A team approach that will help you get the job you want!
This is a guide to developing a successful strategy that will enable you to obtain the right job for you, the graduating student, It can have a great impact on your career!
The guide is for the student who understands the need to continue to have a support base around them, just as you have had in college. This support base will ensure that:
- You're aware of all job opportunities
- you're aware of your competition and the steps that can be taken to develop an edge
- you have access to the most up-to-date information on developments in the social service system
- you have a dynamic application (a resume that relates to the needs of the employer, has a style and contains information that gives them an advantage and a cover letter that excites)
- you have one-to-one assistance with interviews
- you have professionally written guides that address all aspects of job searching in the social service field.
S.W.A.T. has been designed to ensure a continuity of support to you, that will enable you to develop a professional marketing strategy and maximize your ability to get the jobs that they want.
Most students understand that they need trained professionals to assist them with developing the knowledge base and the necessary skills that will enable them to provide quality service to clients.
Why then do some students abandon this understanding and a support base once they graduate and decide to:
- try it on their own (some students flounder for months and miss hundreds of job opportunities)?
- not invest in themselves (an investment in a S.W.A.T. Membership of what works out to only 70 cents/day which seems rather minor when you obtain a salary of $35,000+ / year)?
- apply only to those jobs in the paper or utilize other websites that offer few social service jobs and seem to have a number of opportunities because they also advertise other not-for-profit non-social service positions?
This guide is for the discernable student who wishes to access the maximum amount of support in order to quickly enter the job market. This guide will:
- answer your questions about successful job searching
- outline all the support that is available to you now through S.W.A.T. and after you graduate
- walk you through a process to put you in the best possible position to enter the work force and begin your career.
It is very much a team approach. S.W.A.T. will be taking steps to support you and maximize your marketability. There are however, things that you can do right away to increase your chances of getting the job you want.
When should I begin to apply to jobs?
You should begin applying to positions approximately one month before you graduate. We know that this can be a busy time (essays, projects, exams, etc.) but the student that has their application ready and is applying now will be getting the job that you may have wanted!
Why a month before graduating?
Agencies often take a long time to respond to applications. The process that they follow, which could take up to 4 weeks or longer, probably looks like this:
Secretary receives the application, dates and stamps it
Executive Director or assigned staff/Board members review applications
Each application is scored and places in the Yes To Interview or No To Interview or Maybe file
The job deadline is reached
A short list of candidates is created
Approval is received by Committee if required
Candidates contacted for interviews
You need to start planning for the day that you leave college right now so that you are in the best possible position to get a job quickly when you graduate.
Who am I competing against?
Picture an auditorium. We're going to invite your competition to come and fill it. No, it doesn't matter what job you are going after - these people will always be there competing against you for any job.
First, invite the staff at the agency to which you are applying that may also want the job that you are trying to get. They already work at that agency and feel they have a good chance at the job - and they do because they already have a good understanding about the job and the agency.
Then invite your fellow classmates. Some of them may be applying. These people are the exception since you already know who they are, where most will be strangers.
Then, there are those that have the same level of education that you do. In this field, that is fairly wide open as it may be people with related diplomas or degrees.
You may have a Diploma in Social Services but, if you examine many job ads, the employer will ask for a diploma or the equivalent.
What does "equivalent " mean?
It may mean a B.S.W. or a B.A. in Sociology or Psychology with a certain amount of experience or a Child and Youth Worker Degree with experience or it could also include nurses with certain levels of expertise. It may be open to people that may only have years of experience and high school. You have probably met some of these people - they may have been volunteers at agencies that have employed you and you know that many of them are exceptionally skilled.
Then, there are those that are unemployed. This group is quite large. They consist of very talented persons who may have just finished a contract and need to find another.
Have you looked around the auditorium? Wow - it 's almost already full! But there are more people competing!
There are also those people that have quit their place of employment or who have been fired. These are also people that may have more education that the employer is even asking for but they need to get a job quickly to alleviate financial pressures that they did not anticipate.
There are also those that are living in another part of Canada or in another country that wish to move here or want to return home.
There are of course people who are already working but want to leave for whatever reason. At this stage their reasons are not important - that they are your competition is!
You should have envisioned a bigger auditorium!
When you are sitting alone applying for jobs, it is easy to forget your all these people and relax a bit. That will be your biggest mistake!
We just packed the auditorium and now they are lining up down the halls. Getting a job is a full-time job!
Understanding that you are competing against very talented social service practitioners who may have much more experience than you do should drive you to have a better application than they do!
