We all want the perfect Consultant job. How do we climb to the top of the mountain to prepare for it?

1. Define your direction

Begin by discerning what you truly want. Amidst a barrage of opinions, it is helpful to ask yourself: Why am I the right fit for this role? Why is this particular institution the right fit for me? What unique value do I bring to the table?

Through this process you will need to also think about what you might be willing to compromise. For example if you want to stay in the region, would you take a slightly different post? Are you prepared to take a locum or substantive post? How does this affect your financial security, life outside of medicine and family?

Remember that you can apply for a Consultant post 6 months before your Completion of Certificate of Training (CCT). Start discussions early with prospective employers and ask about what the Programmed activities (PAs) would look like for you.

2. Clarify your values

Take the time to remind yourself of your values. I found career coaching via the Physician Support Unit (PSU), immensely beneficial for this purpose. Consider the type of work environment that aligns with your values. I highly recommend going through ‘The Consultant Interview (Success in Medicine)’ book by Sarah Watkin and Andrew Vincent. I would suggest doing the self-assessment exercises before diving into interview practice.

3. Utilise resources around you:

There are multiple Consultant interview preparation courses, however, some can be oversubscribed well in advance and difficult to get on. If you're unable to secure a spot on a Consultant interview course, consider the PSU one-on-one preparation sessions. They offer ample opportunities for practice and personalised feedback. Get some supportive Consultant mentors to help with interview preparation (ideally people who have been on panel before). Don’t be afraid to ask Consultant colleagues in your hospital/outside your hospital to help you prepare. Most will almost always say, yes! You can also ask one or two colleagues who you are not close to. They can help challenge you and provide diverse feedback to get you out of your comfort zone with interview preparation. 

I would encourage people to time their interview course well. In hindsight doing the course a little too early, may make you feel ill prepared, leave you despondent and you will not have the full benefit of the course and practice scenarios. 

4. Craft your narrative

Creating a timeline of your training years' events can help you select positive and negative experiences to highlight during the interview. Select 3-4 experiences from your timeline that you are comfortable speaking about and rehearse narrating them aloud. Structure your narrative to include what happened, why it happened, how you reacted, and what you learned. Always emphasise how your presence would benefit the Trust/job applied for.

5. Tailor make your CV

By the end of your training you likely have almost too much to speak about regarding your CV. Condense your CV into a one-page summary for better structure when asked the question, ‘Talk us through your CV’. Curate it to the audience, job and institution. Seek feedback on your CV from mentors and consider refining it with the help of career counselling services. Highlight your top five attributes that you want to convey by the end of your interview. 

6. Stay informed

Familiarise yourself with the Trust values, documents, and updates of the institutions you're applying to. Stay abreast of clinical governance matters and key industry trends. Prepare thoroughly for pre-interviews, as they often provide valuable insights into potential interview questions. Sometimes candidates don’t appreciate how crucial the pre-interviews are, even if you have existing relationships with panel members. In my experience, requesting a pre-interview provided valuable insights and helped me navigate tricky questions.

7. The pre-interview

Be organised. Find out who the key people you need to speak to are and schedule in meetings with them (preferally in person if possible). During the meeting, listen carefully to what the individuals want from the new appointee and then jot down their key priorities after the meeting. It likely they will have given you a small glimmer of what they might ask at interview.

8. Know your unique selling point (USP)

Identify what sets you apart from other candidates and be prepared to articulate it. What is it that you offer that others don’t? In some specialties one has to be quite tactical about this, looking at this from the point of view of who is retiring and their specialist interest? However, this approach is difficult in timing when the post might be available.

9. Prepare for various scenarios

Utilise the CAMP (Clinical, Academic, Management, Personal) structure to prepare for CV-related questions and practice your responses aloud. Prepare examples for common interview topics such as leadership, teamwork, governance, quality improvement, and handling weaknesses.

10. Never underestimate how much work will go into the interview preparation

Start thinking about your Consultant post at least 1-2 years in advance. Preparation is key to success. Remember the interview is a chance for you to tell people how amazing you are and why they should hire you. This also extends to the presentation (if you are asked to do one)!

At interview, consider checking if they will pay your relocation fees and put this in your contract on getting the job!

Best of luck with your preparations!

For additional resources, you may find the following websites/resources helpful:

Professional Support Unit https://london.hee.nhs.uk/professional-support-and-development/careers-unit/apply-careers-advicecontact-us/careers-application-form

The Consultant Interview (Success in Medicine) book by Sarah Watkin and Andrew Vincent