Social Work

► Why are you interested in this agency?

► How does the work in this organization fit your professional mission or experience?

► Why do you want this job? Why do you want to work for this organization?

► What are your experiences with the target population?

► Why do you want to work with this target population?

► What are your qualifications?

► What kind of supervision do you expect?

► How has your education/work experience prepared you for this position?

► What do you hope to accomplish at this agency?

► What would you like to learn here?

► What do you believe are some of your biggest accomplishments in your fieldwork?

► Tell me about the most difficult case you ever worked on?

► Tell me about something you would do differently in the management of one of your previous fieldwork cases?

► Have you ever been faced with an ethical conflict in your experience as a social worker? How did you handle the situation?

► What techniques do you use in crisis intervention?

► Have you done this type of work in the past?

► What issues might you have with [adoption, for example]?

► What schedule will work for you?

► What are your career goals? For the next 3 years? The next 5 years? The next 10 years?

► What are some of your strengths? Some of your weaknesses?

► How do you define success for yourself?

► How do you plan?

► What is your work style?

► How do you work with others?

► Tell me about a time when you had to juggle your regular responsibilities and deal with a sudden priority?

► What do you like best about working here?

► How often, and by whom will I be supervised? What types of supervision are available? Is case consultation available?

► Are there opportunities for professional development within and beyond the agency itself?

► What can I count on from the agency to assist me in my professional development?

► With what other staff members will the person in this position work [for example, marketing department director]?

► What are the opportunities for advancement?

► Is the staff on call, and how is that handled?

► What are the agency's service delivery strengths and weaknesses?

► What are your opinions on the current welfare system?

► Where do you think the field of social work is heading in the next five years or so?

► What is your theoretical orientation regarding family therapy?

► How would you go about locating community resources in a neighborhood in which you have no relationship?

► Are you a leader ... a follower?

► Describe the process you go through in developing a [case plan, budget, workshop, contract, or marketing plan, for example].

► Describe your supervision experience? Supervision style?

► What is your ideal position and career path?

► Is there anything you would like to say to close the interview?

► Do you have any questions? YES-You should always have questions.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

► What is your understanding of service delivery in [a particular field or region]?

► Tell me about a time you were in a disagreement over a treatment plan.

► What has been your experience with agency paperwork and how do you feel about it?

► How will you deal with the dual-relationship issues of working in a small community?

► How would you go about locating community resources in a neighborhood in which you have no relationship?

► How do you handle shifting priorities and working in a fast-paced, pressured environment?

► What is your experience with writing quickly, under pressure?

► What do you do to keep track of a lot of information at once?

► What type of research skills/computer skills do you have?

► What specific policy issues are you interested in?