If you are preparing for a medical interview then a recent report on BBC News may have caught your eye. ‘When interviews go wrong‘ is the output of their research into poor and inappropriate interview questions. You might also have taken a few minutes to amuse yourself with Glassdoor’s annual list of tough interview questions.
The sublime and the ridiculous
Such lists make you consider how you would respond to the following:
- If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
- Which magic power would you like to have?
- How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the U.S. each year?
Oddball questions like these will always grab attention. Interviewers using such techniques will no doubt be rather impressed with themselves and claim they are exploring logic, creativity or ability to deal with the unexpected. But what, we wonder, did the interviewer who asked, “How honest are you?” expect to discover? And what criteria did ZocDoc utilise to interpret responses to their question, “What’s your least favourite thing about humanity?”
As a doctor, its probably best to view these examples as light-hearted relief during your interview preparations rather than dwell upon them. Valuable time is better spent concentrating on subjects which your interview panel are far more likely to explore.
So what are interview panels looking for?
Its worth noting that if you have been invited to a Consultant interview then the panel already believe you have the technical skill level required.
To state the obvious, they want to discover as much about you as possible within the time available. They want to know about your experiences and what you have learned from them, your attitudes and opinions, your ambitions. They want to know how you will fit into their team, what you will add and what support you will require to reach your potential.
Some doctors focus a disproportionate amount of time on crash-studying the NHS’s structures and processes. They do this under the false impression that they are about to undergo some form of test of knowledge on the subject. If it were this simple then the panel could save their time by giving the candidates a standard written examination. Developing a thorough understanding of the system is, without doubt, an advantage for your interview – so long as you can demonstrate how you have utilised your knowledge in some manner.
What you should never be asked
UK employment law means that there are a raft of questions which you should never be asked. These include questions of a personal nature with no bearing on your ability to do the job. Examples include opening questions which probe your ethnicity, age, religion, marital status or sexual preferences. These rules have been established in order to protect your rights as an employee.
Unfortunately such questions can occasionally be asked through clumsy attempts to achieve diversity in the workforce, or nervous interviewers trying to find clever ice-breakers. They are rarely asked through genuine prejudice. Should this happen to you, it is entirely appropriate for you to tactfully ask why the question is relevant to the job. Interviewers should always bear in mind that you are assessing their suitability as prospective employers at the same time as they are assessing you.
So lets get back to our initial question….
What’s the worst interview question you could be asked?
Your most effective approach to preparation will always be to concentrate on the most likely topics and questions. You should expect to to face probing questions on a broad spectrum of your competence: how you have developed yourself and others; your planning and organisation experiences; decision making; teamwork and leadership; ethics and probity.
Rather than dwelling on “Who would your three ideal dinner guests be,” examples of genuinely tough questions include:
- Which of your mistakes have you learned most from over the past year?
- Tell us about a time when you felt a patient’s treatment plan was not in their best interests.
- What’s the most awkward subject that a junior colleague has approached you with and what did you do?
- Tell us about a time when you had to ask for help from one of your colleagues.
You may notice that each of these questions has a focus on the facts, your experiences and what you have learned. Responding well to this type of question is how your interview panel will really get to know you.
Imagine they were to ask you, “What’s the worst question we could ask you?”
How could you prepare for that?
Stephen McGuire – Head of Development
