Common Asked Housing Officer Questions

A housing officer will often be employed for housing associations or the local authority, supporting clients with the assessment of needs in terms of housing applications.

The housing officer may also specialise in working with homeless people and/or service users with additional needs.

How competitive is a Housing Officer job Interview?

Medium in competitiveness

Interview Specifics

Structural job interview last 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

This article will list the commonly asked job interview questions for a housing officer.

By understanding the job interview structure and by knowing the commonly asked housing officer interview questions, applicants can prepare answers that highlight their level of competencies within this industry.

Common Asked Housing  Officer Interview Questions 

Can you tell me about your housing officer experience?

This housing officer interview question is asked for two reasons; 1 it is an open question to get you talking/feeling relax at the job interview start. 2, to gain a general overview of your experience (generic because the follow-up questions will go into more detail)

To answer this job interview question, start by summarising your experience as a housing officer, your relevant qualifications and a key unique skill relevant to the industry – something that makes you stand out, this could be a specialism you have IE working to house homeless service users.

How do you assess the needs of a client?

This interview question is key because this is the crux of the job role.

Split this answer into two sections. Section one is your people skills; explain how you build rapport, how you use effective listening skills, how open and closed questions have a powerful impact, and how you remain calm in stressful situations. Give a short example to highlight your level of expertise and competencies.

Section two should explain the interview structure; the questions you should ask, the information you need to collate, and how you follow GDPR, data protection and confidentiality legislation.

What does customer service mean to you?

You may be asked several customer services-related interview questions.

In the housing association sector often the service users can be stressed or angry. Some service users may have alcohol or drug addiction. In some cases, you will be speaking to clients who are struggling with finances and have been turned down for financial support.

When answering interview questions relating to customer service and communication,  explain how you can handle these situations;

What was the situation – why was the service user angry or upset?

How did you handle the situation – what did you say or do to help calm down the client?

What was the positive outcome – how did the client respond to you?

What do you look for during a housing inspection?

Competency-based job interview questions require you to fall back on your experience.

Give an example of when you have carried out an inspection that had issues (you need to pick an inspection with issues to show that you can deal with this in a professional way)

In the example explain what you look for during a general inspection, the inspection process you follow and quote safeguarding regulations, and how you, when required, challenge a service user.

Follow this up with the example “one time during an inspection I saw…” Give details of what you found, the potential safeguarding issue, and what you did to address this

How would you have a positive effect on your colleagues and team? 

A big part of the housing officers’ job criteria is to have the ability to work as part of a close-knit team. You will be asked one way or another about your ability to work within a team.

Open the teamwork answer by simply explaining how you enjoy working as part of a team and how in all previous housing roles teamwork has been an important aspect of the role. This opening confirmation statement shows how you have this required skill.

Now you have ticked the ‘teamwork’ box, you need to give a real-life example. A good frame for this job interview answer is to give a ‘helper’ perspective.

Describe how a colleague was having a problem with a housing issue and how this problem affected the output of the whole team.

Go on to describe how you took action and explain the action you took. Follow this up with the positive outcome focusing on how the whole team benefited from your quick actions.

You can also talk about the larger team – in this role, you will need to work with a range of agencies and stakeholders, including social services, jobcentre plus, citizens’ advice service.

Which other agencies would you refer a service user to? 

Part of a housing officer’s job role is to work with the tenants to help them to be successful.

To be effective in this job duty you will need to work with, signpost or refer to a large number of partner agencies from social services to the local job center, from doctor surgeries to career advice officers.

In your answer list the relevant agencies you would partner with and give an example of when you would make a referral compared to signposting.

The example has to be specific. First, explain the service users situation and the key block that was holding them back. Explain the limitations of your roles and how the service user required expert advice.

Go on to explain how the service user had attempted to get support but had failed. End the interview answer by stating what you did to ensure the client got the support and advice they required.

Do you have any questions for me?

A guaranteed question is the “do you have any questions for me?” question. And your answer should be YES! Always ask a question.

Good questions to ask in a housing officer job interview are;

  • What is your approach to supporting service users with their many barriers?
  • What development opportunities do you have to help upskill a housing officer?
  • How many hostels/houses do the organisations look after?
  • What is the best part of your day?

