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Social Service Recruitment

As the employment laws imposed by State and Federal governments increase, many employers are using personnel services that specialize in these areas.  Depending on the skill level and permanency of a specific social service position, or the specific skills of social service candidates, there are a number of employment services offered.  Typically, there are three types of personnel agencies available.  For employers and candidates interested only in short term assignments, temporary agencies are the best option.  These organizations not only offer employers qualified professionals to supplement their workforce, but they also offer jobs in the social services field to candidates seeking a supplemental income or are working around strict educational or personal schedules. 

Candidates in need of more permanent social work positions can use staffing services or recruitment firms.  Social service employment on a temporary to direct placement contract is a common action of a social service staffing agency.  Many employers and job seekers prefer these arrangements because they allow companies and candidates a 30-90 day probationary period in which candidates must complete before companies are able to hire them on as full time employees. 

Experienced candidates seeking more professional careers often utilize recruitment firms which place highly qualified social workers into open social work positions.  Higher wages and more prestigious social work jobs are offered by these associations, so there tends to be a large amount of competition for their positions. 

Although each staffing organization is unique, they all share common duties and responsibilities.  Personnel agencies, generally offer a number of processes including application and resume writing, along with training and assessment services to all social service candidates.  Employers benefit from the speed that these services are able to work, due to the large pools of social workers and related professionals.  Social work employment agencies pre-screen, interview, and test candidates before presenting their qualifications to an employer.  Interviews are generally scheduled and follow basic organizational and governmental guidelines.  Typical interview questions may include the following:

1. What do you know about our company and the position we are offering?
2. Describe your biggest challenge professionally to date?  How did you handle it?
3. How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience?
4. What do you feel your weaknesses are?
5. Describe a time you worked with a difficult supervisor, and how were you able to handle your differences?

It is important to assess personal needs before deciding if an employment service is right for current situations. 

For more information on social service recruiting, please visit the following sites:

• The Hiring Suite
• Carnegie Mellon University
• AARP
• Houghton College
• Background Network

For an alternative to recruitment services, please visit iHireSocialServices, an online social work job board.