Hello there, my name is Richard McMunn from the interview training company PassMyInterview.com,
and in this tutorial, I will teach you how to pass a social worker interview. So, if
you do have a social worker interview coming up with any organization from around the world,
I promise you these seven interview questions and answers will make a big difference to
your preparation. Before I get into the tutorial, a very warm welcome to this social worker
interview training video. My name is Richard McMunn. That's me there in the center. I've
been helping people for 20 years now to pass their interviews. And I do that by giving
you unique, top scoring answers you can't find it anywhere else. Please do support the
channel by subscribing. You can click the red button below the video, and then you won't
miss out on any of the weekly training videos I'm uploading. And I would also very much
appreciate it if you gave the video a like. Thank you very much! That always motivates
me to create more content for you. Let's get into those seven social worker interview questions
and answers. The first interview question is going to be, tell me about yourself? Now,
when we respond to this social worker interview question, we have to make sure that we align
our skills, qualities and experience to the essential criteria of the social worker role.
How do we do that? Here is my suggested answer. “Thank you for inviting me to be interviewed
today. I am a passionate, hard-working, honest and professional social worker who has the
necessary skills, qualities and experience to perform to the standards you would expect
within this role. I am an excellent communicator and listener; I am able to utilize critical
thinking skills to achieve my objectives; I always ensure I follow my training and the
necessary rules, procedures and legal requirements surrounding social work. I am also someone
who sets appropriate boundaries whilst building relationships with my clients and those I
am working with. I am highly-organized, tolerant and will show the correct level of empathy
when the situation requires it. I really enjoy my work as a social worker, and I feel if
you employ me within the position, you will be happy with my loyalty, my values and also
my strong work ethics.” That's a very strong answer. It's quite in-depth, but I've made
it in-depth deliberately because remember, you're competing against other people. You
want the job; therefore, you want to load your response with positive keywords and phrases
that will resonate in a positive manner with the interviewer. Now, you can either pause
the video and write down these answers, all the elements that you think you would like
to use, or if you want to stick around, I will tell you where you can download my full
set of social worker interview questions and answers as we progress. The second question
of your social worker interview is, why do you want to be a social worker? Now, you and
I know that this is a challenging role. It is highly rewarding. The pay is not that fantastic,
but it requires a unique set of skills. So we want to give them a genuine answer that
explains the real reasons why you want to be a social worker. Here is my suggested answer
to this interview question. “Being a social worker comes with a huge amount of responsibility.
I am someone who naturally prefers to work in a challenging role where I genuinely get
to make a difference to people’s lives. You don’t become a social worker for the
financial reward, and on that basis, there has to be a passion, a commitment and a dedication
to social work for it to be an attractive career. I want to be a social worker because
I have all of the necessary attributes and I feel I can really make a positive difference
to not only the people I am working with, but also your department and the wider social
work team. Over the years, I have worked hard to gain competence in the role, to build the
right level of knowledge and experience, and to also ensure I am up to the challenge that
lies ahead.” That gives very specific reasons why you want to become a social worker. Question
number three of your social worker interview. What do you expect to be doing on a day-to-day
basis as a social worker? Before you go to your social worker interview, it's very important
that you read the job description, because that will outline the key responsibilities
that you will need to undertake within the role. If you can’t answer this question,
then how do you know you can perform it to the right level and the right abilities? Here
is my suggested answer to the interview question, what do you expect to be doing on a day-to-day
basis as a social worker? “I expect my duties to be many and varied, including carrying
out interviews and attending meetings with clients and families to assess their situation
and their needs. The interviews and meetings will, on occasions, be in collaboration with
other interested stakeholders and agencies. It will be important for me to follow protocol
and to utilize the appropriate risk assessment when creating my reports. I will need to meet
with, and liaise with, external and internal agencies in my capacity as a social worker,
and I see combined, collaborative working a very much integral part of my role – the
sharing of information, where appropriate, will be vital. I will be responsible for making
the necessary recommendations in the best interests of the family and individuals, and
I will need to keep up-to-date and accurate records at all times. I will, at times, need
to refer families and individuals to other agencies in order to provide them with the
correct level of information or support. I will also need to prepare accurate records
and documents for both legal proceedings, and for when also giving evidence in court.
Finally, I will be responsible or my own professional development and will need to participate in
ongoing training and development courses to ensure I carry out my duties as a social worker
to the highest standards possible.” Now, that is a very, very in-depth answer. And
I would suggest, during your social worker interview, probably the most in-depth answer
that you would give. On a day-to-day basis, you would have to do a huge amount of different
tasks, manage your caseload, you need to multitask and also deal with loads of different situations!
So there is a lot of work involved as a social worker. My view is that social workers don't
get enough credit for the great work that they do. It's a difficult and challenging
role and sometimes they don't get the praise, as I say, that they actually genuinely deserve.
Next question of your social worker interview, what skills and qualities do you have to enable
you to do the job of a social worker? This is assessing whether you understand the relevant
skills and qualities required to be competent in the role. Here is my suggested answer.
