The interview overall was extremely difficult to do because of how long it had to be. Fifteen minutes is a long time, especially when I was barely able to role play for five minutes in class. I got the point of it but I still felt to go from five to fifteen was a big jump. I think it was very easy for me to do silence since a lot of the time I was trying to think of another question to ask. It wasn’t bad at first but around eight minutes in you start running out of stuff to ask.
Also, active listening I believe was one of my strong suits, I loved just listening and hearing the person’s story. I feel like you can learn a lot if you just listen and process what the client is saying to you. Sometimes what they are saying is literal and sometimes there is a hidden meaning behind their words that if you don’t really listen you wouldn’t catch. I like reframing because you get to make sure you are understanding what the client is saying but you also get to show that you really care and that you are listening to them which sometimes is more helpful than coming up with a plan itself.
My appearance I think was very professional but I am not so sure about my language. I didn’t use slang or anything but I tripped over my words a lot in which case I feel is bad for a professional to do so I kind of kick myself for that but I still gave it my best try which is all that I can do. I don’t really have social work type of clothes so I did the best I could with what I had in my closet. I have clothes that are either too casual, too much like a party scene, or too dress up so I was very conflicted on what to wear but hopefully I didn’t do too bad.
The skills that were difficult for me would have had to be the note taking aspect. I never knew if I was focusing too much on my notebook or how to properly take notes for that type of setting. I didn’t have a table so I was trying to basically write in the air while still giving the client my undivided attention. It’s also hard because I was trying to write short hand but when I look back at my notes none of them made sense so I had to re-watch the video to try to remember what I was trying to say in my notes. I didn’t want to write every single detail but I didn’t know how to summarize the important parts.
The only thing that stumped me in the interview was when a phone went off at the end. I tried so hard to block it out but it was so distracting and I totally lost it. We filmed in Alter which is quiet but also there was still classes going on so it couldn’t be dead silent. I never noticed how Ind important it is to be in a totally quiet environment to stay focused and help the client as much as possible. It’s a lot hard than I thought to stay focused or maybe I just have a short attention span.
Looking back, I would have done the breathing exercise not only for the client but for me as well. I was extremely nervous so in the beginning I kind of talked fast and couldn’t get my words together so the beginning and ending of the video were a little rocky and cringe worthy to watch. I would have had a mini pep talk with my self and tried to calm my nerves before doing the interview.
Overall for my first interview I think I did a pretty good job, I was far from perfect but it was a huge improvement from me when I first started in this class. I learned not to fidget as much and not use my hands as much when I talk. I learned to repeat back a lot of what they are saying to make sure you fully understand them. I learned to let the client lead how they want to change and just assist along the way.
I learned to listen first and solve later, really hearing a person story helps a lot within itself. I got better at eye contact where I don’t stare too long but I also don’t totally avoid them either. I used to hate making eye contact with people because I found it weird but through practicing I found it to not be as bad as you would think. Three skills I need to work on are note taking, silence, and positive confrontation. These are my three weakest skills and with practice I will only get better. Every day is an improvement and by next year I will do better than I did this year.
