MSW Interview Questions and Tips: How to Prepare for a Master of Social Work Interview
Do MSW Programs Require Interviews?
If you’re applying to Master of Social Work programs, you may be wondering what to expect from an MSW interview and how to prepare. While many MSW programs rely mainly on personal statements, resumes, references, and transcripts, some schools also use interviews as part of the admissions process.
In this post, we’ll cover common MSW interview formats, how to prepare for your social work grad school interview, common MSW interview questions, mistakes to avoid, and tips for virtual interviews.
Why Do MSW Programs Use Interviews?
There are many reasons a program may choose to include an interview as part of the application process. Many of these reasons are similar to why schools require a personal statement as well, but the interview gives the schools a better opportunity to get a sense of who you are as an applicant.
One reason schools might utilize an interview process is to assess fit with that specific program. This can especially be the case for programs with a particular focus, such as a health-focused program, or one specializing in Indigenous perspectives or social justice. Interviews enable the school to get a much stronger sense of who you are as an applicant and if you align with what they are looking for in prospective graduate students.
Schools may also choose to require an interview to get a sense of applicants’ interpersonal skills, professionalism, and readiness for graduate studies. While a written personal statement can help highlight some of these, the interpersonal communication piece can be hard to assess through a written statement alone. Because social work is a field where communication is so important, schools may want to ensure that students have the skills to be successful in the field, before they even enter the program.
Lastly, a live interview gives applicants the opportunity to highlight their experience in a more personal way. This can be a benefit not only for applicants with experience in the field, but also for people who may be changing careers and have experience outside the field. Interviews allow you to explain why your experience has prepared you for the program, and also give you the chance to showcase your critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the process.
Common Interview Formats
Different schools might have a different process for how they conduct interviews. Some examples include:
One-on-one interviews with someone from the admissions committee
Panel interviews, where you are being interviewed by multiple members of the admissions committee
Group interviews, where there are multiple applicants interviewing at the same time
Structured interviews, with specific questions to answer, and sometimes a time limit for each question or the interview as a whole
Conversation-style interviews, where the interview itself may be less structured or there may be fewer specific questions to answer.
Although you may not know what format the interview will be until it starts, your preparation will probably look similar regardless. Below, I’ll provide a couple of tips for preparing for your MSW interview!
How to Prepare for an MSW Interview
Here are some general tips for preparing for your MSW interview:
Reflect on your personal and professional experience, whether you feel it’s relevant to the field or not. Doing this allows you to come up with some examples that you may be able to use to help you as you answer the interview questions. Highlighting a specific example or two allows you to “show” the interviewer how you align with the field or the program, instead of just “telling” them.
Review your resume and personal statement so you can expand on your experience or responses. Some interviewers may conduct your interview with your resume and/or personal statement handy. Reminding yourself what’s there ensures you can meaningfully elaborate on what you wrote.
Brainstorm some ideas for commonly asked interview questions. Although every MSW interview is different, most schools will ask a few similar questions centering around your fit with the program and the field of social work, as well as your relevant experience. Having a few ideas in mind will help you answer these questions more smoothly and confidently. Below, I have listed a handful of common MSW interview questions!
Common MSW Interview Questions
While it’s impossible to know the exact format and questions you’ll be preparing for, here is a list of common questions that you may be asked in an interview for your Master of Social Work program!
Questions About Fit With the Program and Field
Why do you want to study social work?
What draws you to this school/program?
What relevant experience do you have?
What are your career goals? (and how do they align with this program)
Why social work instead of counselling, psychology, teaching, nursing, or another helping profession?
What populations are you interested in working with?
What does social justice mean to you?
How do you handle feedback?
Tell us about a time you worked with someone different from you.
Tell us about a time you made a mistake and what you learned.
How do you manage stress?
What strengths would you bring to this program?
What areas are you still developing?
To prepare for questions like these, I would spend some time brainstorming and preparing a few bullet points so that you have an idea of how you would answer them. Try to be specific in your answers; if your answer to a question could have been said by any applicant in their interview, it is probably a bit too general!
