In the final part of our series, Anita Houghton takes you through your strategy for getting the job you want

After reading the first two articles,^{1 2} you should be roughly in this state:

• You know why you want the job
• You are clear about what the employers want, and you have submitted an application which reflects that
• You have some background knowledge of the job, department, trust, or practice where you are applying
• You have some good up to date knowledge about medicine and the NHS that you have gleaned from scanning journals and newspapers
• You have a list of likely topics and questions and a set of prepared answers.

You are now ready for the final offensive--developing your strategy (box 1).

Why is this your job?

First make sure you are clear as to why you should get the job. After all, if you are clear in your own mind about why the interviewers should give you the job it will be a lot easier to convince the panel.

Remind yourself

• How you fulfil the essential requirements of the job
• The areas where you are weak, and how you plan to overcome them.

What is special about you?

Then ask yourself, "What is special about me?" (box 2). What am I going to bring to the job that no one else can bring? It may be some unusual experience that you have had, such as working abroad or voluntary work with a particular community. It may be some specialist clinical training that you have had. Perhaps you did another degree or pursued another career before medicine? You may have found that you are especially good at communicating with patients, or perhaps you speak a language that could help in your clinical work.

We all have attributes that are different and special, but often we are so used to them that we are not aware. Sometimes we even list them as weaknesses. For example, people who describe themselves as "not an ideas person" often forget that people who are good at generating ideas are delighted to have someone on board who is good at the practical implementation of those ideas.

What does the panel want to hear?

A good trick for impressing any audience is to take the time to put yourself in their shoes. If you know who is on the panel, this makes your job easier, but even if you do not, you should still find out their positions. At the minimum, there should be a consultant or general practitioner, a representative from the college, a chief executive, and a lay representative.

For example, imagine you are the consultant on the panel. What do you want in your future house officer? What are you looking for in the interview? At a guess, most consultants will be looking for someone who is going to be safe, someone who is competent but knows their limitations, someone they like (and who likes them), someone who is going to shift the work, someone who is going to be flexible, and someone who is enthusiastic. Do the same with the chief executive. What is going to be important to him or her? And so on.

After you have done that, highlight the information you want to get across in the interview and how you are going to do this. Although the questions you are asked may not be exactly as you have framed them, it is likely that you will be able to communicate the important points as answers to other questions. If all else fails, you can make the points when the interviewers ask if you have any questions.

How do you want to behave and feel during the interview?

Think about how you want the interview to go. This is so important, and if you do it you will immediately set yourself ahead of the game. Most people do run through interviews in their mind, even if they do not do so consciously, but the tendency is to imagine how it will be, rather that how they would like it to be. The result is rarely an encouraging experience. Perhaps you see a sea of unfriendly faces, with you sitting alone in front of them. Maybe you imagine yourself feeling nervous and stumbling over your answers. Perhaps you have an image of a previous, unsuccessful interview. None of these are helpful. Instead, imagine how you would like the interview to go, and specifically

• How will you behave when the interviewers come to fetch you?

• Will you be smiling, relaxed, friendly, and confident?
• Will you shake their hand?
• Once in the interview room, will you look around at the panel and acknowledge them?
• When you sit down, what posture will you adopt?
• How would you like to be feeling?
• How would you like to appear to the panel?
• How will you be dressed?
• What impression would you like to make?
• Think through previous interviews--what went well that you can build on?
• What would you like to do differently?

Now visualise yourself doing the interview in the way you would like to, and imagine the response you get from the panel. Make any necessary adjustments and run it through again until you are happy. Repeat this positive experience regularly as the interview approaches.

Beware of unwritten rules

There are unwritten rules for everything. The invitation to interview does not include a dress code, yet dressing unconventionally could seriously impair your chances. If there is a time to play the game, this is it.

We know about most unwritten rules without thinking. For example, a friend of mine reported that her interview for a job in a secondary school had gone well, and that she had cried at one point. I struggled for a few minutes, trying to assimilate these two seemingly incompatible pieces of information. I realised that here was a wonderful example of an unwritten rule--that is, in medical interviews, "Do not cry." This may not be something that comes quickly to mind when thinking of unwritten rules, as with, "Do not punch the interviewer on the nose," but would anyone disagree?

Practise, practise, practise

Get someone to interview you. It is great if that person is used to interviewing doctors, but a non-medic is good too. Give them your questions and get them to take you through the interview from entrance to exit. Ask them for feedback. You will be amazed how you improve.

Conclusions

When you go for a job, you are not just looking for any old job. You are looking for the right job: the one where the work is right for you, where you get on with your colleagues. A job that will set you on the right path for the next stage in your career, where you can make the sort of impression you need to get good references. You may get that job on a wing and a prayer, but if you want to be sure, I would recommend this approach.

Box 2: What is special about you?

• What special or unusual experiences, training, or qualifications do you have?
• What do you value most about yourself at work?
• What do colleagues value most about you?
• What is different about you or your experiences that could be an asset?
• What are you good at that other people often are not?

Box 1: Developing your strategy

• Be clear why this is your job
• What is special about you?
• What does the interview panel want to hear?
• How do you want to behave and feel during the interview?
• Beware of unwritten rules
• Practise, practise, practise

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