Hi... and welcome to our Community.

There are some signposted links in this thread, which you may find helpful. Good luck! 

 RE: NHS interview expectations and questions 

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 Changing your 'preferred name' 

Thank you very much Steve

It’s usually competency based … Practice more using your Star method… Goodluck

Congratulations on securing two interviews. It's often a tough market and getting to this stage should be celebrated.

As others have said it's most likely going to be competency based so using a model like STAR will help you focus your prep. I'd go over the job description and write down examples of key competencies and then the experience you have that demonstrates those competencies.

I'd also imagine what is the worst question I might expect and prepare for that.....it helps deal with any curve balls or questions where you might lack the experience you think they are looking for.

I'd also research the hospital/community/specific part of the NHS you are applying to. Look at their website, think of the challenges you think they might have and what excites you about the role.

If you find it hard to think of the questions lots of job web sites also have careers advice and support materials to help. Places like Indeed for example, can be good sources. Other job sites ara available ;-)

Good luck.

Congratulations on securing the HRA interview! I was in a similar situation until my 5th job interview, where everything clicked, and I excelled.

My advice: thorough preparation is key. Research the Trust's values, mission, and how they align with HR, including aspects like CSR, DEI, and culture. BTW think how their values align with your personal values, that was a really powerful conversation point when asked why I applied (not the main point though but powerful). Look into recent projects and news to understand their HR implications. For instance, loss of service provision contract can lead to TUPE or Redundancies which will impact morale, performance, absenteeism etc. Probably not as often at NHS, but recently Barts Trust was about to acquire another hospital under its umbrella and that would have been a good example. Check LinkedIn for insights from HR leaders within the Trust. For instance, the head of HR in my interview attended a H&W seminar and posted on LinkedIn, which allowed me to talk about that and ask some questions about H&W in the organisation.

Organise your experience in a spreadsheet, categorising by major themes like DEI, ER, L&D. Use STAR or CAD techniques to analyze examples. Prepare a few flexible experiences, like a complex project or ER case, to address various questions such as relationship building, difficult conversation, time management, etc. I was actually asked consistently whats the most difficult case I have managed throughout many interviews (NHS included).

Take notes during the first stage to prepare questions or gather info for subsequent interviews. Present yourself as knowledgeable (will do if you prep), interested in their work (will do if you research), and committed to your development (what are you actually doing right now?). Ask insightful questions about projects you can get involved in, if successful, role progression in the next five years (consider your personal five years career goals and talk about the fit), challenges (why hire at all?), and support during the induction period (KPIs and what success looks like).

Feel free to ask if you have any questions about what I mentioned and good luck!

Kind Regards,

Bobby