For those of you who have interviewed people. What do you look for in a candidate?

I'm sure there are many jobs that ask for relevant experience. It's a vicious circle as old as time. Job requires experience: can't get experience without a job. Many people hoping to get a teacher training place at university will delay their application and work as a teaching assistant for a year. That gives them a real insight into how classrooms work and what a teacher's workload and working conditions are like. Potential students may be rejected without this experience especially when you bear in mind the huge drop out rate in the first five years of teaching (40% within a year!). Perhaps OP could lower her sights and work for a year in a care home or volunteer in a youth club or a battered women's refuge. That would be valuable experience to take to a social worker interview.

I usually use a pc to type and post; how anyone does it on a broken old phone beats me

I need my reading glasses these days just to see the pc.

Only27. Well done for posting and listening to advice.

The thread may well run and run, but no problem if you want to leave it.
Threads sometimes go where they may.

Thanks Elegran. ?

It is difficult for everyone who is just starting out to get a job, whatever their field. There are many people applying for each vacancy, so those who have a well-presented CV, have some experience and interview well will be the ones who are taken on. That bhas always been the case, but even more so at rthe moment.

Having experience in ANY job while keeping a lookout for the preferred one could mean getting good references and having something positive to talk about at those interviews.

Who are these past and present managers? How many jobs have you actually had? Finding it hard to keep up here...

Not commenting on any more personal hate. This thread was as professional as it can get and wasn't even about me. Seems some are just after a fight and trying to make any personal hate comments they can.

I'm not going to comment on ANY more comments that are cruel and personally attacking me. I will literally be ignoring every single one.

They're only made for attention anyway, by people who enjoy being cruel.

I don't want every thread I make to be contributed by people hell bent on being nasty and passive aggressive. So the only way not to feed the nasty people is to ignore all the comments.

So write whatever bullying you won't. It will no longer be replied to. Including passive aggressive comments about me.

Thanks.

What does "bitchy comment" mean?

Cherry tree's comment was based on her assessment of your contribution to the thread you started.

How utterly horrid cherry tree.

Luckily I know I'm a good social worker and have every faith I will eventually get a job. Luckily my managers from past and present disagree with you (a stranger on a forum who had never met me or seen any of my work).

Sorry but if the OP is in fact looking for a job as a social worker, I think it will be sometime before she achieves her goal!

Thanks esspee. It's making that first impression isn't it. I will take on board these tips for my interview this week.

I've already explained my reports and written work are of a good standard.

I will never be someone who writes with good grammar and spelling on an online forum. I am typing on a broken old phone where it takes ages just to put a space in and it then makes a paragraph randomly. It's not something I'm going to worry about.

I've already mentioned this in a previous post further up the thread as I knew someone would make a bitchy comment. You can't get a masters with distinction with poor grammar, you just can't.

I COULD write perfectly on here. But it would take ages. So I'm not going to. It's an online forum, not my masters dissertation.

And yes, unfortunately I am being bullied by a colleague although I've learnt to ignore him now. I just distance myself (but will be glad to leave).

Everyone else here is lovely and I will miss them.

I do have an interview in a few days time so I have my fingers crossed.

I've not been for many interviews so I need to keep positive. It's not even been particularly long that I've been looking for work.

Anyway, I don't want this thread to turn into a discussion on me.

I just wanted some opinions on interviewing in general from those with experience of being on the panel. It's been really helpful so thank you.

oh dear, oh dear

Can I give you a word of advice (again)

Please check your CV for typos

When (if) you do get a job as a social worker please make sure your reports are coherent and everything is correct, dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

I have to admit that first impressions count with me - appearance, how the interviewee carries themself, their speech..........if these are positive then I find myself willing them to do well.

It's only temporary and the funding is finishing in 6 weeks time.

I only got this position as I was very luckily kept on after my placement but the funding has not been approved for any temporary social workers to stay.

My experience here will barely count in applications as it just hasn't been long enough. But it will give me a slight edge.

I'm still searching for a permanent role. Temporary is no good for me as I have a child and need security.

I did sign up to an agency but all the jobs want 2 years experience which I don't have.

She doesn't like one of the blokes there Ana

Around here most jobs get between 200-600 applications
What, for jobs as social workers?

stop being so nieve
Who is Nieve ?

Thought you had a job anyway?

No. It's hard to get a job in today's job market. That's not an opinion, it's a fact. It is not easy to get a social worker job and to say it is is insulting to those thosidans of newly qualified social workers who are desperately trying to get their first job.

There's very touch competition.

The only person I know who has got a job so far is someone with years of experience in nursing.

The main way to get a job now is to take a lower paid job and hope a social worker job comes up and apply with experience of the company and being a familiar face.

The fact that most social worker students now have to take jobs as support workers just to try and get a foot in the door shoes just how touch the job market is.

Anyone who is surprised that a qualified social worker can't get a job needs to do some research and stop being so nieve

I don't think you can call an experienced social worker like some on this forum naïve do you?
Perhaps this sort of dismissive attitude has come across in the unsuccessful interviews?

Some interviewers love to use trick questions - the secret of answering a trick question is to think fast and work out what they are really asking!

I didnt see your last post.
And do not have experience of hiring social workers.

In which case, what ways are there to get the job? It may all, or mostly be about experience rather than anything else?

The one person who got full time employment, what were her credentials? [you have to bear in mind though with a large field, that you may have done nothing wrong whatsoever].

It's not hard to get an interview, but getting the job is what's hard. Particularly with competency based interviews. It's hard for a newly qualified social worker to have higher competency points than an experienced social worker with years of experience in the same role.