Sample Social Work Interview

Questions you might hear during a Social Work Interview:

Tell me about Yourself (this question is an open-ended question)- what you can talk about- current career goal, a summary of skills set and where you see yourself in THIS organization you are interviewing for. Do not go into your hobbies, travel plans, cat/dog lover, etc...(it's not as personal as you think). Full transparency in my early stages of interviewing after my MSW- I mentioned MY whole life story (oldest of 3, from Harlem, where my parents were from, etc). OK- I was doing entirely TOO MUCH!

Why are you interested in this position? (because I need money is the answer in my head)...but doing your research prior to the interview and highlighting your talking points to align with how the role will fit your future goals and skills you want to gain will help you nail this question. Flesh it out and break it down- why do I want this job?

Strengths and Weaknesses- This is where you can talk about those lovely skills you have around advocacy, writing skills, troubleshooting, investigative skills, etc. The weakness question is (a trick question)- but you can flip it and reverse it. For example, my weakness is public speaking (yes!) however after I state this I will follow up by saying while public speaking is an area where I need improvement (weakness), I constantly challenge myself by being in roles where I will have to build upon my public speaking skills such as taking the lead on committees, group projects, etc.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? The real answer is WEALTHY but since I'm at this interview let me get my thoughts together- well, with your organization of course (hmm). This is where you have to become crafty and state the facts with confidence...even if you start in a role as a Case Manager- your response can be "to gain the skills necessary to support the mission of the organization and to advance my career within the organization to a supervisor, manager, etc. This helps the hiring manager understand that you are vested and want to grow as a SW professional.

Here's my favorite advice: Use the CAR model when answering interview questions that require you to give an example of your skills and experience.

C-challenge, conflict A- action R- result

What? Yes it helps! Let's suppose you get asked a question about how you handled a difficult client on your caseload.......

Ok here was the C(challenge)- list what those are...why was the client difficult, give examples of some of these behaviors, etc. Next...what A(action) did you take...I engaged the client by, I enlisted the help of... I documented my efforts, I spoke to my supervisor about the issue...I devised the following plan.....and through active listening.... As a R(result)..I was able to build a healthy relationship with the client and because of my efforts and hard work...I received the employee of the month award.

Hiring managers love examples- we love to hear how you handle complex situations and what you learned from them.

Happy Job Hunting.....until next time