During the Interview
Interviewing as a BCBA
It is very easy to take a passive approach to interviews. You're fresh out of your grad program and are now ready for one of the biggest MOs an adult can experience: a paycheck.
You may be focused solely on answering the interviewer's questions correctly and making yourself look as desirable as possible. You may be tempted to accept the first offer that comes your way.
Do not do this.
You have developed and honed such a unique skillset and pursued a certification that is invaluable to the field of ABA. BCBAs are a required component of implementing ABA.
Doing what I mentioned above is not necessarily a bad thing. You do want to market yourself as a confident, capable BCBA. But use the interview process to not only market yourself, but also interview the interviewer.
Make sure the company that's asking you the questions is the right company for you too.
So many times have I heard of BCBAs accepting the very first position that comes their way because they're excited to start, only to find out that the company they went with was the wrong fit.
Oftentimes, you can discern which company is best for you and which companies you should pass on just from interviewing them before being hired.
A few things to consider when interviewing companies are their billable hour requirements, how they train their BCBAs, as well as how they train their new therapists. You can tell a lot from a company based on how they treat their new hires, especially ones that come in with zero experience.
You will be a new hire yourself, so this is incredibly important to consider.
Stay Organized From Day One
Visit the shop to browse Google Sheets templates to help you stay organized as a clinician.
What to Bring to the Interview
1. A copy of your resume and accomplishments
You'll want to keep these handy in case your interviewer asks specific questions about what you've listed on your resume. It also helps to have a separate list of personal accomplishments handy for when they ask you questions that require your personal experiences.
2. Comfy clothes
If your interviewing in person, this is essential. If you're interviewing in a clinic setting, sometimes the interviewer will invite you to tour the clinic or stay a little longer for a working interview.
Even though you'll want to dress in professional clothes, you'll want to make sure that your shoes are durable and comfy in case you end up walking around for an extended amount of time.
Even if you are doing a virtual interview, it's importance to wear your professional clothes up top, as well as at least SOMETHING on the bottom. You do not want to stand up to situate yourself and accidentally flash your interviewer, trust us.
3. A list of questions
This is not just a chance for your potential employer to check you out. This is also an opportunity you have to interview these companies and decide which is the best fit for you.
Your questions may pertain to specific details about the job listing, such as billable hour requirements and how reimbursement for buying clients stimuli and reinforcers works.
You can also ask questions about the work environment, such as how management typically resolves disputes between therapists and BCBAs, or if you can take a tour around the facilities.
Have multiple questions prepared in case your interviewer unconsciously answers some of them during the interview process. You'll want to have at least one question to ask at the end of the interview to show that you are proactive in your job search.
What Else Should I Consider?
One question that helped me discern which companies were good options and which ones weren’t worth my time was asking them how they train someone completely new to ABA to be a behavior technician.
Even though you are applying for a position as a BCBA, you will benefit from joining an organization that values all their employees and equips their technicians for the most difficult aspect of ABA: direct work.
How a company onboards, trains, and assesses their technicians will tell you a lot about how the company operates as a whole.
You can take this one step further and ask your interviewer how they onboard a brand new BCBA. After all, if you choose to accept their offer, that will be you.
