An intake specialist is a professional in the medical field that is the first point of contact with patients and or with their families to assess their service requirements. They can do an assessment and direct them to the right person to assist them.
Below, we share the top 20 interview questions that will help you prepare for your next interview.
1. Why are You Interested in This Role?
The interviewer wants to know if you are enthusiastic about joining the organization. They also are interested in understanding what you are bringing on board. Explain why you were drawn to this opportunity and the things that interest you the most about it.
Sample Answer
“Having read through the job description, I feel I am a great fit for the role. I see this opportunity as a way to contribute positively to the patients’ overall experience. With my background as a licensed clinical social worker, I believe this will be instrumental in determining their needs effectively so that I can direct them to the right person. I derive satisfaction when the patients go home happy.”
2. What are the Roles of an Intake Specialist?
The interviewer seeks to get to know if you are aware of what role you will play when you get selected. Also, if you understand the responsibilities attached to the position. Share what roles you expect to handle.
Sample Answer
“Majorly intake specialists direct people to the right person to offer them the required services. They are the first point of contact with patients and their families when they are seeking medical services. They get their medical history, assess their mental and physical states, and also determine any special requirements that they may have. This helps them determine the right person to send them to.”
3. What are the Qualities That an Intake Specialist Need to Be Successful?
The interviewer is looking to check if you possess the attributes they need for the position. They want to know if you can identify them. Explain the qualities for the role and how they help in delivering the required service.
Sample Answer.
“To be successful in this role, you need to have great communication skills. You need to be patient and possess attention to detail as you need to capture every detail given. An ability to problem solve and think critically will also be beneficial as it will help in navigating any challenges encountered.”
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You manage Them?
The interviewer wants to assess your problem-solving abilities. They also want to know if you can work within a challenging environment. Mention a challenge you encountered and how you managed it.
Sample Answer
“In my previous role, I dealt with many patients who could not articulate their needs very well. To counter the challenge, I listened patiently and kept asking questions. The questions enabled me to determine their needs then directed them to the right person. This challenge made me become a better listener too.”
5. Describe Your Daily Routine as an Intake Specialist?
The interviewer wants to know if you are aware of the daily tasks to be done. The question will also enable them to assess your organization abilities. Describe how you expect your workday to be like.
Sample Answer
“This role entails personal contact with every patient or a family member. From reporting time to the end of the workday, I will be dealing with various clients each with their unique needs. I should be able to accurately capture their needs so that they derive maximum satisfaction from the services offered. I will also do reports on the kind of assistance offered and the details of patients seen.”
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
The interviewer wants to establish if your background makes you a great candidate for this role. They also want to know if based on your experience, you can use that to be successful. Mention your academic background and experience gained in the field so far.
Sample Answer
“In my past role as an intake specialist at Modern Hospital, I was responsible for assessing everyone’s requirements and assigning them a staff member that will ensure they get assisted. In my tenure which lasted three years, I was instrumental in improving the patient’s satisfaction levels and ended up improving the department’s overall experience. I believe this coupled with my academic qualifications in clinical psychology makes me a great candidate for this role. I am also a keen listener, pay attention to details, and have great problem-solving skills which I saw was a key requirement for this position.”
7. What Kind of Strategies and Mindset is Required for This Role?
The interviewer wants to determine if you are mentally prepared for this role. They also want to determine if you are the right candidate. Explain the mindset you should have for this role.
Sample Answer
“This position requires an empath, keen listener, and patient person. You need to be able to understand even the unspoken words and determine a patient’s needs. Therefore, listening skills are key. Once you have captured that, you can revisit what you have understood for the patient to accept if that is what they had said. This way all their needs are captured. You also need to be a critical thinker and problem solver as there are daily challenges expected to be encountered since you will be handling people.”
8. What Is the Biggest Challenge That You Foresee in This Job?
As with any setting, challenges are bound to be there. The interviewer wants to know if you are prepared for them and any mitigating measures you have in place. Mention a challenge and how you expect to solve it.
Sample Answer
“For this job, my biggest challenge will be to master all the locations in the hospital to direct patients effectively. The hospital is big and will therefore use the first week to try and familiarize me with all the areas so that my work becomes easy. Once I master all locations and services offered, I will manage to direct patients faster.”
9. How Do You Stay Motivated in Your Work?
As with any role, some factors can demotivate you. To be an effective employee, you will need to know what helps you keep your motivation at work. The interviewer wants to establish your strategies for this. Explain what motivates you.
Sample Answer
“Individually, I set career goals and always endeavor to achieve them. Meeting my daily career goals gives me motivation. As this position entails handling a lot of patients daily, my motivation comes from ensuring each has been assisted adequately. At the end of the day, if everyone was satisfied, it gives me the motivation to continue serving.”
10. Describe a Time When You Failed in This Role and The Lesson You Learnt?
The interviewer wants to know if you can get lessons from your failure and if you are able to take the failures positively. Give them an account of a failure that you have encountered and what you learned from it.
Sample Answer
“I once encountered a patient who had been brought in by a family member. The patient’s needs seemed to conflict with what the family member was saying. From my assessment, I thought the patient was not articulating his needs very well. I went with the family member’s instructions and the patient wasn’t well assisted. I learned from this incident that the patient takes priority as they may have not disclosed full information to their family members. It is important to let the patient speak and if possible you can also ask the family member to stay away as you speak with the patient.”
11. Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited for This Role?
This question helps the interviewer determine if you are a great fit for them. They want to establish what makes you stand out from all the candidates being interviewed for the position.
Give your strong points as a candidate for the position.
Sample Answer
“I have three years’ experience at Modern Hospital where I coordinated patient intake successfully. I was also instrumental in ensuring our department attains the customer service awards. In addition, I am a licensed clinical social worker which I saw was a requirement for this position. I will leverage the skills and experience gained so far to be able to effectively determine every patient’s needs and direct them to the right person to offer them the required services.”
12. Share with Us Your Greatest Achievement.
The interviewer wants to know if you are a performer. Share the awards you are proudest of.
Sample Answer
“My biggest achievement was during my tenure at Modern Hospital. I was instrumental in providing direction on customer service for the department. I joined the department when there was an issue with coordination among team members. When I joined, I emphasized the importance of teamwork. For a start they resisted but within three months everyone realized the benefits. When the team started working together, everything became easy. In the end, the department started earning customer service awards. I believe that it is from this teamwork that we were able to keep serving repeat clients.”
13. Have You Ever Delivered Difficult Information? Give an Example
This position involves dealing with people with varying issues. You may have to deliver heartbreaking news from time to time. Share how you were able to navigate giving them information and managed the situation.
Sample Answer
“In my line of duty, sometimes we had to deliver bad news. One time, we had a patient brought in when already dead by the police. When the family arrived, it was difficult breaking the news to them because it happened suddenly through an accident. I used my background in clinical psychology to calm down the family. When everyone had settled, I shared the news. In the end, the situation was well managed.”
14. Are You Able to Deal Effectively and Calmly In a High-Stress Situation?
This position may entail high levels of pressure. The interviewer wants to establish whether you are able to work under pressure. Explain how you have handled pressure before.
Sample Answer
“Yes, I am. In my previous role, I had to deal with very demanding and impatient clients sometimes. Since each patient is important, I had to patiently address their needs while keeping adherence to each one’s appointment time. This way everyone was well attended to. From this experience, I also developed great skills in scheduling appointments and communication.”
15. Has Your Patience as an Intake Specialist Ever Been Tested? How Did You Handle That Situation?
Patience is a great trait for this position. The interviewer wants to know if you can handle impatient clients. Articulate a case where you managed to calm down the patients.
Sample Answer
“On a first come first served basis at times you have clients who want to be attended fast without taking note of the ones who came before them. One time we had a client who had just walked in and realized there are several people in line before Her. On realizing that it will take a while for her to be attended to, she started creating a scene to gain attention. I was able to calmly explain to her that she be patient we serve the ones who came before her. She calmed down and waited for her turn.”
16. In Your Line of Duty, What Work Interests You The Most?
In every job, there are those tasks that you enjoy. The interviewer wants to know that. Share the ones that you enjoy with enthusiasm.
Sample Answer
“I enjoy talking and listening to client’s needs. I enjoy helping them get maximum satisfaction in the services that we offer. In addition, collaboration with my colleagues makes work enjoyable for me. Teamwork is key in ensuring that all client’s needs are met. Feedback from clients on the quality of service offered is great too as it gives me a chance to know the things we should focus on improving and the ones that we are doing well.”
17. Why Do You Want to Work With Us?
Different things draw us to particular organizations. There should be a reason why you applied to this particular institution. Explain to the interviewer your reasons.
Sample Answer
“First, my skills and experience make me a perfect fit for the position. I believe I make a great addition to the team as I have a track record of delivering on each objective I set myself to. I was also attracted to this position because it is the best hospital in the state. I believe while utilizing my skills and knowledge, I will also benefit from the growth programs run by the hospital. In the end, it will be a mutually beneficial relationship.”
18. In The Past One Year, What Have You Done to Improve Your Skills as an Intake Specialist?
Growth in every industry is important. Explain what activities you have engaged in or courses that you took that directly impact your career. It could be free or paid courses.
Sample Answer
“In the past year, I have taken courses in customer service skills. This has been instrumental in assisting me to relate better with both customers and fellow staff. I believe these skills will be instrumental in making my work easier here. In addition, I am currently undertaking an online course in crisis management to improve my skills in this area.”
19. Tell me about a suggestion you had that benefited your previous employer.
Here, you have an opportunity to showcase your skills and how previous employers have benefited from it. Share a suggestion you made that was accepted and impacted the company. If the suggestion can relate to the current position the better.
Sample Answer
“In my previous role, I suggested we use an online application in getting appointments for clients who do not have urgent issues. At first the management was reluctant to adopt the idea. They decided to do a trial run and see its effect on operations. The pilot run went so well that they decided to fully adopt it. It assisted in reducing the time a client is attended to as their details would be collected at the point they are making an appointment.”
20. Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
It is important to be prepared for this question. You can ask a question that the job description and your research about the organization do not answer satisfactorily. For example, you can enquire about the growth prospects.
Sample Answer
“In the job description, the growth path in the organization has not been indicated. Suppose I am hired, what are the growth prospects for this position? Also, does the organization offer in-house consideration for promotions before advertising for external applicants?”
Conclusion
When you are prepared for an interview, chances of acing it goes up. Research and formulate your best answers for similar questions when going for your next intake specialist job interview. You are likely to meet similar questions to the ones outlined above. We wish you the very best.
