514 Appendix A Competent InterviewingCulture also plays a profound role in job interview situations (Gardner, Reithel,
Foley, Cogliser, & Walumbwa, 2009), affecting both judgments and evaluations
(Manroop, Boekhorst, & Harrison, 2013). For example, many people from various
ethnic and religious backgrounds find it difficult to brag about their accomplish-
ments at a job interview because their culture frowns on such boastful behavior. Re-
search shows that rather than clearly state a strength (“I have extremely strong orga-
nizational skills”), African American interviewees often tell stories about themselves
to illustrate their strengths (Hecht, Jackson, & Ribeau, 2003). Researchers also note
that European American interviewers often judge story-telling candidates to be “un-
focused.” Thus African Americans who adapt by directly listing their strengths for a
job are perceived more positively in interviews (Hecht, Jackson, & Ribeau, 2003);
conversely, a European American interviewer who looks for the message behind the
story an interviewee tells has competently adapted as well.❶ If you were admitted
into a hospital for ex-
tended care, would you
be able to have a frank
discussion with a social
worker about your own
medical history? What
about your sexual history?
Do you think your ability to
speak about such things is
culturally bound?
❷ Is it possible for social
workers to pay attention to
all of the cultural dynam-
ics at play in an interview?
How can social workers
pay attention to salient
cultural factors without
resorting to stereotyping
their clients based on
culture or gender?
➌ For social workers,
which is more important:
asking the right ques-
tions or listening to and
interpreting answers? How
important are follow-up
questions?Cultural Competence in Social Work
If you ever find yourself struggling—economically, emotionally, or physically—
there is someone who can help. In hospitals and schools, for government
agencies and nonprofits, social workers are often the point person for indi-
viduals in need of health care, mental health services, social support, or simply
assistance in navigating large bureaucratic systems such as immigration or
the legal system.
The first step in providing this assistance is assessing the problem. So-
cial workers identify client needs, for the most part, by asking questions and
listening to answers. In fact, just about every aspect of the social worker’s re-
sponsibilities depends on skillful interviewing (Kadushin & Kadushin, 2013). A
mother who does not wish to leave the hospital after delivering her baby, for
example, might say that she does not feel well. But a skilled social worker will
explore further to consider other factors that might be impacting the mother’s
decision, such as postpartum depression, family violence, physical condition
of the home, fear of parenting, or lack of social support to care for the child,
as well as economic uncertainty. Only if the social worker can identify these
concerns will he or she be able to link the mother with resources and services
to ensure a healthy and safe situation for the family.
In this role, cultural competence is essential. A social worker seeking to
help an undocumented immigrant who is the victim of a crime, for example,
will likely face multiple challenges when interviewing a client. Obviously,
language barriers can make communication difficult, but such concerns can
usually be addressed with the use of an interpreter. However, other cultural
factors can profoundly influence the way a client answers questions. Fear
of deportation may make the client reluctant to seek assistance, or the cli-
ent may worry that testifying in court will put his or her job in jeopardy. In
cases of sexual assault, in particular, culturally bound gender expectations
can make it difficult for some clients to speak frankly about what happened
(Clarke, 2014).THINK
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