“I am, first and foremost, a strong communicator and listener. These skills are vital in the
role of a social worker, and I have the experience to deal with a variety of situations when
needed. I also feel I have a good level of emotional intelligence. What I mean by this
is, I am self-aware and I understand and recognize my own strengths, my limitations, my emotions
and also my actions. I also have the ability to self-regulate; I am self-motivated and
I possess the appropriate social skills to deal with all types of situations I will likely
encounter as a social worker. I am highly organized, professional, and I am aware of
the boundaries I must set within my work whilst dealing with individuals, clients and families.
Finally, I will always carry out my duties in strictest of confidence and will demonstrate
empathy as and when a situation requires me to do so.” Basically, I’ve gone through
all of the very important skills and qualities you need to perform the role of a social worker
professionally, and I've put them within the answer for you. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE
if you haven't done so far. I appreciate your support. And if you're enjoying this, it would
be great if you give the video a like. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.com if
you want to. If you have a look in the description below the video, I put my LinkedIn.com link
within the description, so you can connect and say hello if you want to. Next question
of your social worker interview. How would you handle an upset or confused individual
or member of a family whom you are working with as a social worker? This assesses your
ability to handle people's emotions and also control your own emotions and set important
boundaries. Here is my suggested answer. “In this type of scenario, I would use effective
listening skills, ask appropriate questions and communicate in a manner that was conducive
to good social work. I would assess their situation by listening to what they had to
say, draw from other information that might be available through other agencies or organizations,
and then make recommendations based on the assessment I would have conducted. I would
most certainly demonstrate empathy when the situation required it, but I would always
ensure the appropriate boundaries were put in place from the outset. Above all, I would
adhere to my training and the protocols I would be required to follow in order to reach
a successful outcome for the individual or family member.” Next question of your social
worker interview. Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict? So, tell me
about a time where you had to deal with conflict. Now, what I'm going to do here is actually
break down the answer using situation, task, action and result. What that means is, when
you are structuring your answer to these kind of behavioral interview questions, you are
telling them the SITUATION you in. Then the TASK that needed to be done; the ACTION you
undertook, and then the RESULTS following your actions. It is a brilliant method for
giving top scoring answers! Here is my suggested answer using the star technique for, tell
me about a time where you had to deal with conflict? I was working in a previous job
attending an important multi-agency meeting when one of the meeting members insisted on
being confrontational and obstructive during the meeting. Nobody, including the chairperson
of the meeting, appeared to be dealing with his disruptive behavior, and so I felt that
I needed to take responsibility to resolve the situation for the sake of the meeting
and our combined goals. When the opportunity arose, I challenged him in a calm manner by
asking whether it would be possible for us all to concentrate on the objectives of the
meeting. I said that I personally felt some of his contributions were not helpful. I explained
that we didn’t have much time to agree the meeting outcomes, and that I felt his vast
experience could actually be used positively to help us all achieve our goals. By challenging
him calmly and professionally, and by asking him to contribute his experience to the meeting
goals, I was able to win him around and his tone and attitude changed completely. I believe
I have the experience to deal with conflict when it arises and will always act with professionalism
in these types of situations with a view to achieving my desired objectives.” Now, that
is a strong, concise and positive answer that shows that you've got a certain situation,
which is a problem, but you then go through the task of sorting it out to achieve your
outcome, and you are calm and professional at all times, which is what you'd be required
to do as a social worker. Next question that is guaranteed to come up during your social
worker interview. What's your biggest weakness? We don't want to give them a weakness that
could hinder your chances of passing the social worker interview. This is a great answer to
this question, which is actually it turns it into a positive thing. “I feel my main
weakness, at times, is that I find it difficult to strike and maintain a healthy work-life
balance. As social workers, we obviously do our work because we love it, and we are very
passion about it. Therefore, it’s very easy to forget how long you’ve been working on
the cases that fall under your remit, and before you know it, it’s late into the evening.
Whilst I will always find social work satisfying, and I will put in the hours needed, I am learning
to strike a healthier work-life balance whilst still getting everything done and maintaining
the absolute highest of standards.” That's a great answer, because as you and I know,
if we're working long into the night, that's not good. It is a weakness if you can't manage
your workload, because you will have to put in a lot of hours as a social worker. But
that is saying that you find it hard to strike a healthy work life balance, which is really
important in any kind of job, but you are doing something about it. A great answer.
And it's also safe. It's not going to harm your chances of passing your interview. Now,
if you'd like my full set of 20 Great Answers to Social Worker Interview Questions, there's
a link that’s appeared right there in the top right corner of the video. If you click
that, it will take you through to my website PassMyInterview.com where you can download
the FULL SET! Thank you for watching. I hope you enjoyed that. Don't get to SUBSCRIBE and
please do give the video a like. I very much appreciate your support and I hope you have
a brilliant day and I wish you all the best for passing your social worker interview.