Interviews can be daunting no matter how prepared you feel for them or how many times you’ve been to one. But don’t worry, this post will help people like you who are going for an Adult Social Care interview to feel confident and to get the job that you’ve worked so hard for.
For an adult social care worker interview, there are several role-specific questions that may be asked. Interview preparation is key. It is a good idea that for each question, you use the STAR (situation, task, action, and result) method to back up every answer.
The questions that you will be asked, amongst general interview questions, will most likely centre around the 6C’s in social care, which underpins the Compassion in Practice strategy for nurses, midwives, and care staff, that was launched in December 2012.
CARE
Caring is the core of what adult social care workers do, defining them and their work. People receiving care expect it to be right for them, consistently, throughout every stage of their life. There are two parts to care: having the ability to want to help other people and wanting to make the quality of life as good as possible for those you are caring for, especially for those in a care home, who are in their last moments on earth.
The care that you give and the care they receive underpins everything that you do as a health and social care worker.
COMPASSION
Compassion is how care is given through relationships based on empathy, respect, and dignity – it can also be described as intelligent kindness and is central to how people perceive their care. Compassion and respect are essential for care workers, and it is vital that you understand that the role isn’t about you and how you feel, it is about those who are within your care.
By taking the time to understand each patient and to get to know them, you are not only increasing their quality of life, but for some patients, you are giving them good quality of life in their last moments too.
COMPETENCE
Competence means all those in caring roles must have the ability to understand an individual’s social needs and the expertise, clinical and technical knowledge to deliver effective care and treatments based on research and evidence.
As a social care assistant, it is vital that you are competent in what you do. Even if you do not have the required training yet, it is useful to draw on any past experiences that you have and skills you have built in any training you have had.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is central to successful caring relationships and to effective team working. Listening is as important as what we say and do and essential for ‘no decision about me without me’. Communication is the key to a good workplace with benefits for those in our care and staff alike.
How you communicate with doctors, nurses, care assistants, residents, etc., can make or break a situation and could lead to the wrong person getting the wrong type of care. You may also be asked how you’d communicate with those who are visually or hearing impaired, and how you’d use body language to reassure a patient for example.
COURAGE
Courage enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for, to speak up when we have concerns, and to have the personal strength and vision to innovate and embrace new ways of working.
It is important to be able to recognise and speak up if you see any signs of abuse, neglect, or safeguarding issues. This is so that you will be able to protect your patients from experiencing any issues and prevent them from further harm.
Safeguarding is huge with elderly and vulnerable people with learning disabilities, so it is vital that you know your safeguarding procedures and how you would recognise different types of safeguarding.
COMMITMENT
A commitment to our patients and populations is a cornerstone of what we do. We need to build on our commitment to improving the care and experience of our patients, take action to make this vision and strategy a reality for all, and meet the health, care and support challenges ahead.
You must be a very committed and dedicated person to be able to succeed in an adult social care role. You have to be committed to yourself, to your job, to your colleagues, to your patients, to your management, and just show that this is the job for you and show that you’re a dedicated team member.
Once you’ve prepared everything you need to for the interview, remember these two top tips which will make you really appealing to an employer and help with interview success:
– Show passion. You want to show that you’re doing this job because you love it and find it fulfilling.
– Be interested in the company and what they do. Doing your research before your interview will demonstrate your seriousness about the position and will go a long way in making a good impression.
Remember to breathe, smile, and make eye contact with the interviewer/s.
Good luck!
