How to hire a senior social worker

How to hire a senior social worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior social worker hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior social worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior social worker
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior social worker do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior social worker job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior social worker for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior social worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior social workers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents senior social worker salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Social Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Social Worker	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$19-36
   Case Manager	A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy... Show more	$14-29
   Social Services Case Manager	Social services case managers conduct in-person appointments and phone intake assessments. They manage the organization's documents and report for non-federal grants and federal grants... Show more	$10-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Veterans
   • Treatment Services
   • Patient Care
   • Rehabilitation
   • Psychosocial Assessments
   • MSW
   • Discharge Planning
   • Substance Abuse
   • English Language
   • Mental Illness
   • Community Agencies
   • Foster Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
   • Refer customers to other community agencies such as clinics, employment services, and vocational rehabilitation services.
   • Facilitate family meetings to provide support and psycho-education to patients and their family members and to discuss discharge planning.
   • Supervise students in MSW programs and high school programs.
   • Supervise MSW staff and student-interns in adult alcohol/substance abuse program.
   • Collaborate with other hospital departments to streamline services for homeless veterans.

   More senior social worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior social worker job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior social worker salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior social workers' average salary in mississippi is 57% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior social workers earn 47% less than senior-level senior social workers.
   • Certifications. A senior social worker with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior social worker's salary.

   Average senior social worker salary

   $55,254yearly

   $26.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior social worker salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior social worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$89,577	$43
   2	California	$66,591	$32
   3	Nevada	$63,960	$31
   4	North Carolina	$62,157	$30
   5	Washington	$60,608	$29
   6	Massachusetts	$59,851	$29
   7	New York	$59,728	$29
   8	Texas	$59,362	$29
   9	Ohio	$57,736	$28
   10	Arizona	$54,072	$26
   11	Delaware	$51,989	$25
   12	Minnesota	$51,091	$25
   13	Pennsylvania	$49,661	$24
   14	Georgia	$46,806	$23
   15	Indiana	$43,780	$21
   16	Oklahoma	$41,520	$20
   17	Florida	$39,118	$19
   18	Mississippi	$38,146	$18

   Average senior social worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$76,230	$36.65	1
   2	City of Louisville	$67,235	$32.32
   3	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$65,583	$31.53
   4	University of Washington	$65,559	$31.52	27
   5	Washington County	$63,770	$30.66	3
   6	One Brooklyn Health	$63,623	$30.59
   7	CalOptima	$62,744	$30.17	1
   8	Northwell Health	$62,664	$30.13	52
   9	Forsyth County	$62,540	$30.07	3
   10	University of Michigan	$61,849	$29.74	10
   11	Orange County	$61,667	$29.65	8
   12	Community Healthcare Network	$61,356	$29.50
   13	University of Kentucky	$60,860	$29.26	11
   14	SHASTA COUNTY	$59,726	$28.71	3
   15	University of Rochester	$59,612	$28.66	38
   16	Wake County	$59,018	$28.37
   17	Astor Services	$58,522	$28.14	43
   18	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$58,462	$28.11	3
   19	Lee County	$58,399	$28.08	1
   20	LifePoint Health	$58,042	$27.90	122

4. Writing a senior social worker job description

   A good senior social worker job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior social worker job description:

   Senior social worker job description example

   How would you like to work in a place where your contributions and ideas are valued? A place where you can serve with compassion, pursue excellence and honor every voice? At Wellstar, our mission is simple, yet powerful: to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve. We are proud to have become a shining example of what's possible when the brightest professionals dedicate themselves to making a difference in the healthcare industry, and in people's lives.
   Responsibilities
   
   Wellstar Cobb Hospital has an opportunity for a Senior Care Coordinator Social Worker LMSW or LCSW Shift Full Time Days One weekend shift per month Wellstar Cobb Hospital offers the most advanced comprehensive care to the people of South Cobb County. Our cutting-edge technology and extensive expertise creates an unparalleled healthcare experience unique to each patient. We provide whole-person, high-quality care for your medical, surgical, rehabilitative or emergency needs when you need it most. The Care Coordinator Social Worker Sr. serves as an expert resource for complex patients/ situations and serves as a guide/consultant to the other care team members surrounding patient psychosocial and resource needs. Is an expert with supporting community-based service offerings (indigent care support groups, specialty care) and offers guidance to patients/families as well as other care team members. Is responsible for selected functions related to Advance Directives.
   
   The Care Coordinator SW Sr. is responsible for providing psychosocial assessment for patients with the appropriate planning for follow up care. The Care Coordinator SW Sr. collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to provide care and support to the patient and family in a wholistic manner and serve as an expert on issues related to psychosocial, end of life care, planning, resource needs, counseling services utilizing evidence-based standards and appropriate documentation n the patient record. The Social Worker will provide resource and information necessary to aid patient/families in decision making up to and including support for end of life or funeral care. The Care Coordinator SW Sr. role include, discharge planning and assessment of patients and family's needs for post discharge services, including post-acute care and placement, transition of care, pharmaceutical applications, providing information and counseling services to help the patient cope/adjustment to illness, hospitalization, anticipatory grief, death and bereavement, and other situations that may arise.
   
   The Care Coordinator SW Sr. will collaborate/participate in ensuring that education on chronic care conditions selfmanagement such as CHF, COPD and other key focus conditions are completed. The Social Worker will coordinate and lead family conferences to plan timely patient disposition, will guide and support the other Social Workers with family care conferences and physician level meetings. The Social Worker will participate in the training of new social work hires and may assist other LMSWs in case reviews and discussion of difficult situations, to include, but not limited to assessing suicide ideation, bereavement risk and other similar scenarios. May have other duties assigned as appropriate.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Required Minimum Education Master's degree in Social Work with either LMSW or LCSW licensure Required Minimum Certification LMSW or LCSW licensure Required Minimum Experience At least three years of experience in a healthcare in the acute care setting, related field or skilled care environment or community. A background as a medical social work in an acute care setting highly preferred Required Minimum Skills Knowledge of Case Management process. Excellent verbal and written communication skills Knowledgeable regarding local, state and federal regulations required Knowledge of community and state-wide resources and programs Ability to function well under stress. Self-directed Ability to build and sustain trust with physicians and other care team members Strong ability to lead teams Must possess maturity, self-confidence, objectivity, and positive attitude Ability to empathize and manage change and work in a fast-paced environment Ability to effect change, performs critical analysis, promote client/family autonomy and plan and organize effectively for the continuum of care Excellent written and verbal communication skills, proficiency with Microsoft office suite products, ability to handle change and function in a fast-paced environment Strong ability to guide and educate families and the care team

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior social workers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior social worker job on Zippia to find and recruit senior social worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior social workers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior social worker

   Once you've selected the best senior social worker candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior social worker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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