Any tips for a job interview for an admin job in the NHS please?

[BretonStripe]

I have an interview for a Band 3 Clinical Administrator job at the end of the week, and I'm currently researching tips on how to ace it. Been told it will be around 6-7 questions, lasting approx 30 mins. I meet all of the essential criteria (although my Excel skills aren't amazing I don't think) and I'm looking to try and shoe-horn in some of the Trust's values into my answers.

Anyone been to one recently and can give me any ideas about what to expect please?

I’ve recruited a few of those so my tips:

• always give examples of what you have done in a particular role when asked about your experience
• this will likely involve entering some kind of clinical data entry to think about ‘how will you make sure data you enter is accurate?’
• talk about attention to detail and maintaining focus for a long period of time even if a task you are doing is very repetitive because I bet the role will be like that
• mention things like ‘user guide’ or ‘guidelines’ because this will be key in making sure you follow procedures

Good luck!

I’ve been on the panel for a couple of NHS interviews. It will likely be situational questions. Use the STAR technique when answering - good luck

The NHS loves buzzwords, if you master them, your in 😂

It depends a bit on the setting you'll be working in, but I've interviewed for team administrators before.

If there are any "situation" based questions (like, "here is a situation, what would you do") always remember to say you would follow any Trust policies and seek clarification from your line manager if unsure. If there's any hint of a safeguarding concern, say out loud "this could be a safeguarding concern so I would immediately escalate it so the service user is kept safe".

Make sure you know the CQC domains and reference them in your answers where possible. There's a disproportionate amount of time and attention given to inspections and if you come across as if you're aware of this it is a good thing.

Read the Trust values in advance and reference these.

Think about how you will express the right values in your answers - you want to make it clear that you combine a good work ethic with a compassionate outlook to patients and colleagues.

Good luck!

Not NHS but council. There might be questions on how you manage/prioritise your workload, data protection and GDPR, scenario type questions where safeguarding may come into it as above and how you would handle a challenging customer. Get examples lined up, ideally a few that demonstrate multiple skills ie problem solving, customer service and dealing with conflict. Good luck!

Oh wow, thank you so much everyone - super helpful! The role is within our local mental health partnership, and will involve assisting patients on the front line at times. So will emphasise my calm and confident nature, and that I've supported people with poor mental health in previous roles.

Gah, my mind goes blank with the situational questions. I shall have to have a serious think and write some examples down, as don't want to freeze. I'm normally quite a confident person in interview, but am perimenopausal and my hormones might mean I'm more nervous than I should be on the day!

Ok, so admin type scenarios, data entry precision/GDPR, following trust guidelines, CQC (currently working in adult social care and have a bit of an idea about domains and how they translate) and buzzwords...does anyone want a bit of fun and start spamming the thread with great ones in the NHS/public sector at the moment?!

You will probably get an equality, diversity and inclusion question, Op.

I interviewed ( and got a role) for NHS Band 2 clerical officer a few months ago.

I would absolutely polish up some STAR situations, they don’t even have to be particularly good ones but the fact you have packaged your answers into the boxes they need to fill in for scoring will stand you in good stead. Definitely weave in a few NHS values and which ones resonate with you and how you demonstrate them. Also helpful if you can demonstrate genuine enthusiasm and a good reason ( other than wanting to earn more or in my case work part time) why you want the role and what you can bring to it. Good luck !

I’ve being on interview panels several times for this type of role in the NHS; agree with other posters advice, I’d also say really pay attention to the job description and try reference the essential/desirable criteria (as part of your own answer and examples etc) as much as possible. NHS interviews at this level are generally competency based with the interviewers looking for specific references to terminology they’ve used in the job description.

Can you tell me why you wanted to apply for this role?
How does your current role and your skills and experience prepare you well for this role?
Can you tell me about a time you helped a person in distress? What was the outcome?
Can you tell me how you prioritise your tasks on a daily basis?
Can you tell me about a time you supported a colleague with their work? What was the outcome?
Can you tell me how you organise your work and how you ensure all your tasks are completed on time?
How do you handle unexpected requests or requests you are unsure about?
Can you explain how you use spreadsheets and Microsoft Office in your current role?
And my personal favourite, that I ask every time - Can you tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision made at work, and how you handled that?

