Social Welfare Candidates
The following is a list of typical questions that you might be asked during an employment interview. Read through the questions and prepare appropriate answers that reflect your experiences and knowledge. To gain further practice with interviewing, contact the University Career Center for a mock interview.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you choose social work as your career?
- What do you want to accomplish in your profession?
- Why should I hire you?
- What makes a good listener?
- What factors combine to make a successful social worker?
- What personal qualities do you have that will make you a successful social worker?
- What did you like best about your practicum experience?
- What did you like least about your practicum experience?
- Describe your overall strengths.
- Describe your overall weaknesses.
- What is your frame of reference for social work practice?
- What do you see as some of the current trends in social work?
- Can you give me some examples of how you've been creative in your work?
- What is the most frustrating experience you have had as a social worker and how did you handle it?
- What would be your ideal job?
- Tell me about a time when you made a positive impact on someone.
- What type of clients do you relate to the best? The least?
- How do you keep up with new developments in the field of social work?
- As you look back on your life, what accomplishment do you take the most pride in?
- How do you evaluate a client's progress?
- If I were to ask several of your friends to describe you, what kinds of things would they tell me?
- What required activity related to your job do you regard as the biggest time waster? How would you change it if you could?
- Describe a situation in which you had to work with a client you did not like. How did you handle it?
- Can you tell me what is unique about the strengths perspective and how you have used it with clients?
- Describe a major problem at work you have faced. Tell me your method of dealing with it.
- How do you determine your priorities at work?
- Define commitment to task. Describe an event in a job or your practicum in which you were totally committed to task.
- What are some things that motivate you?
- Tell me about a time when you had to confront an irate client or client's family member. How did you handle the situation.
- Is there anything I have not asked you about during the interview that you would like to bring up?
- Do you have any questions for me?
The following is a list of typical questions that you might be asked during an employment interview for a teaching position. Read through the questions and prepare appropriate answers that reflect your experiences and knowledge. Be sure to include specific examples from "real life" experiences in the classroom in your answers.
- Tell me about yourself.
- What influenced you the most to become a teacher? Why did you choose education as your career?
- How have your past experiences prepared you for teaching?
- Why do you want to teach?
- What do you enjoy most about working with kids?
- What do you like least about working with kids?
- Tell me about your student teaching/internship experience(s). What was most effective for you? What kind of problems did you have and how did you resolve them?
- What classroom management techniques did you use? How effective have they been for you?
- How do you handle discipline problems? What is the toughest aspect of discipline?
- How would you handle a student who is a consistent behavioral problem in your class?
- How do you keep students on task?
- How would you handle a student who refuses to work in your class or do what you ask?
- A student is consistently late to your class. How do you handle the situation?
- Some of your students always finish their assignments early. How would you deal with the free time that they have?
- What do you feel are the most important things students should learn in your classroom (at your grade level, subject area)?
- Describe an ideal classroom.
- Describe a teaching strategy you used to maximize the learning potential of all students.
- How do you conduct a lesson? Describe the components of an effective lesson plan.
- Do you believe in detailed lesson plans? How do you use lesson plans?
- Define cooperative learning and give an example of how you have used it.
- What curriculum materials have you developed?
- How do you individualize your teaching?
- Would you rather teach the slow learner or the advanced learner? Why?
- How do you teach to low achievers?
- How would you work with a mainstreamed learning disabled student?
- How do you handle the different ability levels of students? How would you help a student who is having difficulty?
- How would you work with students who perform below grade level?
- How do you personally feel students learn?
- How do you motivate students? What are several effective ways to motivate students toward active participation in the learning process?
- How do you reinforce major concepts or ideas that you want students to learn?
- How do you provide feedback to students about how they are doing?
- How will you determine if students are learning? What evaluation techniques do you use?
- How have you used (or would you use) paid aides in your classroom?
- How did you involve parents in the learning process?
- What is your philosophy of teaching?
- What abilities are common to good teaching?
- What are the three most important strengths you possess that will make you a successful teacher?
- Give me one to two examples of things that you discovered while student teaching which you would like to improve.
- What kind of relationship do you have with your students?
- How would your students describe you?
- What type of learning environment do you try to create?
- How do you reinforce self-esteem in students?
- Describe your ability to listen and be responsive.
- Are you the kind of person people (or children) confide in?
- How do you make students feel at ease around you, while still respecting you?
- How do you show your students that you understand them and their frustrations? Why is it important for a teacher to do this?
- Through your teaching, do you think students can be changed?
- Is it appropriate to tell your class that you are angry with them?
