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Ace Your Interview

I help final year trainees and locum consultants prep for their NHS substantive consultant interviews so that they can secure their dream job.

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🏥 Want to put yourself forward for the Coaching Spotlight on Sunday?

Hello Reader, This week's Live Coaching Session on Sunday will give some of you a chance to have time with our faculty. You can use the time to practice questions, or to troubleshoot in front of a group. If you'd like to put yourself forward for the Live Coaching Spotlight, please complete this form.The form can be completed any time during the day before the session (i.e. Saturday). You have to submit the form to be able to be in the spotlight. As a reminder, if you're at the top of the...

Hello Reader, We need to talk about diarrhoea. The verbal type, not the medical type. It's a common problem in interviews. I know because it was my problem too. The interviewer finished asking the question and without even taking a breath, I used to launch into answering. Silence is AWKWARD, right? I know I'm not the only one who has this problem. I've seen other versions. The classic: "That's a really good question, thank you very much" Or worse: "erm......uuuuuhhhhhh...aaaargh" Over the...

Hello Reader, I totally get it. Securing your dream NHS consultant job is a stressful process. Avoiding common mistakes during the interview will improve your chances of success. In this newsletter, we’ll cover three critical mistakes that candidates often make and tell you how to avoid them. Mistake 1: Assuming That The Panel Has Read Your CV Many candidates assume that the panel has thoroughly reviewed their CV and remembers every detail. This assumption means you'll miss opportunities to...

This is a special 3 part email series. If you missed the previous you can catch up by reading part 1 and part 2 here (they’re a 2 minute read). Yesterday I promised to tell you how to stand out from the pack as an interview candidate in 2023. Now I’ll be honest. It’s rather strange writing this because, not that long ago, I was stuck being the interview candidate who never got THAT call. My years as a trainee were anything but ‘standing out from the pack’. Every interview I did I seemed to...

This is a special 3 part email series. If you missed yesterday’s, we discussed why geography ISN’T the most important benefit of securing your consultant job. You read it here. I grew up in Glasgow. Which might sound pretty cool, but I was NOT one of the cool kids. I was in the Debating Society and was ALWAYS in the chorus in the school musical. I think you get the picture. It was a rugby school and it was full of smart people. In spite of being a Debating Nerd, I coped well. Me and my sister...

I was ecstatic when I got my substantive NHS Consultant job. If you've ever spent years dreaming of something, you'll appreciate just how stressful the thought of failing is. But I'm surprised about what's made the biggest difference since I got the job... I thought it would be staying in one place. As a trainee I'd worked in over 30 different jobs. That feeling of having to prove yourself over and over again is....urghhh. The thing is… I thought staying in the same place would be the best...

Hey Reader, I once went to a job interview where I’d done no prep. It was early in my career. I thought I’d just ‘be myself’. I had no idea what I was doing. I dread to think how bad I was. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. The harsh truth? You’re unlikely to be a natural interview legend either. This is where frameworks come in. Frameworks are something to fall back on so you perform your best at interview. Without frameworks, what happens when you get asked an unexpected question....?...

Hey Reader, Where have you been??? Haha. I took a break from my weekly newsletter to put my head down on a new project. And I want to share what I learned. I've been interview coaching for a few years and I LOVE it. Helping people face their fears. Then helping them overcome their fears. And most importantly helping them secure their dream jobs. So for the last 5 weeks I put together and launched my course. But the launch process has taught me heaps. My newsletter will focus on interview tips...

Hey Reader, “I don’t get it,” says the audience member, “We have lived perfectly good and virtuous lives. Why are we being subjected to this hell?” The presenter nervously rubs the back of their head. “Honestly? I was pretty sure you’d be happier in this hell than heaven.” This is the problem. As presenters, we are certain we do the audience a favor by putting everything on our slides. But as audience members….it’s boring as hell. Let’s get real. Death By PowerPoint is NOT for the benefit of...

Hey Reader, It was supposed to be a simple task: Start my presentation without telling the audience who I am. I don't NEED to start with the words 'thanks for inviting me' or by explaining how happy I am to be here. It shouldn't be hard. I've watched hundreds of TED talks and I know what a captivating start to a presentation looks like. I must grab their attention. I must make them like me at the beginning. But I've never done it before. I've never launched right into the presentation. I've...