I’m a Band 3 administrator in the NHS and deal with patients both in person and on the phone on a daily basis.
I have been on interviews for Band 2’s and Bank staff
Definitely know the Trust Values and have a short example ready for each one (highly unlikely you will be asked for them all!)
A question I was asked in my interview for this job (just over 3yrs ago) was could I give an example of something I’d done or initiated to make my job better for myself and my colleagues
Another favourite is about asking for help when you don’t know the answer or are in a situation you can’t handle - the answer is to always always flag it up to your manager or someone senior & do not try to meddle along with something that could make a situation worse

Good Luck and hope it goes well

As others have said you will need to give actual examples when answering (have been told this is important), team work is always important, as is a positive attitude and definitely shoe horn in those Trust values. Examples of questions I was asked included - a time you have got around communication difficulties, a time you have dealt with conflict and an occasion where you have suggested an improvement. I got in at band three a few years ago and have since progressed to a band five. Good luck!

More points to mention are that you are aware of your own limitations, and emphasise awareness of patient confidentiality in both written and spoken communications.

Not sure if its clinical related admin but unfortunately our admin team often end up with patients ringing up and voicing their frustrations so perhaps a situational example of where you have been able to manage some form of conflict/frustration might be a good example or how you would be able to escalate this (a good example to turn around a question for the interview team who/how you would escalate in this situation put in this scenario)

Good luck 😊

I recruit for similar roles. I really agree with the STAR comments and remember to give specific examples not just the ‘I'm a nice person’ type answers. Also there may be an equality, diversity and inclusion type question where people tend to (from my experience) say they treat everybody equally but what the question is often aiming at is a specific example eg if someone has trouble accessing email or documents on line I would post those out to them or if someone struggles to see things well it could be printed in large print etc.

I can't thank you all enough for all the help you've given me! I'm busy writing all these tips down, and I'm going to have revision cards with answers to common questions, using the STAR method.

For example, for an EDI type scenario, I will say I used to facilitate a group and the course had handouts. One person had dyslexia so I photocopied the information onto pastel coloured paper so she could read it more clearly. I also used inclusive language, e.g. 'parents' not 'mums', and sourced a more comfortable chair for one lady who was heavily pregnant.

For a 'how did you improve things for your team' scenario, I could say the situation was that staff weren't prioritising the statutory & mandatory e-learning, so I created a clear graphic detailing them, and sent it on our Teams channel and staff WhatsApp group as a visual tool/reminder. We saw an increase in the S&M courses being completed more quickly.

I am watching some guy on YouTube (CareerVidz) giving lots of tips like don't say you're nervous as it's obvious, and to structure answers in a way that'll help the interviewers tick their boxes more easily (i.e using the same wording/language as in the job description and person specification).

Well done @MrsB74 for going from a Band 3 to a 5! That's my dream (I think!). I almost applied for a Band 2 typist job recently but missed the deadline. Really glad now, as would prefer to go in at a Band 3 with my level of experience/admin qualifications/supervisor experience etc

If you are nervous there is a book called

why you, 101 interview interview questions by James Reed from Reed Recruitment.

I found it helpful for me. One of the questions you might be asked is what is your biggest weakness. The advice was to say something obvious from your cv. Eg if it’s a promotion say I’ve not worked at this level before and how you will combat it. Or if you’ve not worked in the nhs before say that and how you’ve familiarised yourself with the nhs.

I didn't get it 😔Got the most wonderful feedback though, and there was nothing I could have done better. I came 2nd to someone already working in an admin role in the NHS. A friend who works there said they had around 100 applications, so I did really well. The interviewer said on the phone I was a stellar candidate, and I'm first reserve in anything should go awry with the candidate who has accepted the job.

This has happened before. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride springs to mind...