How do I make sure that I have the best application so I can beat out the competition?
First, have S.W.A.T. critique your resume for free. You just may just need a few changes oto have a great resume.
Better yet, get S.W.A.T. to do it! You'll have a resume that will get you invited to interviews, which you can use as a foundation throughout your career.
This is what most people do when they write their resume. You think about all the stuff that you did at your placements. You write down all the other jobs that you had and a few sentences about what you did there. You note any volunteering that you did. And then you set it up in a style that you like and then stand back, look at it and say: "I like that."
Is that what you did?
If yes, you just blew it!
It is absolutely irrelevant whether you like your resume or not!
It is not what you like but what the Executive Director likes! Do you know what they want and like? Probably not. S.W.A.T. does and resumes are designed from that perspective. S.W.A.T. constantly reviews the job market to determine what employers are looking for and will build this into your resume.
Did you take the time to think about the Executive Director who will be reading your resume? Imagine a very pleased Executive Director reading your resume that has in it all that they want.
When you noted your duties at each placement, did you put down your title as "Placement Student?" Whoops. You just limited your chances of getting into the "Yes" pile. You have to let the employer know that you were a student but you don't want them to not be impressed with all that you did because "you were just a student!" There is a better way!
Did you list that you provided support to clients at the agency?
You have a chance to list accomplishments, the skills that you utilized and the problem areas that you successfully addressed and 9 out of 10 resumes do not adequately portray this regardless of the applicant's education level. The ones that do get into the "Yes" pile.
Let's think about the employer for a moment.
They already have a very full schedule and now they have to go through an involved hiring process. The staff vacancy creates all kinds of problems. They get hundreds of applications for the advertised position and they all look the same!
Are they happy? Absolutely not so you have to have a resume that changes their attitude!
You need to provide the employer with a quality resume, that confirms their requirements and provides empathy for their client base (What - you didn't do this in your application?)
You need to give them a quality application in both content and appearance.
You need to give them an application that is enjoyable and entertaining. Remember, 99% of applications are dull - yours won't be!
And then you need to make sure that they pay attention to what you are saying in your application since they will review and score your resume in 15 - 20 seconds!
Employers can do this because they develop a guide or matrix that lists all the characteristics in each application that they are looking for. This is done so that each resume is scored fairly. It also enables a number of people to score the resumes since they are all following the same guide.
They scan your resume, give you points for certain characteristic and then score your application. If you get a certain score, then you get into the "Yes" pile. You may also be placed in the "Maybe" pile which contains some resumes that have lower scores but have intrigued the reader because of its design or the structure of the cover letter.
The employer can list anything they want on their matrix and each agency would have certain qualities that they are looking for.
It may look something like the following.
Applicant Name:
| Maximum | Catagories | Score | ||
| APPEARANCE | ________ | |||
| 3 | Cover letter well written | ________ | ||
| 3 | Resume unique | ________ | ||
| 3 | Resume descriptive and concise | ________ | ||
| EDUCATION | ||||
| 6 | As requested | ________ | ||
| 4 | Equivalent | ________ | ||
| EXPERIENCE | ||||
| 5 | Crisis counselling | ________ | ||
| 4 | Mental health | ________ | ||
| 4 | Family counselling | ________ | ||
| 2 | Computer | ________ | ||
| 3 | 1+ years | ________ | ||
| 3 | Volunteer | ________ | ||
| 2 | Presentation | ________ | ||
| GENERAL | ||||
| 1 | Lives locally | ________ | ||
| 2 | Speaks another language | ________ | ||
| 1 | First Aid/CPR | ________ | ||
| 2 | Can work shifts | ________ | ||
| Total = 47 |
Total = ________ |
So, if the employer can score your resume in 15 seconds, it would be important to have them devote more time to your resume wouldn't it? S.W.A.T. knows how to include information that will slow the reader down and dramatically present your information so that they are excited about the prospect of interviewing you.
Oh, did you put a career objective in your resume? You just made a mistake. There is much better information that you can include that will have a greater impact on the reader!
How do I get the best possible score on that matrix?
If you had your resume scored right now, I bet that it would probably not do that well. S.W.A.T. will ensure that all the variables that should be in your resume will be! There are immediate changes that we will be making to maximize your application.
However, there are those of you that will be willing to take additional steps to increase the marketability of your resume now and throughout your career. These steps are related to the three things you need in order to be successful in the social service field - knowledge, credibility and a resource base.
