Case Manager Interview Preparation Guide

As with any occupation, you will likely be faced with an unsatisfied client at some point. In these cases, you will need to draw upon your professional abilities to communicate and resolve the issue. With these types of case manager interview questions and answers, relate a brief description of what happened and how you handled it. If you do not have previous work experience, provide a scenario that shows how you might resolve a conflict with an upset client.

Demonstrates task management skills.

Effective medical case managers must also have a strong background in practicing nursing. It’s essential to get this across during your interview. Start with your medical training received during college, and discuss how your courses prepared you for the job of nursing. Then give details about your background as a nurse and the different specialties you have had experience with. Your goal is to demonstrate a strong knowledge of medical terminology and procedures.

This is a very important question since it will provide a bit of background about you and the things that drive you to be successful in your career. Perhaps you became a case manager because of a personal experience. If so, provide some history. “My grandmother was very ill with cancer and I feel that she would have been able to make better decisions if she had been informed of all of her options” would be a fantastic answer. Otherwise, simply provide a brief explanation of why you chose this career. “I want to make sure that people who are ill or facing a crisis will have all of the information and support they need to make it through the difficult times.”

Assessing patients’ individual care needs, coordinating and providing care that is safe and timely, and drafting service plans have been my prime duties in the past. Additionally, I have helped patients in making informed decisions by acting as their advocate and arranged abeyances with social services as well.

The nonprofit environment is a close-knit community in which managers may know each other. Asking about a candidate's experience with other employers in the community is a good way for an interviewer to test loyalty. The interviewer favors a response that's thoughtful and professional rather than a critical response about a former employer.

Research related questions provide good ways to assess a candidate's critical thinking. The interviewer gives a candidate an opportunity to discuss how well he's prepared to manage and coordinate programs effectively under tight budget constraints. The questioner may expect the candidate to demonstrate that he's up-to-date on developments in the field by expressing his knowledge of budget cuts within the program or industry.

The most driven workers tend to make the best employees. If you jump into a profession merely for the money or benefits, you will not be as motivated to go the extra mile. This is the hiring manager’s perspective, so he or she wants to understand what drives you to be a successful professional. Feel free to be honest about why you chose your career as a case manager, but focus on points aside from money and benefits.

Tests ability to handle stress.

At the core of a case manager’s job is the ability to manage people. A case manager candidate needs to have experience being a supervisor or leader in a medical setting. You can show that you’re ready to take on this job by highlighting your experience as a manager in nursing or other types of medically-related work. Make sure you give the interviewer a sense of your management style by offering examples of you and your team solving problems. This is one of the most important case manager interview tips.