Activist

Try and have one or two examples that show how you had to make an important decision while managing caseloads in previous roles. This will show how adaptable you are at managing your time and meeting the needs of service users.

This question also provides you with a chance to ask the interviewer more about a specific project or model of working. You might, for example, wish to ask about the systems they have in place to facilitate multi-agency working.

Know at least 3 strong reasons about why you want to work at the company. You could discuss their vision, products, the people, the career opportunities, and the culture.

Discuss stories of how you've progressed over the years to achieve success. People relate best to stories.

I have not personally used your commercial services; however, I have friends who have used The Activist Investor for their business needs and their reviews were always positive!

I have been a customer of The Activist Investor before, yes! The services I used were A, B, and C. My experience here was very comfortable and everyone was professional. This is one of the reasons why I applied for this role. I want to work for a company that has high standards and I know first hand that you do!

☛ Do you feel you can be objective in counseling a teen about abortion?

☛ What do you think of the welfare system?

☛ What do you think of the recent welfare changes?

☛ What are your thoughts on managed care?

☛ What techniques do you use in crisis intervention work?

☛ How would you handle a psychotic outburst in the clinic waiting room?

☛ In terms of family therapy, what is your theoretical orientation?

☛ Are you prepared to make home visits?

☛ What are the risk assessment/signs of abuse/neglect?

You should give a relevant example and be concise and clear in your answer, focusing on the actions you took and the resulting outcomes. A strong answer will demonstrate your understanding of child protection issues, show you know the desired outcomes from the case and explain clearly the actions you took. Practice using the Star (situation, task, action, result) technique when answering questions like this.

This question is designed to see whether you can motivate others and help achieve a positive attitude. Explain how you motivate others and what you do to determine what motivates them.

Be as open as possible and remember that everybody learns in different ways. There is no textbook answer, but be ready with two or three examples and show how a particular activity or course helped with your CPD. Crucially, employers are looking for an indication of how your CPD has broadened your skill set and how this is of benefit to the role.

State a business case to your manager / leader as to why you need the tools and make the request for them.

☛ This position requires a lot of independent thinking and initiative. There is minimal supervision. Could you handle that?

☛ Would you rather draw up plans and design a program or be responsible for implementing a program? Why?

☛ How would your weaknesses interfere with your ability to do this job?

☛ What kinds of problems do you like to handle? Can you give me an example.

☛ What do you think is going to happen in the field in the next five years?

☛ Are you a member of any professional organizations?

☛ Are you sensitive? Are you intuitive?

☛ Are you an active listener? Are you able to engage clients?

☛ How do you describe your personal boundaries?

☛ What kinds of things go into a psychological assessment?

☛ Do you believe in short term or long-term treatment?

☛ How do you handle termination?

☛ Think of a client you have liked/disliked and tell me how you dealt with the counter transference issues.

Last year I made a recommendation for our office to incorporate a recycling program. We were going through a lot of single-use coffee pods. It bothered me how wasteful it all seemed. I presented a spreadsheet to my supervisor comparing the single-use pods vs. investing in a built-in coffee machine. The savings over 2 years were significant and my boss has now presented my idea to our head office. It feels nice to be heard in the workplace so I continue to keep my eyes out for opportunities for process improvements.

We all have difficult decisions in our lives. Show how you were able to arrive at it and then how you decisively acted.

If your dreams don't relate to the job closely, make sure you highlight aspects of the job that will help develop the skills that will help you with your dreams. Ideally, you want your dreams to relate strongly to the career path you're interviewing for though.

Your interviewer will be looking for an answer that shows you can work in a timely fashion with an evidence-based approach. You should emphasise your understanding of meeting legal requirements and draw on relevant examples of successful case recording.