Interview of Human Services Professional

In this assignment, you will take the opportunity to conduct an interview with a professional who carries out direct service tasks in the human services field and reflect upon what youve learned.

Step I: Before the Interview
To begin, identify a professional who holds a title of interest to you in the human services field. While career titles and areas of focus vary, you can find examples from the National Organization for Human Services page titled What is Human Services? Once you have identified a career title, you will need to establish contact with a professional who holds that title. You can search the web for local agencies in your area, or if you have access to an agency through employment, you may wish to begin there.

To establish contact, you may wish to try the following options:

Email the agency or the direct email address of the professional holding the title of interest to you and request an online (e.g., video conference, chat), phone, or in-person interview.
Call the individual directly and request an online (e.g., video conference, chat), phone, or in-person interview.
If you are currently employed in a human services setting, you may request an interview personally.
Please be sure to take detailed written notes during your interview, as you will need the contents of your interview to complete your reflection paper. Or, with permission from the professional you are interviewing, you may wish to consider audio or video recording your interview if you are able to do so.

If you need assistance in developing an email requesting an interview, you may use the following template:

Subject Line: Request for Interview

Hello (name of individual),

My name is (your name), and I am a student in the BS Program in Human Services Leadership at Ashford University. I am contacting you today because I am interested in learning more about your position at (name of the agency), and I was wondering if it might be possible to interview you for a class I am taking in direct service skills. The interview, which will last approximately 30 minutes, will involve asking you questions related to various aspects of your professional title and will take place either face-to-face or by email, phone, or chat. If you are available to schedule some time for this interview, it would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached at (email) or (phone number).

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
(your name)

Step II: Interview Questions

Below is a list of questions that you will ask the professional during the interview. These questions pertain to different aspects of his or her job as they relate to topic areas explored within this course (e.g., case management skills, strengths-based approaches to client work, best practices, documentation, self-care). Please be sure to ask all of the questions. If you are interested in asking relevant follow-up questions, please be courteous and respectful of your interviewees time and privacy.

Consider asking the following questions:

What is your job title/position?
How long have you worked in your current position? In the field of human services?
What are the basic tasks/functions related your position?
What skills are required for your position?
Do you perform case management services? If so, how do you perform the following elements:
Initial visit and assessment
Planning of services/interventions
Linking clients to resources
Monitoring and terminating case management
If you do not perform case management services in your specific role, how does your agency provide them?
In what ways do you use the strengths and resources of your clients in your work with them?
What best practice methods do you use in your work in terms of interventions? How do you use them?
Where and how do you document the work that you do with your clients? Why is appropriate documentation important in your role?
How do you engage in self-care using the following resources:
Supervision (How does your supervisor support you so that you can successfully carry out your duties? How are you held accountable?)
Training (Do you use trainings, either inside or outside of your agency, to assist you in any way? How?)
Consultation (Do you consult other professionals beyond your supervisor to support you? How?)
Peer support (How do you get support from your peers?)
Step III: Reflection Paper

In a minimum of four pages, you are to prepare a written reflection paper to be turned in that must

Summarize your interview, addressing all of the areas identified above.
Evaluate the responses based on how effectively they address the needs of each category.
Evaluate the sufficiency of each response.
Explain what you learned about the occupation and how it does (or does not) align with your career interests.
Discuss two to three things that you found to be the most interesting aspects about this profession, using at least one scholarly or credible source (e.g., research study, literature review, professional critique/article, or professional website ending in .gov or .org) to further examine them. Watch the Quick n Dirty tutorial if you would like an overview of the research process and/or how to conduct a database search in the Ashford University Library.
The Interview of Human Services Professional

Must be a minimum of four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Students name
Course name and number
Instructors name
Date submitted
Must use at least one scholarly or credible resource.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.