Tips for job interview! If you work for the NHS please look...

squizza

squizza

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Hi guys

I have got through to interview stage for a job, working for the NHS. Any hints, tips, etc very grateful as I haven't been for a proper formal interview since before I did my degree, so I'm very out of practice.

Also, for those work for the NHS, --- I have various piercings, my ear ones are only small and are covered by my hair. I have a nose stud and a tongue bar...should I take these out for interview....my tongue bar is quite discreet, and my nose stud is very small....I know it might seem daft but I REALLY want this job so bad.

Thanks in advance

Kind regards

Sarah
 
There's 2 things to this in my mind:

1) Why should you change your appearance just to get a job - you are who you are.
2) Humans are unfortunately sight based animals and therefore the old saying of first impressions last is true in many if not most cases.

However, if you got the job, would you turn up on day 1 with all the peircings etc? If not then take them out for the interview.

You could of course take them out and if you get the job slowly introduce them one at a time?

Edit:
I guess I should say that I had a similar situation with mu current employer, I had my ears pierced after I had been at the company for a few years and a director told me that I should take them out. I refused and said that if he could prove that me having them in caused my work to be affected then I would remove them. He stated that they were against company policy, and that it was clearly stated that women were allowed 1 pair of ear-rings and men were not allowed any. At which point I said that was sexism and that maybe they should consider updating the policy.

I won - still at the same company, although I don't wear the ear rings any more. (End of my mid life crisis)

Good luck either way (y)
 
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What is the position you're applying for? Mrs M works in NHS recruitment so will ask her to take a look tonight.
 
OutLore said:
Mrs OutLore works in NHS admin... In all honesty it's probably going to depend on the person who's interviewing and how professional they are.
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I'll leave my ear ones in then because my hair will cover them. I'll get clear retainers for my nose and tongue piercings.
 
Just take your tongue one out, as for the nose one if it's tiny then nobody should bother.

The only thing with the tongue percing is they do make you speak slightly odd sometimes. I don't mean that to sound offensive but I'm in the face of the public and do find them offputting occasionaly.

Other than that a huge good luck and I hope it goes well :D
 
ChrisH said:
Just take your tongue one out, as for the nose one if it's tiny then nobody should bother.

The only thing with the tongue percing is they do make you speak slightly odd sometimes. I don't mean that to sound offensive but I'm in the face of the public and do find them offputting occasionaly.

Other than that a huge good luck and I hope it goes well :D
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Tongue piercngs annoy me when people play with them and stick them out. :bang: But my tongue stud gave me a very slight lisp so yeah I'll take it out.
 
I work for the NHS and they are very into on the job senario questions not the usual 'why do you want the job etc'. This is the case in Cornwall anyway. As long as you look smart don't worry too much about you appearance and good luck!!!!!!
 
First appearance is what counts. Take them out for the interview and if you get the job then start to wear them once you have been there a while.

If you wear them for the interview and don't get the job you will always wonder if it was because you were wearing them.
 
I work for the NHS, in Northern Ireland, for my sins :(

I also interview regularly and our system is a points based system, that should, in theory, not be negatively guided by general appearance, etc. That said, it is human beings that are interviewing you, so it does play a part. The decision to remove ear rings, etc. is a personal judgement call.

As regards our interviewing, read the job description carefully, our questioning would be based around that and you'd be amazed at how many people I've interviewed that didn't really know what job they were applying for!

Also, contact the supervisor, management lead, etc., where you are hoping to work and organise to attend a pre-interview meeting. Helps to show real interest in the position, but make sure you mention it during the interview.

Lastly, don't be afraid to repeat yourself. Our system only allows us to award points for answers to the particular question we are asking, i.e. if you have given the answer in a previous question, you will need to repeat.

Just remember, the interviewers are, most likely, stupidier than you :)

Best of luck.
 
see if you can find out who will be conducting the interview, then fb stalk them, I've done this for interviews (and general client meetings) as it just takes a few seconds but sometimes provides valuable info - think telling just the right joke, or knowing why whoever you're replacing was fired ect ect
 
Hi Sarah,

Not a huge amount of advice other than has already been given but I find that taking a few seconds before answering the question helps to give you some composure and not to sound like you are struggling and garbling the answer. I also find that if you do it for most questions even if you know the answer straight of then when you get that curve ball question, and you probably will somewhere, then you don't seem like it has thrown you off track.

Don't be afraid to ask them to repeat a question or ask for clarification of what they are after if you need to.

Think positive and give it your best shot (y)

Good luck.

Nick
 
Sorry for the delay in replying...just got back from a trip to heathrow.:puke::wacky:


Thank you all for your advice and kind words. :)
 
I know you're not supposed to judge on appearances but if you came to an interview with me with a tongue and nose piercing you wouldn't get the job. I just don't like the look :shrug:

All that proves is why take the chance that you end up with someone like me doing the interview, you're trying to improve your odds, get rid for the interview.
 
