Trainee Pharmacy Dispenser / Trainee Pharmacy Advisor at Boots

I have an interview at Boots pharmacy and they said that it is a 1-hour long competency-based interview. Can someone tell me what the questions are like and is it really going to be 1 hour long?

Hi shyamn...

The thing is with those types of interviews for trainee pharmacy advisor or dispenser is that you have not only your initial interview questions to answers but also normally you are asked to perform tasks on the shop floor ( in pharmacy department of large store ) or even just a small one you are still asked to perform tasks as this is to show the management if you are capable of working in the pharmacy department as either a pharmacy advisor or dispenser as basically doing the same thing. They arrange a one hour time slot for to allow them time to do your questioning and your tasks and also anything else afterwards. Each interview actually depends on how quickly you get through it so you may not be there for a hour but unfortunately you don't know yourself whether this is long enough or not until you attend it.



Unfortunately I can't give you exact questions that you may be asked at your interview okay.... I will give you some examples of what you may get asked... I have given you examples for a customer service ( assistant) position which is basically your job in boots although you'll be working on the pharmacy department as either a pharmacy advisor or dispenser but remember that you can be asked to work on other area's plus serving on the checkouts as well as doing the job you been employed for.


Tell us about yourself....
It’s okay to discuss your hobbies and interests but keep it brief.
Try and focus on related work experience.
Remember having related work experience will put you ahead of the competition.

2. Why do you want to work for Boots.....
Possible Answers are
State you enjoy the products and the service you receive at Boots and because of this you would be proud to represent them.
Mention why you think Boots is better than its competitors.
If applying for a customer service role state you feel you have strong communication skills which will allow you to work well with customers and other coworkers.

3. Why should boots hire you
What you want to do is reread the job description and find the skills they are looking for and reassure the interviewer that not only do you have those skills but you are passionate about using them. For example, suppose you are in a Boots Customer Assistant Interview. The job description states

This is your chance to be part of something a bit different. You’ll be working closely with the most important part of our business – our customers. Giving them fantastic customer care and making them feel good, and we think that’s a great opportunity. (skill required: people skills)
Listen to our customers, it’s the first step to providing a great experience and we love how passionate our customers are about our brand. (skill required: listening skills)
Put our customers at ease. You’ll get to know our fantastic products, recommending items that they hadn’t considered. Your really personable approach will keep our customers coming back. (skill required: quick learner)

So if you were on a Customer Assistant Interview say
Mention you have excellent people skills and will be excited to help customers find what they need.
Say you are a good listener which will allow you to help the customer find exactly what they are looking for.
Finally, mention you are a quick learner and will enjoy learning about the new products at Boots and advising customers about these new products.

4. What is your greatest strength
I am a quick learner (this is a great answer because they will have to spend less time training you)
I work well under pressure (this is a great answer because Boots will be extremely busy during their rush hour and you need to stay focused during this time)

5. What is your greatest weakness
You should not deny you have a weakness or state strengths as a weakness (I am a perfectionist, or I work too hard and neglect my friends and family). State a fault required for the role but not a deal-breaker if you don’t have it.
When you state your weakness make sure you say what you are doing to overcome that weakness. For example, I have a fear of public speaking and enrolled in a public speaking class to overcome my fear.

6. What motivates you

Possible answers are:
Do Say
Meeting deadlines, targets, or goals
Mentoring and coaching others
Learning new things
Coming up with creative ideas to improve something, or make something new
Working well as part of a team
Finding a way to solve a problem, or overcome a challenge

Don’t Say
Money
Employee Discounts

7. How do you feel about standing for long periods of time?
Most jobs in retail will require you to work on your feet for long periods of time. If possible tell the interviewer you do not have a problem with this. Try to wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes with low heels, maintain good posture, and stay hydrated.

8. What hours can you work?
The more flexible you are with your hours, the better your chance of getting hired, so be flexible!
If possible, let the interviewer know you can work on weekends and/or holidays.

QUESTIONS TO ASK AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
9. Do you have any questions for us

What do you like best about working here
How would you describe your ideal candidate for this position
What about this position is the most important
How would you measure my success and what could I do to succeed in your expectations
Which part of the position has the steepest learning curve? What can I do in order to get up to speed quickly
What opportunities will I have to learn and grow.




A boots pharmacy advisor dispenser employee.

Thanks so much, my interview is today at 1 pm and I've been stressing for days.

Hi Shyann, I have an interview for trainee dispenser/advisor in a few days. How did you get on? What did they ask?

Hi Beth

They are not allowed to share what was asked as each store will ask different questions..... Reason why I couldn't give her exact details.

I would say have a look at what I posted in post #2 to shyann as a guide to what you might be asked.

