How to find, apply, and interview for your perfect social work role

Whether you’re a seasoned social worker looking to make a change, or move up the ladder, or a student social worker looking to secure that all-important first job as an NQSW, this series - written by social work manager Tilly Baden - will guide you through the daunting process of searching for the right job, making the perfect application, and acing the interview.

FINDING THE RIGHT JOB

The prospect of finding a new job can be daunting, so break things down into bitesize chunks to make the process feel more manageable.

Create a checklist of your personal requirements. It’s important to keep an open mind, but if you have a strong affinity to an area of practice, that’s where you should focus your energy.

Ask yourself: do I want to work for a local authority, or in the charity or private sectors? You may also want to consider working as an agency or independent social worker. If you are looking to make the leap from a permanent role to an agency role, do your research. Your hourly wage may be higher as a locum, but there are other costs to consider - professional indemnity insurance, umbrella company fees, pension, training costs, and different tax rates. There will be more flexibility but more uncertainty.

Whichever route you choose, it’s a good idea to speak with social workers who are already working in that way.

Are you looking to work in an urban or rural environment? How long would you be willing to commute? Are you thinking of moving? Also, think about the type of work you prefer, and the sort of people you prefer to work with. Do you like longterm work, where you can build relationships over time? If so, a community or locality team may suit you best. Or do you prefer a faster paced setting, helping people in crisis?

If so, a hospital or assessment team might be more suitable.

Some roles will naturally be more suited to those who wish to work parttime, or remotely, whereas other roles are less flexible. These things may steer your job search. Once you have created your wish list, it’s time to start the search. If you have a particular LA or company in mind, look at their website for a list of current vacancies, or use a generic jobsite.

If a job sounds interesting, read the organisation’s website carefully, as it can tell you so much about their culture and ethos. What services do they offer? Who are their partner organisations? Do they offer meet and greets with their current staff? Look up the directors, executives, and principal social workers. Look at publicly available information such as finances and budgets.

If an organisation is inadequate or in special measures, it doesn’t mean you should necessarily avoid them. Some organisations hit rock-bottom and then rebuild to be some of the best places to work. The important thing is that you know what to expect, and pick an organisation that is right for you.

CONSTRUCTING THE PERFECT APPLICATION

Your application is how the employer shortlists for interview, so give yourself sufficient time before the deadline to ensure yours stands out.

If you’re asked to complete any online psychometric or verbal reasoning tests, practice these beforehand via online practice papers and YouTube tutorials, as there is a knack to scoring well.

Fill in each section of the form carefully and check for errors. When sifting through job applications, I can’t tell you how many silly mistakes I spot. I always think – if the person doesn’t check something as important as a job application, then what will their day-today records and reports look like?

If you are a student or recently qualified, include placements in your employment history, as well as courses and training. Explain employment gaps.

The personal statement or role-specific questions are your chance to show your suitability for the role. Most organisations adopt some form of scoring system to assess candidates fairly, so read the job description and person specification carefully, and cover every point. Always tailor the application form to the job. If there is a word limit, stick to this, otherwise aim to write 2-3 sides of A4.

Another common mistake is when people regurgitate the job description without providing any specifics. Here is an example of how to include detail to score the maximum marks:

“I have a good knowledge of safeguarding legislation.”

This isn’t going to score you anything.

“I have a good working knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Children and Families Act 2014, Data Protection Act 2018 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. In my placement, I was responsible for assessing children and families under Section 17 and Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and I ensured that my practice always complied with GDPR regulations.”

This will likely score 1 or 2 points.

