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Midwife Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Last updated 26 January 2025
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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6 min read

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Midwife interview questions and answers.

  1. What was it that made you decide to become a midwife? See answer
  2. Is there a speciality in midwifery that you find the most interesting and why? See answer
  3. What current midwifery qualifications do you have? See answer
  4. Can you tell me about any past experience you have working in midwifery? See answer
  5. How would you approach a pregnant patient suffering from mental health issues? See answer
  6. How do you handle working under pressure in a stressful environment? See answer
  7. Tell me about a time when you kept calm and focused during a stressful situation. See answer
  8. What research or articles have been most influential during your training as a midwife? See answer
  9. How do you react when you receive criticism? See answer
  10. What are your biggest weaknesses as a midwife? See answer
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10 Midwife Interview Questions and Answers

What was it that made you decide to become a midwife?

The goal of asking this question is to gauge what the candidate is like as a person and to understand why they want to be a midwife. What to look for in an answer:

  • A drive to help others
  • A true passion for midwifery
  • Resilience and ability to handle difficult situations
'My ambition to be a midwife started when I was a teenager and spent a lot of time helping care for my newborn nephew, who had health problems. Caring for him and my sister, who had postnatal depression, gave me strength, self-confidence and a willingness to help people. When I could look after both of them successfully whilst keeping a calm and positive attitude, I realised that midwifery was the right career for me.'
Example:

Is there a speciality in midwifery that you find the most interesting and why?

This will help you to understand which areas of midwifery the candidate is most interested in. Their answer should highlight which aspects of the job they are likely to perform well in. What to look for in an answer:

  • Specific interest in the subject
  • Legitimate reasons for their interest
  • High level of knowledge
'Yes. Since I started my training to be a midwife, I have always been most interested in parenting education and based many of my assignments on this subject. I think it's so important to educate parents on issues such as safe sleeping and smoking during pregnancy. I love helping people and this specialisation would allow me to do that.'
Example:

What current midwifery qualifications do you have?

Proof of their midwifery qualifications will be available in writing, but it's important to ask this question during the interview to check the candidate's knowledge. Look for one of these things in their answer:

  • A university degree in midwifery
  • A midwifery degree standard apprenticeship
  • A shortened midwifery programme if they were previously a nurse
'I have a Midwifery BSc degree from XYZ University, which I completed in 2020. The course taught me so much about midwifery and helped me to develop a range of skills and knowledge. Both the education and the work experience delivered through the degree gave me lots of confidence in my capabilities as a midwife.'
Example:

Can you tell me about any past experience you have working in midwifery?

Asking this question will help you gauge how much experience the candidate has working as a Midwife and how much knowledge they can bring to the role. What to look for in an answer:

  • Previous experience working as a midwife
  • University work experience in a midwifery setting
  • What the experiences taught the candidate
'I completed two successful midwifery work placements during my time at university. I also completed 40 hours of work experience as a midwife at a hospital in Thailand last summer. This experience taught me the skills needed to work well under pressure and in stressful situations. The placements helped me build on my empathy, sensitivity and the practical skills needed to help deliver a baby.'
Example:

How would you approach a pregnant patient suffering from mental health issues?

This interview question will give you a strong idea of how the candidate approaches a sensitive situation, in this case, pregnant patients with mental health issues. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of correct protocol
  • Sensitivity and understanding
  • A responsible and proactive attitude
'Firstly, I would speak to my supervisor and ensure that the patient is placed under the care of the midwifery team. I would request that someone from this team stay in regular contact with the patient and points her in the direction of the correct mental health support. It's important to be as supportive and patient as possible in these situations.'
Example:

How do you handle working under pressure in a stressful environment?

Being a midwife is a challenging and high-pressure job. Therefore, it's vital to make sure the candidate knows how to handle working in this type of environment. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience working under pressure
  • An ability to handle working under pressure
  • Motivation and focus
'I focus on the most important task at hand and getting the job done correctly. I've encountered many stressful situations during my work experience. I've found that staying focused on what needed to be done and keeping a positive attitude helped. Being under pressure stresses some people out, but it actually makes me more motivated.'
Example:

Tell me about a time when you kept calm and focused during a stressful situation.

Asking this question is a good way to get a real insight into how the candidate behaves when they are placed in a difficult situation. What to look for in an answer:

  • A good example of working in a stressful situation
  • The ability to stay calm and focused
  • A positive attitude
'During my work experience, a patient was taken in for an emergency C-section following a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. I shadowed the midwife during the entire event and helped her with whatever she required, while keeping a calm and positive attitude for the benefit of the patient.'
Example:

What research or articles have been most influential during your training as a midwife?

The goal is for the candidate to show you how passionate they are about midwifery and the extent to which they will go on to learn more about the practice. What to look for in an answer:

  • Strong knowledge of specific research or articles
  • Has picked up valuable tools from the research
  • Ease and confidence discussing the research
'I found the 2017 study on patients suffering from antenatal depression highly intriguing and eye-opening. I picked up a lot of knowledge from that research and it gave me a better understanding of psychology and mental health issues in pregnant patients. It was something I kept going back to when I wanted to know how best to communicate with people who might be more vulnerable during pregnancy.'
Example:

How do you react when you receive criticism?

Criticism is a part of any job and it's important to know that the candidate knows how to implement constructive feedback in the right way. What to look for in an answer:

  • The ability to handle criticism
  • An eagerness to learn and grow
  • Strong listening skills
'I welcome criticism because it helps me to build on my skills and find out what I can improve on. If I receive criticism in a work setting, I thank the person for bringing it to my attention and listen fully to what they have to say. Then, I ask what I can do differently and try to implement the changes straight away.'
Example:

What are your biggest weaknesses as a midwife?

Asking this question will help you see whether the candidate is willing to be open and honest about any weaknesses they may have. What to look for in an answer:

  • Honesty and transparency
  • Strong sense of self
  • Confidence in abilities
'I suppose my biggest weakness when I'm working is that I focus too much on the details to make sure I get something exactly right. I've been trying to improve this by monitoring how long I spend on a task and allowing myself to shift my focus back to the bigger project.'
Example:
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