To find NHS interviews very difficult

[Irecan]

Hi,

I am looking for a new job within the NHS, I have had two interviews already for two different jobs and have been unsuccessful. First one was a hard no but got great feedback. Second one, I tried to do better and it seems I did because the feed back I got was I was ‘appoint-able but didn’t score high enough.’ Apparently I only scored 2-3 out of 4 for most questions. There was a lot of questions and they told me how much time I had at the beginning (45 for the first and 30 for the second) so I was keeping this in mind and knew I had about 4-5 minutes to answer each question but as they were looking for more in depth answers it seems near impossible to give high score answers in this space of time. I have another interview coming up and really want the job…

Anyone have any advice? It’s for a band 5 role and will working directly with patients face to face in a healthcare setting. I find it difficult to structure on the spot even using the STAR method.

Memorise the job spec and person spec and come up with examples of where you can shove buzz words into the response. I literally sounded like such a clown into my interview but I got the highest marks twice for it. I also took little cards in with prompts on and it wasn't a problem.

@OnceAgainWithFeeling thanks, I try use the star model but think I get a bit lost when I’m nervous, also not sure how to structure scenario based questions as they can’t be structured with star can they?

@shakeitoffsis did you take these cards to a face to face interview?

Hi OP. I'm having the same problem and it is so disheartening. Have applied for three jobs so far. Have made it to interview stage but that's it. On my last one they told me my interview was "outstanding" but someone else scored higher than me. Problem is I don't know how I'm supposed to get better than "outstanding"!!!! Feeling like giving up tbh.

My DH has had the same and that is for just above minimum wage jobs. He has given up.

it's great that you'll be working directly with patients face to face in a healthcare setting. I understand that it can be challenging to structure your responses on the spot, even with the STAR method. But don't worry, there are several things you can do to prepare and feel more confident during your interview.

Firstly, it's important to understand the unique demands of working in the NHS. Take some time to research the role and the healthcare setting you'll be working in. This will help you to understand the challenges you may face, as well as the type of work you'll be doing. It's also important to familiarize yourself with the NHS's values and mission, as they are the foundation of everything they do.

Secondly, I recommend practicing with a friend or family member. This will help you to feel more comfortable talking about yourself and your experience, and will give you an opportunity to get feedback on your responses. Try to simulate the interview as closely as possible, by having your friend ask you common interview questions and giving yourself a time limit to respond.

Thirdly, the STAR method is a great technique for structuring your responses to interview questions. Remember to be specific and provide details, as this will help to demonstrate your skills and experience. Think about examples from your past experience that demonstrate your ability to work in a healthcare setting, and prepare to talk about these examples during your interview.

Fourthly, take some deep breaths before your interview to help calm your nerves. It's normal to feel nervous, but try to focus on your strengths and what you can bring to the role. Remember that the interviewer wants to see the best version of you, so try to be confident and show your enthusiasm for the role.

Don't forget to ask questions too, as this demonstrates your interest in the role and can help you to get a better understanding of what the job entails.

Good luck with your interview! Remember to be confident, be yourself, and show your passion for working in the NHS.

Try STARE not STAR - evaluate. Add in a bit of reflection, what went well, what would you do differently next time. It's all practice, if you have examples and talk through them enough in advance, it should flow a lot easier.

For scenario-based questions just talk logically through your thought processes. In my last interview (for quite a senior post) I took paper in and wrote the questions down as they asked them - not in full, just note form, and for scenario based questions you can make a couple of notes to help structure your answer. Don't take ages though, I'm talking sort of 20 seconds.

Yes, it's hugely competitive for psychology assistant posts.

And we use competency & scenario based questions to see if people can think on their feet & how they respond.

Every candidate is asked the same questions & scored against the criteria.

Extra points for noting national pieces of work eg standards, NICE guidelines etc. Having local knowledge about initiatives, projects. Aligning with trust values statements etc.

Sometimes there is only a point or two between candidates.

And it can actually be worse for internal candidates as they are scored using exactly the same methodology with interviewers they know & cant exaggerate their accomplishments.

These are like gold dust. No reflection on you that you didn't get it. Our lovely and very competent assistant psychologist applied for more than 30 (she now tells us!) before we appointed her.

I have always prepared by thinking of examples of each of the points on the job description. I make notes with buzz words specific to the specialist area e.g. "diagnostic uncertainty" in early intervention services and read these on my way to the interview.

If the PS and JD seem a bit generic or unclear I call for a chat to better understand the job.

I make sure to throw in things I have done that are likely to be helpful even if not in the job description e.g. research experience, working on Trust policies (demonstrating experience drafting policies and also knowledge of the specialist area), facilitating training etc. These might not score points but if two candidates score the same, this might sway things.

If other people have more experience, maybe look at AP jobs in the third sector or non-AP jobs in the NHS (activities coordinator, assistant practitioner etc).

@Irecan that puts a whole different spin on things. For those not familiar AP jobs are probably one of the most competitive within the NHS in terms of numbers applying. Often applications are capped at first fifty as it is not unusual to have over 100 applications. It's not a reflection of NHS recruitment generally.

I would take heart that you're getting interviews. On paper you must be doing something very right in terms of how you're writing, your experience etc. Your form will have been scored in the same way and only the top 6-8 usually are offered interview.

