QUESTION 27 OF 30

Besides vacation and holiday time, how many days were you absent from work last year?

The company wants to hire a Social Work Supervisor who is responsible and dependable and shows up to work when scheduled. As the Supervisor, the interviewer wants to ensure you will be a good role model for the other employees. The interviewer asks this question to evaluate your work attendance in the past year. If you called off work many times in the past year, they might hesitate to offer you the position unless your reasons were excusable.

Focus on giving the exact number of days you missed work and why. If the interviewer deems your absence from work an excused and unavoidable reason to miss work, it will likely not be an issue. If you have many unexcused absences, they may disqualify you as a viable candidate.

Avoid saying you cannot remember how often you missed work or answer untruthfully. The interviewer will contact your former employer for a reference and ask them the same question. It is best to be honest and explain any absences from work in the past year, allowing the interviewer to decide if your reasons were unavoidable or not.

"I was absent from work five days last year. I had LASIK surgery, and my doctor recommended taking one week to recover. I arranged the time off with my supervisor before scheduling the surgery, and she allowed me to use sick leave. Other than that, I did not miss any other days last year."

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Social Work Supervisor Mock Interview

Besides vacation and holiday time, how many days were you absent from work last year?

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30 Social Work Supervisor Interview Questions & Answers