Interview Flashcards
time when you did the wrong thing
There was a time that I had overlooked the work email stating that one of our clients would be zooming into nighttime group that night. Well I had an engaging group activity planned for that night where people cut out paper from magazines and relayed their journeys on posterboard. I brought magazines, poster boards, markers, glue. If it was craftsy, I probably brought it. Everything was laid out. Suddenly, a tech brought a computer out and connected it to a tv and asked me if I’d read the email. I apologized, and said I hadn’t, then I apologized to the client on Zoom and asked if she had Microsoft Word. Luckily, they did, and expressed that they were willing to use it. So I told the group I was sorry, that we would still be doing the activity, and turned to the client and thanked them.
time when you were criticized
what is professionalism
Questions for them
- for those who find work, what qualities really stood out in the students who found success
- before we get off do you have any hesitation moving me forward?
I’m excited for this role, and it’s what I’ve been training for. Being that this would be a ‘career move’.. as I look to the future~ what opportunities for growth/development exist within the company?
What traits have you identified/seen in those who perform well in this role?
A time you overcame a challenge:
Situation: supervisor seemed to be working through their own problems while supervising. While I was being onboarded, a therapist walked in and asked if anyone was leading the current group, as it was a group time and members had assembled but there was no leader. This person turned to me and asked me to take over, which I did. And I did it successfully, although not easily. I took a minute to get my composure then went in and acted like it was my group. I actually kept that group.
Have you ever noticed a teammate doing something incorrectly? How did you handle that? (Ideally think of a time when you were able to discuss it with them and turn it into a learning opportunity)
There was an intern who led groups at Nashville Treatment Solutions. Word was going around that it was a little over-zealously religious in nature. Another therapist and I walked into the intern office and told him that we’d been hearing that there was a specific religious leaning in your groups. “I get it, because it’s interesting information, but we have to stay as inclusive as possible. So when referencing religious notions, it’s appropriate to either generalize them so that they’re inclusive, so that “God” is “Higher Power,” or you can draw from multiple if you’re trying to make a point related to spiritual practices.
Difficult Person
I knew I was there to help people. I really enjoyed/appreciated/got a lot of value from helping people. The role I was hired to do really resonated with me; however, my supervisor proved to be a challenge in that the schedule that I was offered versus the schedule I was expected to fulfill once I was in the role was very different, and the resources supporting our role was lacking without effort or attention paid to address it. Because of these things, I recognized that my care for the clients wasn’t at the caliber that it could’ve been. I brought this to her respectfully, I was assured that changes would be made. This assurance came many times over my tenure there in many different forms and yet was never followed through on. Even through navigating all this, I know that clients were helped.
People with different ideas
helping people navigate recovery. Everyone handles things differently and my counterpart felt very strongly about leading groups in a certain way. In time it came to light that many clients were at risk of leaving and therefore their recovery was at risk. SO I recognized this as an opportunity to share what I’d found that helps with groups in order for those clients to get the treatment they needed and still not rock the boat with my counterpart. I’d shared engaging group ideas that I could tell from leftover activity sheets that my counterpart started to use as well.
Time you failed
: I believe in learning lessons from mistakes (so is anything really a mistake?)/ if I’m learning a lesson is there actually failure? What I’d like to share about myself to answer this question is
From the very beginning of my studies at Vanderbilt, I strove to establish myself and earned the support of many leaders, including the dean.
It also happened that I was simultaneously battling addiction. A time came that I was not able to move forward and fulfill the requirements to complete my studies. For my wellbeing, I needed to get professional help, which I did with the support of these individuals, along with my family. Upon completing an outpatient program, I was accepted back into the school, again with the support of the dean and other professors. I cant say the journey was easy, but I persevered and officially earned my Master of Divinity December of last year. I am also __ to say that come February, I am four years sober.
Have you ever been in a situation where the whole group is confused and not sure what to do next? How did you work through that and what role did you play?
Members and I were blindfolded and sent through a maze that we had to feel our way around, intermittently noticing we’d reached a dead end and turning around, in search of the end. Gradually people would either get frustrated or go silent. It became very suspicious that group members were going silent. I was suddenly unsure if I’d heard the objective right and raised my hand. It turned out, the only was out of the maze was if people raised their hand to ask for help.
