Whether you’re considering Personal Support Worker (PSW) training, or you’ve already begun your program, one thing is for sure—after graduation, you’ll need to find a job. Finding job listings that you’re interested in once you’ve completed your courses may be simple, but actually passing interviews and impressing hiring managers in order to land your dream job could be a little trickier.
It’s quite common to be nervous about sitting down for a job interview, since these basically consist of a hiring manager assessing whether you are a good fit for the available position. However, if you have the practical skills and knowledge needed for the job, and you can communicate to the interviewer how these make you an ideal candidate, you shouldn’t have any reason to be nervous!
A quality PSW training program can provide you with the knowledge you need to stand out in a sea of other applicants. Read on to learn 4 ways you can ace your interviews once you begin your job search.
1. Research the Employer Before Your Interview
Show your enthusiasm for the position by researching your potential employer beforehand, especially since the hiring manager may ask you what you know about the company or organization. If you can provide a detailed answer, then it will be clear that you’ve taken the time and effort to do your research. Browse their website to find out what makes them unique. They may have received an award for the quality of their care, for example, and you could cite this award as a reason for wanting to work for them.
Researching the employer online before your interview shows enthusiasm for the position
2. Practice Answering Common Interview Questions with a Friend
Once you know a little about the employer, you can begin preparing thoughtful answers to common interview questions. Have a friend or family member help you with this part of your preparation by asking questions you’ll likely need to answer in your interviews. “Why do you want to work here?” is one you’ll probably hear. For that particular question, think about why you may be considering working as a PSW right now, and how the agency or organization you are applying to work for may help you achieve your professional goals. Perhaps it’s because you want a career where you can help people, or because you think of yourself as a friendly and sociable person.
Other questions may be more specific and while you can’t predict all of them, you can certainly draw from the knowledge you’ll gain throughout your training to answer them.
3. Hiring Managers Seek PSWs With Excellent Communication Skills
During PSW training, you’ll learn that a big part of your role as a PSW will be to provide emotional support to patients and their families. In fact, you may be considering a career as a PSW because you want to put your natural ability to connect with people to use in your job. Since communication skills are a key job requirement, hiring managers will be looking to see those skills on display during the interview. You can show that you are an effective communicator by answering questions clearly and concisely, as well as through active listening. Active listening refers to paying close attention to what is being said to you and responding with answers that are specific rather than generic.
You’ll learn how good communication skills can help you become a better personal support worker
4. Highlight the Skills You Learned in Your PSW Program—And Be Specific!
You will have already completed your PSW program by time you get to the interview stage and this will be indicated in your resume. It’s important to build from what’s listed on your resume when you’re discussing your skills, knowledge and achievements with a hiring manager. Go into detail about what you’ve learned in your program and the skills you gained that will help you on the job. For example, if you are applying for a job at a nursing home, where you may be working with patients who have limited mobility and are taking multiple medications, you could highlight what you learned about bedside care or administering medications in your training.
Are you interested in pursuing a rewarding career that allows you to help others?
Contact Oxford College to learn more about our personal support worker course.