NHS Interview tomorrow after 4 year employment gap- help!

[milliegeobotandyou]

Hello!

I have an interview tomorrow for a HCA role in the NHS. I would be an assistant to Specialist Speech and Language Therapists basically being their b**tch!

I have a uni place next September to study Speech and Language Therapy so I'm very keen to get this role. It is also part-time which is perfect because I'm currently studying and have three children aged 5,3 and 2.

I REALLY want this job, it would be awesome experience.

Does anyone have any tips please? I'm reading up on the trust's values but other than that I'm not sure what to expect. I have been out of work for 4 years and the only interview I have had was a recent one which was a 2 hour long one for my uni place!

Have a look at the job spec, is it a mix of admin and clinical? I would imagine they would want you to demonstrate flexibility, being a team player, organisation, problem solving etc. I would think of examples where you have done this. It might be in your personal life e.g. managing the demands of looking after small children(!) but you can apply the skills. Also think about why you want the job. It's good to show an awareness of communication etc but also a recognition of the actual role e.g. doing admin tasks. You may be aware but the Bercow 10 years on report came out recently about the importance of communication, so you could have a look at that.

Sounds great! I imagine you'd be a good candidate, given your plans for September, and must know a fair bit about what SLTs do, which is a good start! Be ready with some examples you can give to questions that often come up in job interviews, like "tell us about a time when something didn't go to plan and what you did as a result". Make sure you can explain any gaps in your employment history. Think about what experience you can draw on and use to present yourself as a good candidate - you must have learned loads from being a mum to three young children, for example; is there something about communication relating to that that might be useful to talk about? Show that you have researched the job, looked at their website etc. Have a question or two to ask them at the end. Then there are the (hopefully obvious!) basics like being on time, dressing well, being smiley etc. Having made a successful uni application for an SLT course, you must already have done some investigating and prepared some answers that could be useful in this interview. Good luck - let us know how you get on!

I am yes, thank you BendingSpoons. I read the Bercow as soon as it came out!

Looking at the job spec, I think it's mostly admin with a touch of clinical every now and then. It's desirable to be creative to help assist with creating games for the therapy sessions but everything else is about the admin side.

I'm a bit concerned that the JD says they want me to have experience of using digital reproduction equipment when I don't have any :( I am really good with computers and always have been, and I'm sure that it wouldn't phase me to learn how to do this. I'm a little worried because I'm a bit rusty with Windows computers too (I have a Mac and haven't used a PC in years) and have an admin task to complete. It's a fairly easy system anyway so I'm sure I should remember how to use it haha!

I'll just have to focus upon how I'm organised and flexible, and how I can work both alone but as part of a team.

I'll print the job description and person spec off tonight and make some notes/think of examples. In my uni interview I hit a problem in the question about working as a team to reach a common goal- as I'd never experienced that in my working experience and couldn't think of an example. I only worked on my own caseload as part of a team but we didn't work together to help each other as such.

Well they have shortlisted you so hopefully a good sign the experience of digital reproduction equipment isn't too essential.

If it is a mainly admin role then I'd make sure you focus on that in the interview and show you understand the role.

In terms of the team working goal, that might be less likely to come up for a admin focused role but I would still think of an example that shows your skills (negotiation, flexibility etc). Either talk about your caseloads but highlight the joint bits or try to think of another example, even if it seems unrelated e.g. planning a party with other family members. You can still highlight your skills. Also think about independent problem solving/using your initiative and how you demonstrate the trust values.

Explain that you are a quick learner and good with tech.

Just a thought - is it a permanent post and will your uni course mean they lose you? They won’t discriminate, just wanted to make sure they weren’t looking for someone to stay longer (because it would influence whether I played up the uni plans or just said I was interested in progressing in the profession).

Practice talking to yourself about the following questions

• what do you understand confidentiality to mean
• can you tell us about something work related you have achieved or are proud of
• what is the benefit of working in a multidisciplinary team
• tell us why you are interested in this role
• what would you do if a child attending an appointment was looking scared or upset?
• what would you do if asked to complete a task and not sure how to proceed
• tell us about your education and work experience

Don’t wait to be asked about any of the good things about you - work them into any question or add them in at the end. Good luck.

For the team working remember you can pull on (or make up) school, volunteering, charity fundraising, just find something. Or talk about how you supported each other to manage your caseloads, for instance peer supervision, helping out, dealing with enquiries, taking messages.

And don’t let the doubts show

It’s to cover a career break so unless that’s changed I hope it will be OK. :)

Thanks so much for the advice x