Laurenza Buglisi specialises in supporting families affected by sexual violence, intergenerational trauma, and family estrangement. She also provides training and consultancy in child safeguarding practices for organisations and social work professionals.
Congratulations – you are about to graduate from your social work degree and have started job seeking. There is no doubt that this can be a daunting process but with the right preparation and mindset, you can prepare for and thrive in your first role. Read on to learn more about what steps you can take to ensure the smoothest transition from student to new graduate social worker.
Prospective social work employers
Social workers are fortunate to be employed across a wide range of organisations worldwide. These include government (local, state and federal), non-for-profit, and private organisations. Local municipality roles might include local council run youth services, child and family services, aged care, or disability. Positions within state governments might include departments that facilitate child protection, youth justice, disability services, community health centres, hospitals, community corrections, prisons or courts. Federal governments also employ social workers in roles such as welfare services, policy, and research in public institutions. Non-for-profit organisations include child and family services, mental health, disability, housing, family violence, or substance misuse services. The private sector might include possible employers such as employment assistance programs, private social work, or psychology practices, which provide therapy to clients for a fee.
Often position descriptions do not include the title Social Worker but might use a generic title such as ‘counsellor’, ‘clinician’, ‘case manager’, or ‘policy advisor’. It is always worthwhile reviewing the qualifications required for the position because many jobs indicate they are seeking someone with social work qualifications to fill the role.
Decide on an area of practice
Given the breadth of social work as a profession, it can be helpful to narrow down your job seeking by deciding on the specific area of practice you wish to work in. This might include areas such as mental health, housing, family violence/sexual assault, gambling, chronic illness/health, legal, education, or culturally and linguistically diverse or First Nation communities. It can then help to consider the modality of intervention; that is, how is it that you wish to help others. This can be through individual work (counselling or case management), family or couple work, group work, community work, policy or research. The final consideration is the client group itself- who exactly you wish to work with? This might include children, young people, adults or seniors. Having a good understanding of your preferred area of practice can give you a starting point to direct your energy and narrow your search during the job-seeking process.
Finding a good fit
It can be helpful to give some consideration to where the position itself is, both in terms of location and organisation, and how this aligns with your own hopes and expectations for the beginning of your social work career. You want to consider whether you are job-seeking in urban, regional, rural, or even international locations and, if so, what the travel distance will be from your place of residence. A level of separation from home and work life is important in social work, and sometimes, this is difficult to achieve if you are living and working in the same community. Some social workers find this challenging as it means a greater chance of coming into unexpected contact with clients in their personal lives, such as at the grocery store or at community events. For others, this is offset by the sense of satisfaction they receive through being able to work with communities that otherwise might not receive social work services (such as those in remote locations). There is no right or wrong approach, and you might find trial and error to be the key to determining which is the best fit for you.
It can also be useful to consider how important it is to work within a social work team or department, or whether you would like to work within a multidisciplinary team. It is generally not advisable to work in isolation as a new graduate, given the level of support you will need over the first six to twelve months, in particular, can be difficult to receive if you are not working in a team. It is also important to consider how this might impact your sense of professional identity, given you will have recently spent a considerable amount of time nestled in the comfort of your university department of social work. You will need to ask yourself how important it is for you to continue to connect with other social workers as you navigate your first social work role.
When considering a good organisational fit, you might like to consider the values or philosophical base of the organisation itself. You might want to find an organisation that is underpinned by a feminist philosophy for example, if you are wishing to work in the family violence or sexual assault field. It is also helpful to consider things such as salary, hours, supervision, career progression opportunities and any funded professional development that certain organisations provide. Often, students are so keen to secure their first social work role that they can risk taking the first job they are offered. While it is important to recognise you may have limited options due to your status as a new graduate, it is always worthwhile considering what is best for you and aiming to achieve that first.
New graduate resources
I always recommend accessing online resources that can help support you as you navigate this transition period. My favourite social work new graduate resources are the New Social Worker publication and the Social Work Café Podcast. You can also check out the online resources at my website.
Tips to improve employability
It can seem counterproductive, but despite graduating from a university degree in social work, prospective employers often expect graduates to have undertaken professional development training in areas relevant to the workplace. This can include workshops in family violence risk assessment, suicide prevention, cultural diversity, mental health first aid, or narrative therapy. Thankfully, there are many online options for this training, some of which are free of charge and well-suited to students or new graduates who are budget-conscious. It can reflect well on your CV to include such training, as it shows initiative and a willingness to continue learning.