Aristotles Teaches How To Persuasion in a Job Interview

Aristotle’s Persuasion Technique

Persuasion is the goal of the job interview.

In the job interview, you need to influence, persuade and motivate through the answers of your job interview answers. You naturally persuade all the time, through the words you say and how you say these words. The problem is you may persuade people not to recruit rather than persuade them to offer you the desired job position.

Aristotle was a master of the persuasive language. We have taken the leanings of Aristotle’s rhetoric and made it relevant to the job interview.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Ethos is your character, how you come across to the interviewer. In a job interview, you need to be seen as credible, an authority. If the job interviewer believes in you, they will listen to you, if they listen to you, they will want to buy you (offer you the position) Aristotle said “We believe good men more fully and more readily than others.”

An example of an ethical appeal: “What I have learned from working in this industry for over 28 years is…” Your duration of experience has a direct path to your Ethos.

Pathos creates an emotional response from the interview panel. In the job interview situation, you need to appeal directly to the interviewer’s emotions. The great interviewee controllers the employer’s emotions throughout the job interview, taking them on an emotional roller coaster.

An example of an emotional interview answer is “have you ever been in a situation when a multi-pound deal was just about to be lost….what I did to turn things around was…” By getting an employer to imagine/remember a negative situation stirs up their negative emotions, before you create a positive emotional pull, by explaining your positive outcome.

 

Logos is a way to use logic; reasoning, data, statistics and even debates and arguments. Imagery creates an emotional pull, logos allows you to give the facts to back up the story. “This technique increased profit by 35%..” “9 out of 10 people benefited from X”

Interview Test

Job Interview Questions for a Job at Rise in Manchester

Job Interview Questions for a Job at Rise in Manchester

 

Rise Manchester offers a tailor-made space for the FinTech community, drawing together the city’s vibrant startup culture and its rich industrial past. In staff they are looking for friendly and fun staff who know there coffee and who can improve their customers experience.

 

If you want a job at rise, here is some questions you will need to answer

 

Below you can also access 101 Interview Questions and techniques to Influence the Job Interview. Good luck with your next job interview.

 

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Job Interview Questions for a Job at Rise in Manchester

 

Job Interview Question 1: 

 

“Tell me about your customer service experience?”

 

The opening question at Rise, will be a generic interview question to gain an insight into your customer service and barista experience.  Summarise your experience and have a focus on the key skills required for this position; how you welcome customers, how you promote the rise philosophy and how you go above and beyond

 

Ensure you mention

 

  • customer service skills
  • strong written and spoken communication skills
  • the ability to solve problems
  • the ability to deal tactfully with customers
  • your friendliness and rapport building skills  

 

 

Job Interview Question 2: 

 

“How do you handle difficult customers?”

 

For situational job interview questions, answer using a real life story or example

  • state the situation – why the customer was angry/difficult 
  • explain how you remain calm and how this calmed down the customer
  • discuss what you did to support the customer while following processes and procedure 
  • explain the outcome of the situation ***ensure this is positive 

 

 

Job Interview Question 3: 

 

“When have you gone and beyond to help a customer?” 

 

Rise isn’t just a coffee shop, its an experience. In an employee Rise are looking for staff members who go that extra mile. Answer this interview question by first stating your work ethic and your temperament. Second give a real life example of when you went above and beyond to help a customer. Remember at Rise the customer base isn’t just shoppers, in fact the percentage of customer are entrepreneurs who spend their day at Rise working

 

   

Job Interview Question 4: 

“What questions do you need when booking a room for a customer?”

 

Many customers book rooms and the stage area. This task requires a level of organisation. When answering this questions explain your strategy for   keeping the administration side of things on point. How do you ensure that you have the correct details; customer detailsl, booking details

 

 

Job Interview Question 5: 

 

“Why do you want to work at Rise?”

 

Be honest when answering this question – Rise has to be the right fit for you, and you need to be the right fit for Rise. What made you apply for this role? Why do you like the environment? To answer this question, start with “The three reasons I want to work at Rise are…” and then give 3 real reasons.

 

 

 

 

Interview questions and answers

 

 

 

 

 

Job Interview Question 6:

“Do you have any questions for me?”

 

Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.