It is the pursuit of these three things that is never ending as a professional and the extent of the pursuit affects your marketability. Addressing each area will increase the scoring of your application.
The following are suggestions that will enable you to increase that marketability. The more steps you take the higher score you get!
Knowledge
- Continue your formal education
Yet, you must continue your development as a professional. This does not mean obtaining further degrees or diplomas, which is fine if you wish to do so.It does mean identifying those areas that you have limited strength in and going to seminars / workshops / lectures / conferences that address those areas. S.W.A.T. will be making you aware of all upcoming forums. Remember that you can increase your matrix score by demonstrating that you are supplementing your education.
Remember, you can go to a simple one hour lecture on "New Advances In Helping Alzheimer Clients" for example, and then put that in your resume. You don't always have to attend a week long conference that costs you $250 dollars to make a statement on your resume.
Obtaining information through on-going education not only enables you to note the specific seminar that you have taken in your resume, but enables you to note a specific point in a Strengths section of your resume, such as:
- familiar with Zarloff's 12 Step Behaviour Modification Approach
if you attended that particular training session. And, remember, if you attended it and the other applicant did not, you get a higher score.
- Read professional and motivational books
In addition, reading motivational books is recommended as these publications often have examples that you can use in interviews, and enable you to put difficult words into easily understood phrases.
- Utilize computers
While some courses can be taken, it is often as beneficial to have a knowledgeable friend spend some time with you to familiarize you with programs. This is all you need in order to put a line such as the following on your resume:
- Familiar with computer operating systems (i.e. Windows 2000) and office related programs (eg. MS Word, Excel and Publisher)
And by now, you should be using e-mail and the Internet with ease and if not, make it a priority to do so. A demonstration of some computer prowess gives you an additional point.
- Understand fundraising and budgets
The existence of the agency is related to the stability of the funding base. New programs are often the result of creative fundraising, through grants and events. Being able to demonstrate an understanding of social service related fundraising and budgets is a powerful tool as it enables you to access a different level of management attention. Participating in, and more importantly being able to facilitate an aspect of a fundraiser makes you a valuable staffing commodity.
Books, videos and workshops are available on the topic and having this information in a resume makes you more marketable. Being able to become involved in fundraising efforts is a point getter!
- Involvement with different cultures
Many applicants will get points if they speak another language. If you do not but do have experience assisting clients from different cultures, you may be able to compete effectively in this area and get some points.
- Handling multiple tasks
Credibility
Professional experience over the years develops your abilities to provide excellent service, which enables you to be viewed as a credible practitioner. Your credibility can also be established through demonstrating admirable traits such as reliability, flexibility and dedication. Demonstrable extra effort makes you a valued commodity!
- Volunteer involvement
There are those that will always say: "I do not have the time." These people do not have their priorities straight, have poor time management skills and do not understand the value of volunteering. These people will not be as marketable and will be by passed by you. You do not have to commit eight to ten volunteer hours / week. Some agencies want help with fundraisers for example, and you can volunteer for a few hours on a weekend or for one evening only. You then note this volunteer effort on your resume and give yourself more points.
- Willingness to work shifts
- Willingness to move
- Made a difference
Being able to work towards making valued change on an individual basis and on an organizational basis establishes your credibility quickly. Being able to put in the extra effort and to take the initiative to make a difference is also valued. S.W.A.T. will be able to note these accomplishments on your resume.
Resource base
It is the magic hat! After time, social service practitioners seem to be able to pull answers out of it. Part of this is based on skills and part of it is having the knowledge base and resources gathered over time.
It is the reason that part-time and contract jobs were stressed because the larger the number of jobs over a short time period, the greater the developed resource base. It is also one of the reasons to volunteer, read, go to seminars and so on.
The more in the hat, the greater your marketability and ability.
In this day and age, when information is readily available to us through the Internet, social service practitioners can find answers to some problems easily. Yet, a defined base of persons that you can draw on for assistance, guidance, knowledge and support has to be created methodically, rather than haphazardly as some do.Being able to demonstrate an active plan to develop this resource base is marketable, as is having a defined base.
Ensure that you have an on-going journal or database of resources that may consist of friends that know something of value, peers, teachers, associates, professionals, places and programs. There will be numerous times throughout your career when you will be able to draw on it. S.W.A.T.'s e-mail services and website will provide you with much of this resource base.
Do you have a poor attitude?
You can take many steps to get more points but if you have a bad approach to job searching, you are essentially giving extra points to your competition.
