Tell me about a time when you influenced the outcome of a critical situation by taking the lead.
The interviewer wants to hear about a time that you took the lead in a critical situation. As a Youth Worker, the expectation is that you will react wisely under pressure, regardless of your official leadership title. The hiring authority wants to see that you can respond quickly, appropriately, and with authority when the need arises.
If you have a specific story example, approach your response by first setting the stage to the story. Discuss your actions, and then provide details on the outcome of your actions. If you have trouble organizing answers that require specific story-examples, you can try to follow the STAR framework, which is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
"While working at a small all-boy's youth center, myself and two co-workers took the group on an outing. Due to the size of the group, we were traveling in separate vehicles. In the car my co-worker was driving, I sat up front with him, and four youths sat in the back. In the second vehicle, another co-worker drove with another three youths. One of the boys in my vehicle began to foam at the mouth and seize. We weren't aware of any pre-existing medical conditions. I asked the driver of the vehicle to pull over. Another boy went into shock from the stress. I knew we needed to keep the rest of the youths busy to distract them from similar distress. I one boy to get me the sick boy's cell phone for one of us to call his parents. We needed to find out what was going on with this boy's medical history. I asked another youth to call the leader in the second vehicle to fill them in on the situation, ask them to turn around, and come to help. In the meantime, my co-worker called for emergency assistance. I used my first aid training to get the seizing boy into a safe position to prepare for the paramedics' arrival, and treating the other for his shock. I filled in the paramedics when they arrived, and they thanked me. In the end, they both fully recovered."
"A coworker wanted to take a group of youths on a hike and asked me to be their partner on this outing. I agreed, and the group was very excited about the whole thing. It was a beautiful day. The weather was mild and comfortable. The sun was not too strong, partly cloudy as well. Everything seemed to go smoothly when my coworker started to not feel well and couldn't go on. They were crippled with nausea. The group started to worry and nearly panicked. I decided we needed to go back, and several in the group grew rebellious. After about a half-hour, I was able to de-escalate the situation and get everyone in line. So we started back, but the going was slow because my coworker couldn't go very far before taking another rest. So a half-hour hike in took two-hours to hike back out. All the while, the group kept getting restless and unruly. Eventually, we were able to get back to the van with no additional outbursts. We got the youth's home and my coworker to urgent care. Turned out they started the hike dehydrated and suffered sunstroke, despite the mild weather. Go figure."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
As a Behavioral Health Technician, I chose to facilitate a class called Self-Esteem. The class was not engaging the consumers resulting in little participation.
I asked my supervisor what I could do to change this.
She supplied new coursework and instructed me on different techniques I could employ while I was facilitating the course.
I was able to engage the consumers, increasing class attendance. Soon, my course became one of the consumers' favorite to attend.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is an excellent example of taking the initiative and showing the ability to lead. Nice work, and a positive outcome!
Anonymous Answer
I manage a boxing team of 25 teenagers and last year we organized a boxing competition, and it was amazing, our Team won. It was great. All staff and trainers did an excellent job. We had a lot of challenges, but it was a success. I am so thankful for my resilient Team.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is awesome - Congratulations on your success! Since this question is meant to uncover how you influenced the project, it would be great to add in more detail on your involvement.
Anonymous Answer
I ran first-year psychology tutorials for a semester, and during these tutorials, I made an effort to bring extra materials, maintain communication with the students, and answer any questions that they might have, ensuring that they are engaged and not feeling lost or hopeless in their first year of university. Students told me at the end that the tutorials really helped, and that they learned a lot about university and hidden materials that they would not have otherwise.
Stephanie's Feedback
Great example of leadership--good for you!
Anonymous Answer
While being a Senior support worker, I arrived on shift at a children's home I had brief knowledge of, and there was an ongoing critical incident already taking place, of a young person being missing from the home. The care workers tried making contact with the young person but had no success, nor knew where the young person would have gone. It was my responsibility to find the young person and make sure that they were safe, as well as to return home. I read through the young person's paperwork and then took action, I reported the young person missing to the police and gained a crime number for a reference, I sent a carer out to do an extensive search of the local area, checking transport points and hang-out areas for teens, I started a time-log, recording all the time and actions I was taking, I also informed the young person's social worker to inform them. Shortly after the actions I took, the young person was found and I was able to go and meet the young person and debriefed the incident with them, then got them to return to the children's home, preventing any further risk.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent! This is a remarkable example of a time when you took charge and ensured a positive outcome during a stressful situation. You provide plenty of details, ensuring that the interviewer finds your response meaningful and memorable. Great job!
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