 

Conclusion 

 

Many people are afraid of job interviews. The truth is if you prepare for your job interview, by predicting the job interview questions, you can easily prepare your job interview answers. If your job interview answers highlight your unique selling point, are stated in the positive and are said in a confident manner, then you can influence the job interview to increase job offer.

 

Interview Preparation Resources

 

Other People Who Read This Article Also Read:

 

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Do You Know the 3 Ways to Overcome Job Interview Nerves?

3 Ways to Overcome Job Interview Nerves?

To be the king of the job interview you need killer job interview answers, but…and this is more important you need to be seen as confident, charismatic and charming

The 3 C’s are the packing to the job interview answer. Why is this important I hear you ask????

Think about it, packing has influence. When you are buying your weekly shopping the packaging on the product, even if the same product is produced by the same supplier but labeled differently, is key to your purchasing habits. There is a whole sector on sales psychology that you can research.

The job interview is the same – the only difference is that you are selling you skills, qualities and experience. People are influenced more by how you come across, your rapport, the way you express your answers with stories, humor and anecdotes. But this is where the problem is…..most interviewees are too nervous to be confident, charismatic and charming. This article will teach you 3 simple and easy to implement techniques to increase your interview confidence, helping you to influence the job interview.

nervous2

Practice and Strategies

Most people only spend around 45 minutes preparing for a job interview

Whereas interview professionals spend around 4-5 hours preparing, as they know that a successful job interview can be life-changing – how long do you, on average, spend preparing for your job interview?

The first way to increase your interview confidence is to use job interview answer strategies. Having a strategy is like having a plan, with a plan you feel more in control and control equals confidence.

A job interview strategy allows you to answer those curveball interview questions with ease. Imagine you get asked one of the most common asked questions in interviews.

Job Interview Question:

“Tell me about your sales management experience?”

This question, normally asked at the beginning of an interview, gives you the opportunity to deliver a short statement about your experiences and skills relevant to the job position you are applying for. But most people struggle to answer this question with confidence (which makes the rest of the interview go downhill) because they have no strategy.

But with a simple strategy, you can answer with ease, as you focus on the strategy not what you are saying.

The strategy for most interview questions is ADS

Answer, Detail, Summary – you answer the question straight away, give detail (often in the form of a story/experience) and summaries your answer (making a clear ending)

With all interview questions the employer is looking for a key skill or experience (to check if you are suitable for the position in their organisation) The interviewer with opening job interview questions want to know if you have the generic experience and skills for this role, the following questions will help undercover specific required skills.

  • Answer – give the duration of time in this industry “I have worked in X sector for 15 years…” then state several achievements to highlight your competency “….during this time I have achieved Y and Z…”
  • Detail – give a story or state an experience to create an emotional-based interview answer “….I did by (add story)…”
  • Summaries – sum up the whole interview answer “….This is why I’m applying for the position, with my 15 years of experience and my ability to Y and Z, I know I will be an asset to your organisation”

Remember a strategy gives you confidence, a platform and plan to rely on when feeling nervous

   

Simple Nerve Destroying Technique

Science made simple

When you are nervous, your heart beats erratically, this erratic heart beat sends a signal to the amygdala part of your brain. This signal fires of the flight, fight or freeze response. In this state your mind works differently, your logical part of your brain shuts down and you respond automatically – this is why you forget your well-planned job interview answers during the job interview.

For more information on how you can control your  mind read this book Evolve the Mind  

To control this reaction all you need to do is control your breathing – as this sends the opposite signal to your brain. To be in control you need to breathe rhythmically

  • Breath in for 4 seconds
  • Hold the breath for 3 seconds
  • Breath out for 8 seconds (a long strong breath)
  • Repeat until you feel relaxed

Rhythmic breathing changes your heart rate and sends more oxygen to your brain helping you to create a state of relaxation. This is key, because most charismatic people are those who come across as controlled and relaxed

Interview questions and answers

Power Game

People become afraid when intimidated by others

The job interview is often, unintentionally (with some high powered job interviews – intentionally) a power play. In a one to one situation, there is always a power game where one person is more in control than the other; we often take our lead from this power person without being aware of it

In the job interview, you need to be in charge. To become more powerful you can show your authority for your sector by stating information about the sector that other people aren’t aware of (a quick google search can help you uncover some interesting facts about your niche)

