THE JOB INTERVIEW.....CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA

It must have been the child and youth care worker post advertising season just before this blog holiday. a sudden number of social media texts asked "what questions should I expect at a job interview?  The came the freezing of posts.....seems to be a pattern. Advertise, then freeze. But the question got the scribblings scribbling.

The job interview is but one part of the recruitment procedure. For the interviewee the most scary part, but be aware that a lot has been going on behind the scenes. A good advertisement has been very carefully drafted. Legally, it is the benchmark against which all applications are measured. Do you comply with the advertised requirements? If you have complied with every detail of the advertisement you then have a right to query why you were not appointed and the organisation must respond. Be sure to provide all the documentation requested. If to be certified be sure that they are certified within three months previous to submission.  CV's are very carefully interrogated and checked. References are traced,Your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts are also likely to be checked to see what your posts show about you. The finest detail in all of this may be the reason for you not being shortlisted or put at the bottom of the pile.

A word about your CV. The standard of presentation speaks for you in your absence.

Shortlisted? Good. Now for the scary part. The most usual interview approach seems now to use a set of agreed questions. These then get divided among the panel members.Your response to each question is then scored by each member of the panel. At the end, the ranked scores are added up and a final score is reached. Then, a panel grand score total is calculated.  A recommendation is made by each panel member based on the scores and some impressions they had of the candidate. Someone is usually given the task of putting all this together and coming up with the top three.  A final choice is made.

For me, the approach has it's pro's and con's. At one level it all sounds very objective and scientific and panel members don't have to do much to get an assessment. Set questions, set ranks for scoring. Numbers for people.People as numbers. At another level. How does a  panel get an idea of the very tool of child and youth are workers.....the self if questions don't probe at least a little into the unmeasurables. The what makes you tick? How you react as a result of your own child rearing experiences your own emotive and sensitive issues and personal issues. Religious  and sexual matters as they apply in professional practice....  cant really put a "score"to all of this. 

But, it does raise the question for candidates, What questions are usually asked? That is what texts in the social media asked.

But let us start again from a slightly different perspective. The physical self. You will be scored on appearance and personal presentation. The physical self does invariably create a first impression. Take care of the way you dress....modestly,... the way you sit, hold eye contact and your tone of voice.

Then in answering questions. try to be brief and to the point. Add what you have learnt for child and youth care in each of you previous work experiences ,

Now for the usual questions.

The panel will always try to set you at ease. First question. "tell us about yourself. Who is ........( your name)? 

Then you can expect among  the questions "What are the "Bathopele" principles? This is typically a Government type question. If this helps then here they are.

 Consultation. The client is consulted on the quality and level of professional service they can expect to receive.
Service Standards. The client is told of the level  and standards as in the above.
Access. equal access to all.
Courtesy. always
Information.full accurate information about entitlement to professional services.
Redress. appealing and redress. Remedy of complaints and positive response to complaints.
Value for money. proven economically available service and best possible efficiency and value for money.

One social media response was that she was asked for 5 of the codes of conduct and 5 requirements of the code of ethics These are available in the regulations for the registration of child and youth care workers. Go to the South African Council for Social Services web site.

Interview panels like asking why you applied to be appointed to that particular programme. Don't say because you are unemployed and looking for work. Don't say that you are not happy or satisfied where you are presently working. You can refer to being able to contribute because of what you have learnt at previous employment and you can refer to the possibility of a career pathway.

You will inevitably be asked what skills you will bring into the workplace for young people here?
What brought you to choose child and youth care work in the first place? .....please do't say the it is because you "love"children. Keep your answer professional.
 I really don't like the "knowledge questions when a child and youth care worker gets interviewed by a panel comprised mainly of people from other professions. But attempts are usually made, like "Name three rights of children and three responsibilities".  Name a theory that you would use in understanding child development and what does the theory set out.? Have you heard of Erikson....What is his theory?

A few cautions. Beware of bringing God into your professional interview. In the US based Dependable strengths programme  which is a programme of excellence in training people in successful job seeking, we were told that it usually does not pay to say "Because God sent me" Panels don't see God as a measurable against which to score your response. They will frequently think that your God given ministry can be fulfilled where you are presently employed... "Why here?"

A few other seemingly random but important points about the job interview. The trade union representative will be present. If the shp steward is in a supervisory/management position, it could be the shop steward. Otherwise it will be an external trade Union representative. Their presence is to assure that proper procedure is followed and that the final selection is "right".

There are some questions which may  not be asked and/or the answer to which may not be used in determining an an appointment. You can refuse to answer this type of question. Religious and political beliefs and affiliations, sexual and gender issues, body mass issues, ....anything which hints at possible discrimination.

Yes, the employment interview is scary. You can and should prepare. Find out as much as you can about the organisation/facility/programme to which you are applying. And... be prepared for the unexpected question. 

If posts become unfrozen, and you have applied already ...may it go well for you.