Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview

In this episode of the Ace Your Consultant Interview podcast, Tessa and Becky unpack three deceptively simple but high‑stakes questions that come up again and again in NHS consultant interviews. They start with whether you can reuse the same USP or golden example more than once.
They then dissect a real “biggest weakness” example from an Academy student and explain why some weaknesses are simply too risky. You’ll hear how to choose a safer, more senior weakness, how to road‑test it out loud, and why this is one answer you should never improvise on the day.​
Next, they break down the combined question: “What support will you need, and what do you hope to achieve in your first 12 months?” Tessa and Becky show you how to keep the “support” part to one focused area with clear solutions, and how to frame your first‑year goals.

Finally, they share practical ways to show that you are genuinely passionate about this specific job and department, without resorting to generic lines about Trust values or person specs. You’ll learn how to use what you’ve seen and heard on visits and pre‑interview meetings to make the panel feel, within the first few seconds, that you really want to work with them – and why that emotional connection can subtly tilt the whole interview in your favour.
Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com

In this episode of the Ace Your Consultant Interview podcast, Tessa and Becky tackle three themes that keep coming up for final year trainees and locum consultants: KPIs, consultant‑level examples, and psychological safety.​

They start with a real Academy question: where on earth do you find meaningful KPIs for your speciality beyond the generic “time to clinic” and “readmission rates”? You’ll hear a clear explanation of what KPIs actually are, where to look for them, and how to pick the ones that let you talk confidently about both national standards and your own projects.​
Next, they dissect a powerful but very “registrar‑ish” MDT example and show you how to upgrade it into a consultant‑level answer by shifting from one‑patient stories to service‑wide quality improvement, USPs and system knowledge. If you’ve ever wondered whether your examples “sound senior enough”, this section will give you a simple way to stress‑test them.​

They then dive into the interview question, “What does psychological safety mean to you?” and break it into concrete, answerable parts.
To close, Tessa and Becky take on the myth of “buzzwords that make you sound like a consultant” and show you what panels are really listening for.
Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com

In this episode of the Ace Your Consultant Interview podcast, Tessa and Becky answer a real student question about a 10‑minute presentation titled “Challenges in my specialty in the next five years”. They walk through how to narrow your content down to three clear themes, link them to the NHS long‑term plan, and weave in your USPs so your talk sounds like a presentation only you could give, not a generic specialty lecture.
They then dissect a proposed “conflict with a colleague” example from clinic, showing how to decide if it’s safe enough, how to demonstrate de‑escalation and learning, and how to build in proactive communication so it lands well with a consultant panel.
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Next up is the question: “What do you think the challenges of the transition from trainee to consultant are?” Tessa and Becky explore how to acknowledge the step up in responsibility, delegation, time management, and governance, while still sounding ready, resilient, and coachable rather than either arrogant or out of your depth.
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They finish with a favourite Academy topic: cognitive derailers. You’ll hear how thoughts like “I’m rubbish at interview” or “they already have a preferred candidate” quietly sabotage your preparation, and what to do instead in the crucial weeks and days before your interview so you stop talking yourself out of the job and start preparing like the person they actually want to appoint.
Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com

In this episode of the Ace Your Consultant Interview podcast, Tessa and Becky tackle three areas that commonly derail otherwise strong candidates: GMC documents, weakness questions, and CQC reports. 

Next, they pull apart a real “biggest weakness” example – clinics always running over time – and show how to reshape a risky answer into a specific, contained story with clear impact and practical strategies that demonstrate insight rather than poor time management. They also unpack an unusual question recently asked at consultant interview about “types of consultations you find difficult”, using it to show how to demonstrate vulnerability, learning, and true consultant-level, system-focused thinking when you are facing a wildcard question.​

They finish with a concrete tip on how to approach CQC reports: what to read, what to ignore, how to spot the issues that are likely to appear in your panel’s questions, and how to weave the report into your answers so it is obvious you have done your homework without sounding rehearsed. 
If you feel overwhelmed by all the things you “should” be reading before interview, this episode will help you focus on the few documents and examples that actually move the needle.
Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com

In this episode of the Ace Your Consultant Interview podcast, Tessa and Becky tackle a problem more common than you might think: what to do when you end up with two NHS consultant interviews in the same week. 
They walk through how to treat this as an opportunity rather than a crisis, including managing twice the number of pre-interview visits.

They also explore how (and when) to tell panels that you have more than one interview, how to make each job sound like your genuine first choice in the room, and how to plan the conversation if you receive an offer while still waiting for another interview. 
You’ll hear a “golden example” of conflict with a patient and learn how to trim a long, clinical story into a punchy 30‑second answer that showcases calm de‑escalation and insight.​
Finally, Tessa and Becky break down the question “What support will you need coming into this role?”, linking it to your pre‑prepared weakness and showing you how to sound self‑aware without undermining your appointment. 
Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you ​a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview​: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/