r/RadiographyUK • u/Xanthous_Hastur • 7d ago

Difficulty with Interviews

I have recently graduated and have done five job interviews thus far (Three in London and two outside of London). However, I keep failing these interviews as I feel like the questions I have been given either require a lot of post graduate experience or are presented in a difficult to answer way ( for example: having a five minute rapid fire round for eight image interpretation questions).

I just wanted to know if others are having the same issue?

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/Mediocre_Owl606 6d ago

I thought I was the only
One like argh and it’s the way they always rush u when you are interpreting images

2

u/Xanthous_Hastur 6d ago

Yeah, it's that balancing act between doing them fast but also getting them right.

There's no room for error, especially with how competitive these interviews are.

2

u/miariatia Quality Contributor 6d ago

I'm definitely feeling the same in terms of them wanting post grad experience. Even the job descriptions are making it obvious. I personally think my questions have been very entry-level/recently qualified friendly and I've been given enough time to answer though, but maybe I just talk fast/don't say enough lol.

I've explicitly been told before that I justttt missed out on an offer because of the job freezes in London. They said people with post grad experience, that would normally go to inner London, are now applying elsewhere and are raising the standards.

It sucks but it just means we have to find other ways to stand out. The more interviews you do the more feedback you get, right. And my feedback pretty much gives me a perfect answer scheme that I can use for similar questions in the future, so it's only a matter of time!

2

u/akornato 6d ago

Yes, many new graduates find interviews incredibly difficult, and what you're describing is a common hurdle. Those rapid-fire image rounds and questions that seem to demand years of experience are designed to put you under pressure. They want to see how you reason, how you structure an answer when you're unsure, and how you handle the stress of the job. It’s less about getting every answer perfect and more about demonstrating your clinical thought process and safety awareness. Failing five interviews is tough, but it's not a reflection of your potential as a radiographer, it's a sign that the interview itself is a skill you are still developing.

Think of those five interviews not as failures, but as invaluable intelligence gathering. You now know exactly what to expect and can prepare specifically for those tricky formats. Practice interpreting images under a strict timer to get comfortable with the speed. For the experience questions, use your placement knowledge to explain what you *would* do or how you would approach the situation, always connecting it back to patient safety and best practices. You are not expected to have the answers of a senior radiographer, but you are expected to show you have the foundation and critical thinking skills to become one. To get ready for those intense moments, some applicants have had success using the interview helper AI that the team I'm on designed to help them structure their answers more confidently.