Field officer

What interviewers look for

• You can enter a community respectfully, through the authorities and elders, while also reaching women, minorities and people with disabilities.
• You know the basics of do no harm and safeguarding: aid is free, no favours, and concerns go through the right channel.
• You collect data ethically: informed consent, privacy, neutral questions and exact recording of answers.
• You follow security rules, and you stop when a situation does not feel safe.
• You report what you saw accurately and on time, and you keep facts apart from what you were told.
• You know the area and its languages, and you can handle long days and difficult travel.

Questions they ask

1. 1“How do you introduce a new project in a village where nobody knows our organisation?”

   Why they ask: Community entry decides whether the project is trusted. The panel checks that you respect local structures, manage expectations and reach everyone, not only the powerful.

   How to answer

   • Go first to the local authority and the elders, with an introduction letter from your office.
   • Explain simply what the project does and does not do, and that aid is free.
   • Meet women and minority groups separately, at a time and place that suit them.
   • Leave the hotline number, and come back when you said you would.

   I would go first to the village chairman and the elders with the introduction letter from our office, and explain who we are, what the project offers and what it does not. I would say clearly that aid is free and that nobody should pay anyone to be registered. Then I would ask a female colleague to hold a separate meeting with women in the afternoon, when they are back from fetching water. Before leaving I would give the hotline number and agree the date of our next visit, and I would make sure we came back on that date.

2. 2“How do you ask for consent before an interview?”

   Why they ask: Consent is the first rule of data collection. The panel checks that you explain the purpose, make it voluntary and protect privacy, especially with children and sensitive topics.

   How to answer

   • Say who you are, why you are asking and how long it takes.
   • Make clear it is voluntary, they can stop at any time, and saying no does not affect their aid.
   • Explain how the answers are kept private, then ask clearly and record the answer.
   • For children, get a caregiver's consent and the child's own agreement.

   I introduce myself and the organisation, and say we are asking families about water and hygiene so the project can plan better. I say it takes about twenty minutes, it is voluntary, they can skip any question or stop at any time, and saying no will not change any help they receive. I explain that their name will not appear in any report. Then I ask, “Do you agree to take part?” and record the answer in the form. If the answer is no, I thank them and move to the next household.

3. 3“During a survey, a woman tells you her husband beats her. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: Field staff often hear about violence. The panel checks that you respond safely: listen, do not investigate, share information about services, and refer only with her consent.

   How to answer

   • Listen calmly, believe her, and do not push for details.
   • Tell her what services exist, such as health care, psychosocial support or a women's centre.
   • Refer her through the referral pathway only if she agrees, and never tell her husband or neighbours.
   • Keep it confidential: not in the survey form, and only the minimum to your supervisor or protection focal point.

   I would stop the survey questions, listen, and tell her I believe her and that it is not her fault. I would not ask for details or give advice about her marriage. I would tell her quietly about the services our partners offer, like the health centre and the women's support group, and ask if she would like me to connect her. If she agrees, I would pass her contact to the protection focal point through the referral pathway. I would not write her story in the survey form, and I would not mention it to anyone else.

4. 4“You arrive in a village and something feels wrong: people are tense and armed men are nearby. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: Security awareness keeps teams alive. The panel checks that you trust warning signs, follow procedures and put safety above the day's target.

   How to answer

   • Do not start or continue the activity; leave calmly by the agreed route.
   • Call the security focal point or your supervisor as soon as it is safe.
   • Write an incident report: what you saw, where and when.
   • Do not go back until the security team clears it.

5. 5“What does do no harm mean in your field work?”

   Why they ask: Aid can create tension or risk if it is done carelessly. The panel checks that you can think about who might be harmed and how to avoid it.

   How to answer

   • Think about who gains and who is left out, for example host communities and displaced families.
   • Choose times and places that are safe, especially for women and children.
   • Protect people's data, and never reveal who received what in a way that puts them at risk.

6. 6“How do you write a field report after a monitoring visit?”

