In order to secure the placement you want for your training, you’ll need to do some preparation for the interviews at each clinic. Each clinic will approach the interview slightly differently, but here are some tips that will help you stand out from the pack:
- Polish your CV and cover letter – make sure it’s obvious what skills you will bring to the clinic. Think about things (eg specialist rotations) that will make you stand out
- Research the clinic – find out about supervisor’s interests and extra services the clinic offers- the practice profiles and showcases on the MCCC website are a good start
- Familiarise yourself with the NTCER – this will tell you if the clinic is offering something above the expected minimum
- Speak to the GP trainees who are working at the clinics you’re interested in – they will be able to give great insights into the life of a registrar at the practice
- Be professional – it probably goes without saying, but these are professional interviews so it’s important to do all the regular things like dress accordingly and be on time. Even if the interview is held online due to COVID restrictions, such as on Zoom this is still important
- Have questions ready to ask the interviewer to show you are interested – things like patient load, expectations and pay conditions are important to discuss in the interview
- Prepare answers for the common questions – ie “Why do you want to work here?” and “What skills do you bring to the practice?”
- Structure your answers to keep them concise – one common method is the STAR interview response: Situation, Task, Action, Result for behavioural type questions.