Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview

Tessa Davis + Becky Platt
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Welcome to Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview - the podcast for doctors who want to take the stress and guesswork out of their NHS consultant interview prep. We know how overwhelming it can feel to prep for your consultant interviews when you’re already stretched thin. Each episode, we’ll break down what actually works - no fluff, no endless reading, just practical steps you can fit into a hectic week. You’ll hear honest advice, real stories, and the frameworks we use with our own students inside the Academy to help you show up confident, prepped, and ready to secure the job you want. If you’re a final year trainee or locum consultant and you want to prepare, not panic, you’re in the right place.

  1. 2d ago

    Four Myths Stopping You From Applying to the Academy

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I'll let you know as soon as the Academy doors openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep62 The biggest mistake people make in consultant interviews is thinking the job is already decided before anyone walks into the room. Tessa and Becky bust the four myths they hear from students week after week, that the job is earmarked for someone else, that being a good interviewee is something you're born with, that your CV isn't good enough, and that prep will take over your life, and explain why none of them actually hold up. We also review a golden example about working within an MDT that the student almost didn't use because she felt like it wasn't a success, and explain why changing your original plan based on team feedback is actually a stronger, more senior story than pushing a plan through unchanged. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky interview question, "tell us about a time you were uncivil", and how to find the balance between oversharing something awful and pretending you've never been anything but perfect. Finally, our most commonly delivered tip: take a pause before you start answering. We explain why that split-second silence, even though it feels excruciating in the moment, changes the entire quality of your answer, and why saying "thank you for the question" is not the same thing. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  2. Oct 12

    The 4 Fears Every Doctor Has About Interviews (But Never Says)

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I'll let you know as soon as the Academy doors openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep61 Tessa and Becky asked doctors what actually scares them about the interview process, and four fears came up again and again: freezing on a question, rambling without structure, embarrassment in front of future colleagues, and ending up in the wrong location for their family. None of it is about being good enough as a doctor, it's about interview prep skills, and every one of these fears is fixable with the right training. We also break down whether the panel can see what you wrote on your shortlisting or application form (spoiler: assume it's a clean slate), and review a golden example of conflict with a patient involving an angry man with a diabetic foot ulcer who didn't want to be admitted. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky EDI question, "how has EDI impacted you as an individual", and why the safer, stronger answer focuses on your impact on others rather than oversharing something personal about yourself. Finally, our very 2026 tip of the week: don't start your presentation with AI. We explain why plugging your presentation title into Claude or any AI tool gets you a generic vision for the service with zero connection to your own USPs, and why AI is a great tool to refine your work later, but a terrible one to build it from scratch. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  3. Oct 5

    From Terrible Interviewee to Interview Coach: Tessa's Story

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I'll let you know as soon as the Academy doors openhttps://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep60 Tessa spent years as the nervous interviewee who completely froze, failing to get into paediatric training more than once because her interview technique let her down. Tessa and Becky share the origin story of how that experience turned into the system that's now helped thousands of doctors land their dream jobs, and why being good at interviews isn't a trait you're born with, it's a skill you build like any other. We also review a duty of candour example involving a bladder injury during a right hemicolectomy, and unpack the tricky question of whether it works when the mistake was your own. From there we tackle a genuinely deep interview question, "what would you like your legacy to be, years or decades later, when you leave this job", and how to answer it without falling back on something vague like "a good doctor who cared about patients." Finally, our tip of the week: keep your game face on. Don't undermine a good answer with an eye roll or a wince at the end, because your read on how it's going is almost never as accurate as you think, and the panel will believe whatever your face tells them. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  4. Sep 28

    What to Wear to Your Consultant Interview

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I'll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open https://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep59 What should you wear to your consultant interview? Tessa and Becky tackle the question they get asked all the time, and the answer isn't as strict as you'd think. Smart, interview-appropriate, and free of anything that distracts the panel (jangly bracelets and novelty ties included) matters far more than looking corporate, and you should still feel like yourself in the room. We also break down a mistake example involving a CT head scan requested on the wrong patient, and explain why this one is too significant to use as a mistake story, and why it's actually a strong duty of candour example instead. From there we tackle a genuinely tricky interview question, "tell me about a time you underestimated the emotional impact of something you said or did on a colleague", and why the best answers flip it into something positive rather than throwing yourself under the bus. Finally, our tip of the week: practise questions in a run, not just one at a time. A real interview is 40 minutes long, and the tiredness that sets in by question seven is something you need to feel in practice, not for the first time on the day. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  5. Sep 21