- What do you expect from your supervisor? What qualities would you like to have in your principal.
- What issues in education are of greatest concern to you, and why?
- What is the toughest aspect of teaching today? What are some of the greatest challenges of being an educator?
- What is the most exciting event happening in your area of education today?
- What have you read in the last six months or year?
- Do you plan to continue your education?
- What do you plan to be doing in five years? What are your career goals?
- What do you want to accomplish in your profession?
- How successful do you feel you will be as a teacher?
- Why should this district hire you?
- What things about yourself would you like to bring out that have not been brought out in the interview?
- What questions do you have that I may be able to answer?
Pre-Med Questions
Knowledge of Medical Career Choice
- What made you decide to choose medicine as a career choice? What influenced and stimulated your desire to go into medicine?
- Share your specific aspirations and goals in medicine?
- What efforts have you made to become aware of the field of medicine and specifically what is required of a physician?
- What role would you play as a physician in your community?
- Staying current in your particular field of medicine is very important. How would you be able to accomplish this if you are not near a medical teaching facility?
Current Medical Issues
- What are the strong aspects of a national health plan? What do you see as the weakness or potential problem in such a plan?
- Would you consider joining a HMO? What would be the draw back of this decision? What would be the positive aspects?
- How is the individual patient affected by the technological advances in medicine?
- Would is the greatest medical problem facing America in the next decade, century, or in the future?
- Would effect would socialized medicine have on a physician?
Medical Practitioner
- Describe the problems a physician might have with maintaining a strong and healthy marriage. What could be done to minimize these problems?
- In what ways could a physician be involved in community affairs?
- Do you believe patients today are more or less confident in their physician?
- Should a physician ignore his or her emotions in dealing with a patient? Explain.
- What experience have you had with real life trauma or prolonged illness?
Medical Ethics
- How would you handle a patient who had offensive and unsanitary habits?
- Why are you interested in spending each day seeing unhealthy people?
- What are your attitudes toward being around people who have contagious diseases?
- What would be your feeling toward a patient who does not take good care of him/herself such as poor diet, not taking medicine, alcohol or drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, etc.?
Dealing with Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- What approach would you take if you were dealing with a patient that was intoxicated?
- How would you handle an elderly arthritis sufferer if he or she used intoxicants excessively?
Dealing with Death and Dying
- How would you handle a terminally ill child?
- What would be your course of action with the family of a dying patient?
- How would you proceed if a patient with a terminal affliction declines treatment or medication for a separate ailment?
- What are your attitudes regarding death?
- How do you think making life and death decisions affect a physician?
Dealing with Sensitive Issues
- How would you handle a suspected child abuse situation?
- Should abortion be used as a method of birth control? Under what exceptions would you modify your view?
- What would be your attitude towards aborting a severely retarded, malformed or physically deformed fetus?
- How would you proceed after taking a patient’s history and you suspect that their primary difficulty is psychosomatic?
- If a couple wanted a permanent solution to sterilization, how would you advise them? Who do you feel should take responsibility to be sterilized, the man or the woman?
Personal Attributes
Intelligence, Astuteness, and Thoughtfulness
- Why do you think that the MCAT is given and do you think that the scores indicate how a student will perform in medical school?
- What attributes of you have that make you confident that you will be successful in medical school?
- Did you have a semester or two that were more difficult than others? Explain.
- What do you expect to be the most essential element of a medical education?
- As you see it, what will be the most challenging or negative aspect about a medical education?
Goal Oriented, Self Directed, and Career Planning
- Describe your ideal practice 20 years from now. (Be realistic and base insight on current medical trends, as well as your own desires.)
- If you are not accepted into medical school, what will be your course of action?
- What part of college life would you change? Why? (Be careful and avoid telling negative behavior, habits, or mistakes.)
- Looking at your background, is there a reason you did not pursue a graduate degree? (Be careful on this one. Many interviewers are also researchers.)
- How are you going to decide between medical schools if you are accepted to several schools? (Be as informed as possible as to the differences between schools. Also you will want to avoid comments that rate the schools against each other.)
Sense of Curiosity, Inquisitiveness, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking
- What is the main reason(s) you choose medicine over other career fields?
- Did you find research interesting or tedious? Why? What benefits did you get from your research experience?
- What did you gain from your clinical and/or hospital experience (very important, think this one out thoroughly)
- How do you keep up with current events on the (local, state and/or national) level? What has captured your attention recently?
- Once a physician, do you think that you would be interested in research? Why or why not?
Depth of Character, Sincerity, Integrity, Stability, Steadfastness
- How confident are you that you will be successful in medical school and later as a physician? Explain your response.
