Confidence In Interviews

Successes One area that I feel confident in is the introduction for interviews. We have practiced the introductions several times with different interviews, so it is understandable why I feel I have that mastered. One area specifically within the introductions that I feel confident in is the confidentiality agreement. Another area that I feel I have grown in is the knowledge of asking questions. In the beginning of the class when Professor Ball would be the client and every student was the social worker, I had trouble formulating questions to ask. As we progressed and practiced more, I became more confident in asking questions. Also, Professor Ball explained it as simply having a conversation with someone and wanting to know more and delve …show more content…
I find it most difficult because I tended to rush the ending as I knew that I was almost done. That was mainly because of nerves, but also the fact that I have to summarize everything the client and I talked about, and the goals the client wants to address. Another area that I need to improve on is asking open ended questions. In the beginning of my interviews, I would ask open ended questions, but as the time went on, I would quickly switch to asking close ended questions simply because I am used to asking those questions in a normal conversation. With time and practice, asking open ended questions will come easier. Using reflective statements is still uncomfortable for me because I am not used to repeating what someone says directly after they say it. I understand how it portrays active listening, but I am still not used to using those statements. From my second interview, I barely used reflective statements, but during my last interview, I earned full points because I have had practice using reflective statements. With time and more practice, reflective statements will become a norm for me. Lastly, another area of improvement that I need to work on is slowing down when talking. When doing the interviews, I was extremely nervous so my nerves kicked in which caused me to speak at a fast pace. My classmates recognized that and gave me advice on slowing down when holding an …show more content…
For example, a few of my classmates recognized that my client in my second interview was not being cooperative as she did not open up as much. My classmates wrote that I did an exceptional job at keeping the flow of the interview even though she did not cooperate. As I have had practice with interviews, I have learned how to ask more questions relating to the topic. One area of improvement with asking questions, is learning how to become accustomed to asking open ended questions. I am so familiar with asking close ended questions, that open ended questions take time and practice to master. One strength that I have attained with practice is learning how to maintain a genuine voice and be respectful to the client. Both Professor Ball and my classmates gave me feedback explaining how I was respectful and had a genuine voice throughout the entire interview. Another area that I need more practice with is the miracle question. In my feedback section, Professor Ball told me that I needed to slow down and paint a better picture for my client so they truly can picture a miracle happening. I agree with Professor Ball when she made that comment as I felt that I rushed the miracle question and I did not word it the best possible way that I could have. However, with more practice, I will be able to learn how to master the miracle question while slowing down when speaking. Overall, looking back