Five things doctors get wrong in medical interviews- and what to do instead
At Doctors Training, we have spent years delivering our Unlocking Interview Success workshop, helping doctors prepare for some of the most important interviews of their careers. Here is what we have learned.
You have worked incredibly hard to get to this point, but your interview did not go the way you hoped, and you want to understand what you could do differently next time.
Or, perhaps you have an upcoming interview where the stakes are high, the competition is strong, and you want to know you are walking in as prepared as you can possibly be.
Whatever your situation, the goal is the same: to walk into that room knowing you are as prepared as you can be, and to walk out knowing you made your case as well as it could be made.
Almost all of the doctors we work with tell us that interviews are a very different skill set to clinical practice, and one that medicine almost never formally teaches.
Over years of working with doctors at every stage of their careers, we have noticed that the same interview mistakes come up again and again.
So here are five of the most common ones, and what you should be doing instead to maximise your chances of getting the role you want.
Mistake 1
Preparing for interviews in general rather than this interview in particular
Interview panels notice immediately when a candidate’s answers could have been given for any role at any trust. What they are looking for is specificity: evidence that you understand this post, this department, and this organisation.
What to do instead
Start with the job description and person specification and map your experience directly to what they are asking for. Research the trust thoroughly: read the CQC report, know the ratings, understand the values, and be clear on the challenges the specialty is currently facing.
One practical step that makes a real difference: wherever possible, visit the department beforehand or speak to someone who already works there. Anyone can read the website, but knowing what the department is actually like from someone on the inside gives you a depth of understanding that comes across immediately in the room.
Mistake 2
Answering questions without a structure
Under pressure, even the clearest thinkers can lose their train of thought. An answer that feels logical in your head can come out as a stream of consciousness in the room, and once you lose your shape, it is hard to find it again mid-answer.
What to do instead
Having a framework to fall back on changes everything. For competency-based questions, the ones that begin with “tell me about a time when” or “give me an example of”, try thinking in five parts: the context, what you were asked to do, what you specifically did, what the outcome was, and crucially, what you learned and how it changed your practice. That last part is what panels are really listening for. It shows not just what happened, but who you are as a professional.
Mistake 3
Underselling yourself
Medicine trains you to be collegial, collaborative, and modest. Whilst these can be great qualities in a clinician, in an interview they can quietly work against you. You may find yourself attributing successes to your team, hedging your strengths, or glossing over achievements that would speak powerfully in your favour.
What to do instead
Your job in the interview is to make it easy for the panel to choose you. The role will go to the candidate who makes their case most clearly. If you do not tell the panel what you have achieved and what you bring to this role, nobody else will do it for you.
This shift is particularly helpful if you experience impostor syndrome, which is far more common in medicine than most people admit. When your answers are grounded in specific examples and real outcomes, speaking about what you achieved feels more natural because you are simply describing what happened.
Mistake 4
Not understanding what the panel is actually scoring
Most doctors prepare what they want to say without fully understanding how they are being assessed. Panels are scoring against specific domains and criteria, and a strong answer that does not map to what they are looking for can score lower than a more focused one that does.
What to do instead
Before the interview, look carefully at the person specification and identify the domains most likely to be scored. For specialty training posts, scoring criteria are often publicly available. Understanding the domains means you can structure your preparation around what actually matters rather than what feels important.
It also changes how you listen in the room. When you understand what panels are scoring for, you hear questions differently and you can shape your answers to give them exactly what they need to score you highly.
Mistake 5
Treating nerves as the enemy
Almost every doctor we work with mentions nerves, and worries that they will get the better of them at an interview.
What to do instead
The goal is not to get rid of nerves, rather to convert them from something that disrupts your performance into something that enhances it. At the right level, the alertness and energy that come with nerves sharpen your focus, quicken your thinking, and help you perform at your best.
One practical technique: in the moments before you go in, slow your breathing deliberately. Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for six. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system and takes the edge off physical anxiety without dulling the focus and sharpness that nerves bring.
Our Unlocking Interview Success workshop is now available to purchase directly as an individual. In it we go much deeper, working through the specific techniques, frameworks, and practice that turn preparation into performance. You will leave with honest feedback and a clear plan for what to do before the real thing.
If you have an interview coming up, or you simply want to make sure you are ready when one does, we would love to see you there. Places are limited.
The entire session was very helpful in giving a boost of confidence and a framework to work with for the interview.
Unlocking Interview Success
Find out more and book your place!
OTHER INSIGHTS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
Inspiring Leadership: Shaping the Future of Medical Education
The Medical Training Review: Phase 1 Diagnostic Report – A Debrief