Good luck with it Sarah - I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
I don't work for the NHS, but I do have a lot of experience in interviewing. Most large companies and organisations now employ a competency based interview approach and (judging by the comments from some people here who do have NHS interviewing experience) that's probably what you'll be getting.

Sorry for the laziness - this is a copy and paste of a reply I wrote to somebody else on here who asked for some interview advice. Different field, but it should apply equally to you.

"Competency" style interviews are intended to give a level playing field for all interviewees and rely on an impartial scoring system for each question.

What they're looking for is for you to back up any assertion that you made on your application with a real world example. So you won't gain any points for saying that you can work on your own initiative - but what will give you the marks is being able to talk about a situation where you've had to use your initiative, how you approached the situation and what the final outcome was. Structure your answers in that way and you'll score well.

If it is a competency style interview, the basis of the questions will be in the job description. Look at the skills and experience that are required for the job - this is what the interviewer will have used to select their questions.

Preparation is the key to doing well at it. Treat it like studying for an exam. It may seem overkill, but given the way the job market is at the moment it's those that put in the effort beforehand who will do well. (This is why I think competency interviews are in fact a little unfair - you can actually teach yourself how to "pass" them)

Before the interview, arm yourself with an example of when you've exhibited each skill requested in the job description so that they're ready on the tip of your tongue and you don't have to struggle to think of things in the interview. Consider each question that you're asked before jumping in with an answer and ask yourself "what skill / attribute is the interviewer wanting me to demonstrate?"

For example, if one of the job requirements is that you "handle stress well", a possible question could be "Tell us about a time when you've been in a situation where things have not gone to plan"

The examples that you give don't need to be limited to your work experience. You can take examples from your hobbies & personal life too, especially for some of the soft skills. The wider the range of examples the better. If you relate everything back to a single period of employment / work experience you can come across as being limited in your experiences.
 
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squizza said:
Hi guys

I have got through to interview stage for a job, working for the NHS. Any hints, tips, etc very grateful as I haven't been for a proper formal interview since before I did my degree, so I'm very out of practice.

Also, for those work for the NHS, --- I have various piercings, my ear ones are only small and are covered by my hair. I have a nose stud and a tongue bar...should I take these out for interview....my tongue bar is quite discreet, and my nose stud is very small....I know it might seem daft but I REALLY want this job so bad.

Thanks in advance

Kind regards

Sarah
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I work in A&E... used to have tongue piercing but it's not a problem as you're not gonna walk around with your tongue hanging out (........on second thoughts........ :LOL: ). Nose piercing is ok, as long as you don't put a ring in as it makes it easier to grab.

Andy
 
Some of the answers by people who work for the NHS surprise me

As far as I am aware there is clear national NHS guidance on the very matter of piercings/body jewellery - it is not to be worn.

So no nose, tongue, lip piercing/body jewellery

Good luck with the interview Sarah
 
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Keith W said:
Some of the answers by people who work for the NHS surprise me

As far as I am aware there is clear national NHS guidance on the very matter of piercings/body jewellery - it is not to be worn.

So no nose, tongue, lip piercing/body jewellery

Good luck with the interview Sarah
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This will depend on where Sarah would be working. Certainly not an issue with admin / clerical posts.
 
Keith W said:
As far as I am aware there is clear national NHS guidance on the very matter of piercings/body jewellery - it is not to be worn
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Is there, I've never found it on the NMC code. I've worked in many different trusts and they all have different policys, ranging from 'recent tattoos must be covered'... to 'all tattoos must be covered either by uniform or bandaging' but none have gone so far as to say no piercings. What trusts are mainly concerned about is that piercings are a source of infection, but really....how can a tongue piercing be a threat to cause cross contamination?

Yes the trust can moan, but they cannot dictate to the way you live or conduct your life. I pushed every boundary to the limit with my last trust (dying my hair black then putting blue highlights, lip piercing, full sleeve tattoo....which was henna but they didn't know that).... nothing happened to me....
A couple of hospital managers (on a walk around the trust which included the Chief Exec) said "it's not professional" to which I replied "yes I am part of a professional body, and adhere to their guildelines, but would you complain if I were a solicitor or an accountant?" to which they replied "No".
I ended the conversation with this gem "are you truly offended by my current appearance or is it because you are in a higher position than I? if the first is true, I refer you back to my solicitor/accountant statement"

Our society is changing continually but people have this misconception that nurses should be Florence Nightingale and doctors should walk around wearing white coats (which was a bigger source of cross infection than any piercing can ever be barring surface piercing on a forearm).