This is a difficult topic to present in a publication since what is often needed is to "shake up" the reader. In the past, people would say that the person needed a "swift kick in the pants". It was directed at a person who exhibited inappropriate behaviour based on a poor attitude. It is the same thing that affects many people applying to jobs.
Time and time again, applicants place barriers in front of themselves that will limit their ability to find work and to be competitive. Are you doing this? Some of these barriers can be removed easily, but acknowledgement of them is the first step.
Consider the following statements and recall if they are something that you have once said.
"I like the way my resume looks and I don't plan to change it."
"I bet they already had someone in mind and that's why I didn't get called for an interview."
"I can do this on my own!"
"I don't have the time to volunteer."
"I have no interest in learning about computers."
"I don't want to work weekends."
"I am worth more than what they are offering."
"I don't want to travel that far to work."
There are definite restrictions that people face when looking for work, such as family commitments or lack of finances. There are others that relate more to attitude. The following addresses some of those in the hope that some myths can be dispelled. Check these off if they are applicable.
_____ I only will apply to full-time permanent positions.
Many people (you, for example?) may want a full-time permanent position as it hopefully offers some security. That's nice to have but these types of positions are few and far between in social services. Face the realities of the times. The majority of jobs will be "contract", which limits the financial investment in you that the agency has to make. Longer term contracts may be as close to full-time as you are able to get. Unfortunately, they often do not come with the benefit packages that accompany full-time permanent positions
Yet, there are benefits to the contract and part-time positions that are not available to those in full-time positions:
- you can create a very full, interesting resume over a short period of time. Many employers look for diverse skills and the opportunity of obtaining new skills, increasing your knowledge base, becoming aware of new interests and working with different clients is available to you. In comparison, a resume of a full-time employee can be quite limited, as they have had few professional experiences.
- you maintain your enthusiasm for the field. Boredom can quickly creep into a position that has little new to offer and few challenges to motivate you.
In short, one's marketability can increase dramatically with short-term positions.
So, if you put a check mark, you have an attitude that is not justified. The benefit of non full-time, permanent work may be what you need to help you establish a presence in the field quickly.
_____ I expect to be paid for what I am worth?
And how much would that be? Be realistic and flexible with salary expectations. A social service budget is limited by the ceilings imposed by funders and Executive Directors have little leeway to operate, outside of monies obtained through grants and fundraising. So, what should you expect? Good counselling positions offer around $35,000 / year. Starting positions can get from $28,000 - $34,000. Executive Director salaries have actually declined and often do not exceed $40,000 / year.
While a salary level that covers your personal expenditures is desirable, there are many fine positions available that offer what would be considered poor salaries but have an excellent working environment filled with learning opportunities. Coping with a lower salary for a short period of time may be worth it to increase your marketability.
_____ I was trained in a certain area of social services and want jobs only in that area.
Since you are just graduating, you don't want to hold out for that ideal job that you dreamed of when you were in school. If you are specializing in gerontology, for example, and are finding job options limited, then you should be applying to other jobs in the interim. You can maintain experience in that area by taking some relief positions and volunteering.
_____ I don't want to work shifts or evenings.
And you want to work in social services? 9:00 - 5:00 jobs are scarce. Why? People seem to get problems at all hours and we have to help them when they need it right? Putting in longer hours or working shifts seems to be routine in the field. Some of us have some life restrictions that force us to be home by a certain time. Others of us only have an attitude and are developing self-imposed restrictions. Which do you do?
_____ I only want to work close to home.
What'? You don't want to get up early and sit in rush hour traffic or on a subway. If you are missing great jobs simply because you want to sleep in or feel that you are using up all your salary in paying for gas, then opportunities are going to continue to pass you by. It may be worth coping with rush hour in order to get you a job which will boost your career.
Have you ever said:
_____ It doesn't pay me to take that job.
_____ I can get more on unemployment.
_____ The pay cheque is not worth the effort
A lack of ambition will affect all future career decisions negatively. Once you acknowledge and then get rid of the attitude, there are things that you can do to make yourself more marketable.
So, you can get a professional resume free from S.W.A.T., that will dramatically increase the points that you will get from the employer. And you can take some extra steps on your own that will make you more marketable. Remember, it is a team approach.
There's also so much more that S.W.A.T. will do for you.
How can I benefit the most from my S.W.A.T. Membership
It is a combination of jobs and support that make S.W.A.T. Memberships so successful. The S.W.A.T. site lists almost 100% off all available jobs. This is the first step - you need to find the jobs that you want and the more that you find that you apply to the better your chances of getting one. Jobs are added throughout the day (they are marked "New").