Scenario-Based and Ethics-Based MSW Interview Questions
In addition to the more straightforward examples of questions above, schools may also ask applicants about a specific situation they navigated, a hypothetical scenario and how to respond, or an ethical dilemma question.
While these questions are harder to prepare for, it’s still important to take some time to think about how you might answer them. To do this, I would consider looking over the CASW or NASW code of ethics and get a sense of which elements stand out to you most or align most closely with your experience and personal values.
I would also think of a couple examples from your own experience that highlight some of the common skills they may be looking for, like problem-solving, conflict resolution, collaboration, and communication. For example, a school might ask you about a time where you worked with an interdisciplinary team, or a time where you navigated a conflict with a colleague. Thinking about a couple of examples beforehand helps prevent you feeling put “on the spot” to come up with an example in real time.
Related: How to answer questions about ethical dilemma’s in personal statements.
Common MSW Interview Mistakes
Mistake: Answering in a way that feels overly rehearsed, impersonal, or “dry”
What to do instead: While it can be tempting to prepare fully written “answers” to questions the school might ask, this can do more harm than good in some cases. It can be easy to fall into the trap of reading a pre-written answer word for word, which can come across as less personal and less genuine, compared to an applicant who is answering the question in the moment. Typically, MSW programs are less interested in an applicant having the “perfect” answer; they want to know who you are as an applicant and what makes you unique!
Mistake: Being too vague or general
What to do instead: When answering interview questions, try to ground them in your own experience (especially professional or academic if that fits with the question). For example, when answering the question of why you want to pursue social work, an answer like “I want to help people” will not be as meaningful as giving more context into any experiences that drew you towards the field, or ways that you feel you align with the field of social work.
Mistake: Focusing too much on lived experience without drawing in professional experience
What to do instead: Personal and lived experience is often a big piece of what draws people to the field of social work, and mentioning it if it makes sense to do so can be helpful to give the interviewers context on your journey to the field of social work. However, interviewers are not only looking for what brings you to the field, but also to see how you will work as a professional in the field, so drawing on your professional and/or academic experience for examples will help ensure you demonstrate your preparedness for graduate studies and a career in the field.
Mistake: Not demonstrating self-awareness or reflection
What to do instead: Interviewers are often looking for prospective students who can reflect on their past experiences and grow from them, as this is an important element of professional social work practice. Instead of trying to come across as “perfect”, it’s often more helpful to show the admissions committee that you are able to learn and grow from things that maybe didn’t go as smoothly as you’d hoped.
Virtual MSW Interview Tips
Many schools will elect to conduct MSW interviews virtually, especially as prospective students are often applying from all over the country, and even internationally. If you’re interviewing for a Master of Social Work program virtually, here are some tips to ensure that the interview goes smoothly!
Check your technology ahead of time
Schools might use different virtual platforms, so ensuring your camera, microphone, and speakers are all working properly ahead of time can help save you technical difficulties in the interview itself.
Present yourself professionally
Although virtual interviews can feel less “formal” compared to in-person ones, it’s still important to show schools that you are taking the interview seriously. You can do this, you can ensure that you are joining the virtual interview from a quiet, distraction-free place, and dressing appropriately for the interview.
Prepare, but don’t follow a “script”
Preparation is an important part of having a great interview, but avoid reading word-for-word from your notes. Instead, I would suggest having a few bullet points ready to go for common questions. This helps to ensure you discuss all the main points for a question while still coming across as personable, rather than robotic.
Final Thoughts on Preparing for Your MSW Interview
Although social work programs don’t always use interviews in the application process, they can be an important component for the schools that do. Interviews are your best opportunity to demonstrate to a school why you’re a great fit for the program, and the field of social work more broadly, so putting your best foot forward is important! By following the recommendations above, you’ll be able to head into your MSW interview feeling more confident and prepared.
Get Help Preparing for Your MSW Application
Need help preparing for your MSW application or interview? MSW Helper offers 1:1 consultations, personal statement editing, and application support to help you clarify your goals, strengthen your materials, and feel more confident throughout the admissions process.
