General Interview Questions

Question 1

Outline what you would offer in a 3 hour training workshop to teaching staff in the early years of a mainstream school.

Answer 1

X1 hour on milestones, red flags, when to refer to SLT
X1 hour on speech sound development - with links to literacy
X1 hour on role playing to practise these interventions

Question 2

Name 3 formal paediatric assessments outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each one

Answer 2

TROG
DEAP
CELF

Question 3

How would you prioritise a case load?

Answer 3

Triaging system

Question 4

What is a good example of team working?

Answer 4

EAL child - Primary B.A.
Actively listen to colleagues
Build rapport

Question 5

Are you a leader or a follower?

Answer 5

iCafe
Leader - RCSLT stated without this care would not be high-quality
Follower - learn from seniors

Question 6

How do you work with someone you find difficult?

Answer 6

OT module

Question 7

How do you cope and respond to criticism?

Answer 7

Hearing difficulties
Cued articulation - Jane Passy

Question 8

How could you measure how effective your intervention with a patient has been?

Answer 8

TOMs
Caroline
Helps considers care pathways, costs and resources

Question 9

What are the 3 key things you learnt on your last clinical placement and how did you learn these?

Answer 9

1. Cranial nerves
2. Advocacy
3. Compensatory strategies over thickener

Question 10

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Answer 10

Additional training
Specialism
Mentoring other students

Question 11

What characteristics will you bring to the role and to the company?

Answer 11

1. Active listener - STAMMA
2. Resilience - back
3. Confidence - paeds placement

Question 12

What do you see as the benefits and challenges of working in the community?

Answer 12

Benefit - range of people
Challenge - range of knowledge, cribsheet

Question 13

What are your expectations of the role?

Answer 13

Working with preschool and primary school children
Independent working - assessment and intervention
Training staff

Question 14

Tell us about yourself and why this role

Answer 14

Final year MSc student
Strong interest in paeds

Question 15

Why do you want to be a SLT?

Answer 15

Trained as a primary school teacher
Enjoyed communication aspects
Bad behaviour

Question 16

Tell us why we should offer you this post?

Answer 16

Lots of child experience - nurseries, primary schools, tuition centres, Camp America
Proactive learner - evidence e.g. ASD projects
BSL

Question 17

Name a piece of work / placement task that went well and same for that did not go well?

Answer 17

Stroke unit
Non-speaking man
Brisbane - yes/no
Went away - communication passport

Question 18

Tell us about a time when you used your initiative?

Answer 18

Oromotor exam

Question 19

How would you deal with ‘tricky’ parents?

Answer 19

Acknowledge feelings
Send across therapy

Question 20

What is clinical governance and why is important in SLT?

Answer 20

Used to maintain and improve the quality of patient care
Audits, staff training

Question 21

Think of a time when you were trying therapy and it wasn’t working - how did you resolve this?

Answer 21

ADHD - break card

Question 22

What factors do you need to consider when designing goals?

Answer 22

SMART
Advocacy scripting

Question 23

How would you approach assessment differently for a 2 year old and a 4 year old?

Answer 23

Attention differences - 2 year old is single but 4 years is two channelled

Question 24

How would you answer a parent who asks at the end of a session ‘how many more sessions do they need?’

Answer 24

Depends on child
Therapy is more than one hour - at home

Question 25

What is the Bercow Report?

Answer 25

2008
Poor understanding and resources for children with speech, language and communication needs

Question 26

What are some common paeds interventions?

Answer 26

What’s in a bag - targeting speech sounds
Ready steady go - attention
Auditory discrimination - minimal pairs
Colourful Semantics - colour coding sentences
Blank levels - receptive

Question 27

What do you know about this company and the types of clients we serve?

Answer 27

London clinic in Marylebone
Offers one to one
Small groups
Whole class support (principles of a Communication Friendly Environment)
Formal training e.g. ELKAN, Talk Boost
Webinars

Question 28

What is the difference between independent and NHS?

Answer 28

NHS - free to the point of use
Independent - no limit on sessions
Lack of access
Eligibility
Long wait times
Sporadic support

Question 29

What is a session that you have really made an impact on?

Answer 29

LSVT
Group therapy - 6 weeks
Modelling - safe environment
Swallow Prompt
Baselines showed improvement for all 4 members
One member - increased participation re. phone calls