Fishing Net
by Jennifer Luna, MSSW
Many social workers enter the macro field to make systemic changes on the local, state, or national levels through their work in policy, research, and advocacy. Although this type of work requires specific skills and knowledge, the areas of practice can span across all settings including nonprofit, for-profit, public sector, universities, government, national associations, and political advocacy groups. Often, as a macro social worker, you may be the only social worker in your workplace. The key to finding a job in this sector is to be able to identify and articulate your experience in the same industry language as the organizations where you’re applying.
Professional networking is essential in the macro job search. With this in mind, it is important for macro social workers to research job postings, conduct informational interviews, and update their LinkedIn pages in order to network inside and outside the traditional field of social work to generate more leads and increase their visibility. You should make valuable connections with colleagues in various areas of practice to learn how macro social work fits across the landscape of social services in your geographical area.
Remember that the skills you are using are the same as those of other social workers, but the key is to learn the industry in which you are applying them. Professional organizations such as the Network for Social Work Managers are excellent resources to make connections, attend online events, and participate in local meetings. Researching organizations in your respective fields is another way to make targeted connections—for example, the Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA) and the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP) are good resources.
Additionally, there are several podcasts that specialize in macro social work, such as #macroSW, the Political Social Worker, and inSocial Work. When listening to a podcast or attending a presentation, don’t hesitate to make a connection with the speaker on LinkedIn, and check out their profile to learn about their career path.
As a macro social worker, you may not think it is important to get your social work license right away, because the jobs you are seeking don’t require it. However, by obtaining your education in social work, you have earned the right to test for the license, and it will increase your credibility both inside and outside the profession. Imagine that four candidates are applying for the same macro position and three of the candidates do hold their social work license. It is very likely that the employer will interview the candidates who are licensed. Although there are only a handful of states (including Michigan, Maryland, and Washington) that have a non-clinical or macro license category, many social workers are eligible to test for the BSW and MSW license as long as they earned a degree from a CSWE-accredited university.
To strategically prepare for a macro job search, let’s look at a few of the most widely chosen paths in macro social work. We will look at the areas of Advocacy and Community Organizing, Program Development, Research and Evaluations, Policy, and Leadership.
Advocacy and Community Organizing
Advocacy and community organizing requires social workers to develop and defend positions on critical issues and organize community resources to advance social and economic justice. With the current political environment and the social unrest that occurred in the summer of 2020, we have seen a rise in these positions. Job titles for these positions include community activist, advocate, diversity and inclusion specialist, field organizer, community organizer, and community outreach worker. Skills required for advocacy include:
- gathering and analyzing information on community problems
- forming interagency committees and coalitions
- organizing client groups
- educating relevant segments of the community
- engaging in policy development
- lobbying elected leaders and public officials
- providing expert testimony
- actively participating in the political process.
Program Development
Program development is a field that draws in many macro social workers seeking to formulate, improve, or expand organizations in the public, nonprofit, and government sectors. In this field, social workers apply planning processes, change strategies, and models for community capacity building. As they begin to develop programs to serve targeted populations, they assess internal and external environments and understand demographics, resources, needs, and strengths of the community. These social workers generally possess the following skills:
- developing and prioritizing goals and objectives
- creating and implementing program structures
- developing program budgets and monitoring financial operations to ensure efficient and effective services
- mobilizing community resources to support new programs
- identifying common ground to facilitate involvement of important constituents in planning for the future
- facilitating dialogue and building consensus.
Research and Evaluation
Research and evaluation is a macro area that includes designing and conducting organizational assessments, program evaluations, and productivity analysis using scientific methods. These social workers also create strategies for change based on empirical results. Many of these jobs are available in government agencies, universities, public and private sectors, and think tanks. Those social workers who engage in research may also continue their education and seek a PhD to enter academia. Additional job titles for these social workers in research and evaluation include data analyst, social science researcher, research coordinator, and instructor. Skills to highlight in this area include:
- development of survey instruments and knowledge of data collection
- knowledge of IRB process
- analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data that reflect program outputs, outcomes, and impacts, and writing and presenting research findings related to communities, administration, and policies.
Policy
Policy includes macro social workers who enact large-scale change through legislation, research, and community outreach to improve society and human relationships. Policy jobs can be found on the local, state, and federal levels and overlap across all areas of social work practice. Public policy social workers can also work with lawmakers in creating legislation to serve disenfranchised people, or they may hold public office themselves. Social workers serve as members of Congress and other legislative bodies. Job titles to search for in this area might include policy analyst, legislative aide, chief of staff. lobbyist, policy advisor, and strategy specialist. The skills necessary for these careers include:
- analytical and critical thinking skills
- strong communication skills, such as writing, presenting research, and training
- teamwork, collaboration, consensus building
- ability to conduct project management
- grant writing and budgeting.
Leadership
Many macro social workers will apply for jobs in leadership, governance, and communication. These jobs examine effective models of leadership, communication, and decision-making, and involve work with stakeholders to design, implement, and monitor policies, procedures, and practices that enhance the effectiveness of organizations. Sample job titles to look for include program director, service coordinator, executive director, deputy director, supervisor, program manager, and service coordinator. The skills necessary for these jobs include:
- ability to create and articulate a vision that inspires others to action
- supervision, management, and/or directing
- engagement in active listening and constructive dialogue to help solve problems
- budgeting skills and accounting
- organizing and developing staff and constituents
- establishing organizational structure
- developing policy, procedures, and documentation
- project management
- providing quality outcomes for key stakeholders.
Finally, to prepare for the interview, macro social workers may think about taking a professional portfolio to the interview to demonstrate essential skills. For example, a portfolio might include examples of your writing, budgets, policy briefs, printed and published documents, and research reports (all depending on the type of job you are applying for). By having these items with you at the interview, you can verbally answer questions about these skills and then mention that you have an example of your work for the interviewer to review.
Common Interview Questions for Macro Social Work Jobs
To prepare for your interview, think about what your responses would be to the following questions:
- Why should I hire a social worker for this position?
- How would you persuade and gain buy-in (a legislator, a constituent, a stakeholder) from someone who opposes a program or solution you propose?
- How would you communicate a new program to the rest of the agency, including those who may not be willing to add work to their regular routine?
- Describe your management/leadership style. Give me an example of how you built consensus within your [team, staff, board].
- How would you prioritize resources when it comes to allocating a budget? Walk me through that process.
- Tell me about a time when you developed or re-organized a [procedure or policy] successfully.
- How would you approach an underperforming [staff person or board member]?
- How would you involve the community in program development or research projects?
- What is your approach to evaluation of [services, operations, programs]?
- Tell me about [a particular project]. What was your role? How was it accomplished? What were the results?
Although a macro job search may seem daunting at first, remember that macro skills span across all areas of practice and spill over into non-traditional roles. The more research you do, the more opportunities you will find and the easier it will become to apply your skills to many different industries.
Jennifer Luna, MSSW, writes about social work career development. Jennifer is a social worker, career coach, keynote speaker, and trainer. She serves as Director of the DiNitto Center for Career Services at the University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Jennifer utilizes a collaborative yet strategic coaching approach to assist social workers in identifying their strongest skills, areas of knowledge, key strengths, and leadership characteristics.