NHS interview questions and how to answer them

Most NHS interviews are run by a panel, usually including the manager you would report to and at least one other person, such as a senior colleague or someone from another team. The panel works from the same person specification you applied against, and each question is there to test one or more of its criteria. Each answer is scored, and the scores are compared across candidates, so the structure is usually the same for everyone.

Read the invitation carefully. Some NHS interviews add a presentation, a short written task or a test, and the invitation will say so, sometimes with the topic. Many also start with a short conversation about why you applied, before the scored questions begin.

• Take your supporting statement with you and reread it beforehand. The panel will have it, and may ask about any part of it.
• Expect questions on the criteria marked as assessed at interview in the person specification.
• The same pattern holds for clinical and non-clinical roles. Admin, finance, IT and estates interviews ask values questions too.

NHS employers recruit for values as well as skills, and many build questions directly on them. In England, the NHS Constitution sets out six values:

• Working together for patients
• Respect and dignity
• Commitment to quality of care
• Compassion
• Improving lives
• Everyone counts

A values question usually asks for an example, in the same shape as a competency question: "Tell me about a time you treated someone with dignity when it was difficult to", or "Give an example of when you worked with another team to improve things for patients". Prepare one true example for each value, and look up the organisation's own values as well. Many trusts publish their own, and health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set out theirs.

• "What do the NHS values mean to you?" asks for examples, not definitions. Answer with what you have done.
• Non-clinical roles count. A receptionist protecting a patient's privacy, or an analyst whose report changed a service, is showing the same values.

Beyond the values, most NHS interviews draw from a familiar set. Answer the example questions with a short structure: the situation, what you did, and the result, with most of your time on your own action.

• Why do you want to work for the NHS, and why this organisation in particular?
• Tell us about yourself and why you applied for this role.
• Tell us about a time you made a mistake. What did you do about it?
• How do you prioritise when everything seems urgent?
• Give an example of when you worked well as part of a team under pressure.
• Tell us about a time you dealt with someone who was upset or angry.
• How do you look after your own wellbeing in a demanding job?

For "why the NHS?", avoid a general answer about wanting to help people. Every candidate says it. Say what draws you to this service and this role, and back it with something you have done.

Scenario questions describe a situation and ask what you would do. They are common in NHS interviews because so much of the work depends on judgement under pressure. The panel is listening for three things: that you would keep people safe, that you would follow the right process, and that you know when a problem is beyond your role and who to tell.

• What would you do if you saw a colleague doing something unsafe?
• What would you do if a patient or member of the public asked you for information you are not allowed to share?
• What would you do if you realised you could not finish an important task before the end of your shift?
• What would you do if a patient or relative made a complaint to you?

1. Say what you would do first, especially if anyone is at risk.
2. Explain how you would follow policy, and who you would involve or tell.
3. Show how you would keep the people affected informed.
4. Mention that you would record what happened, where the role calls for it.

If you have handled something similar for real, say so briefly after your plan. A real example is strong evidence that the plan is not just theory.

Generic preparation shows. Spend some of it on the organisation you are interviewing with: its values, its priorities and its recent news. In England, the Care Quality Commission publishes inspection reports on NHS services, and reading the latest one for the service you would join tells you what is going well and what it is working to improve.

1. Reread the job description, the person specification and your supporting statement.
2. Prepare one true example for each criterion assessed at interview, and one for each value.
3. Read the organisation's values, its plans and its latest inspection report, if it has one.
4. Rehearse your examples out loud, and keep each to about two minutes.
5. Prepare two or three questions of your own for the end.