How Do You Deal With Work Stress
How to Answer
ABA Therapy can be an emotionally draining job. How do you get away from it all and relax? Perhaps you practice yoga, go to the gym, have a steam room, or go to the beach on the weekends. Avoid saying that you don’t have any work related stress because, we all do, to varying degrees. Instead, tell the interviewer that you welcome and thrive on a little bit of work stress. Work stress can motivate us and make our day more interesting.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“Stress is part of any demanding job and I will embrace it to the fullest. I take good care of myself personally and have learned how to prioritize my workload to maintain a healthy balance in my stress levels.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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When Have You Worked Independently Before What Challenges Do You Find When Working Independently
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to be assured that you are comfortable and knowledgeable enough to work on your own. Are you able to work without supervision, prioritize your to-do list, complete paperwork and go home knowing nothing was left undone? If you can answer yes to these questions then you know you can successfully work independently.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“Since I am new to my career as an ABA Therapist, the best example that I can provide with independent work is during my post-secondary career. While attending university I had many independent projects with tight deadlines. The biggest challenge with working independently lies in self-motivation. I do believe that I have a strong amount of drive. With this drive, I am confident in my ability to be an effective therapist in both a one-on-one, or group setting.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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How To Prepare For A Behavioral Interview
Learn as much as you can about the company and the role. The more you know about the job and the company, the easier it will be to respond to interview questions. Take the time to research the company prior to your interview, and review the job posting, so youre as familiar as possible with the role.
Match your qualifications to the job. To help you prepare for a behavioral interview, review the job requirements, and make a list of the behavioral skills that you have that closely match them. Here’s how to match your qualifications to the job.
Make a list of examples. Interviewers develop questions to determine how successful a candidate will be, given the specific tasks of the job. Obviously, you want to present your experiences as clearly as you can, using real examples, and highlighting situations where you were successful.
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More Behavioral Interview Questions
- Have you worked on multiple projects? How did you prioritize?
- How do you handle meeting tight deadlines?
- How do you handle it when your schedule is interrupted?
- What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
- Give me an example of when you did or when you didn’t listen.
- What do you do if you disagree with your boss?
- How do you handle it when there’s a conflict among team members?
- What is your most important career accomplishment? Why?
Why Do You Feel You Are Suited For This Role
The potential employer usually asks this question to find out if you have researched the company or not. Your answer should explain how your skills and experience are a good fit for what the company needs to be successful when hiring a BCBA.
Answer
“I’m confident I am well suited for this role because my background in psychology and behavior therapy has given me knowledge of how human behavior is impacted by the environment, and how human behavior can be improved through the process of behavior analysis. I also have numerous years of experience working with children on the autism spectrum who need support while growing up on the spectrum. I feel my skills would be a large asset to your company.”
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What Are Your Greatest Achievements
One of the most common behavior analyst interview questions is “what are your greatest achievements?”
When an employer asks this question, they want to find out if you have a good work ethic, if you’re passionate, and if you’re driven to be successful and make the company you’re working for more successful.
In your answer, share in-depth two or three examples of your accomplishments which demonstrate your leadership skills.
Answer
“One of my greatest achievements is successfully implementing a behavior program for a handful of patients who all have different levels of autism. Working with multiple patients required me to collaborate with the team, parents, and students. It also meant there needed to be unique behavior therapy for each patient, which forced me to think outside of the box.”
What Are The Types Of Differential Reinforcement Techniques
How to Answer
Rewarding the desired behavior and ignoring the negative behavior is one of your go-to’s as an ABA Therapist. The interviewer is looking for the textbook answer to this question but be sure to have an example in your back pocket if they want to know more.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“From my understanding, the four different types of differential reinforcement are differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, alternative behavior, other behavior and differential reinforcement of low rates. I plan to try using all 4 methods with most students. I am sure that once I become more experienced, I will learn which methods work best for which students”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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How Do You Set Goals
This question helps the interviewer know how you plan your objectives and set milestones for what you want to accomplish.
Sample Answer:
Whether it’s a work or personal goal, I prefer to keep it small yet impactful. I plan a series of small goals with a given timeline that I set in my brain to accomplish. After acting upon the action plan, I re-evaluate how I approach the goal.
