Applying for a consultant post

Plan ahead

It can take several years to get a business case together for a new consultant post. If there is a specific hospital, department or location in which you want to work you will need to start planning ahead. Are there specific skills they would like you to develop? If you are interested in a sub-specialty that is only found in a few centres you might need a fellowship or particular postgraduate qualifications. Speak early to places that interest you. It might be that an individual inspires you at a conference; talk to them and think about visiting them in the future as part of your career planning.

Be honest with yourself

Think about what you value in your job, from research and education to developing a service or working in a specific hospital or geographical area. It might be that moving NHS region will offer you a more well-rounded job that suits you better. Visit other areas and talk to friends and colleagues who have worked in different areas to explore all your options.

Consultant applications

These are long, so do give yourself plenty of time to complete them (a whole weekend would be wise). This allows an opportunity for you to think about your CV and achievements, which will help you for your future interview. Tailor aspects of your application to the job you are applying for, to emphasise your suitability for the post.

Meet the department

Arrange to visit the hospital you are interested in, and meet with the head of department and a member of the executive team (medical director or chief executive) prior to your interview. They can help you establish if this is somewhere you would be happy working as well as outline the hospital/trust future directions and potential challenges.

Do this early and start arranging the visit at the same time as you complete your application. Remember this is a chance for both applicant and employer to assess each other and therefore suitable preparation should be made even for the “informal visits”.

Read the executive summary

Many hospitals will have one or a section about themselves on their website. This can help you find out about the hospital agenda and its future aspirations. It allows you to understand how that particular hospital "thinks" and "speaks" so you can answer your interview questions accordingly.

Take a course

There are various courses that prepares you for a medical consultant interview. These offer oversight into NHS structure, generic interview advice such as how to answer interview questions well and possible tricky questions. It is always worth asking the consultants you work with about what their three hardest interview questions were, so you can prepare for the worst. Have a few standard answers ready for the most common questions. Sell yourself, and the reasons why you are right for this job with the skills and experience you bring. Make sure you come across as someone you would want to work with.

Be prepared to see lots of people

Your interview panel will likely consist of several members, including staff from the hiring department, Royal College representatives, HR staff, trust board and executive committee members, and a lay person too, for example a member of the non-executive hospital board.