Have you received an interview call for the role of Support Worker, or are you interviewing for this role? We have compiled the list of Support Worker Interview Questions and Answers, which will help you clear the interview or assess the candidates.
As a support worker, your responsibilities will be to help people in need, take care of their financial needs, help them find housing and job, provide food security, assist in taking medications, and much more.
Table of Contents
Support Worker Interview Questions
What is your educational background?
Tip: You can share the formal and informal education you have received, mention training, internships you have gone through. This question will check whether you are qualified to become a support worker.
How long have you been working in the support worker role?
Tip: This is a common question that will help the interviewer know your experience as a support worker.
Sample Answer: I worked for one year as a support worker and specialized in child education support.
Do you work well in a team/solo environment?
Tip: There is no correct answer to this question until you can justify why you work solo or in the team. Just be don’t be dishonest to the interviewer.
Sample Answer: I work best in a team environment. However, when needed, I can also deliver the results independently.
Why did you choose the profession in the field of healthcare?
Tip: The interviewer is trying to know your interest in the healthcare industry and if you know what you’re going to do after becoming a support worker.
Sample Answer: I chose this profession because helping people who cannot help themselves has always been my passion from childhood. I love making them happy with whatever little effort I make for them. I have seen many people being dependent on others for their needs, so I wanted to take the initiative in this field.
What are the qualities of a good team player?
Tip: The interviewer is trying to know your personality and the qualities that you possess.
Sample Answer: A good team player should be someone who can work in a collaborative environment, has excellent communication skills, willing to take the initiative beyond their comfort zone, and much more. In addition, they should have the ability to build meaningful relationships.
How do you balance your work and your personal life?
Tip: This is a situational question, so make sure to answer it with the experience you had in your personal life.
Sample Answer: I believe that everyone should maintain a work-life balance and not compromise on professional goals for personal pleasures. So when I was working as a support worker, I dedicated my time towards both of them. I always make sure to give time to my family and friends. Otherwise, I fear that it will harm my professional life.
What was the most challenging part of this job for you in the past?
Tip: The interviewer wants to know if you can handle the pressure and your ability to learn new things.
Sample Answer: I would say that scheduling and keeping track of all my daily tasks was quite tricky because I had a different job every shift, so it became hard to remember everything at once. However, I am pretty good at multi-tasking these days.
What is your most outstanding achievement in the past?
Tip: The interviewer wants to know about any experience you might have had that makes you ideal for this job.
Sample Answer: I would say my most outstanding achievement was when I helped an 85-year old patient with his daily chores and made him feel loved. I always try to make my clients happy as much as possible.
Recall a time a patient’s situation made you feel sad. What did you do?
Tip: The interviewer wants to know how you handle difficult situations and your ability to cope with them.
Sample Answer: When an angry patient made my work environment unpleasant, I just walked away from the situation because it is not worth reacting as anger can be contagious sometimes, which will impact the work environment. Instead, I listened to him patiently and tried to understand his point of view.
When have you shown a willingness to learn a new method or new approach to solving a problem?
Tip: The interviewer wants to know your learning skills and adaptability in new environments.
Sample Answer: I was working as a support worker, they taught me how to take care of an elderly patient who had dementia because it is not easy for the family members. So my employers trained me so well that now I can manage them on my own. I always try to learn new things to help me become a better person at work and outside.
What makes you a good fit for this position?
Tip: The interviewer is looking for reasons why you are a good match.
Sample Answer: I am a dedicated, honest, and patient person, which makes me a perfect fit for this job as I can take care of elderly patients with utmost dedication without any distraction from their surroundings. Also, it’s been my passion for helping people since the very beginning.
What is your greatest failure, and how did you overcome it?
Tip: The interviewer wants to know how you handle failure and if it impacts your performance.
Sample Answer: I would say that there was this one time when I stayed late at work, because of which I missed my bus home. I tried to take another bus, but they were all full, so instead, the manager offered to drop me home that day. It was a mistake, and I learned from it to never do such a thing in the future because it can also disturb other staff members when someone is late for work.
What are your salary expectations?
Tip: This is a question you should answer only after knowing your worth or if the company has already shared it with you.
Sample Answer: I am ready to accept the salary package which fits my qualifications and experience level. I want to be paid according to my work, not by considering me as an entry-level worker.
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Can we contact two references from your previous employment? Name them, please.
Tip: The interviewer wants to know if you are reliable and trustworthy.
Other Support Worker Interview Questions
Tell me about yourself?
Why did you choose to part ways with your last employer?
Share with me the time when you help someone outside your work?
Do you get attached to your patients?
What should be done to improve the health care system?
Did you work on the complex case, and how did you manage to have exceptional results?
Support Worker Salary
The average salary of a support worker is $15 to 25$ per hour.
Support Worker FAQ
What is a support worker?
A support worker is an individual who provides care for individuals who are unable to perform certain activities independently.
How is a support worker trained?
Support workers are required to complete 15 modules, one week of training, followed by 12 weeks of supervision, and some of the training they have to undergo are
- Health and Safety Awareness Training.
- Food Hygiene/Food Safety.
- Emergency First Aid at Work.
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults.
- Safeguarding Children.
- Manual Handling.
- Moving and Handling of People.
- Infection Prevention and Control.
Do support workers need a license to work?
Yes, support workers need a license, and they should renew a license to work as their license annually.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped prepare for your next support worker interview. If you have any support worker interview questions, please share them in the comments. Good luck with your interviews, and thank you for reading!