They will probably ask you about why you want to work with boots for this particular position,
What if any experience have you got for the role you applying for ( not necessary as training will be fully given if successful) .

Hi
Okay that's great thank you

Hi
No worries ☺️☺️
If shyann wants to give you a example of what she was asked then you be fine.
Good luck with your interview with boots 🙂

hey, I know this thread is 2 months old however I am applying for trainee pharmacy advisor (trainee dispenser). I have an interview soon however I was wondering whether I need to be in university studying to get this job. I am currently applying to pharmacy universities. Also, if the contract is a fixed term, would I be required to continue and gain an NVQ level 2 certificate. This is because this normally takes a year however if I will be starting university next September, I may not be able to fulfil this. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

Hi there.

You don't need to be at university for this job position okay as I wasn't at university doing pharmacy as I did veterinary nursing and then went on to do currently my adult nursing degree and I have used the experience from working in boots for both those degrees.

You don't need to have any previous experience for to do this job as a trainee pharmacy advisor/ dispenser okay as all the necessary training will be given to you on starting if you are successful.

As part of the requirements will be to aim towards your nvq level 2 certificate I'm afraid but you'll be able to use this in any pharmacy. It's usually done by your 6th month being there ( this is the aim for completing the nvq level 2 ).

I would suggest if possible once you start university next September (2023 I take it) you should perhaps ask for a transfer ( if you are having to move away from your current location) to one of the local boots stores that opens at weekends and continue your nvq and pharmacy advisor dispenser job part-time job while at university.... Speak to your manager if successful in the job application nearer the time you are about to go to university.

😃😃😃


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As per job description on boots website for pharmacy advisor dispenser and advisor..... You should have read this as part of looking at the jobs you applied for with boots.

What you’ll need to have.
We’re offering you an exciting career opportunity and a chance to continue your professional journey. You will need to be prepared to work towards an NVQ Level 2 equivalent in Pharmacy Services to join us.

But it isn’t just about experience or knowledge, we’re looking for people with a genuine passion for customer care, and who will be ambassadors for healthcare in our stores. You will have the ability to build excellent relationships with patients and your team and will be able to understand individual patient needs and tailor your support and advice appropriately. You will have the ability to advise patients with confidence and accuracy whilst remaining customer focussed.

If you are interested in further developing your professional career, we can support you towards achieving both competency and knowledge based NVQ Level 3 (QCF) Pharmacy Services qualification to become eligible to register with the GPhc as a Pharmacy Technician. This could then lead to an Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) role. As you continue to develop your healthcare knowledge through these qualifications and roles, your pay and benefits will reflect this.

Excitingly, this is just one of several routes your career could take you within Boots!

Thanks a lot for the help. If it does take roughly 6 months to get a NVQ Level 2 license then I should be good because if I do get accepted for this job, I would still be able to work until roughly august. For this job interview, would you recommend researching competency based questions regarding topics such as prescriptions and medication?

No worries ☺️☺️

6 months is the aim of completing it as it will depend on how many hours per week you are working as can take slightly longer if you doing part-time hours.

Yes you should be fine with completing it within the time limits you have before going to university.

You could research the competency based questions topics for prescription's and medications as would be useful to know the information just incase you are asked anything about it.

When I applied for to do this job I had a rough idea of medications because of the usage of them within the veterinary nursing degree as you are dealing with those things which helped me but obviously I wanted to know further about them hence why I applied to do the pharmacy advisor dispenser job. It's a very interesting job.



Anyway hopefully you'll smash the interview and make sure you get through the online assessments first and then worry about attending the interview as it's about one hour with mixture of questioning and then spending time in the pharmacy department.

Good luck with your application and keep me updated if possible how you getting on.

Ive passed the online assessment, boots emailed me to arrange my interview for next week. You've been so helpful with helping me because I had so questions surrounding this job so I'm very appreciative. Thank you again for your advice and all the help you've given. I'll hope to keep you updated.

Thanks for letting me know you passed the online assessments for boots.

Well done so far and now it's up to you to get through the interview and be offered a job working with boots the chemist.


I'll do my best to answer things the best I can do without actually giving you the complete answers as this is down to you doing your research but hopefully the information will be useful to you 🥰


I'll look forward for your update on things okay and in the meantime good luck with the interview next week xxx

Thank you. If I need help with anything regarding interview help I'll be sure to ask you.

Hi 😊 you don’t need to be in uni. If you don’t go to uni you’ll do the nvq but if you’re at uni you don’t do the course I believe. Hope that helps 😊

Hey again. My interview is tomorrow and I was wondering if you could help explain to me how pharmacy dispensers actually work with medication Do you recommend any websites that helps with understanding the actual details of what pharmacy dispensers do. Also, could you explain the journey of a prescription or recommend a website that is useful in explaining this. Many thanks in advance