Tag: Social Work

15 Job Search Lessons for Graduating MSWs

It time for my annual blog post to empower the job search efforts of MSW grads. These folks are near and dear to me with lots of rapidly emerging intel to advance a successful career trajectory.

It’s that time of year when my Master’s in Social Work students are graduating. They are ready to be done with the academic rigor and make their unique mark on the industry. Of course, they also want to obtain gainful employment that values their education and their coveted degree.

My biggest hope is that all of my students find their dream job, and especially my Masters’ folks. They struggle the most in accessing jobs aligned with their interests, salary requirements, as well as providing them quality social work supervision toward licensure. The role should also provide them psychological safety and prioritize their professional self-care, not to mention a few other things.  

How do you engage in a successful job search? How and what do you negotiate? Who’s interviewing who on the interview? Here are 15 lessons to activate and succeed in your job search! While the focus of this blog is vital for MSWs, there is valuable information for all job searchers in this space.

Lesson 1: Organize 

Set up an electronic folder on your computer with subfolders:

·       References

·       Cover letters

·       Interview questions

·       Submitted applications

·       Recruiter contacts

·       Key info about jobs applied for  

Track positions on a spreadsheet with information including application dates, if you heard back and when, job details (e.g., salary, key benefits, virtual or in-person, multiple sites), contact information. I’m a fan of Excel, but how to organize is up to you!

Lesson 2: Keep your resume focused, comprehensive, and competency-based.

A resume is your professional face. In your zest to post and send it to potential employers, it becomes easy to include too much info, be too wordy, or use unprofessional language. Think:

· Formatting: Use a resume template, plus career planning offices at your academic institution, as well as:

–Beamjobs

–Indeed.com

–The New Social Worker 

–ResumeGenius  

More folks are using AI to build their resumes, so here are several established resources:

–Canva AI Resume Builder

–Resume-Now

-MyPerfectResume

· Use competency-based language: Professions have competencies that are viewed as the pillars of practice. Use that language to describe roles for practicums, internships, or professional jobs; for example, ‘intervened with adolescent population’ instead of ‘worked with adolescents’. Another example is, ‘engaged in counseling’ instead of ‘provided, or did counseling’. Competency-based language also lives in course syllabi and licensure regulations for your state.

· Attention to detail matters: A resume is your first impression to prospective employers. If there are errors, they will wonder, ‘if you can’t take the time to proof your own resume, why should they believe you’ll do better on the job?’. Do spelling AND grammar checks! 

Lesson 3: Have references ready!

Reach out to references early and keep their current contact information accessible. Maintain professional letters of recommendation in your online files. Keep your references in the loop so they know to expect contact by a potential employer. It also helps to share with your references if you really want that job. With so many phishing emails, everyone is cautious about providing information. Your reference can easily miss a vital request to provide the recommendation that leads to a job offer!

Lesson 4: Know what matters to the organization

This lesson is two-fold: first, keep up on public health facts and their impact for populations served by the agency. Brush up on Crisis theory, Intersectionality, Trauma-informed care, and short-term counseling techniques. This info will help you develop ideas on how to best serve the organization. Knowledge is power; this is a great way to tout your expertise in the interview.

Second, ask how the organization continues to address DEIB-related (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), as well as how they refer to these concepts. These values continue to underlie social work practice. The information goes beyond what may be on the employer’s website. You want to know exactly what mechanisms are in place to ensure all employees, patients/clients, their families and other strategic partners feel safe, seen, heard, and valued, and through every aspect of care and organizational operations.

Lesson 5: Know brief assessment tools and resources

With the uptick in mental health across populations and the workforce, have working knowledge of assessment tools to manage anxiety, stress, and depression. Know how to develop SMART goals as well! Quality resources continue to live at Therapist Aid and AHRQ

Lesson 6: Interviews are reciprocal opportunities

Interviews are not a guarantee of employment. Candidates can spend so much time during an interview discussing their expertise, they forget to ask key questions about the workplace.

Research employers before the interview. View the employer’s website to learn their mission, vision, and goals. Learn how the organization conducts business. Ask questions about short and long term goals and how they see you fitting into these plans. This tactic conveys your interest in the position.

Keep in mind that while interviews are for potential employers to interview you, you also get to interview them. This mindset puts you in control of the process, and decreases anxiety. Ask questions to learn if this job and setting are for you, such as those at Big Interview. 

