Getting interview ready
Know what you are after in a worker, what ideals are negotiable and what are not. Be empowered in the knowledge you’re offering a mutually amazing opportunity that supports life and giving.
Remember the questions you ask, you design with the intention of finding the type of match your after, so have a purpose for every question on your list. I start with a quality I’m after and put it on my master list to prompt me at the interview, and frame a scenario or question that reveals a discovery of who is in front of me around it.
At the bottom of this page in the link to what makes a great support worker and skills check list for interviews, there are lot of qualities to work from there and a check lists of ideas. Here it is about how to ask the right type of question to reveal if the candidate has the qualities you need.
Interview styles are personal of course, but should generally follow a structure so you don’t forget in the moment what you need to ask. Having a question list to follow will help you have a space to jot down notes for reference later and compare candidates in a similar way, written lists keep focus on the skills you need for the position.
You want applicants to tell and demonstrate in their feedback what they have to bring to the table and their skills, so asking open questions will support you to discover who is in front of you and leave little room for a yes no situation. Remember that asking questions about age, race, religion, marital status etc. is discriminatory so care is needed and a second set of eyes to run over your questions before you start is vital.
Asking what why or how creates open questions, they are communication starters. Asking the candidate to explain an experience or how they felt about a situation will give you insight into them as a person. Enquire a little, give them some what if scenarios… so they can tell you how they would deal with a situation, (i.e. how would you approach a situation where there is no good outcome?) it can be unrelated to the job, but shines light on the type of person they may be or how they behave under stress or pressure.
Other things you could consider asking to find what type of person you’re interviewing are-
How do you show and deal with stress, praise, or public humiliation? What are your personal interests, leisure pursuits, what was the best job or part of a job you ever had and why, what’s your dream job and why? What future plans do you have for your career and how do you see that being supported in this job if at all.
Providing a stress free environment is going to help everyone, so giving applicants a list of your questions to consider before you start allows space and time to consider answers without pressure, this is proven as supportive for more introverted people.
Look listen and feel the response from your applicants and remember stay on track, sometimes you might enjoy the personality and the engagement the interview brings but that does not make the person necessarily the right fit for the job so stick to your questions and interview procedure. A point to remember also is the importance of naming and discussing the less desirable aspects to the job position, this upfront honest approach really helps find a keeper with the grit you often need and well the others will possibly run for the hills, it’s ok this work is not for everyone.
Recruitment needs to be a clear and quick process that enables you to engage great workers. Let applicants know the next step and expected time frame i.e. I will be going over these in the next few days and will be in touch within X (amount of) working days or sooner, and thank them, interviews can be nerve racking for some people and they take effort. I recommend to call back the top 5 applicants and ask if I can retain their information for future use should a position become available.
Also see what makes a great support worker for qualities, prompts and ideals you may be after to create your interview questions and skills check list for interviews.