Sorry if this post ended up as a rant..... rant now over
 
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SarahLee said:
"Competency" style interviews are intended to give a level playing field for all interviewees and rely on an impartial scoring system for each question.

What they're looking for is for you to back up any assertion that you made on your application with a real world example. So you won't gain any points for saying that you can work on your own initiative - but what will give you the marks is being able to talk about a situation where you've had to use your initiative, how you approached the situation and what the final outcome was. Structure your answers in that way and you'll score well.

If it is a competency style interview, the basis of the questions will be in the job description. Look at the skills and experience that are required for the job - this is what the interviewer will have used to select their questions.

Preparation is the key to doing well at it. Treat it like studying for an exam. It may seem overkill, but given the way the job market is at the moment it's those that put in the effort beforehand who will do well. (This is why I think competency interviews are in fact a little unfair - you can actually teach yourself how to "pass" them)

Before the interview, arm yourself with an example of when you've exhibited each skill requested in the job description so that they're ready on the tip of your tongue and you don't have to struggle to think of things in the interview. Consider each question that you're asked before jumping in with an answer and ask yourself "what skill / attribute is the interviewer wanting me to demonstrate?"

For example, if one of the job requirements is that you "handle stress well", a possible question could be "Tell us about a time when you've been in a situation where things have not gone to plan"

The examples that you give don't need to be limited to your work experience. You can take examples from your hobbies & personal life too, especially for some of the soft skills. The wider the range of examples the better. If you relate everything back to a single period of employment / work experience you can come across as being limited in your experiences.
Click to expand...

Very good advice. When you answer the questions about what you have done always talk specifically about what YOU have done i.e. the answers should always be "I..." and not "We..." or generic answers. They are looking for what you contribute only and not other people even in team situations e.g. "I assembled the team..." or "I contributed this to the team..." etc etc. It's not what you would naturally do so is worth practising.

And ditch the tongue piercing for the interview and when working. Remember it is the first impression when you are interviewed and also the first impression of the people you then work with, for, or communicate with that matters even more as they will be key to you future prospects and promotion.
 
Be confident in the interview. My thought is always that you shouldn't be nervous. Whats the worst that can happen? - you don't get the job. Seeing as you don't have the job at the moment, you have nothing to lose, so no reason to be nervous.

You can be keen and enthusiastic though!
 
lawrie29 said:
Be confident in the interview. My thought is always that you shouldn't be nervous. Whats the worst that can happen? - you don't get the job. Seeing as you don't have the job at the moment, you have nothing to lose, so no reason to be nervous.

You can be keen and enthusiastic though!
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You Will Be Fine!!!

Relax, have a good nights sleep and be excited! it oculd be the start of the rest of your life......!
 
squizza said:
I am so nervous I feel sick :shake:
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Don't be. Remember that it's as much an opportunity for you to find out about them as it is for them to find out about you. And what's the worst that can happen? If you don't get the job, you're no worse off than you are today and you've gained some practice at interviews that you can learn from and take forward to next time.

And I'll let you into a little secret too.
I've coached interviewers in the past - and some of them are as nervous carrying out their first interview as the candidates being interviewed ;)
 
I always treat job interviews as me interviewing them - so I go in with the attitude that I've already got the job, and I'm there to make a decision on whether I want to work for them or not.
 
Good luck with the interview. My wife works for the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist and has recently been interview and got the position.Always try and show a bit of your personality, it will be a points based scoring system so anything that you can do to stand out is good.Unfortunately its difficult getting into the NHS as with many others positions especially if there are internal candidates being interviewed--but not impossible so remain positive. Going for a pre interview walk around is always a good idea and something my wife swears by. Again good luck.
 
Thankyou.

I'm panicking now :( I feel like my brain has absorbed nothing of the past weeks possible questions and answers prep :bang:

I have to be there at 11. Tour is given of where I could possibly be working. Then literacy and numeracy test then interview. :|
 
Just sit there thinking that you can tell them where to shove the 300L if they give you any crap.......
 
Imagine what the interviewer looks like sitting on the loo. ;)

Mind you, if the interviewer is nervous could be doing the exact with you!
:coat:
 
Good luck with the interview.
I've worked for the NHS since 1976 so it can't be all bad!
Just be yourself and you'll be fine.
 
Good luck!
 
Thank you so much. When I woke up I felt fine, no nerves at all. I'm about to leave...rather be half hour or more early than not be on time! Now the nerves are kicking in, but I think it'll be okay. I've just got images in my head of a mass interrogation. :/
 
Just remember they have a vacancy and they need someone to fill it.

You have to show them you are that person.

Take time before answering any question.
 
well i return. . . it went fine but i dont get the impression im the kind of person theyre after - just my sixth sense kicking in.
 
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