When Have You Had Difficulty With A Parent How Did You Handle The Situation
How to Answer
Having a parent that isn’t on the same page as you, when it comes to therapy methods, can be detrimental to treating your patient. Talk about a time that you’ve sat down with the parents of a patient to teach them at-home techniques. Let the interviewer know that you were able to handle the situation by acknowledging that they were frustrated and that you could help with the communication gap by teaching them a few tools of their own.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“If I were to have difficulty with a parent, I would sit them down and discuss why they were feeling the way they were. It can be difficult to react properly, all the time, when your kids are suffering from a disorder. I would empathize with them as much as possible and assure the parents that their children were in good hands.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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Put Your Interviewing Skills In Action With Hopebridge
Still in the early stages of the job hunt or just getting started? We always love connecting with clinicians who are passionate about helping kids, so we hope youll check out the open positions we have available at Hopebridge locations around the country. And of dont forget to bookmark this piece to refer back to once youre ready to chat with our team because we cant wait to hear what questions you have for us!
*Informed consent was obtained from the participants in this article. This information should not be captured and reused without express permission from Hopebridge, LLC.
Where Do You See Your Career In 5 Years
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know if you have long term career plans in behavioral therapy. They will be able to gauge your commitment level based on your answer to this question. Perhaps you are looking to earn an additional certification, grow your leadership skills, or open your own practice. If you are not sure where you want your career to be, tell the interviewer what type of work you want to be a part of.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“5 years from now, I would like to be supervising or managing a team of my own. I am confident that I will progress at a rate that will make this a possibility.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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Why Are You Interested In This Role
In your interview, the employer asks why you are interested in this role to determine your motivation. To give the answer they’re looking for, you need to understand the employer’s needs. Then, explain how you will meet those needs.
Answer
“I believe that my skills and experience as a behavior analyst will help me contribute directly towards your team of BCBAs and RBTs. This role has great potential for growth within the organization which means more opportunities for me to grow in my career.”
What Major Challenges Did You Face In Your Previous Role
You’ll be asked this question because the employer wants to see how you can deal with adversity. Make sure to speak about any creative solutions you implemented to work through problems in your previous role.
Answer
“In a previous role I was working as a behavior analyst who helped ABA therapists and RBTs provide applied behavior analysis to children on the autism spectrum. As a team, the major challenge we faced was we didn’t have enough team members to treat the large number of patients our company had. We ended up taking matters into our own hands by helping our company recruit more BCBAs and RBTs, which eventually solved the problem.”
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Can You Work Effectively Under Pressure If Yes How
The interviewer can ask a behavioral interview question to check how you will respond in a high-pressure job. Through this stress-test behavioral question for the interview, the interviewer wants to check how you can work under tremendous pressure.
Sample Answer:
I have previous experience dealing with such high-pressure situations. I recall an incident during my internship where my supervisor said, “The project-x deadline rolled down from 45 days to 28 days. We should quickly develop and deploy it within the given timeline, without hampering the other two projects’ pace.” So, I effectively allocated my tasks and set a new route to approach the projects. All projects got deployed in time.
When You Notice A Child With Aggressive Behavior Toward Others What Type Of Intervention Do You Perform
How to Answer
Let the interviewer know how you would evaluate the concern, make a plan to overcome the behavior, and track your patient’s success. Assure the interviewer that you would work with parents, medical providers and school staff to adequately monitor and help assist a behaviorally aggressive child. “â¹
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Describe A Difficult Situation And How You Handled It
ABA interview questions about unexpected scenarios can really make or break an interview. Generally, interviewers use them to separate good candidates from great ones. It may be hard to find the silver lining in them, but through the right lens, difficult scenarios can be testaments to your professional prowess.
You may have had more than a few difficult experiences even if your ABA career has been short. If you can, pick a situation that:
- Demonstrates adaptability and empathy.
- Shows willingness to ask for help when needed.
- Puts your knowledge on display.
- Is an example of your openness with patients, families, and coworkers.
Dont feel pressured to pick an example that fits all criteria. Just try to choose one you can speak about with perspective and positivity.
Other Questions You May Face In Your Interview For A Behavior Therapist Job
- What do you consider the toughest aspect of this job?
- How will you treat a young student who experiences severe anxiety every day before going to school?
- Imagine that one of your patients became emotionally attached to you, or even fell in love with you. What would you do in this situation?
