-doctor/role-of-the-consultant
• Delivery of Clinical Care
– Clinical Leadership
• Organisation and Management
– Reporting to Trust Level committees/ organisations
– Safety and Quality indicators
• Service Development
– Existing services
– New Services
• Education and Training
– Current standards
– New courses
• Research
– In line with NHS England Research and Development
Vision http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/gov/research-dev-strategy/

4. Which Job – where you trained or
somewhere new?
• Familiarity
• Prior knowledge
• Established
contacts/friends
• BUT
• Eternal trainee
• Not seen as an equal
• Your shortcomings are
known
• Risk
• Start again
• BUT
• Excitement about you
• Opportunity to carve
out a role for yourself
• You can be anyone you
want

5. Decide:
• What clinical “hat” you want to wear – if
subspecialty, demonstrate you have other
skills too.
• What non-clinical “hat” – are you
educationalist, researcher, manager? Justify
this on your CV

6. Your CV
• Summarise in sections – clinical, governance,
management, research, education. Structure it
so the best of you is easily seen.
• Map it to the essential and desirable aspects
of the person specification.
• Be inclusive but not exhaustive
• Membership of appropriate societies is a must
• Qualifications in management, education etc
must be highlighted

7. Pre Interview Visits
• Who to see
• What to ask

8. The Advisory Panel
• Chairperson (often lay
member)
• Chief Executive or his
representative
• Medical Director or
representative
• Clinical Director
• College Representative
• Other Consultants
• Lead Nurse/Midwife/
ICU sister
• Theatre manager
• Patient

9. What to Ask
• The things you really want to know:
– What they want in a new colleague
– Major challenges/ changes for the
department/service or Trust
– Non-clinical opportunities – can you carve out a
new role for yourself
– What the private practice set up is
– Opportunities for self development
– Opportunities for research

10. The Interview
• Do not attend if you aren’t going to take the job if offered
• Be mindful of your body language
• Know your CV well
• Practice practice practice!!
• Most questions fall into categories so a couple of good answers for
each major category will cover most of it
• When asked “tell me about an audit you have undertaken”
interpret this to mean “ tell me about an audit you have undertaken
– that will be of relevance to this Trust/this department in the
light of the current difficulties constraints we are facing and that
is relevant to the role of this post”
• When asked “tell me about your research” interpret this as “please
tell me you have done your GCP training, can complete an IRAS
form, get your proposal through NREC, obtain funding for a study,
see it through and get it published so I don’t have to spoon feed
you all the way through which I don’t get any SPA time for”

11. Questions
• Category 1: What is good about you?
• Category 2: How you handle or deal with
challenges
• Category 3: Policy, Politics, Standards and
Quality
• Category 4: Governance, Research, Education

12. You MUST
• Wear a suit to pre-interview visits
• Take your CV and offer it out – bind it
• Do your homework
• Give honest but measured responses
• At a bare minimum have robust slick answers to the
following:
– Why do you want to work here? (tell them why they’re
fabulous and how your fabulousness will fit in)
– Why should we give you this job? (Tell them why you are
fabulous and their fabulous Trust can’t go on another
moment without you)
– Why should we give you 2 SPA’s? (Bring projects with you
– setting up a new service/teaching/research and auditing
it and improving it and improving yourself etc etc)

13. Body Language
• The 7, 38 and 55% rule – words, tone and body language
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140803144131-1398308-the-importance-of-
body-language-during-an-interview
• Some of it is obvious
• Eye contact – maintain but don’t stare
• Lean slightly forward and DO NOT SLOUCH
• Smile
• But some of it is not: http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm
– Cross your legs towards the interviewer
– Do not touch your mouth or face
– Try to look left or straight ahead
– Practice your handshake and make eye contact
– Don’t nod too much
– Hands on table not elbows
– Open hand gestures and position/ NO pointing/chopping etc
– mirroring

14. The Handshake
• Too limp = not confident and cannot deal with
confrontation
• Too strong = not a good listener and unlikely to take a
democratic approach to problem solving
• So: Brief, firm but not too hard with eye contact and a
smile
• Did you know:
– Israeli study found that humans will involuntarily sniff their
hand after a handshake
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27070-after-
handshakes-we-sniff-peoples-scent-on-our-
hand.html#.VRvmAOFRI80

15. In Sum
• Practice, Practice and Practice
– With colleagues/ trusted consultants
– Consider videoing yourself – Johari Window
http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm
• Do your homework
• Go on visits
• Plan so you are not rushing for visits or interview
• Be mindful of your habits but don’t worry too much
• Be yourself

16. Useful Stuff
Interview
• http://bma.org.uk/developing-
your-career/medical-
student/the-role-of-the-
doctor/role-of-the-consultant
• http://careers.bmj.com/career
s/advice/view-
article.html?id=20006642
• http://www.medical-
interviews.co.uk/consultant-
interviews-pre-interview-
visits.aspx
• http://www.medicalinterviews
uk.co.uk/Consultant-
Interview-Guide.html
Policy and Management
• http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/topi
cs/nhs-reform/nhs-white-paper
• http://www.england.nhs.uk/reso
urces/pay-syst/
• http://www.health.org.uk/areas-
of-work/francis-inquiry/about-
the-francis-inquiry/
• https://www.rcm.org.uk/news-
views-and-analysis/news/rcm-
commits-to-improving-safety
• Are you a good doctor?
http://www.gmc-
uk.org/guidance/good_medical_p
ractice.asp

17. More Useful Stuff
Body Language & technique
• http://www.kent.ac.uk/care
ers/interviews/nvc.htm
• http://www.medical-
interviews.co.uk/consultant
-interview-body-
language.aspx
• Management vs leadership
http://www.businessballs.c
om/leadership.htm
Questions
• http://www.medical-
interviews.co.uk/consultant-
interview-questions.aspx
• http://www.blueskyinterviews
.co.uk/medical-interview
• http://www.frca.co.uk/Section
Contents.aspx?sectionid=237
• http://www.slideshare.net/dri
mranwaheed/preparation-for-
becoming-a-consultant