The standard of medical interview panels can vary considerably. Some times great thought goes into the questions put to candidates. Sometimes not.
The other day I heard about an interview panel for a Resident Medical Officer (junior doctor) position where the questions put to candidates were extremely predictable: “Why do you want to work here?” “Tell us about a work conflict?” “What skills do you bring?”.
The opening question was “Tell Us About Your Experience?”
As a candidate one ought to be insulted by such a question. Especially if one has bothered (as they should) to prepare a tailored CV/Resume which explains your background and what you can bring to the organization.
In this day of digital there is really no excuse for the panel not knowing about the experience of the candidates. Asking the candidate to detail their experience is a waste of a valuable interview question. Not to mention that focusing on future potential is far more important than past achievement.
So how should a candidate prepare for the “Tell Us About Your Experience?” question?
Well the question could be massively improved through a slight alteration to “Tell us how your experience makes you a good candidate for this position?”
And that would be the way I would recommend answering the question. This approach gives you a chance to stand out and get on the front foot. You can probably also throw in a few results based examples as well to really impress them.
What about you? What’s the laziest job interview question you have ever been asked?
