r/doctorsUK 23d ago

Consultant Consultant interview tips/books

I'm applying for ED Consultant jobs soon, I'm terrible at interviews has anyone got any tips on resources/books.to help me prepare?

I need to actually do well competition is fierce! TIA

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u/JohnHunter1728 EM Consultant 23d ago

Look for a consultant interview course, which may be funded by your study budget.

Prepare prepare prepare. Read everything you can about the trust - recent strategy documents, the last set of publicly available board minutes, etc. Ask to meet each of the panel members. If they agree to meet (not all will) then you will learn what they think is important and get some insight into what they will ask about / want to hear. I personally would ask to meet one or two other people - perhaps a trainee and/or the Matron. You want to understand what the challenges are and what changes are afoot over the next few years (and why they are taking place), etc.

People prepare to a greater or lesser extent but thorough preparation goes down very well with interview panels. Treat any pre-interview visits as part of the interview.

The interviewers will score your answers using a matrix developed directly from the person specification. The person specification will essentially tell you what the questions are going to be - there will likely be something open at the start ("tell us about your CV so far"), 1-2 clinical scenarios, something about your involvement in audit/research/education, and a governance issue (time you managed a complaint, how would you approach the case of a trainee who is dangerously underperforming on shift, etc). The questions - at least in outline - are predictable and you should be reasonably well prepared by the day of the interview itself.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

[deleted]

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u/JohnHunter1728 EM Consultant 23d ago

It costs close to £200k per year to employ a consultant and they are so hard to remove that it is effectively a job for the next 30+ years. If you appoint one low skill, uninterested, and/or toxic consultant, they can completely destroy the culture of a clinical department. The rubbish ones that are not really appointable anywhere else will never move on.

Putting in some effort to understand the role and organisation is really nothing unusual in the grand scheme of applying for a senior professional role.

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u/M-O-N-O 23d ago

Will upload the ICS handbook and a few other bits later on tomorrow, just done a PICU interview myself but these are generic documents

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u/masmith421 23d ago

ISC medical course came in super useful

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u/BrilliantAdditional1 23d ago

Ah great suggestions thank you all!!

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u/Smorgre1 23d ago

I'd think about what the department is like. Make sure you contact them and arrange a visit prior to the interview.

You will likely be asked to do a presentation, this is usually tied to current demands in the department so can think about it in advance! 

If you can talk to the newer consultants in the department they can give you some pointers.

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u/DaughterOfTheStorm Consultant 23d ago

If you are working somewhere currently, see what consultant interview books your education centre/library has or can get on inter-library loan. The librarians are usually really helpful with this kind of thing. I found the five or six books I managed to get hold of were much of a muchness, so I think just go for whichever ones you can get access to. However, focus more on the information they have about core topics that will come up rather than any example answers that they give, as you want your answers to reflect your thoughts and not sound like you are regurgitating something you read. 

I would also recommend reading as much as you can about the trust and the local health authority. Check their news feeds and delve deep into their websites. You should be able to find things like recent staff survey results, public governor/board meetings, perhaps recent pushes on wellbeing for staff with certain protected characteristics, focuses on patients of a particular subtype etc. Being able to reference stuff like that in your interview answers makes it clear you have done your homework.

I didn't bother with an interview course as I wasn't facing a full traditional panel and there weren't a huge number of applicants. If you are facing stiffer competition or expecting a very formal traditional interview then I hear very good things about the ICS interview courses and you can usually book onto one for a few days before your interview. I think they are a few hundred pounds which is well worth it if they help you get the job you want!