If you check the site in the morning, you can check it again later in the day to review even more positions.
Jobs are just one part of the membership. There is so much more!
This great S.W.A.T. Student Package has been designed to give you the best possible start with your job searching! Remember, it is based on the same approach that you took when you applied to your college - you need trained professionals that will support your career efforts. From the time you graduate to the time you get that interview, we're there to help! We don't want you leaving college, becoming isolated, floundering in the job market and missing opportunities.
- Jobs and more jobs! 6 months access to the best job listing service and the only one designed just for social service practitioners. Remember, when you get a job, you call the S.W.A.T. office right away to tell them. They will bank all your remaining membership time so you can use it in the future when you make career moves (no time limit)! Since you are just starting your career, you will be able to spread your membership out over years, as many have.
- One additional membership month! We know students are busy with many things before graduation and we want to make sure that you have the additional time to do those things plus job search.
- Manuals on job searching, including preparing successful, dynamic cover letters, that takes the mystery out of trying to get the job you want!
- Personalized assistance when you get a call for an interview. A professional will outline the agency's services, note what they are looking for in staff and give you interview pointers and direction! Since we know what the agency is looking for, you will be able to impress them when responding to their questions.
- A fabulous manual on interviewing that notes all the questions that you could be asked and provides great answers!
- Access to social service professionals / consultants that have over 20 years experience in the field, with M.S.W's and diplomas!
- Access to job related support info that will enable you to make an informed decision on whether or not that job is for you!
The cost for all this support would be
$39.42 for the manuals + $89.95 for the S.W.A.T. 5 month Membership
+ $25 for the extra free month
= $154.37!
As a student, you pay only the usual 5 month membership rate of
$89.95 (must provide a valid Student I.D. Number)
but you get 6 full membership months.
You must be in school or a graduating student!
Remember - once you leave school
this package is not available to you!
For those of you that want a basic S.W.A.T. membership,
you can sign up for 2 months at $48.95.
What is the job market like right now?
There are rarely ever less than 200 jobs to look at each day in the GTA and more across Canada on the S.W.A.T. website. The job market is very strong and quite diverse. Some areas in social services produce more jobs. This is because of higher funding in certain areas, greater demand, a larger support base, political support and so on.
The majority of jobs are in Toronto, where there is the largest concentration of social service agencies. Some western provinces have hiring freezes and eastern provinces have fewer agencies.
The following lists the general percentage of jobs by focus:
| 20% | disabled |
| 16% | youth |
| 11% | child care |
| 11% | group homes |
| 8% | mental health |
| 8% | seniors |
| 6% | health |
| 20% |
all others (eg. employment, abused women, HIV/AIDS, physically disabled persons, newcomers, addictions, legal, family, etc.) |
This percentage has changed very little over the last 10 - 20 years. Regardless of the percentage level, the best way to get that job is to make sure that you are in the best position to be considered.
We look forward to working with you and wish you much success with your career!
What else does S.W.A.T. do ?
S.W.A.T. was designed to provide support services to both social service job seekers and to social service agencies. All services to agencies are free. It is the job seeker that pays a minimal user or membership fee.
Why was this approach used? Well, the reason that few jobs appear on other websites or in the paper is that it is expensive to advertise. All other sites charge agencies! Since we do not, they forward their jobs to S.W.A.T. for listing. The person who benefits is you - the job seeker, who no longer will miss any great job opportunity, including those that were formerly hidden because they were advertised by word of mouth.
In addition S.W.A.T. prepares the faxed newsletter Socially Served that circulates key agency information amongst agencies - the primary vehicle for agency information dissemination. Volunteer opportunities, events, workshops and agency websites are also listed on the S.W.A.T. website, also for the benefit of the social service practitioner.
We do not compete with agency dollars to operate. We do not rely on public funds. A small membership fee results in:
- excellent free services for agencies which in turn benefit you
- a massive amount of personalized support for you
- a firm foundation from which to pursue your career
It is a team approach that has successfully benefited thousands since S.W.A.T. started in 1993 and benefits everyone!
So, when some of your fellow students say that they won't sign up with S.W.A.T. and you hear them say things that demonstrates that they have an attitude - smile because these are some of the people you will be bypassing in a competition!
From all the S.W.A.T. staff to you - good luck with your social service career.
May it be a rewarding experience for you and those you serve.
