Are you looking for employment as an ABA therapist or a BCBA? There are a lot of service providers out there. Some are great and some not so much. So to make sure that you’re joining a company that aligns with your values, you’ll have to ask the right questions. Today’s topic is all about what BCBA interview questions to ask.
BCBA Interview Tips
I’ve been in both the position of the interviewer and the interviewee. And while I definitely made mistakes as the interviewee that I learned from, I also learned a lot as the one who does the interviewing. For instance, how certain questions come across, and that your tone and your attitude matter. How you present yourself is an important part of the interview. While the questions that you ask are important, your tone and the way you act are just as important.
You need to make sure that you have open body language. I typically wouldn’t bring a computer into the interview with me to make sure that there’s no barrier between me and the person who’s interviewing me or who I’m interviewing.
Come on time and be polite. If you have to reschedule, then reach out, don’t just be a no-show. I do a lot of zoom interviews now, so make sure your computer’s in an appropriate place. You don’t need to be lying on your bed doing an interview. There’s definitely a table you can be sitting at somewhere in your house. Present yourself appropriately and professionally. If you’re grocery shopping and you’ve got a choice between two cans of soup, which one do you choose? The one with the ripped label or the one that looks really nice? When you’re interviewing, make sure that you are perceived as someone of quality.
How to Prepare for a BCBA Interview
The questions that I want people to ask are questions like, what are the professional development opportunities with your company? What are my opportunities for growth? But in asking those questions, also be cognizant of the timing. Make sure that you’re asking them in a timely manner and at a time when you were asked if you have any questions. Don’t come across as inappropriate. Other questions you can ask are how much can I learn? How often am I able to attend professional development opportunities? These are great questions that I want to hear.
I was told one time in an interview that you’re interviewing the company just as much as they’re interviewing you. So it’s not only what can I do for your company, but also what can your company do for me? But just make sure that you’re asking those questions in an appropriate manner.
I often get asked about the caseload. I think it’s an interesting question. It really depends on the type of role that you’re applying for, and the type of agency or place where you’ll be working. Where I work, it’s not as relevant. So for someone to really focus on the caseload, it doesn’t come across well. But I understand where they’re coming from and that they want to know what the hours are. Those are important questions. You could instead ask how many families you’ll be servicing.
Good BCBA Interview Questions
What’s also important to know as a BCBA is how many RBTs will be working under you. Because if you’re supervising three full-time RBTs that kind of equates to a certain amount of hours of client time. Also, look at how much supervision you’ll be getting. If you are the supervisor, how much interaction do you have with the person who’s above you? How much time do you have with each supervisee? Make sure that it’s something that you strive for, and that you’re not just left on your own to do your own thing without any supervision whatsoever.
Other good things to know are the expectations for after-hours and weekends. Are you expected to respond to emails or phone calls? Are you expected to work some overtime? What do holidays look like? Another good one is asking about the turnover rate. I think that that would give you a really good insight into how long people stay and how much they like working for this company. Sometimes it’s a good measure. Sometimes it’s not. But it’s a good thing to ask. You can ask how they ensure the quality of care for their clients. That’s a nice one because it’s really open-ended. It leaves people to answer in so many different ways.
Conclusion
So in summary, you want to focus on not the BCBA interview questions you’ll be asking, but on how you’re asking them and how it comes across. You want to be as professional and as polite as possible.
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