- Describe the ideal person to work for. (This is another way to probe for your values and work ethic.)
- When you are under stress and pressure, how do you react? What activity or action do you take to manage stress?
- How do you feel about physicians being evaluated by their peers?
- What would you do if you observed a physician who was impaired physically, mentally, or emotionally? (An ethical question that requires a thoughtful response.)
Personality, Characteristics, Relationships, Activities, Entertainment Interests
- Tell us about your (mother, father, brothers, sisters, best friend, or most significant adult in your life.) Take some time to develop what you would say about the most influential person in your life. What contribution did they make to your academic success, happiness, goal setting, accomplishments in school/sports, attitudes, values, ect.? If the person selected represents a negative influence, tell how the situation made you stronger, more determined not to do the same, helped you to be more understanding, ect.
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a part of a large family? Where did you come in line? Was this a good position for you? Why or why not? (Or if you are an only child, what were the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child?)
- When someone confides a problem to you, what do you suggest or do to help them. (Have you developed the ability to listen and be helpful to others?)
- Have you considered how you are going to cope with the stress of medical school and the demands of a significant other or family?
- If given the choice would you rather work independently or as a team? Why?
Education Problems: Low MCAT, Gaps in Educational Process, Major Changes
- What types of academic problems have you had?
- Among your college courses which ones gave you the most trouble? How do you account for that? (If you had trouble with science courses, then you need a very strong argument, as the first two years of medical school concentrate on science!)
- Explain what you think influenced your low score on the (verbal reasoning, physical or biological science) portion of the MCAT.
- Did you work while you were in college? Why, for financial survival, to have spending money, to join a fraternity/sorority, to pay debts, to get married, ect. How did this affect your GPA?
- What is more reflective of your ability, your MCAT or your GPA? Why? (This question is often asked when there is a real discrepancy between the two.)
Planned Career Choice, Preparedness
- What was the major reason for selecting this school for your medical school training?
- Are you interested in practicing under served, rural, or isolated communities? (Be honest, however ponder this carefully.) Why or why not?
- What are your explicit objectives for pursuing a medical career?
- Have you considered how you are going to finance your medical education> (Be aware of the financial aid available at this school. Few medical students are able to work while going to school.)
- Have you interviewed at other medical schools? Which one(s)? What was your impression of X school? (Stay positive about all schools; however, let the interviewer know how impressed you are with this particular school.)
Pre-Optometry Questions
- Why do you want to be an optometrist?
- Why did you decide Optometry is the career choice for you? Any inspirations?
- What is it about the college / city that interest you?
- In your own words, what does it mean to be an optometrist?
- What career goals do you have once you obtain your professional degree?
- What volunteer work have you completed?
- What personality traits do you feel are most important for optometrists to possess?
- Describe your family. What activities have you been involved in that have allowed you to gain leadership experience?
- What is professionalism?
- What has been your most difficult course, Why?
- What had been your most enjoyable course, Why?
- What are the different methods of practice (practice settings) available to optometrists (i.e. Private, group, commercial, armed forces, hospital, etc)
- What is the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist?
- Are you familiar with the laws optometrists are required to follow in your home state and in the state of the college? (i.e. med allowed, liberal vs. modern states)
- Do you believe you are prepared to handle a vigorous school schedule?
- Approximately how many credit hours have you averaged per semester and have you held a job while in school?
- If so, how many hours a week have you worked at this job?
- What is the daily routine of an optometrist?
- What organizations have you been involved in? Any offices held?
- What awards have you achieved?
- Be prepared for theoretical questions. For example, you might be put in a theoretical situation and, based on you values and judgment, decide the best answer to the question.
- Who is your mentor? Why?
- What are main issues the US must resolve?
Physical Therapy Questions
- Tell us about yourself.
- How did you become interested in Physical Therapy? Was there an event in your personal life that directed you toward physical therapy as a profession?
- Where did you do your observation and why?
- Where do you see yourself in the future?
- What do you see as the dichotomy between social work and physical therapy?
- What is a Physical Therapy Assistant?
- How would you deal with a patient who is not doing their exercises?
- How would you handle a situation if you disliked a patient? Do you think patients receive quality care regardless of the physical therapist's feelings?
- Have you applied to any other schools or graduate programs?
- What will you do if you are not admitted to this program?
- What do you think will be upcoming issues in the field of physical therapy?
- Rank your self-confidence on a scale of 1 to 10. Rank your self-esteem.
- What is your view toward continuing education? Should it be required for re-certification? If so, how much? Who should pay?