Welcome to the final part of a 7-part career guide for junior doctors written by Dr Abhijit Pal (PGY2) with Dr Emma McCahon (Clinical Director of Critical Care Program at Children’s Hospital, Westmead, and Clinical Lead of LEAP, a leadership program for junior doctors run by HETI).
Things to remember for the job interview
Turn up to the interview (try and avoid a phone interview if possible).
On the day – dress appropriately (a new dark suit will give you a sense of confidence), arrive 30 mins – 1 hour prior to give yourself adequate time.
Greet and address everyone.
Think about your body language – sit forward, make eye contact, keep your hands still, watch your tone and volume.
Show interest, be yourself (remember the panel is interviewing many candidates and you don’t want to blend into the masses).
What sort of interview questions will I get?
Common themes – the questions relate to the selection criteria.
- What do you bring to this job? What’s different about you?
- This is your chance to sell yourself.
- Why this network? Why this specialty?
- Show you’ve done research about the hospital and its strengths.
- Tell us about a challenge you have faced in your work and how you have overcome it?
- What do you think the biggest challenges you’ll face in this role you are applying for? How will you deal with them
Example driven interview questions
- Tell us about your teaching style? How do you deal with “bad” students?
- Tell us about a time you worked in a dysfunctional team? A functional team?
- Tell us about a time you showed leadership?
Professionalism questions
- Troubled colleague – Your colleague’s breath smells of alcohol
- Open disclosure – Your intern has charted 50 mg morphine instead of 5 mg morphine. The patient has received the dose.
- Misbehaving junior – Your intern is being rude to patients and patients are complaining to the NUM
Patient safety/clinical governance
Clinical knowledge
- In this question the approach is crucial. Show you are a safe clinician who knows their limits and knows when to call for help.
- E.g. You have been called to see a woman with metastatic cancer who has a decreased level of consciousness. Describe your approach.