Remember, decision-making timeframes vary, so ask about next steps. Organizations can take 2 days to make final decisions or months! Know what you are facing to help prioritize other offers!

Lesson 7: Ask about job stability

Amid these unpredictable times, it’s appropriate to ask about potential layoffs and furloughs. Some positions are funded by grants, so ask how long the position is funded and what happens next. Hiring freezes may happen and won’t necessarily be information shared. If you don’t ask, you won’t know.

Lesson 8: Be ready to name your unique strengths, and demonstrate them 

Job candidates will be asked how to handle specific situations. Identify your strengths and how they would make a difference. Consider:

·       How do your strengths set you apart from other candidates?

·       Why should the organization hire you?

·       What examples can you provide so the employer understands your worth?

·       How can you demonstrate your ability to work with a team?

·       You will be asked about your weaknesses. Be prepared to respond in a professional manner, and have your answer ready. 

Lesson 9: The only constant in our industry is change 

You may be happy to be done with school, but must still be open to new learning: the industry will change as will you. Be open to what it means for you to change with it. 

One big area of change for licensed health and behavioral health professionals involves licensure compacts and the ability to practice across state lines. Stay informed on the scope of practice within your state, and advancement of the Social Work and other Compacts.

Lesson 10: Be open to short-term or part-time roles

An exciting short-term or part-time role may turn into the best career option never anticipated. More and more MSWs are accepting multiple part-time roles. These options can promote greater flexibility, while minimizing burn-out. Also, don’t dismiss positions that are different from your expectations!

Lesson 11: Set up your professional social media profile. 

Set up a professional profile using established websites and job bank platforms. Facebook (or Meta) can help with networking, but use other websites that highlight recruitment:

Keep a profile professional! Use a polished photo versus a selfie with your BFF, pet, or family! Solid guidance is at The Ultimate Guide to Crafting a LinkedIn Profile that Recruiters Love

Lesson 12: Negotiation is expected

Negotiation is expected for any job. Negotiate for everything:

  • A higher hourly rate or salary
  • Remote options or flexible work hours
  • Coverage/reimbursement for professional fees (e.g. licensure exam application, exam prep courses, professional association dues)
  • Coverage/reimbursement for clinical supervision and if it is offered as an employment benefit. Organizations may pay a portion of the rate to the whole amount. They may only provide supervision internally or have waiting lists (so, YES, ask how long the waiting list is!). If supervision is provided, you may need to promise to stay at the organization for set number of years post-completion and attainment of your licensure. Otherwise, you may need to pay pack a set amount.
  • Don’t forget to ask if the organization has clinical social work supervisors employed by the agency (and who’s met any state requirements) and their availability. It can take some time to find that supervisory “goodness of fit”, knowing sooner than later is better.

You don’t know what you don’t know, so ask questions! The answers may surprise you! 

Lesson 13: Don’t be thrown by a title or position qualifications 

People apply for jobs based on titles; titles are deceptive! Learn about the scope of each role before dismissing a solid opportunity. 

Don’t dismiss a role based on qualifications alone. Application processes may ‘kick you out’ for not having hard competency qualifications (e.g., degree, licensure). Other knowledge or experiences can sway the decision; volunteer roles and practicums with a population speak volumes. Don’t assume you’re not qualified!

Lesson 14: Take the right job, not just any job

You want an income when you graduate, but strive for the right job. Listen to your clinical gut during the job search. Don’t jump on the first offer or settle if something feels off. Process the opportunity with peers, former professors, and mentors.  Remember, the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere; there are brown spots everywhere. 

Lesson 15: Enjoy the job search

There is pressure to be employed, but explore opportunities to fine the right one for you. Get out there and enjoy the search!

I invite colleagues and followers to post other practical lessons below to empower our next generation of professionals!

The Interstate Licensure Compact Imperative

Despite interstate practice being more norm than exception, significant obstacles exist for those persons rendering and accessing care. Learn about the current Interstate Compacts and how you can advance them.

What times we are in! Providing clinical intervention and treatment can happen anywhere courtesy of telephonic platforms, plus virtual, remote, and digital products galore. Rural populations rely on these technologies to engage with their practitioners and even health plan case managers, whether for assessment or monitoring of the care process and resource linkage. Patient with disabilities can now access care with greater ease. Yet, there’s a BIG CATCH! Despite interstate practice being more norm than exception, significant obstacles exist for those persons rendering and accessing care.