But there is the person power play, where we react differently to different people in the same situation. If you see someone s intimidating you will feel intimidated

First, you need to dress to impress, everything about you has to shout power. Secondly and more importantly you need to look for those little things that will show you at the interview is human. Look for scuffed shoes, dandruff, loose buttons on shirts or a dirty office. By finding things that diminish the feeling of power from the interviewer you will feel more relaxed – the best state for a job interview

The power game is simple but has a massive psychological impact on your job interview and the job interview outcome

Conclusion 

Many people are afraid of job interviews. The truth is if you prepare for your job interview, by predicting the job interview questions, you can easily prepare your job interview answers. If your job interview answers highlight your unique selling point, are stated in the positive and are said in a confident manner, then you can influence the job interview to increase job offer.

The techniques stated above are simple and easy to implement. They will help you to control your state creating a state of confidence that allows you to sell yourself while remembering your key selling points

Out Of The Box Interview Tips

Think Out Of The Box To Pass a Job Interview

Run of the mill interviewing techniques are becoming talk of the past.

Tell me about yourself”?, A question that has been out there for so long that candidates tend to just learn the answer to it by heart with minor tweaks here and there.

If the questions aren’t going to change so will the same patented responses will be given during interviews. There is no advancement in the interviewing procedures and no learning for graduates coming fresh out of the universities.

career

Let’s consider a situation where a candidate (you) gets the call from HR representative of the company you applied to.

A unique feature about this call would be (we’ll get into that) but how normally a candidate would respond to one such call:

HR: “Hi, is this Mr. X I’m speaking to?

Mr. X: Yes, who’s this?

HR: “This Ms. Y from ABC Co., you applied for the position of XYZ. Have you got a minute, I have to ask a couple of questions?

Mr. X: Please go on

HR: Ok, so have been you working somewhere?

Mr. X: Both yes and no, actually I resigned from my previous employment and am currently serving my notice period”

HR: Ok, it says here you’ve been with the firm for last 5 years, what makes you want to switch?”

Mr. X: Although, I have had no issues here during the tenure of my employment, all I feel is a bit stagnant where I’m and want to challenge myself in pursuit of new and better opportunities”

HR: Alright, let me schedule an interview with you tomorrow say at 11am?

Mr. X: Sounds good to me, will be there.

HR: The directions to our office will be emailed to you shortly.

Mr. X: Sure thanks. Bye.

That is how a normal telephonic interview appears as. But if we could improvise and candidate can earn the seat in front row? Startling? We pick it up from point no. 10 above and see how it changes.

   

Mr. X: “Can I suggest a date, as I have some things to take care of in the days to follow? Hence I won’t be able to squeeze time for the meet.”

HR (based on the availability): When it would be possible for you to visit, then?

Mr. X: On so and so date (suggest a date for 2-3 days ahead)

The idea is to buy time so you can thoroughly search about the company, its stakeholders, review their profile on LinkedIn and prepare yourself well.

HR: How does day after tomorrow sound?

Mr. X: Great!

Now if the counter argument is not up to your liking, best lock in the day as it maybe that the organization is interviewing other candidates or the interviewing authority may not be available in those days.

At least by making a request you have made your presence felt and that you are not typical instead expressive. Just that is the purpose of asking to schedule at a later date. This gives you leverage in negotiations at the time of offer.

You don’t need to insist on scheduling for the day/date you have in mind or you’ll lose the opportunity, altogether. An attempt suffices and generally employer allows for a day or two in scheduling meets for candidates.

Interview questions and answers

Secondly, the questions needs to be revisited to allow candidates to speak open-endedly and when someone is provided the platform to speak, their frame mind is reflected and the person interviewing can gauge whether or not the person would be a suitable fit for the organization.

Questions could be:

How much element of fun is part of your life?”

“Do you cater to sarcasm?”

“What if I were to ring up a close friend of yours, will he/she be able to tell me your weaknesses?”

Author Bio

Rayanne Dany is an HR consultant and can be reached for assignment writing service via her twitter handle. She has tons of experience in different organizations amounting to a total of 10 years. Her insight over the years as an HR professional has paved way for writing improvement techniques.