As Alexander Graham Bell so eloquently states in this quote, preparation is critical and this definitely holds true with respect to the interviewing process.
There are 20 interview questions that every social worker should be prepared to answer, as well as an additional 9 questions that may or may not be applicable to you depending on what type of position you are seeking.
Please note that the updated version of this post is 40 Interview Questions Every Social Worker Needs to Know but before you leave, make sure to check out the Q & A exchange in the comments below.
For those of you going after a position in a school setting, make sure to check out Got School Social Work Interview? 21 Questions to Answer for some specific questions tailored for the educational arena.
Based upon my readings, I’ve learned that it’s a good idea to put together 2-3 stories in which you solved a problem at work and 2-3 stories in which you have learned some lessons on the job.
Having prepared these stories, in turn, will help you answer behavioral interviewing type questions that may get thrown your way.
When drafting your responses to situational questions, it is recommended to use a Problem, Action, Result approach; i.e., describe the action you took and then the result.
Finally, once you’ve completed your stories, write out in the margin the personality characteristics that you feel your stories illustrate. This way, you are likely to have some stories prepared for when you are asked to describe a situation with a particular strength.
For those of you who have gone on interviews already, do these questions look like ones you’ve been asked? What else would you add? Comments have been closed; please feel free to ask any questions you may have on the updated post 40 Interview Questions Every Social Worker Needs to Know
Ethical Interview Questions
Why are ethical questions so important?
PA programs want to train people to become thoughtful, ethical providers. The best way is to start is with thoughtful, ethical students. These questions evaluate your ability to be fair and thorough, often in situations where the right thing may not be obvious.
Your goals for ethical interview questions
The most important factors when answering ethics questions are fairness and thoroughness. Shooting from the hip here is a mistake.
Actions, in this case, need to be rooted in principles. Many applicants launch into what they would do without first considering the various forces at play. This tends to confirm the interviewer’s fear that a student will act without thinking through the consequences. If they do think through the consequences, they usually do so only briefly, just chipping the surface.
We all have values and biases, and ethical dilemmas invite them out into the open. The best answers to ethical questions cover the potential benefits and harms of the major options objectively first. Then they discuss why one course of action seems to be the best, based on ethical principles. Ethics questions can be hard, and often a poor answer here can cost you an admission. For more about answering these, check out our podcast episode on the topic, our ebook, or better still, hire us to coach you!
Moving Beyond Big Lists: Understanding PA School Interview Question Types
While there’s no magic technique that will always reveal the best response to an interviewer’s question, understanding PA school interview question types is the closest you can get to “decoding” them.
Understanding the common question types will help you:
It’s like driving — you can’t pick a route until you know where you want to go, right?
As Alexander Graham Bell so eloquently states in this quote, preparation is critical and this definitely holds true with respect to the interviewing process.
For those of you going after a position in a school setting, make sure to check out Got School Social Work Interview? 21 Questions to Answer for some specific questions tailored for the educational arena.
Please note that the updated version of this post is 40 Interview Questions Every Social Worker Needs to Know but before you leave, make sure to check out the Q & A exchange in the comments below.
For those of you who have gone on interviews already, do these questions look like ones you’ve been asked? What else would you add? Comments have been closed; please feel free to ask any questions you may have on the updated post 40 Interview Questions Every Social Worker Needs to Know
When drafting your responses to situational questions, it is recommended to use a Problem, Action, Result approach; i.e., describe the action you took and then the result.