Interview Tips and Suggestions

Interviewing for your field site in many ways will mirror a professional job interview and in other ways it will not.

First, it is important to remember that you are interviewing the agency and field instructor much as they are interviewing you, therefore, make sure to bring your questions. It is important to do your research first, check out the agency on the web, ask students and faculty if they know about the site. Utilize our university's resources around interviewing tips. There are many things to consider when you are at an interview, comfort of the people you are interacting with, culture of the agency, experience with students and vision of what the agency and field instructor feel students can bring to the agency.

The interview might be relaxed and somewhat informal or formal, when scheduling your interview ask about the interview structure, who you will be interviewing with and if there is anything you need to bring or be prepared to address. Sometimes during an interview you may have an opportunity to tour the agency and meet other staff and possibly clients, which is fine and often very helpful in the decision making process. You may also have the option of shadowing at the agency, either before or after you interview. This is an effect way to see the agency in a different light and one that may be very helpful and beneficial.

• How do I schedule an interview

  • Once you have been enrolled in the Blackboard course you will obtain a list of prospective agencies and contact persons, select 3 agencies with which you will want to interview, contact the agency representative and schedule your interview.

• Important Tip

  • Write down the name of the person you are interviewing with, time, location, phone number, and agency main number etc, incase you get lost or delayed. If something goes wrong and you miss your interview, immediately contact the person, apologize, explain the situation and reschedule.

• What should I wear

  • Most agencies do not require a suit - dress in business casual

• What should I bring

  • A copy of your résumé and the Field Application

Suggested Questions

Here are some helpful questions for your interview:

• What is a typical day like for a student?
• What kinds of tasks and activities will I be engaged in?
• What are the primary services offered and population serviced?
• What is your (Field Instructor's) supervision style?
• What are your (Field Instructor's) expectations for a student?
• How independent can I (student) be in this agency?
• Given that our program emphasizes generalist practice which is grounded in a multi-level service approach, what are my (student) opportunities to work with individuals, families, groups, neighborhood, communities, the organization and larger society?