Applicants who are invited to interview for STP direct entry will have 1 interview for the specialty they have applied for (sometimes called national interviews), and these will be competitive.
Interviews are hosted by one of the Trusts/organisations that are taking an STP trainee. The Trust/organisation hosting the interview may or may not be one that has been chosen as a sub-preference. The purpose of the interview is to assess suitability for the programme and not for a specific post.
The interviews are designed to be fair, equitable, and transparent, and all processes will be applied consistently. In accordance with the Equality and Diversity Act 2010, if you require any reasonable adjustments for the interview, you should have already indicated this on your application and provided evidence to support the requirement. All adjustments are requested through the NSHCS and not the interviewing organisation. If you are invited to interview and have not received notification of whether your adjustment can be accommodated, you must email england.hcsapplicants@nhs.net. Full guidance is available in the Disability Confidence policy.
Applicants with a status of ‘interview’ and ‘shortlisted reserve’ will be considered for the allocation of interviews. Interviews are allocated based on the applicant’s shortlist score/rank and preference for location.
Interview reserves
Applicants whose status is ‘shortlisted reserve’ are given a rank and will be contacted in rank order should an interview become available. If selected for interview your Oriel application status will change to ‘interview’. If no interviews become available, your status will remain as ‘shortlisted reserve’ even after all interviews have been concluded.
Interview notifications
Other than the ‘interview’ status change and initial information on interviews, all other communications and process for the interviews are done outside of Oriel. Please check the email address used to apply (including spam/junk folders) on a regular basis for any notifications.
How will the interview be conducted?
Interviews will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams by the hosting Trust/organisation. We will contact all applicants allocated to interview detailing the host Trust/organisation and what happens next.
The interview panel consists of 2 panel members from the hosting organisation and a possible observer on behalf of the NSHCS. The panel members are qualified and experienced staff working within a training department and at least 1 will be a scientist.
Observers will either be NSHCS staff or representatives. The observer is only there to ensure standards are met and guidance is followed, they will not be judging or assessing your performance.
All interview panel members will have received training in the interview process and will have been briefed on the importance of consistent scoring. We have quality assurance mechanisms in place to ensure your interview is consistent with all other applicants’ interviews for your chosen specialty.
Preparing for your interview
Here are some things to consider before your interview.
- Unless pre-approved in advance by the NSHCS Recruitment Team as a reasonable adjustment request, you are not permitted to bring notes or make notes during the interview.
- You are not permitted to record the interview or use Artificial Intelligence.
- It is natural to be nervous before and during the interview, try not to let those nerves get to you by ensuring you prepare well.
- Make sure you are familiar with the job description and person specification available on the NSHCS website.
- Remind yourself of what you wrote in your application on how you met the requirements.
- Think about what type of questions you may be asked and how you might answer them.
- Prepare some questions to ask the panel if time allows – however, be careful not to ask for information that has already been provided or discussed during the interview.
- You may wish to hold a mock interview with a friend or family member.
- Make sure you have a quiet space free from interruptions, for example children, pets and doorbells.
- Be of a professional appearance; generally this means smart office-style clothing.
- Have a glass of water available during your interview, if you need a bit of time to think while answering a question take a sip of water which will also help to relax your nerves.
- Be aware of your body language.
- Try to be as professional, motivated, interested and confident as possible.
- Be open and honest, if you do not know the answer then let the panel know.
- Be enthusiastic but be mindful not to interrupt the panel.
- Don’t worry if the panel are silent while they write or type notes.
Technology requirements for your interview
You will need access to a computer, tablet or smartphone with the camera and microphone enabled, together with a stable internet connection. If you are not familiar with the online platform being used, for example Microsoft Teams, we recommend that you do a trial with a friend, colleague or family member to ensure you know what to do on the day.
Joining the interview
Please join the interview promptly; we recommend at least 10 minutes before the interview time. You may be placed in a lobby until the panel members are ready to admit you. Please introduce yourself to the panel members. Do not use the chat function during the interview unless you are prompted to do so, for example in the event of technical issues.
The panel will try their best to run to time, however if the panel do not start your interview at the interview time, please do not be alarmed. Please be patient. If your interview has not begun within 10 minutes after the interview time, please email england.hcsapplicants@nhs.net
If there are any technical issues you may need to leave the meeting and re-join to solve any problems. If this happens do not panic, the recruiting organisation and the NSHCS are aware that technical difficulties can occur. If you do experience technical problems contact the recruiting organisation; make sure you have these details before the start time of the interview.
At the start of the interview
At the start of the interview, the panel members will ask you to confirm your identity. You will need to do this by holding your photographic ID up to the camera. Your photographic ID can be a passport, driving licence, BRP, NHS ID card or university ID card. If you do not have any photographic ID you may show your birth certificate. Make sure you have these ready at the start of the interview.
You will be asked to confirm that you are alone in the room and you will respond to the questions without referring to technology i.e. Google/AI. The interviewers will ask you to rotate your camera around the room, to ensure you are alone for your interview. If you do have any assistance the interview will be stopped and your application rejected. You are not permitted to refer to any notes or to make any notes during the interview. You are also not permitted to record the interview.
During the interview
The interview can last up to 50 minutes. The panel will ask you questions taken from a bank of approved questions. The questions were set by members of the healthcare science profession and quality assured by the school. They align with the person specification for the programme. The interview will begin with a brief opportunity to explain your interest in the STP for the specialty you have chosen (this is un-scored) followed by interview questions about general science, specialist science and leadership, values and behaviours.
You will need to answer each question within approximately 4 minutes. Keep your answers clear, concise and focused. A panel member may ask you follow up or confirmation questions. If you go over time, a panel member may intervene so that they can move onto the next question. The panel may also conclude the interview early if the questions are completed and they feel they have obtained enough information to assess you. Please do not refer to your application form when answering questions or assume the panel know the details on your application form. The interview is your chance to demonstrate the breadth of your knowledge and experience, and not to simply reiterate the information on your application form.
If time allows at the end of the interview, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. If you do not have any questions, then it is acceptable not to ask any. The panel will then explain the next steps and you will be asked to leave the meeting. You will not receive the outcome of the interview until the interview outcomes release date.
Interview outcomes
We will publish when interviews are fully completed for each specialty, for the benefit of interview reserves. However, outcomes are not necessarily processed in this order. Once STP interviews are complete for all specialties, scores will be reviewed in preparation for offers. Dates for when offers can be expected will be published.
Interview feedback
Interview score and any feedback comments will be provided to all applicants who attended an interview. This will be released at the end of the STP recruitment cycle (usually in September). This is an automated process and we are unable to respond to any requests for feedback separately to this.
Applicants contacting interviewers directly for feedback or reacting to feedback provided will not be tolerated. Any instances of this could affect any future applications.