Interview Questions for Social Workers

• Why have you selected a career in social work?
• What do you hope to accomplish as a social worker?
• Have you had the experience of working with people of a race or sexual orientation different from yours?
• Do you feel you can be objective in counseling a teen about abortion?
• What do you think of the welfare system?
• What is your philosophy of social work?
• What techniques do you use in crisis intervention work?
• What kinds of things go into a psychological assessment?
• How do you describe your personal boundaries?
• What do you think of the recent welfare changes?
• What do you think is going to happen in the field in the next five years?
• What are your thoughts on managed care?
• Are you a member of any professional organizations?
• How would you handle a psychotic outburst in the clinic waiting room?
• In terms of family therapy, what is your theoretical orientation?
• How do you handle termination?
• Do you believe in short term or long-term treatment?
• Think of a client you have liked/disliked and tell me how you dealt with the counter transference issues.
• Are you sensitive? Are you intuitive?
• Are you an active listener? Are you able to engage clients?
• This position requires a lot of independent thinking and initiative. There is minimal supervision. Could you handle that?
• What kinds of problems do you like to handle? Can you give me an example?
• What kinds of problems are you good at solving? Give me one example.
• How would your weaknesses interfere with your ability to do this job?
• Would you rather draw up plans and design a program or be responsible for implementing a program? Why?
• Knowing what you know now, is there something you would do differently in the management of one of your fieldwork cases?
• What do you judge to be your major successes or accomplishments in your fieldwork? How did you achieve these?
• What major disappointments/failures have you had in fieldwork?
• Are you prepared to make home visits?
• How is your previous experience applicable to the work we do here?
• Why have you selected a career in social work?
• What do you hope to accomplish as a social worker?
• Have you had the experience of working with people of a race or sexual orientation different from yours?
• Do you feel you can be objective in counseling a teen about abortion?
• What do you think of the welfare system?
• What is your philosophy of social work?
• What techniques do you use in crisis intervention work?
• What kinds of things go into a psychological assessment?
• How do you describe your personal boundaries?
• What do you think of the recent welfare changes?
• What do you think is going to happen in the field in the next five years?
• What are your thoughts on managed care?
• Are you a member of any professional organizations?
• How would you handle a psychotic outburst in the clinic waiting room?
• In terms of family therapy, what is your theoretical orientation?
• How do you handle termination?
• Do you believe in short term or long-term treatment?
• Think of a client you have liked/disliked and tell me how you dealt with the counter transference issues.
• Are you sensitive? Are you intuitive?
• Are you an active listener? Are you able to engage clients?
• This position requires a lot of independent thinking and initiative. There is minimal supervision. Could you handle that?
• What kinds of problems do you like to handle? Can you give me an example?
• What kinds of problems are you good at solving? Give me one example.
• How would your weaknesses interfere with your ability to do this job?
• Would you rather draw up plans and design a program or be responsible for implementing a program? Why?
• Knowing what you know now, is there something you would do differently in the management of one of your fieldwork cases?
• What do you judge to be your major successes or accomplishments in your fieldwork? How did you achieve these?
• What major disappointments/failures have you had in fieldwork?
• Are you prepared to make home visits?
• How is your previous experience applicable to the work we do here?

To also prepare

1. Know risk assessment/signs of abuse,neglect inside and out.

2. Know how to work with a family to develop a plan.

3. Be able to articulate what interviewilng skills are necessary when working with families we serve.

4. Know how to prioritize multiple tasks that include crisis, telephone msgs, immediates tasks assigned by your boss, personal dr appts, etc.

5. Be able to articulate your understanding of how culture impacts our work with families re abuse/neglect/prevention/intervention/reunification, etc.

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