Depending on the opportunity in question, together with the guidance you receive in your invitation to interview, you may be required to prepare a portfolio of evidence to bring with you to interview . The aim of the portfolio is to present your experience to date in greater detail for the panel to review if they so wish. The structure of the portfolio will be dictated to you but commonly these follow the same order as your CV. Again first impressions are key here so ensure that your portfolio is presented in a professional manner.

The importance of interview practice should never be underestimated. The more time and effort you invest in practicing your interview technique the better. The time to make mistakes is in the safe environment of a mock interview and not on the actual day! The aim here is not to resemble an automaton regurgitating answers word for word but rather to come across during the actual interview as relaxed and composed. Together with practicing with peers you should attempt to participate in as many mock interviews with senior colleagues (at a very minimum this should be three). Constructive feedback on both the content and substance of your responses should be sought together with any feedback on your body language.

Being asked to perform a presentation as part of the interview process is becoming increasingly common and could form part of the interview itself or be performed on a separate day. You could be informed of the topic in your invitation to interview or provided with the topic on the day of the interview itself. Either way it is important that you identify why you are being asked to present on a particular topic and take the appropriate steps to ensure you follow the guidance and address the topic being asked. You will receive clear guidance on expectations regarding duration and what audiovisual equipment you will have available. As with practicing your interview technique it is vitally important that you gain plenty of presentation practice prior to the day to ensure that your performance is polished.

When performing your presentation employ the IMS approach:

For example a topic could include ‘Prepare a 15-minute presentation on how you would improve the department if XXX funds were made available to you’

How you dress is not your opportunity to make a particular statement. This should be left to the responses you give. You should dress smartly, professionally and conservatively to ensure the focus of the interview is upon your answers and the rapport that you build with the interview panel . Inappropriate clothing, club ties, jewellery and strong aftershave/perfume/cooking smells should be avoided.

How you come across in the interview will be dictated by more than just the answers you provide. What if everyone on the day has the same clinical skills , qualifications and experience? How do you ensure that you stand out for the right reasons?

If everyone on the day does indeed have the same clinical skills, qualifications and experience how you present yourself in terms of dress, communication and enthusiasm is what will make the difference. According to the research by Mehrabian when communicating words account for 7 %, tone of voice accounts for 38 %, and body language accounts for 55 % of the impact it has on the audience [9].

Remember the panel are looking for an individual that will ‘fit in’ with the department. It is therefore important to build a positive rapport with every member of the panel. Steps you can take to achieve this are: