Are you nearing the end of your specialist training programme? Then it is time to start considering your consultant interview. What do you think it will be like? Will it be anything like the candidates’ experiences on BBC One’s The Apprentice?
Watch this first clip where the interviewer has some first-hand experience of the interviewee’s work.
Ouch! How would you respond? How would your reaction affect your chances of gaining the position you seek?
To keep things in perspective we have to bear in mind that The Apprentice is created primarily for our entertainment. We all laugh and/or squirm as the outrageous claims on the CV’s are forensically examined. Thankfully, it should be rare to come up against the attitude taken by Lord Sugar’s henchman. However an interviewer does have a duty to dig deep to uncover the reality of who you are.
Take a look at the next clip. Unfortunately, even though the interviewer is far more reasonable, things go wrong once again.
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In this case the candidate in the hot seat digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole. Eventually she has dug so deep that it is impossible to recover.
What could have been different had this interviewee been able to anticipate the type of questions that would be asked?
Moving on from The Apprentice, amusing as these clips are, your consultant interview is a serious matter. Securing the position you desire after all the years of training can be a pivotal point in your career. It is no joke when we find ourselves in a position when we realise we could have either avoided or managed a situation more effectively with a bit of preparation. There is a lot at stake.
In the year, months, weeks and days ahead of this transition stage you will benefit from reflecting on your past personal successes and challenges. Its essential to choose the best examples, clarify your opinions and practice how to communicate them to deliver your best performance at interview.
We wish you well for the big event!
