Virtual interviews

All interviews in this year's recruitment round will take place virtually.

Booking an interview 

If you are invited to attend an interview, you will need to book an interview time slot in Oriel.

Interviews are offered on a first come first served basis.

You must book your interview slot by the deadline stated in the invite email.

Please refer to the Oriel Applicant User Guide for instructions on booking your interview slot. You can download a copy of the Oriel Applicant Guide from the Oriel Resource Bank. 

You should receive an automatic confirmation email once you have booked your interview.

If you do not receive this email within 2 hours of booking, please check your Oriel account to ensure that you did successfully book an interview. 

If you experience problems booking your interview please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

Interview dates and venue 

The interviews for Oral Surgery will take place online on Thursday 15 May 2025.

You will be sent a link and joining instructions after booking your interview and in advance of the interview date.

Interview Format

The published interview slots are 75 minutes long; this includes 30 minutes to complete pre-interview checks as well as those of other candidates and resolve any technical issues. There may therefore be a short wait either before or after your ID check.

Your interview will last 45 minutes (10 minutes per station plus reading time and a further 3 minutes for the interviewers to complete your scores). The interview will consist of a multi-station interview panel designed to to assess the selection criteria detailed on the 2025 Person Specification.

Please note the panel members will be using a device to record your scores on a secure online system.

The interview will be split into three 10-minute stations:

Commitment to Specialty Station

In this station you will be interviewed about aspects of your career and experience to date. You will be assessed independently by two panel members.

Management Scenario Station

This station will be based on a clinical scenario. You will be assessed independently by two panel members scoring in the following domains: Language SKills; Communication Skills; Empathy and Sensitivity; Clinical Skills; Vigilance and Situational Awareness.

Portfolio Station

Prior to the interview day you will be requested to submit evidence for the interview panel to consider from one of the following areas:

Research; Audit/Quality Improvement Project; Teaching; Poster/Presentation/Publication

In the station you will be asked questions appropriate to the topic you have selected. You will be assessed independently by two panel members.

Before each station there will be a period of reading time when a document will be shared with you. Candidates may make brief notes during this time. Candidates are instructed that this information should be confidentially destroyed as soon as the interview has taken place and should not be shared by any means (physically, verbally, typing online or photographically).

Lay representation

A lay representative may be present during your interview to observe the process.

The lay representative will not score or assess your performance in the station; they are there to ensure the process is fair and consistent. 

Documentation

You will be required to prove your identity at the start of the interview by showing your passport or driving license. You will be notified of all requirements on the invite to interview sent through Oriel.

Failure to bring the specified documents may result in applicants not being interviewed.

Any applicant with concerns over their ability to bring the required documents with them should contact [email protected] in advance of the virtual interview.   

Confidentiality 

You should ensure that the content of the interview assessments remains confidential and must not be discussed with other applicants or published where they can be accessed by other applicants. This includes on websites, online forums or discussion groups and all other forms of social media. 

Remember, this is a competitive process, and you may reduce your own chances of appointment by giving an unfair advantage to other applicants. 

Reporting issues during your interview 

The vast majority of interviews are conducted without issue. However, if there are any issues during your interview which may affect your assessment, it is vital that you report them to a member of the NHS England Recruitment Administration Team by emailing [email protected]

Any issues must be reported as soon as possible and ideally within 1 hour of the completion of your interview. This will give us the best possible chance to investigate and, if necessary, take action to remedy the issue.

It is not usually possible to investigate issues or take remedial action once the interviews have concluded. 

Scoring and ranking 

Your performance in each domain will be scored using a structured scoring system. The scores from each interview station will be combined to produce your overall interview score. 

Your ranking will be based upon your overall interview score and your individual station scores.