- What motivates you the most in this job?
- How will you help someone to overcome their smoking addiction?
- Describe your best and worst experience with providing therapy to someone.
- How do you imagine your cooperation with psychiatrists, counselors, and other staff members working here?
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Describe Briefly About Your Experience With Behavior Analysis
Interviewers want to know if you have experience in behavior analysis and their experience. They also want to make sure that there are no gaps or inconsistencies in your work history because it shows a lack of commitment which can be detrimental for this position.
Sample Answer
I have worked as an assistant at a private school where Ive had my classroom with children from kindergarten through middle school. I provided psychotherapy support services on-site before branching out into another facility with more specialized programming such as autism therapy programs. My most recent position was working as a lead therapist at a treatment center for teenagers recovering from drug addiction when they asked me about growing up here and how life was different back then.
What’s Your Process For Developing Treatment Goals
Treatment goals are the foundation for a successful behavior treatment plan. Interviewers will ask this question because they want to find out how you go about developing such goals for patients. In your answer, you need to demonstrate knowledge of behavior analytic principles.
Answer
“I start by collecting baseline information which gives me the ability to identify target behaviors in patients. These behaviors need to either be improved or eliminated. Next, I use natural environment data collection methods to accurately represent the frequency with which negative behaviors occur.
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When Have You Worked Among A Diverse Group Of People
How to Answer
Are you accustomed to working with a very large or diverse team of individuals? Assure the interviewer that you are able to handle an environment that offers diversity.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“In my current role, I work alongside cross functional teams regularly. There has been a lot of diversity during my time in University, and my practicum as well. I fully embrace diversity.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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How Do You Evaluate Environmental Variables Which Contribute To Challenging Behaviors
An interviewer may ask you how you would evaluate environmental variables that influence target behaviors. Candidates applying for jobs in this field will need to demonstrate knowledge of techniques used to identify and control such factors.
Sample Answer
I start by conducting a needs analysis to determine the extent to which challenging behaviors result from environmental influences such as faulty communication methods, poor living or work conditions, or stress caused by external events beyond the patients or caregivers control. For example, a child with autism spectrum disorders may be struggling with frustration because they cannot communicate their homework assignment effectively to their parents. I study their behavior and come up with possible solutions.
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Aba Therapist Interview Questions And Answers
Learn what skills and qualities interviewers are looking for from an ABA therapist, what questions you can expect, and how you should go about answering them.
ABA therapists help children with autism spectrum disorder learn how to communicate, interact socially, and engage in other age-appropriate activities. ABA therapy is one of the most effective interventions for children with ASD, and there is a high demand for ABA therapists.
If youre looking for a career in ABA therapy, youll likely need to go through a job interview. One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to know what questions to expect. In this guide, we will provide you with a list of common ABA therapist interview questions and answers.
Are you familiar with the principles of applied behavior analysis?
This question is a great way to test your knowledge of ABA therapy. It also allows the interviewer to see how you apply these principles in your work as an ABA therapist.
Example:Yes, I am very familiar with the principles of applied behavior analysis. In fact, my bachelors degree was in psychology and behavioral science, so I had to learn about ABA during my undergraduate studies. During my internship at the local hospital, I worked closely with an ABA therapist who taught me many of the fundamentals of this type of therapy. She even helped me develop some of my own techniques for working with patients.
What are some of the most important skills for an ABA therapist to have?
What Feeding Therapy Techniques Have You Used With Your Patients
How to Answer
As an ABA Therapist, you’ve likely seen patients with food related behavioral issues. Have you used a reward system to convince your pickiest of eaters to try new foods? Perhaps the kitchen staff at the school is on board with recognizing change, and providing praise as well. After attending therapy sessions with you, have your patients started to cut their own food, properly use utensils, wait quietly at restaurants, or wipe their own mouth without being asked? These are examples of success stories you can share with your interviewer.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
Entry Level
“I have learned a little bit about feeding therapy techniques during my time in University. The techniques I learned included teaching a child with autism to use utensils, and providing them with strong posture support during meal time. More severe cases may required help with motor functions such as getting the food from their plate, to their mouth. Also, reinforcing with food itself may be a reward if there is a food the patient especially appreciates.”
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 6th, 2021
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