The majority of interviews and assessments will take place online.
Specialties publish specific information about interviews and selection centres on their respective Specialty pages.
About interviews and selection centres
Some interviews will be arranged locally by HEE local offices and deaneries. However, many specialties now arrange national centres or clustered interviews where applicants will be considered for appointment across a number of regions.
Most specialties recruit by means of a national process handled by a lead HEE local office or deanery on behalf of all appointing regions and these processes may vary in arrangements.
You should be given at least 5 working days’ notice of any interview. However, notice may be less if late interview slots arise due to other applicants withdrawing from the process. You'll be informed of the reason for the late notice if this occurs.
Assessment centre or interview dates will be published by recruitment offices well in advance and applicants should consider these when applying for posts.
Applicants who accept another offer after booking an interview should ensure they inform the appropriate recruitment office as soon as possible so they can be withdrawn from the interview.
The majority of interviews and assessments will take place online. Where a recruitment contains a practical skills element as part of their recruitment process this may take place at an external venue and the ability to provide the requested adjustments will depend on the facilities available.
The entire duration of the assessment process will vary depending on the specialty. The main aim of the interview is:
- to ensure applicants meet the requirements of the person specification
- that the best applicants are selected
The structure and content of interviews will vary across specialties and levels. Recruitment offices will inform applicants of the format of the interview or Selection Centre, including the number of stations and competences being assessed.
Interviewers may have access to anonymised application forms of applicants but will not have access to the equal opportunities or personal data.
Scores
Interview panel members will individually complete a scoresheet for each candidate and make any comments. The aggregate score given by all panel members, taking into account any associated weighting, will be the final score of the interview.
Applicants with disabilities
Applicants will be asked to declare on their application form if they have a disability as set out in the Equality Act 2010 and whether they wish to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme.
This information will not be available to shortlisting panels.
Reasonable adjustments
Recruiters will ensure, where possible, that reasonable adjustments are made at interview to meet the needs of applicants with disabilities.
Applicants must ensure that they include this on their application form and communicate their requirements with the recruiting organisation as soon as an invitation to interview has been received.
Failure to provide the requested information and documentation to the recruiting organisation by the stated deadline will result in adjustments not being met.
Applicants should expect to provide medical evidence for any adjustments requested and are therefore advised to source this as soon as possible to ensure that deadlines are met.
Concerns and complaints
Applicants should contact the specialty recruitment office if they have any concerns about their application or would like to know more about the complaints procedure.
Sharing interview questions with others
Once an interview has been completed, applicants should ensure that they do not discuss the interview process or share the interview questions with other applicants who are yet to be interviewed, either on the same date or on a future date.
Applicants found to be sharing interview questions with others may be removed from the recruitment process.
Raising concerns at interview or selection centre
Applicants wishing to raise concerns about the conduct of panel members during the interview/selection process or recruitment staff administering the event should be directed to the recruitment lead and/or the clinical lead who will decide if the issue requires immediate intervention and discussion.
Concerns should be raised on the day of the interview/selection centre, ideally before leaving the interview.
Where a serious concern is raised, a formal investigation will be undertaken.
Important: Raising issues after the selection centre
Should an applicant, following reflection, wish to raise an issue after they have completed the selection centre, they should contact the lead recruiter.
However, they should be aware that depending on the nature of their concern, it may not be possible to fully address it after the event.
Page last reviewed: 21 December 2021