University of Nottingham Interview Questions
& Process

The interview journey was laid out pretty clearly, starting with a quick chat to see if I was a good fit, then moved onto a behavioral interview, and finally a more hands-on test for the role. They kept me in the loop the whole time, and the last part was about seeing if we'd vibe and if we were on the same page about what the job entails.

The interview was interesting and the questions were specific to the role. Requirements include being a registered nurse or paramedic with a valid NMC/HCPC registration. You need at least two years of clinical experience, ideally in pre-hospital, primary care, or ED. Experience with telephone triage and remote patient assessment is essential, as are strong communication skills for listening, assessing, and giving clear advice. The role also requires resilience under pressure, dealing with emotional situations, and making fast, correct decisions.

After submitting a long online application, I had to complete an online 'management style' quiz and a challenging task designed to assess organization, prioritization, and communication skills under pressure. This task was unrealistic but I did it anyway because I wanted the job. The main interview was a standard competency-based interview over Zoom with senior staff, including my boss's boss. They use a standard question booklet, and hiring managers pick relevant questions for the role and seniority, grading on a 5-point scale. I later learned my scores on the online activities were low, but my interview performance was good, and I think the hiring manager agreed that those activities didn't accurately assess management skills, especially the 'management styles' quiz which seemed to favor a specific type of manager. My style was seen as unconventional but successful based on my track record.

It started with a pre-interview task where I had 20 minutes to get ready for a meeting about conflict in student group projects and outline a resolution timeline. I then presented this to a panel, who surprisingly didn't ask any questions, which felt strange but maybe I nailed it. The main interview consisted of standard competency and skill-based questions, nothing too challenging. I got a rejection email the next morning, which made me suspect they already had an internal candidate as the interviewer mentioned they'd discuss interviews the next day and inform us by Friday. I met all the job requirements, have relevant experience in similar roles and in higher education, and received very positive feedback during the interview... I'm unsure what else they were looking for. Just a heads-up for interviews at this university, many advertised roles seem to be for a lower level to facilitate internal progression, and it's a bureaucratic system where even a strong performance and relevant experience might not be enough.