Hello there. It's Richard McMunn here from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com.
And in this tutorial, I'm going to help you pass an occupational therapist interview.
So, if you have an occupational therapist interview coming up with either the NHS or
any other organisation for that matter, please do stick around and watch this, because I
promise to make you the stand out candidate. To achieve that goal, this is what I'm going
to cover. I'm going to give you a number of sample occupational therapist interview questions.
I will also give you suggested answers to those questions to help you prepare for and
pass your interview. I will tell you the qualities that you must demonstrate during your occupational
therapist interview. And I will also then give you further resources to help you pass
your OT interview. Now, before I do that, a very warm welcome to this occupational therapist
interview training tutorial. My name is Richard McMunn. That's me there in the centre of the
screen. I've been helping people to pass their interviews for about 20 years now. And I always
do that by giving you TOP-SCORING ANSWERS. Please do make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the channel
by clicking the red button below the video, and then you won't miss out on any of the
training videos I am uploading. And please also do give the video a LIKE… that tells
me you enjoy the content and I will create more for you! Let's now get into the occupational
therapist interview questions and answers. So, the first one I want you to prepare for
is, tell me about yourself and why you want to become an occupational therapist? My tip
for answering this question is, when responding to this interview question focus purely on
the skills, qualities and experience you have to perform the role of an OT to a very high
standard. In your answer, we don't want to be telling them what we get up to outside
of work. We want to focus purely on your professional skills, qualities and experience. Here is
my suggested answer. “I am a hardworking, resilient and confident Occupational Therapist
who can be relied upon to work to consistently high standards, whilst at all times, providing
outstanding care to the patients and clients I am responsible for. I understand that working
for the NHS requires a unique set of skills, a high level of determination, an ability
to follow strict rules and procedures, and also the desire to continually learn and develop.
I want to become an Occupational Therapist because I am a naturally caring person, and
I also enjoy the challenge of finding solutions to often complex physical problems. I would
hope that my skills and experience will give you the confidence that I can hit the ground
running within this role, and I can start making a positive contribution to the NHS
occupational therapy team immediately.” That is a very strong answer to that question!
The first question that will get asked, which is tell me about yourself and also why you
want to become an occupational therapist? You can either pause the video and write down
those answers, or if you stick around, I will tell you at some stage where you can DOWNLOAD
my full set of occupational therapy interview questions and answers. The next question we
need to prepare for is, what skills and qualities do you have that will enable you to be an
effective occupational therapist? My tip for answering this question is: to answer it effectively,
we need to tailor the response to the job description and the person specification for
the occupational therapist role that you are applying for. That’s very, very important.
Here is my suggested answer. “I have numerous skills and qualities that I feel will enable
me to be a highly competent Occupational Therapist. These include a high degree of patience whilst
dealing with patients, their families and also other members of the wider NHS team.
I have high levels of determination, which means I will always carry on until I find
the right solution for my patients and clients. I am positive and enthusiastic, I have a huge
interest in helping and caring for people, and I am also a great team worker. Finally,
in additional to having exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, I have the ability
to find solutions to problems my patients and clients will be facing.” That's another
rock solid answer! And again, as you can tell you will be building confidence as you progress
through the interview with these answers. I still have a number of other questions to
run through, so please do stick around, but when you're ready, there is a LINK that has
appeared in the top right hand corner of the video. If you click that, it takes you through
to my website PassMyInterview.com, and you can download my full set of occupational therapist
interview questions and top scoring answers. The next question is, how does therapy make
the NHS more effective? Now, my tip for answering this is this question is it assesses our understanding
of how your work as an occupational therapist can impact positively on the wider NHS organisation.
Here is my suggested answer. “Effective therapy and treatment plans can have a massive,
positive impact on the NHS by facilitating the safe discharge of patients. This, in turn,
prevents the readmission of patients and it also frees up beds and resources for other
patients who otherwise may require urgent care or treatment. By providing a holistic
approach to patient and client centred care, the NHS can then function safely and effectively
within its operating capacity.” The next question we need to prepare for is, how would
you deal with a patient or client who is being confrontational? This is a tough question
to answer. It's quite easy to trip up with this one. So my tip is, you must mention in
your answer how important it is to follow your training and the operational guidelines
set down by the NHS trust you are working for. Here is my suggested answer. “I would,
first and foremost, always follow my training and the operational guidelines laid down by
the NHS Trust. I would be confident and resilient in my communication, explain in clear language
how I was here to help them, and also explain how they could help me to achieve the objectives
of my role by remaining calm and in control of their emotions. I would also ask them probing
questions to assess what it was that might be bothering them, as by engaging in meaningful
conversation with a client, can sometimes have the positive effect of defusing this
type of situation. At all times whilst dealing with a confrontational patient or client,
I would remain calm, use effective communication and body language, whilst ensuring myself,
my work colleagues and also others in the immediate area were entirely safe from harm.”
There is a number of key things that I've covered there in the answer: following the
training, using defusing techniques by implementing effective communication and body language,
and also making sure that myself and other people were safe at all times! Don't forget
to say that you would follow your training. Next question: How would you deal with a situation
where another occupational therapist was not pulling their weight? Again, a tricky question,
but in your answer to this occupational therapist interview question. let's show the interviewer
you are capable of taking ownership of difficult situations like this with a view to resolving
it for the wider good of the NHS. Now, most people would just say… “You know, I would
inform my manager or supervisor or, you know, it's down to them if they're not going to
pull their weight. I would work harder to make up for the shortfall.” But my suggested
answer to this question is this: “This is the type of situation where I would intervene
with a view to finding out what the problem was, and also trying to encourage them to
get back up to speed as quickly as possible. We are all working as one large team within
the NHS, and if someone is not working to the required standards or the capacity expected,
it can have a negative impact on the rest of the team. I would speak to them in private,
be tactful in my communication, and seek to assess what the issue was. It would be important
to be tactful, as they may have problems at home, or they may even be experiencing some
other form of personal problem or issue. I would then support them and, as I say, encourage
them to get back to full working capacity as soon as possible. If it became apparent
that it was a performance-related issue, and they had no intention of sorting things out,
I would report it to my immediate line manager.” So again, that's a very professional and concise
response that shows that you will TAKE OWNERSHIP of situations and you have a backup plan that
if they won't sort things out, then you'll report it to your line manager. Don't forget,
please do DOWNLOAD my full set of occupational therapist interview questions and answers
by CLICKING THAT LINK in the top right hand corner of the video. If you go through to
the page, you can have a look at my full set of questions, and like I say, download the
answers. I've also put some tips on that page for you to score highly during your occupational
therapist interview. Also, if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, I have put my
LinkedIn.com link within the description below the video, and if you have any questions,
please pop them in the comments section below the video and I'll be more than happy to answer
them for you! Thank you for watching. Please do SUBSCRIBE (thanks) and hit the LIKE button.
As I say, I appreciate support and I have a brilliant day. Thank you very much.