How to hire a social work associate

How to hire a social work associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step social work associate hiring guide:

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

What does a social work associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your social work associate 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 social work associate 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 social work associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, social work associates 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 shows salaries for various types of social work associates.

   Type of Social Work Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Social Work Associate	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$15-27
   Volunteer	Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service... Show more	$11-19
   Liaison	A liaison is a middle person responsible for collaborating different institutes, managing professional relationships to create benefiting results that would help a business' meet its goals and objectives. Duties of a liaison include facilitating communications, establishing partnership contract plans and procedures, managing conflicts, providing immediate resolution for concerns, and evaluating collaboration parameters... Show more	$14-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Facebook
   • Social Services
   • Community Resources
   • Patient Care
   • Discharge Planning
   • Substance Abuse
   • Child Abuse
   • Community Agencies
   • Care Plan
   • Individual Therapy
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Mental Health Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
   • Provide additional services for patients and families including travel arrangements, financial entitlements, and community resources.
   • Provide anonymous counseling and testing services for the HIV for clients.
   • Produce all contracts, prepare the work breakdown, train staff and clients, do payroll and reporting for compliance
   • Assist nurses in recovering post-operative patients.
   • Coordinate weekly payroll and confidential personnel records.

   More social work associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your social work associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A social work associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, social work associates' average salary in utah is 41% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level social work associates 42% less than senior-level social work associates.
   • Certifications. A social work associate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a social work associate's salary.

   Average social work associate salary

   $43,497yearly

   $20.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level social work associate salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average social work associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$57,657	$28
   2	New York	$51,638	$25
   3	North Carolina	$50,173	$24
   4	Texas	$49,536	$24
   5	Illinois	$48,954	$24
   6	Wisconsin	$45,845	$22
   7	Hawaii	$43,261	$21
   8	Colorado	$42,087	$20
   9	Minnesota	$41,575	$20
   10	Massachusetts	$41,565	$20
   11	Pennsylvania	$40,917	$20
   12	Michigan	$40,561	$20
   13	Ohio	$39,826	$19
   14	Florida	$37,762	$18
   15	Alabama	$37,316	$18

   Average social work associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$61,698	$29.66	13
   2	RS&H	$56,987	$27.40
   3	Morgan Stanley	$53,861	$25.89
   4	Dignity Health	$53,860	$25.89	60
   5	Columbia University in the City of New York	$53,249	$25.60	11
   6	Queens Health Systems	$53,152	$25.55	5
   7	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$51,212	$24.62	11
   8	GroupM	$47,862	$23.01
   9	Danaher	$47,134	$22.66	1
   10	Mount Sinai Health System	$46,483	$22.35	33
   11	Americorps	$44,420	$21.36	9
   12	Dentsu Communications	$44,014	$21.16	4
   13	Seer Interactive	$43,956	$21.13
   14	Viterbo University	$43,508	$20.92
   15	Genvid Technologies	$43,370	$20.85
   16	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$43,370	$20.85
   17	Millennium Group	$43,370	$20.85
   18	U.S. News	$43,370	$20.85
   19	J.P. Morgan	$42,479	$20.42
   20	Sedgwick LLP	$42,428	$20.40	74

4. Writing a social work associate job description

   A social work associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a social work associate job description:

   Social work associate job description example

   Taking part in community health is rewarding and meaningful. LifeLong Medical Care is seeking a part-time or full-time Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Associate Social Worker (ASW) to work with a multi-disciplinary collaborative team. Under the direction of the Program Manager, the LCSW/ASW provides comprehensive social services to residents in the respite program. LCSW licensure hours are provided for ASW as well as clinical training opportunities.
   