The health and behavioral health workforce continues to be held hostage by lack of an inappropriate licensure portability structure. Care for consumers is obstructed amid a regulatory system that fails to account for the reality of our professional practice landscape.

Regulatory Realities Reduce Access to Care and Employment

Technology is only one driver of the need for professionals to practice across state lines. Society is more mobile than ever, both for clients and clinicians alike. Traveling practitioners (e.g., case managers, nurses, social workers) are commonly hired to fill employment gaps for staff on medical or family leave, and to mitigate workforce shortages. Yet, this sector of the workforce and their employers face chronic challenges with licensure delays, which only perpetuate barriers and limits to care for the public.

Throngs of licensed mental health providers are at the ready to provide sorely needed telehealth intervention across the states. However, care is often delayed and waiting lists for treatment grow from an antiquated licensure structure that limits one’s inability to practice across state lines. Military families move their state residence every few years and in doing so deal with financial difficulties imposed by licensure delays, and thus, employment. First responders may find their interventions are limited when disasters occur across state lines.

There are an endless list of challenges for the workforce and the public they serve. With minimal exceptions (e.g., licensed professionals who are military members, employed for military contractors), licensed professionals may only practice in the state(s) where they are licensed in good standing. How can licensed practitioners engage with their ethical and legal due diligence when their practice regulations interfere with their ability to do so?

Licensure Compacts on the Move

Licensure compacts are a viable solution for professionals seeking to be licensed in multiple jurisdictions and the that hire them. Through the compact structure, members of the workforce, such as behavioral health providers, case managers, and others who are licensed in one state can actively practice at that same level in other states which are part of the compact. The presence of a compact also reduces the economic burden faced by licensed individuals in dealing with multiple state licensure applications.

The practice of all licensed professionals is controlled by the law in the state(s) where each individual is licensed, typically by the practice act of each state. Scope of practice even supersedes academic degrees. For example, one might presume that as a Doctor of Behavioral Health, I am licensed to prescribe psychopharmacological agents to patients. However, prescribing medications is not included under the scope of practice for my licensure as an LCSW in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The scope of practice for any practitioner extends only to those activities that a person who is licensed to practice as a health professional is permitted to perform.

A change in the traditional licensure structure is mandated: one that allows health and behavioral health professionals to intervene across state and jurisdictional lines. Several professions have engaged in rigorous efforts to advocate for licensure portability through formal regulation.

Nursing

Nurses are required to be licensed in any state where they practice and where the recipient of nursing practice is located at the time service is provided. This fact is a common point of confusion for most licensed professionals—and especially tricky for those my case management colleagues. In contrast, many employers believe licensure must be held in the professional’s state of residence only, instead of where a patient may reside or is receiving care. The Nurse Licensure Compact is actively on the move, and now covers 41 states. More information is accessible on the NCSBN website.

Social Work

The lack of licensure portability has been identified as a public
safety, workforce, and technology issue. The mandate is clear that the workforce responsible for providing the bulk of mental health services to society must be able to practice across geographic state borders. The formal language for the Social Work Licensure Compact was released in February 2023, with legislation actively being introduced across state legislatures; 24 states have done so at the time of blog post with a current map viewable on the official compact website. 4 states have fully approved the legislation: Missouri, S. Dakota, Utah, and Washington State. The Model Compact Bill must be approved by 7 states to be enacted in its entirety before its necessary infrastructure can be implemented, which is expected to happen in the coming months. After verifying eligibility, individual social workers will then be granted a multistate license, which authorizes their ability to practice in all other compact member states, and removes those longstanding barriers to interstate practice.

Counseling

The American Counseling Association Counseling Compact calls for counselors licensed in one state who have no disciplinary record, to be eligible for licensure in any state or U.S. jurisdiction where they seek residence. Like other disciplines, laws that impact counselors (e.g., mandated reporting statutes) vary from state to state, so the compact recognizes how jurisdictions may require a state jurisprudence exam. At the time of this writing, over 32 states have approved the Counseling Compact with the interactive map viewable on the compact site.