If you're scoring 2/3 per question, your answers aren't bad but with the high standard of competition you won't be successful. Without knowing what you're actually saying I would suggest consider if you're doing enough of:
Giving concrete examples for answers, not generalities (it's not so much what you did pets se though that's helpful, it might be what the team/supervisor did but be concrete)
Being reflective, reflexive and curious enough (the why not the what) - this is one of the most important skills of a psychologist and one of the aspects that often is not so present in AP answers
Referencing psychological models within your answers
Referencing national policy and drivers for the area you're applying for
Learn buzzwords and why they are buzzwords so you can bring them into your answers in a consistent and genuine way

It's generally about showing sophistication in your answers and making it easy for someone to tick a score of 4.
Practice if you can with people who can give feedback - ideally psychologists but appreciate you might not have access until you get a job.

If anxiety is making it hard to remember answers then practice practice practice until someone could fire a question at you walking down the street and you'd just have something to say but don't try to learn answers rote. More like bullet points of things to include that you can talk around and adapt. I wouldn't take notes or cards in at all for face to face but it's fine to ask to have questions repeated or make notes as they ask and take a minute to collect your thoughts.
Learn some strategies to manage anxiety. Apply for jobs even if you're not so interested for practice - the more you do, the more feedback you'll get and the less anxious you'll feel.

Good luck!

Give me an example.

Give me an example.

OP have you thought about joining the bank? That way you'll be familiar with colleagues and the way the Trust works, might give you an edge. Even though it wouldn't be an AP role, you'd get to hear of roles which only get advertised internally or via expressions of interest.

I have brought notes to a face to face interview. One was a copy of my own CV (!) which just triggered me to remember different projects I'd worked on. The other were just some bullet points. No one batted an eyelid.

I think you can do STAR(E) for scenarios. It's just that instead of framing it as "the situation was" you do "if the situation were... my role would be [task], I would first think about x and then do [action], and I'd hope that this would [result for patient], I'd then evaluate how things had gone & I'd ask my supervisor for any advice on how I could improve my performance in future."

Assistant psychologist jobs are so hard to get - I think that's the hardest stage in the psychology career progression (in terms of getting a role). The fact that you're getting interviews is awesome - just keep going!

Thanks so much everyone, this has been such a great help!

@OnceAgainWithFeeling
oh an example would be
Q. Tell me about a psychological model that changed the way you think.
I spoke about how CBT made me realise how peoples thoughts, feelings and interpretation of physical feelings affected the persons behaviour and how the problem was being maintained. I gave an example of a woman I worked therapeutically with. I wasn’t sure what else to say.

another question I got asked was
’what challenges and opportunities do you think you will have as an assistant psychologist in a school’ (this was a camhs job) I spoke about challenges such as working with children and parents who may be reluctant to engage and how I would overcome that, I also spoke about challenges working with teachers and how they may not think in a psychological way. For opportunities I spoke about how I could support the MDT in thinking in a psychologically informed way, how I can facilitate psycho education workshops etc.

The frustrating thing is I already work as an AP in the NHS but my interview for this role was very short and not too difficult and I had to do a presentation which got me a full marks for that task. I do not work with a psychologist at the moment although I should be (this may be where my weaknesses are as I have not had as much experience as other AP’s).

Dc had a band 3 interview for multiple jobs in January - over 40 applicants interviewed, 100 applied and 20 jobs. Dc got a job. But had failed before the difference this time was according to dc that theyd watched hours of YouTube videos on what to say for different questions and said they'd altered the way they answered. Not sure if this was the reason or not but dc said definitely didn't have the most experience, was the youngest applicant and had been ill. Good luck.

Yes always taken prompt cards in, no issues at all! Interviewers fedback that they thought I was organised and intuitive to do so!

As someone who often sits on NHS interview panels, I'm always impressed when people do this. We want to get the best out of people, not test their memory.

@zurala that's great to feedback! As you say it shouldn't be a memory test.

@Irecan that's helpful to have some examples. There's no right or wrong way to answer, I'm curious how deep you went with your reflections.

Q. Tell me about a psychological model that changed the way you think.
I spoke about how CBT made me realise how peoples thoughts, feelings and interpretation of physical feelings affected the persons behaviour and how the problem was being maintained. I gave an example of a woman I worked therapeutically with. I wasn’t sure what else to say.

Apologies not sure if you went into more of a hot cross bun or if you were talking about understanding ABC type concept. I would want to know a bit more about why it profoundly changed your thinking, how you took that forward in other situations beyond that client, if you came up against barriers in applying it, if you've learned more about it since and what you did to seek that learning out, if you've noticed that in yourself, if you've reflected on more systemic layers to this - like how different life experiences/diversity/social inequalities/etc might influence this process, what criticisms/limitations there might be of this model and what you think about it now (eg if that thinking has changed at all). Not saying you need to mention all of those kinds of things but that's the type of reflections I'd be after for a fuller score.

I think on the point of prompt cards, it's probably personal preference. I've sat on many NHS interview panels for APs and qualified psychologists and I don't think anyone has brought prompt cards in that I can recall. I wouldn't score them negatively for it. I would wonder how they would cope with the demands of roles that require one or more degrees and where you wouldn't necessarily be able to use those anxiety management strategies in clinical practice. There's so many nuances to what you might be asked and a lot of it is more technical or reflective, I'm not sure how well it would work in practice to have cards.

Assistant psychologist jobs are so hard to get, the competition is stiff. My DD works with a lot of people who are looking at those jobs as next step and they are applying for so many with little success. Fortunately it's not a path she is going to take. Don't get disheartened though!