Although the role of a support worker is a rewarding role (just take a look at our day in the life blog to find out more) it can also be challenging and demanding. As with any job, you’ll be expected to interview and asked a series of questions to determine your suitability to the role.

Should you find a support worker job on our website and Sbe lucky enough to bag yourself a  job interview, then you’ll want to ensure that you are prepared. To help you we have put together a list of the three most common interview questions that are asked at supporter worker interviews in care homes, day centres and school and how you should answer. 

What can you bring to this Support Worker Position?

This is a great question which gives you the opportunity to speak openly and transparently about your skills and experiences. With this question, you need to be confident and showcase your varied experience and knowledge you have gained from previous experiences.

Skills the interviewer will be looking for include: 

• Ability to communicate clearly and sensitively with vulnerable people and their families

• Good listening skills

• Good problem-solving abilities

• Time management 

• A high level of patience and emotional resilience

Be sure to link your skills and experiences together for example, if you reference time management as a skill, talk about a time where you put this skill into practice. 

Can you tell me about a stressful experience that you have had and how you handled it?

Again, what interviewers are most keen to find out about is your experience. This question is designed to discover how you cope under pressure and allows the hiring manager to assess how you may cope in tough situations. 

So, have a think about a time that has been particularly challenging and how you overcome it. The key here is to focus on the positive rather than the negative so, briefly describe the issue and then switch your attention to the solution!  

Describe how you would assess a service users’ needs and abilities?

Your day-to-day role as a support worker involves you advising and assessing service users’ needs and abilities. For this question, you’ll want to discuss how you will support the service user while allowing them to retain and gain independence. You must also use your answer to demonstrate that you are able to take note in the correct way when service users’ refuse treatment or activity plans.

Of course, this isn’t an extensive list of questions and there are many others that you are also likely to be asked. For more interview tips and tricks and help finding support worker jobs near you, get in touch or send your CV today. 

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