“I have a good working knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Children and Families Act 2014, Data Protection Act 2018 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. During my placement, I undertook a variety of assessments under Section 17 and Section 47 of the Children Act 1989. I used the statutory safeguarding legislation to carry out in depth assessments and ensure that the child was kept at the centre of the assessment process. A specific example was when I worked with child X. I used the child assessment framework triangle to consider all aspects of child X’s safety and wellbeing. During the assessment, I became concerned about child X’s mother’s excessive alcohol use and discovered that she was neglecting child X’s physical and emotional needs when she was intoxicated. I used the framework of the Children Act 1989 to escalate my concerns and a strategy discussion lead to a Section 47 investigation. I ensured I contacted all the agencies involved with Child X to ensure that a holistic picture was built. Although child X’s mother didn’t give her consent for me to speak to their GP, Section 47 responsibilities override GDPR rights when a child is suspected of being at significant harm of abuse or neglect. This principle is enshrined in the Working Together guidance which all statutory and voluntary agencies must follow.”

This answer would likely score you 3 points. You have shown that you are able to apply the relevant legislation to practice and demonstrated that you are aware when one piece of legislation takes precedence over another.

A good statement will link the criteria to their work and show us how they achieve this in practice. Use anonymised case examples, if you have them, or talk about some of the ethical dilemmas you came across whilst studying, and how you would approach these in practice.

Within your personal statement, use your pre-application research to talk about how your values and practice fit within the vision of the organisation.

As with any application, be honest and accurate. Give detailed information, but don’t waffle. Written communication is important for social workers, so take the time to get this right, and score that all-important interview.

ACING THE INTERVIEW

Your invite to interview should tell you what to expect - will you need to prepare a presentation or case study? Are you meeting in person or virtually?

If virtual, make sure you have a backup plan, such as a phone number to call if your WiFi suddenly goes down. Shut pets in another room, send the children to a friend’s house, and tell your partner they’re only allowed to enter the room if the house is on fire.

Methodically preparing for your interview will undoubtedly increase your chances. I recommend preparing answers to the following questions:

Why did you apply for this role? What motivated you to become a social worker? What skills and strengths will you bring to the role? How has your previous social work experience prepared you? What legislation applies to this role? What local resources are you aware of in the area? (Think health services, housing, education, voluntary and charity partners, crime prevention, technology services, youth services – whatever is relevant to the job). How do your values fit with our organisation’s values? What is your approach to making defensible decisions? What challenges do you envisage for this role? (Talk about how you will overcome these challenges) How do you manage conflict? How do you maintain your wellbeing? What does good supervision mean to you? How do you prioritise your workload? What is your approach to working with diversity? How do you ensure you practice in an anti-discriminatory way? What are you proud of? What are your future career goals?

I also recommend preparing anonymised examples that you can use when speaking about: completing an assessment; strengths-based practice; person-centred intervention; overcoming difficulties with a person you are supporting; applying theory to practice; applying legislation to practice; working with limited resources; multi-agency working; supporting a colleague; respectfully challenging a colleague; crisis work; working with risk; promoting independence; difficult conversations; overcoming an ethical dilemma; managing professional boundaries; using your autonomy; team working; advocacy; and demonstrating leadership skills.

NOW, LET’S CONSIDER HOW TO SCORE WELL FOR EACH QUESTION.

Remember PEEL - Point, Evidence, Explain and Link - and STAR - Situation, Task, Action and Result. Use these to help you formulate your answers.

State your Point and answer the question, give Evidence in the form of examples to back up your point, Explain how your evidence supports your point, and Link your answer back to the question, to prove your point.

To help you structure the example you use in the Evidence stage, set the scene of the Situation you dealt with and provide relevant details. Explain the Task you needed to do, what Action you took and why, and the final Result, as well as what you learned.

This will help you demonstrate that you are capable of formulating a strong argument backed by evidence. The more you practice, the more natural and fluent this process will become.

Also, interviews are a two-way process. Prepare some positive questions, like: What is the structure of the team? What are the team’s strengths? How does the team maintain close working relationships with partner agencies? What are the learning and development opportunities? What opportunities are there for career progression? What are the arrangements for supervision? How is work allocated?

If you find yourself zooming through an answer, take a breath and slow down. Remember it’s OK to pause to consider your answer, or ask for clarification.

Treat each interview as a learning experience. If you don’t get the job, ask for feedback and work through constructive criticism with a colleague.

Finally, every qualified social worker has been in this position. Determination and courage will get you your dream job, so believe in yourself.