    Print Your Slides, Tech Fails More Than You Think

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open  https://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep58 Tech failure when you go to do your presentation is more common than you'd think, so be prepared. Tessa and Becky talk through exactly how to make the most of just a few weeks, for anyone who feels like they've started prepping too late, and share a real story of a candidate who turned three weeks of panic into a job offer. We also break down a conflict example involving a declined referral between specialities, and explain why being clinically right is almost never the point, over-explaining the medicine just distracts from showing you can actually resolve a disagreement. From there we tackle a genuinely interesting interview question on the NHS and environmental sustainability, and where to actually look if you've got nothing to say about it yet. Finally, our tip of the week could save your entire presentation: always have a printed backup of your slides and notes, because when the tech goes down (and it will), staying calm can work in your favour more than the slides themselves ever would. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  6. Sep 14

    What to Do If You Get Offered Your Backup Job First

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open  https://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep57 Interviews are like buses, you wait ages and then several come at once. Tessa and Becky tackle a genuinely tricky situation: what do you do if you get offered a job you'd take, while you're still waiting to hear about the one you actually want? We talk through the honesty balance, when to mention a second interview and when to hold off, so you don't burn a bridge in a small speciality where everyone remembers who let them down. We also review a mistake example involving a missed lab result and a wrong contact number, and dig into why the most important test for any mistake story is whether it was really your mistake to own. From there we look at a lovely, low-stakes interview question, "how do you balance the demands of clinical practise with your personal well-being", and why this is actually one of the easier ones to get right. Finally, our tip of the week: get someone to fire random questions at you with zero prep time, because that's a lot closer to the real thing than rehearsing an answer you already know is coming. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  7. Sep 7

    Where to Actually Find the KPIs for Your Speciality

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open  https://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep56 Knowing the KPIs for your speciality is key. It's easy to bury your head in the sand, but this won't help you on the day. Tessa and Becky break down exactly where to find them, from national and college guidance to the everyday metrics you're already working towards without realising it, and why picking three you can speak to personally makes all the difference. We also review a golden example around a conflict over suturing a wound in a busy resus department, and unpack why a power imbalance between you and a junior colleague makes for a much riskier conflict story than one between equals. From there we tackle a question that panics a lot of candidates: how do you talk about financial sustainability when you don't know any actual numbers? We explain why thinking in terms of flow and efficiency gets you further than any budget line ever could. Finally, our tip of the week is about controlling what you can control, especially when panic sets in over who else is applying for your job. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

  8. Aug 31

    How to Sell Yourself Without Sounding Arrogant

    Starting to think about your NHS Consultant Interview Prep? Join the waitlist for my Ace Your Consultant Interview Academy. I’ll let you know as soon as the Academy doors open  https://medicalinterviewprep.com/waitlist?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=transistor&utm_content=t-ep55 Selling yourself doesn't have to sound braggy, but you do need to know why you're the best person for the job. Tessa and Becky tackle the fear almost every candidate has: how do you talk about your own strengths without sounding arrogant? The answer is simpler than it feels, swap subjective, persuasive language for specific, factual evidence, and we explain exactly why that shift makes all the difference. We also break down a golden example about a missed two week cancer pathway referral, and discuss why closing the loop on what happened afterwards matters just as much as owning the mistake itself. From there we look at a great future-facing interview question, "how do you see our speciality evolving over the next five years", and how to answer it in a way that shows you as part of that future rather than just someone who's read about it. Finally, our tip of the week: visualisation. We talk through how picturing yourself walking into the room and nailing that first answer can genuinely calm your nerves and change how your interview starts. Sign up for our free 5-day email course to give you a Crash Course To Ace Your Consultant Interview: https://aceyourconsultantinterview.com/?utm_source=YTPod&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=1

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About

Welcome to Ace Your NHS Consultant Interview - the podcast for doctors who want to take the stress and guesswork out of their NHS consultant interview prep. We know how overwhelming it can feel to prep for your consultant interviews when you’re already stretched thin. Each episode, we’ll break down what actually works - no fluff, no endless reading, just practical steps you can fit into a hectic week. You’ll hear honest advice, real stories, and the frameworks we use with our own students inside the Academy to help you show up confident, prepped, and ready to secure the job you want. If you’re a final year trainee or locum consultant and you want to prepare, not panic, you’re in the right place.

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