NHS job interview

[Catlady165]

Hi all, I have (yet another) band 2 admin interview for NHS tomorrow.
I have 4 years of working in the NHS as admin, a job I loved very much but my contract ended a year ago and have been out of work since. I’ve attended 4 nhs admin interviews within a year all with a no thanks despite my extensive experience in various admin departments doing everything from reception, audio typing, referrals; you name it, I did the job. So WHY am I failing to get back into the NHS despite my experience and qualifications? I was a great team player and worked so damn hard. I research thoroughly for the job I’m being interviewed for but without success. Part of me feels like not even bothering to turn up tomorrow. Do you think I rely to heavily on my past experience and not try hard enough at interview? I do tend to start to ramble on but this is just nerves; nobody likes interviews.
please some advice! My confidence is at an all time low and feel if I get knocked back again tomorrow then I’m done with applying to the NHS.

Hi all, I have (yet another) band 2 admin interview for NHS tomorrow.
I have 4 years of working in the NHS as admin, a job I loved very much but my contract ended a year ago and have been out of work since. I’ve attended 4 nhs admin interviews within a year all with a no thanks despite my extensive experience in various admin departments doing everything from reception, audio typing, referrals; you name it, I did the job. So WHY am I failing to get back into the NHS despite my experience and qualifications? I was a great team player and worked so damn hard. I research thoroughly for the job I’m being interviewed for but without success. Part of me feels like not even bothering to turn up tomorrow. Do you think I rely to heavily on my past experience and not try hard enough at interview? I do tend to start to ramble on but this is just nerves; nobody likes interviews.
please some advice! My confidence is at an all time low and feel if I get knocked back again tomorrow then I’m done with applying to the NHS.

Hi op, band 3 NHS admin here.

Did you ask for feedback from your knock backs?

Its probably not your fault, they seem to usually already know who has the Job rendering the interview process a complete waste of time. Its very frustrating

Hi Tanfastic,
yes I always ask for feedback and always get told I did great but I didn’t make myself clear on one question (always the one question!) and how I only narrowly missed out but feel they tell this to everyone they have to inform they didn’t get the job so I go away and strengthen the answer that I didn’t do well on then the next interview it’s a different question I failed on! I practically know the questions off by heart (3 have been the same questions!) so maybe I need to reference other work scenarios as using my nhs experience seems to count for nothing! The hoops you have to jump through and run off such shcpeel that sound great on paper but I know from experience from working in NHS, these are all “perfect world” scenarios that never happen how they want you to answer! I never say how I was so snowed under with reports, letters to type while the phone rang off the hook that I had to stay late!! NHS in real life is NOTHING like it is on their tick box exercise! Which makes me want to say this but it’s like an unwritten rule to say at times my team struggled to cope with the sheer volume of work. Sad but so true. Everyday my work involved much higher level work than band 2 work but I happily did the work cos I loved being part of such a great team.

Band 3 admin here also. I absolutely don't understand it, we're fairly desperate in my area and would jump at the chance of someone experienced. I think you need feedback. Is there any chance that they think you're too experienced for band 2 (it sounds as though you are).

It took me two attempts to get my band 3 job as I just missed out by a point or so on the first interview. The questions can be tricky and if you are anything like me you struggle to think on your feet. If they ask me to "provide an example" type of question my mind always goes blank. It's ridiculous because I can do my job standing on my head.

I've sat in on plenty of interviews and in my experience the candidates have been pretty mediocre or even poor recently but because they ticked all the boxes on the application form we had to offer an interview. Last time there was only one applicant out of five that had researched our service on the website and knew what we provided in the community. It's all there on the internet but only one has bothered to look. That is the first question we ask, what do you know about us? What do you think we are trying to achieve?

Also, you say you waffle a bit. Sometimes when an applicant starts waffling or going off on a tangent (I do this too op) they fail to answer the question fully. I've had to prompt a few applicants because they've answered maybe the first part of a three part question, gone off on a tangent and forgot there was a second and third part to the question. You will lose points for this.

Sometimes, someone applies for the job that is a dead cert to get it but they have to go through the motions, it happens unfortunately.

Keep going op, I'm sure you'll get there.

That could be why but I know it’s a score system which I don’t score high enough. I feel so frustrated and want to say have you actually read what my day to day duties were? I don’t want to brag but I can do these jobs blindfolded and some!
I left my last job on great terms with everyone and managers are more than happy to give me good references. I don’t understand it either but think maybe I come across too passionate due to my love of the job? Manybe I need to take it down a notch or two! It’s a shame as it’s so much more than a job to me. This job tomorrow is a sexual health clinic so maybe it will be different questions opposed to the mental health facilities I’ve worked at. I make notes after notes after notes with prompts stuck to the side of my screen when it’s a teams interview. They’re only bold bullet points that I glance at so not like I’m reading from a script! If I get knocked back tomorrow I won’t be applying again. I’m going to have to re-think my whole career which is a shame as I’m an excellent touch typist, it’s really the only thing I know.

Tan Fastic I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. I do go off on a tangent then the question I’ve failed on is the ones I went off on a tangent on but I’m keeping in mind the STAR technique so I see the answer right through to the solution that I provided to what the situation is I’m having to describe

I get you op, it's hard and my job is way harder than I thought a band 3 would be, it's grown legs massively since I even started! But my background is office management and PA type rolls and I've taken a bit of a step back really although I do find it hard some days especially when we seem to be constantly short staffed.

Honestly, I do enjoy my job now but I hated it for the first six months, I actually thought i'd never learn it all, there was so much to learn and remember. If i'd known how hard it was going to be I probably wouldn't have applied for it in the first place. I always feel so sorry for new starters!

Please don't be afraid of asking them to repeat the question. I did this a lot on my interview ☺️. I also asked them if I'd said enough 😂.

I often ask them to repeat the question or can you elaborate what you actually mean. I don’t know if this is a good thing but want to show them I want to fully understand what they’re asking me.

How did it go op?you ok?

Hi everyone… late to the thread! I have a band 3 interview coming up can anyone advise what questions will be asked? It’s an outpatient setting FYI

thanks