Personal and People Development: NHS Interview Questions
Developing yourself through a range of formal and informal means, and helping others to grow through everyday work — coaching, mentoring, supervision and giving people room to learn.
Bands 1–4 (Level 1)
- Tell me about the most recent thing you learned.
- How have you kept your skills up to date lately?
- What have you done recently to take ownership of your own development?
- What development activities have you taken part in over the last few months?
Band 5 (Level 2)
- Talk me through the development plans you have at the moment.
- Tell me about a time you shared your skills or knowledge with someone less experienced.
- When did someone last give you feedback on your performance or attitude, and what did you do with it?
- What do you do to get to know the team you work alongside?
Bands 6–7 (Level 3)
- How do you manage your own ongoing professional development?
- Describe a time you had to deal with an under-performing colleague.
- Tell me about a time you spotted potential in someone in your team.
- How do you go about developing talent within a team?
Bands 8–9 (Level 4)
- Tell me about a time you gave someone, or a team, honest feedback on their performance or conduct.
- How do you measure your own performance, and how is that different from measuring your team's?
- How do you support people to develop and build a culture of learning in your team?
- What have you done to prepare your team for skills they'll need in future?
What good answers contain
Listen for self-awareness about their own development needs, a genuine habit of seeking and acting on feedback, real care for helping others grow, and an understanding that what gets measured gets done.
Signs of a weak answer
Watch for out-of-date knowledge or little interest in keeping it current, few examples of asking for or acting on feedback, defensiveness about other people's views, and no real track record of developing themselves or others.
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