Competency Category:
Competency Series:

11.1 – Conduct Intake Interview

Purpose & Context

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) conduct intake interviews as a guided conversation aimed at gathering information from the client to determine the types of programs, services or other interventions required. This preliminary screening of client needs enables CDPs to direct a client to appropriate services or determine the need for a more extensive employability assessment.Intake interviews are usually semi-structured. Career Development Professionals (CDPs) use an interview guide to ensure essential and standardized information is collected, while seeking to probe and expand on the client’s responses. The quality of the data depends upon the CDP’s ability to establish rapport with the client, and adapting an interview style that works for the client. Building on the responses, CDPs recommend next steps to address identified needs.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

  • P1. Build rapport:
    • Convey helpful, friendly tone
    • Put client at ease, e.g. provide reassurance
    • Define own role
    • Explain client rights
    • Remain open and adaptable
  • P2. Establish reason(s) for client to seek services, for example:
    • Seek information
    • Goal clarification
    • Explore education or employment options, e.g. post-secondary application, trade school certification
    • Seek referral to training or education program
    • Gain employment, e.g. job search techniques and strategies, job readiness, job transition
    • Maintain employment, e.g. professional development, mentorship
    • Advance career, e.g. pursue promotion
  • P3. Obtain informed consent for collection, use and disclosure of information
  • P4. Collect required statistical information on client, for example:
    • Demographic characteristics, e.g. gender, age, marital status
    • Education and employment history
    • Current or past access to social assistance
  • P5. Initiate interview:
    • Explain purpose of the interview
    • Explain format of the interview
    • Ask client if they have questions before commencing
  • P6. Summarize understanding of discussion
  • P7. Determine eligibility for existing programs, services or referrals
  • P8. Determine capacity to access resources independently, for example:
    • Discuss online research client has undertaken
    • Review client’s current resume to determine level of assistance required
  • P9. Explore service options, based on, for example:
    • Pre-employability challenges
    • Client expectations
    • Capacity for independent progress
  • P10. Seek agreement on action items, for example:
    • Referral to third-party for services beyond scope of CDP, e.g. housing support
    • Direct to sources of information or tools
    • Enrolment in workshop(s), e.g. job seeking skills, interview skills
    • Schedule employability assessment meeting
  • P11. Prepare post-intake interview records, i.e. document interaction
    • Review and expand on notes, e.g. clarify details
    • Write down observations made during the interview, e.g. client behaviour, items for follow up
    • Record lessons, conclusions
    • Store information in client file

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

  • K1. Career development theories/models
    • Types of interview questions and purpose:
    • Open-ended, e.g. “How do you see the future?”, “What did you think about that?”
    • Closed/fixed response e.g. “What level of education have you completed?”, “What day did that happen?”
  • K2. Follow-up/probing: e.g. “Can you tell me more about… ?”
    • Well-considered use of questions, for example:
    • Avoid leading questions
    • Use wording free of bias or implied judgment

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

Intake interviews may be conducted via telephone or through virtual sessions, and their length and complexity may vary depending on client needs and organizational protocols.

Steps taken may differ when dealing with multiple clients at once, e.g. use of questionnaires, ability for clients to discuss items together.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

Inter-personal: between people.

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

None

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

Moderate risk: CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Routinely, regular course of procedure

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

To become proficient in administering intake interviews, a career development professional requires a minimum experience of working with 20 clients.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.

Automation

It is somewhat likely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

None