CASE WORKER: Job Applicant

CASE WORKER:ROLE-PLAYING SCRIPT FOR JOB APPLICANT,
Ms. Simpson, The University of Tennessee at Martin - SPRING 2010

It is Spring, 2010, and you are graduating with a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a Concentration in Child and Family Studies and a 3.5 GPA from UTM.

You became interested in community service early in junior high and high school through work with Habitat for Humanity and through several school sponsored trips to New Orleans to help Katrina victims.

You got a wonderful scholarship to UTM, where your advisor and professors recognized your passion for working with people and your concern with the well being of children, and advised you to go into family and consumer sciences. At UTM, you have been a member of student government association, and the volleyball team. You had a work/study job with the Residence Life Dept, and are a resident assistant in Ellington Hall. You volunteered with TRiO, encouraging high school students to take risks, work cooperatively, and keep an open mind through their Upward Bound Programs.

During your junior year you volunteered at the after school program at the local public housing complex where you worked with children, helping them with their homework as well as planning and implementing small group activities. Your senior year you worked with the local Food Bank manager, interviewing potential clients and aiding in the distribution of food to clients.

You did your senior year Internship at The Family Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Martin and enjoyed the challenges and satisfactions related to working with children and their parents.

You couldn’t believe your luck when you got a call from a board member at The Family Center in Jackson letting you know they are hiring a Case Worker to work with the increased number of children and families experiencing stress due to the economic downturn, and wondered if you would be interested in applying. She volunteered to write a letter of recommendation for you, and you immediately got an interview with Ms. Boster, the Director of The Family Center. She has offered you the job.

This job was made for you. It brings all your experience, your education and your passions together, and at a place you love. She asked you to come back today for a second interview just to settle a couple details like salary, benefits and a ...

CASE WORKER APPLICANT (2)

Starting date and then sign a contract. Your head is bursting with ideas to do once you are in the position.

You know that living in Jackson is going to be more expensive than Martin. Your money management course at UTM taught you to do your research. Can you afford to live on a non-profit salary in Jackson?

You’ve done your homework. Www.wageproject.org tells you that a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences in Jackson has a salary range of Jackson area is $35,000 to $42,000 with a medium salary of $38,000 which sounds like a lot of money. The benefits package for this position is worth another $17,000.

This is you dream job, but you have to be able to live in Jackson, so you’ve determined that your target salary is $40,000 which you firmly believe is fair, given your impressive work and volunteer experience, your excellent education and history with The Family Center. You can hit the ground running!

You know that living in the Jackson will be somewhat expensive. You have hefty student loans to pay off. You need to buy a new car so you will have reliable transportation, which means monthy car payments and you want to enjoy the night life the city offers. You’ve done your budget and know the minimum salary you can possibly accept is $38,000 and that would mean living VERY modestly.

You have the last appointment of the day. Ms. Boster must leave in 15 minutes to attend a corporate fundraising event.

Can you and Ms. Boster come to an agreement about a starting salary which you can accept? Can you get her to agree to your target salary figure? Will she offer an acceptable benefits package? Make notes on what you consider your persuasive points. Decide the sequence in which you will present these points. Make notes about the language you will use. Make notes about her likely objections and what you will say.

Use every minute of that time to get her to your target salary. It’s your last chance to start out with the best salary you can get at the place you really want to be. Remember you’re worth it!

Go for it!