Care Support Worker Interview Questions to Ask Candidates

Looking for reliable care staff to join your team is far from straightforward – there are several different stages of the process and many moving parts.

With recruitment and retention such key concerns in the sector, it’s important to source potential new hires in the right way. There are many articles in the Click Community covering best practices for this – for example, Five tips that can transform your staff recruitment and retention.

In this article, we’ll cover the interview part of the recruitment process. What are some of the best questions to ask that will help you find candidates with the right values?

There are so many questions you could ask – too many to include in just one article. We have chosen ten below that are particularly relevant and useful, but that does not mean these are the only questions we recommend asking.

There are several common questions excluded from the list below, such as:

• What do you see as the role of a care support worker?
• Can you give me an example of a time when you worked as a team?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Of course, there are also questions you can ask about the specifics of a candidate’s CV, or any of their qualifications, such as their Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care or equivalent.

These are all relevant and valid questions, but in the list below, we have selected some of the most tried and trusted ones. These tend to initiate useful conversations during an interview and work well for the sector.

Why have you chosen this profession?

This question helps you to understand the candidate’s motivation and dedication. It is a useful interview question as part of value based recruitment.

To provide high-quality care and service to patients, new hires need to have not only the right competencies, but the right core values. Care support work requires building a strong rapport with both patients and colleagues, so it’s important to recruit people who want the role for the right reasons.

Good answers from candidates should illustrate their passion and commitment for the profession, ideally giving relevant examples from previous work or life experiences.

What does person centred care mean to you?

Person centred care improves care outcomes. A person who receives care tailored to their needs, preferences, and abilities is more likely to have better health, wellbeing, and quality of life.

To provide such comprehensive and compassionate support in health and social care settings, staff need to apply person centred values in their day-to-day work.

The best answers will provide examples based on some of the eight values that support person centred care. These are: individuality, independence, privacy, partnership, choice, dignity, respect, and rights.

What experience do you have of providing support for diverse needs?

Building on the previous questions, this one also encourages candidates to demonstrate their understanding of person centred care.

This time, more specifically, it’s an opportunity for them to give any relevant examples they have of tailoring their approach to different needs. These could be varied physical disabilities or mental health issues.

Those without prior experience in health or social care settings can still answer this question – by explaining relatable examples from other roles and their personal lives, or detailing transferable skills.

How do you treat patients with dignity and respect?

Asking candidates about privacy and dignity in care is an opportunity to further explore their values and commitment to duty of care.

How do they maintain privacy and dignity in everyday practice? How do they support individuals to make choices and participate actively in their care?

Crucially, do they understand the importance of confidentiality and know when it is appropriate to share sensitive information?

What do you do if a patient is resistant to care, upset or confused?

This question is a chance to discuss best practices when staff cannot follow the care plan as intended.

It helps to assess candidates’ emotional intelligence and ability to prioritise people’s well-being while managing disagreements, or even their conflict resolution skills.

Another similar way of asking this question, in particular for those with little to no prior experience in health or social care, is: “What do you do if someone does not want help from you?”

What is your experience with safeguarding policies?

A question about safeguarding adults is an important part of a care support worker interview.

Candidates should show a good understanding of their role and responsibilities in protecting people, as well as a strong awareness of their vulnerabilities and risks they face.

Specific knowledge could include familiarity with whistleblowing policies and relevant legislation, such as the Care Act 2014 and the Health and Care Act 2022.

How do you manage stress?

Naturally, resilience is an important quality for any care support worker to have. This question explores the candidate’s ability to cope with the emotional and physical demands of care work.

Do they have any specific coping strategies when times are tough? Are they mentally prepared for the role?

Alternatively, you could ask: “How well do you work under pressure?” It’s a similar question, but with less focus on coping strategies and more on achieving objectives in stressful situations.

Tell me about a challenge you faced at work and how you managed it

This is a common behavioural interview question to help assess problem-solving, adaptability, teamwork and leadership.

It doesn’t have to be a care-focused question. Interviewees with prior experience in other sectors might describe relevant or relatable situations involving conflict resolution or handling complaints, for example.

For a more care-specific version of this question, you could ask: “Tell me about an urgent situation or emergency you have handled in care.”

What would you do if…?

In contrast to the previous question, this version is scenario-based or situational. You can present the candidate with a hypothetical problem and ask how they would handle it.

For instance: “What would you do if you are providing care and notice that the patient’s personal care plan conflicts with their cultural or religious preferences (for example, regarding food or physical touch)? How would you ensure the care you provide is respectful and appropriate?”

Try not to ask too many situational questions though. In value based recruitment, behavioural questions tend to be more effective than scenario-based ones at identifying the right candidates.

Do you have any questions for me?

A good way to end any interview is by giving the candidate a chance to ask their own questions, if they haven’t had the opportunity already.

Their questions can reveal further insights into their values and priorities. Requesting additional information from the interviewer shows enthusiasm and suggests that they are still interested in the role.

In some cases, a candidate declining the opportunity to ask any questions could be a sign of disengagement.

Final thoughts

The questions above should encourage open conversations. However, if candidates’ answers to your questions are not detailed or insightful enough, probe for more information – one of the most effective follow-up questions is a simple: “Why?”

Again, this list is not exhaustive. It does not include questions you may want to ask that are specific to the particular role you are looking to fill – for example:

• Are you comfortable with monitoring a patient’s medication needs?
• How do you maintain client confidentiality and respect their privacy?
• How would you care for a patient who has Alzheimer’s?

With more than 250,000 vacant posts in health and adult social care, recruitment for the sector is a key challenge to address. However, quick fix approaches can lead to high turnover.

Just as a values-based candidate sourcing approach can help identify people with the right principles, asking the right questions in interviews also increases your chances of finding the best new hires.

PurpleCV provides professional CV writing and career coaching services, as well as a vast range of free resources for both hiring managers and candidates. A proud partner of The King’s Trust, we aim to give a helping hand to everyone making their next career move, no matter their background.

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