Compacts on the Move

In addition to the compacts listed, further information is available for those covering:

Individual practitioners must engage in advocacy efforts through their respective professional associations. Many of these entities have fierce public policy committees that work diligently to support interstate practice. In addition, contact local legislators to provide individual support for those licensure compacts of interest to you. Access your elected legislators through USA.gov. Remember, support for one interstate compact, leverages them all!

What to find out more on Interstate Compacts, and the Do’s and Don’ts of practice across state lines?? Read Chapter 8 in The Ethical Case Manager: Tools and Tactics, available on Amazon.

The Standardized Test Dilemma

Systemic racism has long been attributed to standardized tests across education levels, academic programs, and professional licensure. The ASWB’s report on exam passage rates revealed large racial and ethnic disparities. How will social work ensure its professional path is not laden with the same disparities and obstacles faced by populations served by the profession itself?

The Association of Social Work Board’s (ASWB) release of their long-requested report on licensure exam passage rates has prompted industry outrage. Professional response has been fierce with calls for action by every sector, especially for social work regulatory boards across the states and territories to stop giving and requiring licensure exams.The report’s appearance forced me to pause, especially as a clinical social worker with 40 years committed to patient and professional empowerment. Add my roles as a former ASWB clinical exam item-writer, social work educator, and clinical supervisor to the mix, and know I’ve engaged in my share of reflection.

Historic challenges 

Systemic racism has long been attributed to standardized tests across education levels, academic programs, and professional licensure and credentialing entities. The National Education Association calls for more authentic means of assessment, viewing the exams as “instruments of racism and a biased system”. Ibram X. Kendi states,” The tests have failed time and again to achieve their intended purposes: measuring intelligence and predicting future academic and professional success. The tests, not the black test-takers, have been underachieving”. Students who are English Language Learners (ELL), persons with disabilities, and Black males are all identified among persons least likely to receive a passing score.

Social work is not alone in its outcry over licensure exams passage rates and the associated disparities. There are countless studies, including a recent release by the American Bar Association in May 2022. The report revealed how Whites pass the Bar exam as first-time test takers (and within two years of graduation) at higher rates than graduates from other racial and ethnic groups.  

The Ultimate Dilemma

What should happen next? Herein lies the $64 M question. Social work is a regulated profession, the primary purpose of which, is protection and safety of the public; the secondary purpose is to protect the profession. Yet, I’m confident most have met individuals who are expert test takers, but less than effective practitioners.

Is exam passage necessary? If yes, what becomes the best method to “test” that an individual has the level of didactic knowledge, critical thinking, and professional maturity required to intervene as an independent clinician? If no, are other licensure requirements alone sufficient to denote competency to practice in a state, such as graduating from an accredited school of social work, fulfilling the requisite practicum hours, completion of a requisite number of clinical (direct) and work (indirect) hours, plus a set number of supervision hours? How should the minimum standard for clinical practice be defined by state boards, considering the different requirements across them?

From a liability standpoint, standardized exams were thought to provide an objective measure of the minimum standard of practice expected for that licensure/credential, though this is not the case. Protecting patient’s from harm has been a priority of licensure, but what of practitioner harm? From an ethical standpoint, conclusive data shows standardized exams in their current form, obstruct access to (independent) licensure, especially for persons of color, certain ethnic groups, and those with disabilities, among others. Practitioner harm and trauma are direct outcomes when these individuals are unable to pass the exam; professional reputation and financial status are impacted through loss of promotions or jobs, as well as dollars spent on prep courses and repeated exam application. This action fails to ensure attainment of a diverse workforce that can provide the concordant care warranted across patient populations.

The Response

From social work’s lens, if the ASWB exam is removed, what will replace it? That premise is a central consideration. Some states, as Illinois, charted that course prior to the ASWB report; the LSW no longer requires a person take an ASWB exam. Other states are actively considering their next steps.Petitions to eliminate the ASWB and the exam are circulating and gaining momentum. Other suggestions include passing those persons who took the exam multiple times and missed passage within 10 questions. Social work strives to identify and fix systems that are broken. The licensure exam process is broken, and we are beholden to fix it.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) released their formal response, emphasizing concern over racial disparities and need to address the “systemic racism within the profession”. Further statements have appeared from the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network, and are expected from other groups.

Whatever happens next, one action is certain; strategic, coordinated, and equitable action is mandated; too much is at stake. That action must ensure social work’s professional path is not laden with the same disparities and obstacles faced by populations served by the profession itself.