Feeling anxious? You are not alone. Many are scrambling for ‘past interview questions.’ Here’s the essential truth: The panel isn’t testing what you memorised; they’re testing how you think. Success in interviews often comes down to strategy and structure, not luck.
Structure is key
You’ll probably be unsuccessful in finding the exact questions you will be asked (but here are some example questions). Instead, focus on mastering the format that lets you tackle any scenario clearly and confidently. For many behavioural or clinical governance questions, the STARR technique can be helpful:
- Situation: Set the scene quickly.
- Task: What needed to be done?
- Action: Detail your personal contribution (use “I,” not “we”).
- Result: What was the outcome?
- Reflection: What did you learn? Demonstrate your professional growth, a key marker for public service roles.
Try to weave in the core values of the public sector: patient safety, ethical conduct, clinical governance, and team leadership.
Practice makes perfect (but practice smart)
Knowing the structure isn’t enough; you must practice applying it under pressure. This is where most preparation falls short. We listened to the community’s need for accessible, targeted practice and, in 48 hours, developed a Mock Interview Tool. The tool is designed to help you optimise your response structure, not just guess the answer.
Example Question & Optimised Feedback:
Q: A colleague is always late for work, causing delays and increasing the workload for others. How would you approach and resolve this issue?
Optimised feedback focuses on: addressing the colleague privately (discretion), clarifying the impact on patients and the team (professionalism), exploring underlying reasons (empathy), setting clear future expectations, and knowing the escalation pathway to involve a supervisor if the issue persists (governance).
The tool provides 40 practice questions with feedback across 16 critical categories, such as Ethics, Team Dynamics, and Emergency Medicine. The choice is yours. You can access it here: https://doctorsjobs.io/practice-interview-questions.
Bonus: 4 Major themes
Below is a general analysis of the significant themes that have been observed when reviewing previous questions.
- Clinical safety and competence: Candidates must demonstrate reliable, practical clinical knowledge to manage high-prevalence, high-risk emergencies and common chronic conditions effectively.
- Systems and governance accountability: The apparent focus is on understanding the public health system (e.g., NHI, Batho Pele), practicing resource-efficient care, and improving quality and safety across the hospital.
- Professional resilience and leadership: These questions appear to test maturity in handling team dynamics (e.g., absent colleagues, conflict), demonstrating personal resilience under stress, and applying ethical principles correctly.
- Career commitment and development: Candidates should demonstrate a clear long-term vision for the specialty and intend to utilise academic development and research to contribute to patient care meaningfully and to the department/institution.
An AI tool was used to generate this blog content.
