Leyla Sanai tells you the do's and don'ts and gives some handy tips

So you've finally made it through all those years of medical school and, much to your disbelief and everyone else's, you will hopefully soon be qualified. House jobs loom ominously on the horizon, and you're begging your pals to let you practise putting venflons in them. But before you get to the exalted state of house officer, you'll need to jump the final obstacle--the interview. It's no good being the most conscientious, empathetic junior doctor in the world if your interview technique is so gauche that panels of distinguished consultants blanche and start muttering, "Don't call us...."

Even after house jobs, interviews will rear their heads at regular intervals--for senior house officer jobs, specialist registrar posts, GP trainee attachments, and, in the distant future, permanent posts as a GP or consultant. So it's worth giving your interview technique some thought well in advance.

Appearance
You may think you look gorgeous in your low slung hipsters with your pierced navel peeping out, but the chances are the interview panel will not. It is also not the most opportune time to test your theory that conventional, conservative looks are irrelevant to your ability as a doctor. They may be, but if you turn up for your interview looking like a slob, you will be pondering this philosophical angle from the wilderness of unemployment. Yes, it is a bit of a bore trussing yourself up in an ill fitting suit and looking like a 45 year old accountant, but it is only for a day. It is also a truism that patients prefer their doctors to look smart and well groomed--well, would you entrust your veins to someone who looked like they had just rolled in from a rock festival?

Curriculum vitae
Your CV is the one piece of information that the interview panel have about you, so it is worth glancing over it before the big day to refresh your memory. It will not look impressive if someone asks about something on your CV and you stare at them blankly with your jaw hanging open. It goes without saying to ensure everything on your CV is accurate--even the teensiest fib could cost you your career--after all, one of the most essential facets of a good doctor and patient relationship is trust, and if the doctor has been telling porkies about exam results, then it doesn't bode well for his or her integrity in other matters.

Everyone wants their CV to be packed with impressive facts, but there is no point padding it out with irrelevant wittering. The panel does not really want to know in excruciating detail about your experiences as head girl at school. On the other hand, presenting them with a single paged CV will have them scurrying, perplexed, to the photocopier to see if it has eaten the remaining pages, so make sure that it is concise but not growth retarded.

At your stage, most people are in a similar sort of boat. You want your CV to stand out from everyone else's as much as possible, so add unique achievements or unusual interests. Obviously, mention any distinction or merit awards you picked up at medical school, and also add a paragraph or two about areas of special interest. There is no point launching into a pompous analysis of your obvious skills in the area of neurosurgery--everyone knows that as a student the most you did was peer anxiously into the surgical incision, trying to stop your specs from inadvertently plopping in. However, if you were especially enthusiastic about particular attachments, say so, and explain why.

So far as interests go, mention anything that you have dedicated a lot of time and effort to, within reason. Any experiences related to the caring professions, such as helping out with handicapped children are obviously relevant, but other activities, such as student journalism, are also worth mentioning.

Manner
Nerves are a terrible thing--they can make you behave in a way that is completely alien to you, either grunting in monosyllabic inarticulacy or barking inappropriate comments wildly with manic gusto. Neither of these approaches is a vote winner, so it is important to try and be yourself. Remember that the panel is not out to torture you or even to test you in any intimidating way. The members just want to assess your suitability to the job in question. The more natural and relaxed you are, the better they can carry out this appraisal. This is not to say you should slump back in your seat chomping gum and reaching for your fags. You want to convey enthusiastic professionalism.

Confidence is a good trait, but arrogance is not. A guy from my class at medical school swaggered into several house officer interviews boasting about how wonderful he was. He ended up unemployed, grovelling for jobs. Even then, he insisted, with a nonchalant shrug, that the only reason that he had failed to procure a job was because he was overqualified, which was useful as a self delusion for defending his pride, but not for anything else. No one likes it when people are full of themselves. Even if you are incredibly brainy and have a truck load of distinctions to your name, you will be much more attractive as a candidate if you are charming and mildly self effacing. This is not to say that you should bury your talents--no one on the panel has the time or inclination to go scrabbling about under metaphorical bushels to unearth them, and they are not telepathic. An enigmatic smile will not convey the information either--you need to spell it out in a modest kind of way.

Go for it
It is likely that you will be asked why you applied for this particular job, so you should show genuine interest. Quizzical eyebrows may soar if you mutter about wanting any job going, and you will not endear yourself to the panel if you prattle on about all your pals working in that hospital or its proximity to your local.

Make sure that you visit the unit before the interview, and find out its strengths and specialties. Arrange in advance to chat to the appropriate consultant, and ask enough questions to convey keeness without crossing the line into creepy crawly sycophantism. Do not leap in with an interrogation about the on-call committment--it makes you look like a skiving clock watcher.

It is not enough just to display interest--the panel will want to know why it should pick you as opposed to the other candidates. Here is the time to sell yourself. You probably will not have much time to get into research as a house officer, but you can certainly mention any relevant papers that you may have perused in the journals. But do not go mad with academia--the most important traits that a house officer can have are conscientiousness, common sense, an ability to prioritise, a knowledge of one's own limitations, empathy, kindness towards the patients, a willingness to work as part of a team, and a good enough nature to get on with everyone from the nurses to the cleaners.

So--go for it. Splash out on a smartish outfit, housetrain your hair into a neat style, be prepared, enthusiastic and charming. And be yourself. You want them to want you, not some prim po-faced persona you adopt for the day. If you pretend to be a studious, serious boffin when you do not even know where the library is, the panel members will either not give you the job because you sound so desperately dull, or else they will hire you and then be piqued when you transpire not to be cerebral Cyril.

Paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Michael Ain (pictured right), operates to correct a spinal curvature at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA.

Michael, who has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, says he has never let his size stunt his ambition, although that hasn't always been easy.

Being ill or disabled should not mean that your career should suffer, but sadly, often it does. This is partly due to a lack of support from colleagues as well as management.

The career focus chronic illness matching scheme is intended to support both doctors and medical students who have chronic physical or mental health problems, or who are disabled in any way. To find out more go to web.bma.org.uk/public/chill.nsf