11 Direct Support Professional Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: October 8, 2022

Acing an interview is something that you should be thinking of if you are due to appear for one.

Actually, the only thing that you can do to ace an interview is to prepare beforehand. The rest will fall into place itself.

Here is a set of 6 interview questions and answers for direct support professionals to get you through:

Direct Support Professional Interview Questions and Answers

1. How do you feel about working as a direct support professional?

The work in itself is probably the most fulfilling that I have ever done. If a person goes to bed knowing that he has made a difference in making the world (specifically an individual) a little happier, a little more comfortable, and a little less angry with nature, that is the best kind of life. I love working as a direct support professional because the work is just amazing and right down my alley.

2. Why do you want to make a career in providing support services?

One should make a career out of whatever one’s strengths lie in. I believe that my strengths are in providing one on one support to individuals to ensure that their medical, health, physical, and emotional needs are appropriately met.

3. What was the one aspect of working as a direct support professional that helped you make the final decision in taking up this work?

I believe that one should get a job that gives great inner satisfaction. Since helping others is actually helping myself spiritually, this is the work that I decided to take up.

4. Do you think working as a direct support professional is too challenging?

I find working as a direct support professional challenging – but not too challenging. Perhaps this is because I enjoy my work and the challenge is something that I take in stride and overcome without thinking much about it.

5. What has been your experience working as a direct support professional in the past?

Over the 6 years that I have worked as a direct support professional, I have been involved in creating and implementing support plans for individual patients, based on their specific requirements. I have also been actively involved in providing direct care by seeing to their hygiene and personal needs, ensuring that they are given the right type of food at the right time, monitoring their well-being, and ensuring that the environment that they are in is clean and safe for them.

6. In your opinion, what is the difference between caregivers and direct support professionals?

Mostly, the two positions are thought of as interchangeable. However, I worked as a caregiver before being hired as a direct support professional, and I do see a little bit of difference. A caregiver is usually limited to the personal and logistic assistance that he or she provides. On the other hand, a direct support professional is also entrusted with work such as developing and implementing care plans, teaching appropriate skills and involving patients in meaningful activities, encouraging social interaction, assisting with therapeutic activities, and advocating the rights of supported patients.

7. If given a choice, would you choose another profession? Why or why not?

If ever provided with a choice, I would still take up working as a direct support professional. As I mentioned earlier, assisting people with physical and mental disabilities is my true calling.

8. Do you mind the often “unstable or adverse” situations that a direct support professional has to face with his or her patients?

Since I am a trained direct support professional, I do not take anything adverse or unpleasant personally. Both these things are parts of my job and I understand and respect my patients, even if they are at times difficult to handle.

9. How high do you rate professional conduct while working as a direct support professional?

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, I would rate professional conduct at a 10. This is because when one is in a position of assistance or authority, it is important to conduct yourself well as you are essentially a role model.

10. What is the one skill that you deem most important to working successfully as a direct support professional?

While I believe that the skill set that is mandatory to possess in order to work as a DSP is vast, communication skills are probably the most important. This is because one has to be in constant contact with people, and the ability to communicate clearly and articulately is necessary to ensure the appropriate implementation of the program.

11. Do you feel that people who exhibit challenging behavior are difficult to deal with?

I don’t think it is difficult to deal with people with challenging behavior. My training in addressing behavioral issues is quite strong which is why I am quite capable of handling these issues with a high success rate.