Whether you’ve received a job offer or are on the hunt for something new, these questions will help you work out your next steps…
Read on to find out more.
Question One: How long is the funding for?
Whether we like it or not, many positions in the social sector are dependent on external funding such as government grants.
Knowing just how connected a role is to a funding timeline could be vital information to consider. Do you want to leave your current role for a position that may no longer exist in a year or two? The answer may still be ‘yes’, but at least you won’t be caught unawares.
Question Two: What KPIs would you be expected to meet?
Understanding the key performance indicators (or KPIs) you’ll be expected to meet can give you an idea of the sort of work you’ll be doing, and at what pace.
Find out the specifics of what will be expected of you in the first week, month, three months, six months, etc. Apart from giving more detail to the sort of work you’ll be doing, these KPIs can also indicate the pace of this workplace. Do those milestones sound achievable to you? Is that pace what you’re looking for?
Question Three: What supports are available for staff?
Don’t take anything for granted – even if you may currently have access to a robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP) brimming with debriefing support and external clinical supervision paid for by your employer, that doesn’t mean every other workplace will offer the same.
You never know when you’re going to need to access these supports – and we know clinical supervision is always important – so make sure you get your head around what’s offered and how much of it in any new role you’re considering.
Question Four: How does the role function in the organisation?
Asking about the purpose of a role might sound odd, but in our experience (having recruited for hundreds of roles in the social care sector over many years) it’s a question worth asking – especially if the role has been created recently.
How does this role’s responsibilities fit with those of other workers in the organisation? Are there any overlaps? Who will you be working with, reporting to, managing?
The last thing you want is to find out other staff have similar portfolios and you’re either left wondering what to do with yourself or stepping on others’ toes. Or on the other hand, you don’t want to discover you’ve got the workload of what ought to be split across multiple roles, but there’s no one else to help.
Question Five: Why am I leaving my current role?
This is perhaps one of the most important questions of them all.
Whatever you’re looking for in the new role you’re considering – have you tried talking to your current manager about it?
Whether it’s a pay rise or a shift in responsibilities, it could be a lot easier to find a way to make those things possible in your current situation rather than start from scratch elsewhere.
And as we said in our previous blog post – it’s important to figure out if you really want to leave your current job – or just your current boss.
Take note of the good things you like about your current role, rather than just focusing on what you want to change. Is there any way you could negotiate solutions in your current workplace?
All of these questions will help bring clarity as you consider your next steps. Good luck!
Be. Recruitment specialises in talent acquisition for the social care sector. If you’re looking for quality candidates to fill your organisation’s vacancies, or you’d like to discuss the next step in your career in social care, we’d love to hear from you!