Writing effective job applications
Most job applications are written and submitted online, making it easier than ever to keep a record of those positions you have applied for. It can be helpful to create a generic version of your CV and cover letter, which you can then save to your hard drive as the master copy. You can expect that each new job application will require you to edit your generic cover letter, allowing you to provide a tailored response to that particular position and organisation. This would include things such as your reason for wanting to work at that organisation or why you think you would be a good fit. Most job applications also require that you prepare a written response to address the key selection criteria, which is a way of screening and shortlisting applicants prior to the interview stage. It is important that your tailored cover letter reflects your understanding of the prospective organisation’s values or mission statement. This can be found through researching the company’s website and reviewing previous annual reports.
Preparing for job interviews
Once you’ve secured a job interview, you are one step closer to landing your first social work role. Make sure you take the time to adequately prepare for the interview itself. Be familiar with the position description, as interview questions are usually focused on the tasks the role requires. It can be worthwhile having answers prepared that reflect the skills and qualities outlined in the position description or key selection criteria. For example, you might want to consider a situation where you previously demonstrated good teamwork or the ability to problem solve when faced with a stressful presentation. When describing a situation, you want to consider 1) what happened 2) your response 3) the outcome and 4) what you learned as a result.
It is also important to make sure you arrive early for the interview, so plan ahead with regard to mode of transport and any other logistics (such as car parking). Presentation matters so make sure you are neat and well dressed. It is easy to make the mistake that the interview dress code should match the position itself (i.e., casual dress if the role involves providing outreach to young people); however, unless you have been explicitly told otherwise, your dress code should mirror the formality of the occasion. In this instance, a formal interview is a meeting between the employer and a prospective employee, so therefore respect is communicated by wearing appropriate office attire (even if the role is not office-based).
Good social work practice
Once you have secured your first role, the steepest learning curve in social work is often the first six to twelve months. It is imperative that you access timely and quality social work supervision during this period. If this cannot be offered through your workplace, consider locating this externally and enquire if your organisation will cover the expenses. It is also worthwhile to consider enrolling in workshops or seminars to meet your professional development needs. This means engaging in formal training that is designed to further enhance your understanding of social work practice by providing specialist skills or knowledge on a certain topic. Such training can range from a two-hour workshop to a certificate that takes four months to achieve through a registered training organisation. It might also involve further postgraduate study at a university.
Understanding assessments
An important part of good social work practice is understanding how to apply different assessments. This will depend on a number of things, such as whether your organisation has specific assessment tools they require you to use in your role. It can also include tailored assessment frameworks that you develop over time as you move from a new graduate to an experienced social worker. Professional development training might be required to understand and implement external assessment tools, such as specific suicide risk assessments or family violence risk assessments, when working with vulnerable clients. It can be helpful to clarify at the beginning of your first social work role precisely what is expected from your employer regarding assessments.
Case presentations
Knowing how to conduct a case presentation and concisely articulate your client’s presenting problem in a clear manner is a useful social work skill to have from the onset. This is applicable when discussing your client caseload with your supervisor or presenting at a team meeting. New graduates often find it challenging to summarise the client and the work they have done so far in a way that is easy for others to understand. It can be confusing to know exactly how much information another worker requires to be able to provide advice. Generally speaking, it is important to begin with the following demographical information: age, biological sex, living arrangement, culture, religion, gender identity, sexuality, other services or supports involved (including the school if applicable), and past or current diagnoses (including who made the diagnosis and when, and what treatment was received). This is then followed by a summary of the referral information, such as the date referred, referral source and reason for referral. It is important to then provide information about the number of sessions the client has attended to date, their general presentation and engagement, presenting issues, and an overview of the intervention provided so far. The final component of a case presentation is a summary of your own recommendations of what needs to happen from here, along with any specific questions you have for your supervisor or team members.
Staying connected with the profession
Don’t despair if it takes you longer than anticipated to find your first social work job. Connect with your university and professional social work body for additional resources on job seeking and do not forget to ask for feedback from organisations if you make it to the interview stage but do not progress further.
Once you’ve secured your first role, make sure to find ways to stay connected to the profession. This is especially relevant if your position is within a multidisciplinary team, particularly if you are the only social worker. You might want to stay in touch with other social work new graduates from your university or look for professional social work networking opportunities. For more online resources and support for social work professionals, visit my website.
Read more from Laurenza Buglisi
Laurenza Buglisi, Social Worker & Family Therapist
Laurenza Buglisi is a qualified Social Worker and Family Therapist who specialises in child sexual abuse. She was the founder of Juno’s Circle: Counselling, Training and Consulting, supporting families with complex trauma. Laurenza is committed to ensuring all families are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to parent protectively. As a mother to three young children herself, she understands the challenges of raising children in a digital age with an increased prevalence of child sexual exploitation. Laurenza is passionate about working with organisations and social work professionals to ensure a clearer understanding of compliance with child safe practice standards and reporting obligations.