   Why they ask: Programme decisions depend on field reports. The panel checks that you record facts, separate what you saw from what you heard, and report bad news too.

   How to answer

   • Write the basics: date, place, who you met and what you checked.
   • Count, do not guess, and mark what you were told as “reported by”.
   • Include problems and complaints, even if they make the project look bad.
   • Send it the same day or the next, with photos taken with consent.

   After visiting a water point I write the date, the village and who I met, for example the water committee chair and three women collecting water. Then I write what I checked myself: the tap was working, but the fence was broken and animals were drinking at the tank. I keep what people told me separate: “Women reported that the committee charges a fee some households cannot pay.” I add a photo of the broken fence and my recommendation, and I send the report to my supervisor the same evening.

7. 7“How do you make sure women and people with disabilities are included in your work?”

   Why they ask: Gender and inclusion are part of every NGO job. The panel wants practical steps, not a statement that you treat everyone equally.

   How to answer

   • Hold separate meetings with women, led by a female colleague where possible.
   • Ask about disability respectfully, and visit at home those who cannot come to the site.
   • Check that sites, queues and timings work for older people, pregnant women and people with disabilities.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• Community entryThe first steps in a new area: meeting the authorities and elders, explaining the project honestly, then reaching every group. Panels ask how you would do it and what you would never promise.
• Do no harmThe idea that aid must not make things worse, for example by fuelling clan tension, exposing people to danger or creating dependency. Be ready with one example of a risk you noticed and avoided.
• Safeguarding and PSEAKeeping the people you serve safe from harm by staff, including sexual exploitation and abuse. Aid is always free, no staff member may ask for money or favours, and concerns are reported, never investigated by you.
• Informed consentAgreement given after the person understands who you are, why you ask, that it is voluntary and how the answers are kept. Expect a role play where you ask for consent in Somali.
• Confidentiality and data protectionInterviews in private, no names in reports, phones locked, and no sharing of lists or photos on WhatsApp or social media. A lost phone with survey data on it is a real risk.
• Referral pathwayThe agreed list of services and contacts for cases such as gender-based violence, child protection or urgent medical needs. Field staff refer with consent; they do not counsel or investigate.
• Security SOPs and movementThe rules for field travel: approval before moving, check-in and check-out calls, agreed routes, no travel after a set hour, and incident reporting. Panels ask what you would do if the situation changes.
• Neutral questions and probingAsking without suggesting an answer (“How do you get water?”, not “The water is bad, isn't it?”) and following up until the answer is clear. This is how enumerator skills are tested.
• Protection monitoringRegular visits and interviews to spot risks such as evictions, violence, family separation or blocked access to services, reported through safe channels. Know the difference between monitoring a risk and handling a case.
• Gender and inclusionMaking sure women, older people, minorities and people with disabilities can take part and benefit: separate meetings, female staff, accessible sites, and results split by sex, age and disability.
• Complaints hotline and help deskThe ways communities can raise problems safely. Field staff remind people about them at every visit, and pass on any complaint the same day without deciding it themselves.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1A role play: a panel member acts as the head of a household, and you ask for consent and run a few survey questions in Somali. Practise the consent script aloud until it sounds natural.
2. 2A phone test: fill a short KoboToolbox or ODK form correctly, with GPS and a photo, and check it before you submit. Install KoboCollect or ODK Collect and practise with a sample form.
3. 3A short written field report from a scenario in 30 minutes: what you saw, where, who you met, what you did and what you recommend. Keep facts and reports from others apart.
4. 4A translation task: put a short message or consent statement from English into clear Somali, and for some southern areas into Af-Maay. Practise translating the meaning, not word for word.

Mistakes to avoid

• Promising aid during community entry or surveys, such as “you will all get cash”.
• Writing guesses as facts: “around 200 families”, “everyone says the staff steal”.
• Pushing on after the security situation has changed, to finish the day's target.
• Skipping consent, or asking sensitive questions in front of neighbours or family.
• Speaking only with elders and men, and calling it community consultation.
• Taking photos of people, especially children, without consent, or posting them on social media.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.