Most recruitment processes for early career medical positions, be it internally or external recruited, will involve some sort of interview. Most commonly these will be in-person or an on-line interview using a platform like Teams or Zoom.
A good live interview should allow the interviewer(s) to assess the following:
CAN you do the job? Do you have the rights experience and skills?
WILL you do the job? Do you have the right attitude, motivation, and enthusiasm to do the job well?
FIT for role? What would you be like to work with, are you one of us? Do you fit the organisation/department/team?
Let's start with the type of question we find most people are the least comfortable with – introductory or motivational questions – which require you to talk about yourself.
It takes a lot of work to be well-prepared to answer these type of questions. You need to be confident in your ‘professional brand’, your strengths, skills and qualities and be ready to talk to it, succinctly and with a strong sense of self that conveys your personality and the value you will bring.
Interviews for early career roles tend to be quite short, often 10-20 minutes in length. Generally, you need to be able to respond to these types of questions within 2 or so minutes which isn’t a lot of time to say all the things you want them to know about you.
Typical questions you could expect include:
Tell us about your clinical and non-clinical experience as it relates to this role?
What strengths will you bring to this position?
Why are you interested in this pathway?
What do you think you will find most challenging about the year ahead?
Tell us about your greatest achievement to date?
How would your peers describe your work style?
So, if you feel under-prepared to respond with confidence to these questions, we suggest you start working on your responses now.
A good place to start is to go back to basics and revisit your professional brand. Ask yourself ‘Who are you – NOW? 12 months on from the last recruitment cycle.
Then document all your achievements, professional development, and experience over the past year and to classify this under sub-headings that link to your brand i.e., Leader, scholar, quality improvement, initiative, educator, researcher, technical /clinical development, teamwork, collaboration, innovation etc. The purpose of this is to find evidence of your professional brand claims. For example, if you see yourself as a leader, where is the evidence that demonstrates this.
Finally, take time to revisit your list of achievements, experiences, and reflections. The goal is to actively align these with the specific role, service, and organisation you are applying to.
By selecting the most relevant examples and shaping them to reflect the priorities of the position, you move beyond generic answers and demonstrate clear insight and intent. This deliberate tailoring allows you to present a focused, coherent narrative, showcasing not just what you have done, but how and why it prepares you for this role, ultimately making your responses more compelling and impactful for the interview panel.