   The Medical Respite Program consists of 4 apartments with 15 bedrooms surrounding a courtyard and has a daily census of 27 individuals. The program provides integrated medical and cares management services to homeless adults, most of whom are recently discharged from hospital care. This is a short-term (up to 45 days) respite facility providing 24/7 staff support.
   About us: As a Federally Qualified Health Center in Northern California with over 45 years of dedicated service to the community, LifeLong serves over 66,000 patients in the East Bay Area's socio-economically underserved regions. We provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and school-based services at more than 15 primary care sites across Oakland, Berkeley, and West Contra Costa County. From opening a residential respite program for homeless persons discharged from hospitals to offering free COVID testing to the community, we are innovative and responsive to our times' social and medical needs. We provide an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity and with which our patients can identify. To this end, we seek candidates who reflect the diversity of the East Bay communities we serve. LifeLong Medical Care is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, bilingual and bicultural individuals, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. If you seek accommodation, please advise in writing at the time you apply. Benefits: We offer a competitive annual salary of $68,000-$72,000 for ASW and $80,000-$100,00 for LCSW, depending on years since licensed, and excellent benefits: medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, dependent and domestic partner coverage, 403(b) retirement savings plan, and loan repayment programs, and commuter benefits. LifeLong is qualified for federal and state loan repayment programs (HPSA score is 16). Acceptance rates may vary year to year based on funding levels and the number of applicants. Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine Policy: In accordance with LifeLong Medical Care's commitment to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards, we have adopted a Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine Policy to safeguard the health of our employees and their families; our patients and visitors; and the community at large from infectious diseases, that vaccinations may reduce. This policy will comply with all applicable laws and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the Order of the California State Public Health Officer. Unless a reasonable medical or religious accommodation is approved, all employees must receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Responsibilities Provides counseling, psychosocial support, and crisis intervention to residents. Coordinates and conducts training and clinical supervision for MSW interns and consults and guides other program staff. Provides timely and accurate documentation using appropriate EHR systems Performs comprehensive age and culturally appropriate psychosocial assessments on residents
   in conjunction with the resident, formulates a social service care plan;
   Refers and links residents to appropriate substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, case management programs, home care services, transportation programs, domestic violence resources, and appropriate community social services resources, including those required by mandatory laws such as child and elder abuse
   Maintains ongoing communication and coordination on resident's care plan and psychosocial status with clinic staff, other community programs, and in-patient providers to ensure continuity of care.
   Participates as a member of a multi-disciplinary care team.
   Assists and educates residents on financial and medical entitlement programs, provides appropriate referral, and ensure linkage to these programs with assistance from the care management team.
   Provides information on housing options, assistance with a referral, completion of applications, and gathering of needed documents to assist residents in obtaining temporary and permanent housing.
   Performs community outreach and acts as liaison with other health care and social services providers
   Participates in Respite staff meetings.
   Participates in gathering and reporting outcome measures and quality improvement efforts.
   Develops and facilitates groups and 1:1 therapy session to assist patients in coping with health-related and social services issues;
   Performs other related duties as assigned/required. Qualifications Must be an LCSW or ASW in the State of California Minimum of one-year experience in a medical health care setting working with adults preferred Minimum of two years of experience in providing counseling, crisis intervention, and case management Strong organizational, administrative, and problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible and adaptive to change. Ability to effectively present information to others, including other employees, community partners, and vendors. Ability to work with individuals and organizations at the local level to build support. Ability to seek direction/approval from supervisor on essential matters, yet work independently with little onsite supervision, using professional judgment and diplomacy. Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written skills and ability to effectively work with people from diverse backgrounds and be culturally sensitive. Conduct oneself in external settings to reflect positively on LifeLong Medical Care, including EBCRP, as an organization of professional, confident, and sensitive staff. Ability to see how one's work intersects with that of other departments of LifeLong Medical Care, including EBCRP, and that of other partner organizations. Make appropriate use of knowledge/ expertise/ connections of other staff Be creative and mature with a “can do,” proactive attitude and an ability to continuously “scan” the environment, identifying and taking advantage of opportunities for improvement. Ability to work sensitively with homeless, diverse cultural groups, and immigrant and refugee populations. Knowledge of the social services resources in Alameda County, including familiarity with GA, SSA, SSI, SDI, Medicare, and Medi-Cal benefits. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Bi-lingual is a plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find social work associates 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 social work associate job on Zippia to find and recruit social work associate 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 social work associates, 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 social work associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect social work associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new social work associate. 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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