Social Worker Interview Questions & Answers

Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Emotional skills
• Interpersonal skills

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for social worker positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Communication skills

Why interviewers are interested in your communication skills:

Clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives. To provide effective help, social workers must be able to listen to and understand their clients’ needs.

Learn more about communication interview questions and how to answer them!

Emotional skills

Why interviewers are interested in your emotional skills:

Social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations. To develop strong relationships, they must have patience, compassion, and empathy for their clients.

Related: What Does a Community Liaison Do?

Interpersonal skills

Why interviewers are interested in your interpersonal skills:

Social workers need to be able to work with different groups of people. They need strong interpersonal skills to foster healthy and productive relationships with their clients and colleagues.

Related: What Does a Behavioral Scientist Do?

Organizational skills

Why interviewers are interested in your organizational skills:

Social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment.

Learn more about organizational interview questions and how to answer them!

Problem-solving skills

Why interviewers are interested in your problem-solving skills:

Social workers need to develop practical and innovative solutions to their clients’ problems.

Learn more about problem-solving interview questions and how to answer them!

(source: bls.gov)

Social Worker Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of Social Worker Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Social Worker Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. As a social worker, what target group would you like to work with?
2. What kind of clients are, based on your work experience most challenging to work with? Why?
3. How would you deal with an aggressive client?
4. Tell me how you would identify possible signs of abuse.
5. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment as a social worker?
6. Tell about the types of clients that you find most difficult to work with. Why?
7. Tell me about a time a client disagreed with your approach or plans. How did you resolve this disagreement?
8. What do you consider the most important aspect of managing the feeling and emotions of your clients?
9. Tell me more about the clients you find it most difficult to work with. Why?
10. What is your experience with making home visits to clients? Give me an example of how this has benefited your work.
11. Tell me how you go about building a strong relationship with your clients.
12. What approaches do you use for a crisis intervention?
13. Tell me about the most difficult client you ever had to work with. What made it difficult? How did you handle the situation?
14. Describe how you plan, organize, and prioritize your workday.
15. What has been your biggest disappointment as a social worker?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.