To work overtime is considered special in most jobs. In social work, however, this doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Some positions simply demand working overtime, and all workers will work overtime. So what can be labeled as “something extra”, if we speak about social work? Let me try to give you some suggestions.
- Helping someone who is not your client, but needs qualified assistance from someone like you.
- Offer and deliver a service that is outside of your working duties (for example shopping for a client, taking someone to their GP, etc, depends on the position you have).
- Meeting with clients in your free time, in order to strengthen mutual relationship.
- Helping new colleagues in work.
- …
No experience – what to do?
If this is your first job application, try to talk about your volunteering experience, or at least about some situation when you did something more than expected from you, for anyone–for a friend, a schoolmate, an old lady you met on the street…
Your attitude is the most important thing for us. Show us that you understand what it takes to become an excellent social worker. Whether you do it narrating a situation from a job, or one from school, does not really matter much.
Preparing better than your competitors
In most interviews you will face a competition of other job seekers–sometimes as many as ten, or even twenty people. If you would like to see great answers to twenty five most common social work interview questions, you can check my eBook, the Social Work Interview Guide.
After reading the eBook, you can say to yourself that you did all you could to succeed, and to outclass your competitors in an interview.
Thank you, I wish you good luck!
Ellen King, Your Personal Interview Coach