Health professionals play a pivotal role in our society and are in increasingly high demand.
It’s been amazing to see the interest that has been sparked in the courses on offer in our School of Health and Psychological Sciences here at City. With interest and applications increasing to our courses, the way that we assess students has had to change with the ongoing pandemic.
As you will be well aware, many of the courses linked to the allied health professions require some form of interview as part of the selection process. Many students will have been used to attending their university choices to take a look around, find out more and complete their interview elements. As this is not possible, below are our list of tips to help students for success in virtual selection’
Know what we’re looking for
You can often find out the type of students that universities are after on their websites. There is often a good explanation of the sort of student that would make a good nurse, midwife, speech and language therapist or radiographer on university course pages in prospectuses or online, and universities are generally very good at telling students what we look for. Here at City, we are particularly looking for interaction and communication skills alongside strong problem solving and empathy in our applicants.
Know what to expect during the selection
There are lots of different types of selection, whether this be a traditional interview, multiple mini interviews or group tasks. It’s important that students know exactly what they are going into when they go into a selection situation. In normal times, City would offer a range of different types of selection across our courses, which you can see on our dedicated webpage.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
We always advise students to be as prepared as possible. As well as researching the ideal student for our courses and the format of the selection processes, there are lots of other things students can do. An excellent starting point is the NHS constitution and the six values incorporated within it. This is the key to unlocking the core skillset of a future health professional, and should sit at the centre of students’ approach to the selection process. Other points of interest may be health stories in the news, any reading or podcasts that students engage with and crucially a thorough understanding of the profession.
Quiet, calm and collected
If you were heading to a selection day at a university campus, we’d take care of the location for you. Given the current circumstances, though, this will unfortunately pass to the student. The most successful phone interviews will take place in quiet location to give students time to think through responses clearly, and make sure to keep the phone available for the designated time! If the selection task is taking place over video conferencing, students should also be mindful of their body language, as this is something that can often be picked up in person.
Check and check again
Selection processes are not there to catch anyone out, but are more about giving applicants the chance to shine. If at any point a student is unsure of what they are being asked, or would like a question repeating or broken down, they should be encouraged to ask. In a professional setting, this is what would be expected of them to perform tasks correctly and accurately, so there is no harm in seeking further clarification. Particularly where phone lines and reception can be unstable, it’s always best to give the best answer, even if that means asking for the question again.