How to Pass an Animal Care Job Interview
As an animal care worker, you could work in a number of locations from kennels to rescue centres, from sanctuaries to animal care charities.
Depending on your location depends on the type of vacancies you can apply for.
To gain a position as an animal care worker you need to be passionate and knowledge about the animal you work with; different breeds, animal nutrition, exercise requirements. To pass an animal care job interview you will need to practice and prepare you interview answers:
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10 Animal Care Job Interview Questions
Animal Care Job Interview Question 1. What is your experience working with animals?
Discuss either your work experience, which should include how long you have worked in animal care and the main duties you have undertaken or for recently qualified applicants the course they attended and what they learnt on an animal care course.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 2. What pets do you have and how do you look after them?
For applicants who are new to the industry, the employer will ask a follow-up interview question.
Explain a week’s worth of ‘duties’ which should include:
- Checking the animal’s welfare
- Feeding schedules
- How often you clean out the cage/stables/living area
- Booking vet check ups
- Spending time with the animal
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 3. How do you prepare food for particular animals?
What is key here is to learn the different food requirements (what the different animals can or can’t eat) for the different animals the employer’s species in.
For extra points, explain dietary requirements, which plants/foods are poisonous to certain animals and what food stuffs help each animal to grow and develop.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 4. How would you keep animals clean and what is your grooming experience?
Answer this question the daily or weekly cleaning requirements for the animals you are experienced in looking after.
As an example, one animal may need their cage or living area refreshing each day while another animal may only need a weekly deep-clean but daily checks.
To score high, you can explain, as an example, how hay in a horse stable can hide mice which can cause problems.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 5. What would you do if an animal in your care became ill?
A big part of an animal care officers job role is the welfare of the animals.
Don’t be tempted to answer this question with ‘I would inform my manager’ as this is a low scoring interview answer.
Instead, mention common diseases the animal may have and the symptoms for each disease. If you know, you can discuss the remedy or when you would need to call a vet – for emergencies
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 6. Why is animal exercise and diet important?
The obvious answer, here, is, of course, the welfare of the animal.
But you need to give additional information.
If know, explain how much water each animal is required to drink on a daily basis and what the animals eating habits are like.
Next, discuss what would happen if an animal was not allowed to exercise – physically and mentally.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 7. What would you do if you felt a colleague was mistreating an animal?
A commonly asked animal care interveiw question.
The right course of action is reporting any concerns to the manager. If asked what would you do if a colleague was also your friend, follow up with ‘the welfare of the animals come first. If I believed there was any mistreatment I would report this.’
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 8. Why do you want to working caring for animals?
This is a great question to be asked.
Let your passion come out. Explain why you love animals, how this is a passion not a job.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 9. Describe your ideal day as animal care assistant?
This question isn’t really asking what your ideal day is. What the employer wants to know if do you know the daily duties and would you enjoy performing these?
Most new animal care personnel will enjoy being with the animals but of course, cleaning, preparing animal food and lots of cleaning, are all duties for an animal care officer.
Discuss all the duties you know about and point which ones you most enjoy.
Animal Care Officer Job Interview Question 10. Do you have any questions to ask me?
- What animals do you look after?
- Do staff work out of premises?
- Where do you think the business will expand over the 5 years?
- Do you offer any animal care training or qualifications?
- What would my first week look like?
