Which of these 2 candidates would you choose for GP receptionist job?

[CheesySprouts]

In a very large and very busy surgery with complex and challenging patient demographic.

Candidate A:
Early-mid 50s
NHS experience albeit not in GP surgery
Very very nervous in interview (although self aware of this and assured she enjoys a laugh with colleagues etc once feels more at ease)
Seems quiet/meek (concerned might be overwhelmed by the role)
Life experience is a plus

Candidate B:
Early 20s
No direct experience but transferable customer service skills
Enthusiastic/bright/actively seeking role in NHS as wants rewarding job involving helping people.
Lack of life experience. Poss wee bit idealistic (might also be overwhelmed by role)

A or B?

Are you candidate A or B?

Please tell me this isn't a real scenario. Because it's utterly unprofessional to post on here if so!

A

B - how can anyone ever get experience if they're not given a chance.

A

B "actively seeking role in NHS as wants rewarding job involving helping people" = interview BS. Surely you can see that!

B

This is staggeringly unprofessional.

I agree.

It's like pulling names out of a hat 🙄

Do you know who build and keep those systems running? Clue: they weren't born in the mid 1990s.

When I read observations like that about age and IT, I think of the immortal words of the viper who responded on this long-ago thread:

"Oh thank GOD you're here! Thank you SO much. I've been using these magic boxes for over 20 years without a CLUE what I'm doing. I remember when the demon known as the internet came into my house. you'd have been about 5 back then. I have been keeping the evil at bay with chicken legs and candles. Thank goodness you've arrived.

Back when my job involved working on these machines all day, I just bashed them with my tits and hoped for the best.

I'm not actually sure how I managed to get on here, tbh. I was dusting it one day and all this stuff appeared."

www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/2307274-I-am-everything-you-hate-about-people-on-the-internet-I-am-here-to-help?page=2

Imo there is no correlation between being nervous at any interview and ability to perform a job.

The amount of women (not sexist but based on experience) who get overly nervous at interview is extraordinarily high, especially those who haven't sat an interview in years. Excusing the nerves, were her answers appropriate and did she know what she was talking about.

I would back someone with experience in a medical environment.

Either could work out either could fail, you get a feel for someone in an interview, I've taken a chance on Bs and they've been some of my best recruits and some have now been promoted several times, my current diary manager is more an A (but not meek) she interviewed appallingly but luckily I knew her as a temp in a slightly different role and knew she was excellent and the only other candidate was even worse

B (and I say that as an older woman with a lot of life experience).

I'd judge them on appropriate IT skills.

But now I understand how my doctors receptionists don't know how to toggle between tabs.

A

i worked with 4 people who were insanely good but gave just the WORST interviews literally tripping over themselves with nerves but I decided to give them a punt as either;

• They were referred by a current employee who vouched they were very very talented but interviewed awfully
• they seemed nice and had a solid cv
• Some of the best interviewees have been the laziest / most entitled employees

A interview nerves doesn’t mean incompetent.

Probably A over B. They might both find it challenging, but A would be more likely to stick at it whereas B sounds idealistic and could be off like a shot if the job turns out to be not quite what she expected.

Having said that, it would depend on which one is more likely to slot into the current team.

A

B as the the only unbiased option would be based on the interview performance

wrong thread!!

A

Gen X ers have a more holistic view on how your IT system works, they learnt the hard way. If it sucks, they'll tell you and solve it.

If you want compliance, go for the younger, less experience brain.

But that is talking extremes.

Ultimately your 50's person is very similar to your 20's person, but with three more decades of experience.

A. Compared to B, A's
age and life experience mean she would probably have the people skills needed for the job. A better understanding of people and more empathy for them in what they're going through

Complete a competency checklist, grade them both and offer the place to the highest grade assuming they both meet minimum requirements as required in the job spec.

Whilst I understand interviewing for a role for temporary Saturday shop help might be best filled rather informally, I think applicants for a full time medical receptionist role really deserve proper assessment.

On rereading this.

Have you contemplated using a recruitment service?
Your interviewing skills might not be the best.
Core competences?
People skills?
IT skills?