Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

How To Dress For A Youth Work Interview

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How to dress for a youth work interview
Don’t forget to show off your mad Michael Jackson skillz if you get an opportunity

Q: Could you give any advice on how to dress for a youth work interview?

A: Well, I suppose it depends on what kind of youth worker you are. I’ll be honest, I was kind of appalled the first time I was on a youth work interview panel and saw an interviewee wearing jeans, an untucked shirt, loosely dangling tie and corduroy jacket with trainers/tennis shoes.

A little background information – I ALWAYS wore a suit or something similar to any job interview I’d ever had; heck, I didn’t even wear jeans to pick up an application. (If you’re a younger youth worker, you used have to walk through the shops to pick up an application and fill it out by hand – the computer kiosk was but a glimmer in some HR nerd’s eye). So the thought of wearing anything else never occurred to me.

But in the world of youth work, it’s becoming more and more commonplace to wear increasingly casual attire to youth work interviews – particularly as youth participation and youth empowerment become more popular. Young people are being involved more and more in the youth worker interview process and some may have a hard time seeing past your double-breasted, 3 piece pinstripe suit to the cool, ‘safe’ youth worker you are inside.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you a blanket attire to wear for all youth work interviews (although I can definitely recommend not wearing an actual blanket). Here are a few tips that might help you out when choosing how to dress for a youth work interview:

  1. Dress for Success – if you know that you’re going to be applying for work at an outdoor activity center and part of the interview process is to help belay a few youth at the climbing wall, you can probably wear your usual work gear. Still aren’t sure? Wear your dress clothes for the interview and bring your ‘work’ clothes for after the formal interview.
  2. What Not to Wear – we all know what not to wear to an interview. Keep the makeup and perfume at a minimum. Ladies, don’t wear low cut shirts or provocative outfits, especially if you’re likely to be working with teenage boys. Men, leave the incredibly comfortable but holey shirts, shoes, socks and jackets at home – even if you subsequently wear them to every youth group once you have the job.
  3. Do your homework* – go on their website to get a feel for the organization, your coworkers and their ethos. If in doubt, ask what kind of activities you need to be prepared for. If they don’t have a website, go with the suit for the youth work interview.

Look, you can never really go wrong with a suit and usual interview attire. At the end of the day, you’re still a professional. Each organization is different and its interviews are always a learning process.

Personally, I still wear my suit jacket, button down shirt and slacks. On occasion though, I’ve been known to forgo the heels for sensible youth-work friendly flats and I’ve even left my fitted dress shirt untucked. Wear what you feel most comfortable and confident in. Your knowledge, experience and ability to work with youth should still shine through.

*This is very important, beyond just what to wear for a youth work interview. I’ve had to tell jokes and plan and run youth work mini-sessions. While researching one job, I found out that the person I was applying to replace was considered ‘chief cake maker’ at the office. I brought homemade muffins with me to the interview to also apply for the position of ‘chief cake maker’. This quirky move helped convince them that I would fit in nicely with the easy-going, unconventional team.

Question: What do you recommend wearing to a youth work interview? Is it the same as any other interview? What are your youth work interview horror stories? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

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Previous Experience Required… But Not Desired

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Youth work experience
Acting like you work here doesn’t go over well in most youth work settings

We’ve all seen it on a job description: ‘Those with Previous Youth Work Experience Preferred’ or ‘Previous Experience with Youth Required.’

Experience is becoming much more valuable to youth work employers, even for faith-based youth workers. Unless you’re planning to start at the bottom – with volunteering, an internship, part-time position or an entry level position without very good pay – you’ll need some kind of previous youth work experience.

But is all previous experience good? Is every type of youth work the same as every other? Is ‘working with youth’ all that’s really required while the rest is teachable? My answer to all three is ‘No’ and here is why:

No, I don’t think that all previous experience is good

As a reflective practitioner, you’ll want to reflect and determine if your experience was good for the youth and best for your professional development. There are a lot of youth programs out there, including faith-based, that:

  • Hire poor, inexperienced and/or unqualified staff
  • Don’t have important procedures in place
  • Have unsupportive management
  • Have poor youth to adult ratios
  • Don’t have child protection policies
  • Don’t do background checks
  • And much more

The reasons for this are varied and too much to cover right now, but they can range from cost-cutting measures to lack of organizational structure.

If your experience included any of the issues above or others, take the time to identify what changes you would make in your own practice going forward, finding out best practice in those areas and unlearning bad habits. 

No, I don’t think every type of youth work is not the same as every other.

Taking 5 minutes one day, I identified over 45 different types of youth work that I know about or have worked with; that’s not even taking into account hybrid programs that merge two or more types of youth work together.

These could include programs that focus on ‘Sexual Health of Youth,’ ‘Homeless Youth’ and ‘Sexual Health of Homeless Youth’. Just about the only thing they all have in common is that they work with youth. So while some previous experience of working with homeless youth may be beneficial in building relationships with youth in a sexual health youth program, you may find it difficult to transfer a lot of your skills, education and experience to the new role. Don’t try to ‘fake it ’til you make it’, as you’ll do the youth in your programs a disservice.

Additionally, the previous experience from one type of youth work can be really challenging to ‘unlearn’ when entering a new type, especially if you’ve done it for a long time.

For example, I once knew a worker who had done ten years working as a detention center guard. He then moved to the more ‘warm and fuzzy’ role of staff at a family-style foster care program, where all interactions were supposed to be natural, like in a loving family. His years of previous experience kicked in whenever there was conflict and he often ran the home like a detention facility with strict schedules, cleanliness regimes and zero-tolerance rules.

His experiences were great when it came to finding youth who stole things or were lying, but many times the youth felt attacked and ‘guarded.’ He had the best intentions but was unable to overcome so much of his previous experience. It’s possible that a better fit, for his experience, would have been in a more regulated residential foster care program or as a youth offending officer.

Youth work is as diverse as the youth within the programs, therefore you can’t say that all experience you gain within each of them is the same. Take the time to identify your transferable skills and those where you need further professional development.

No, I don’t think that all you need is experience working with youth and that everything else is teachable.

There are some things that are teachable in youth work; using our example above, sexual health statistics can be taught, homeless issues and their solutions, methods for scripture memorization in faith-based programs – all those can be taught. But you need to recognize what can’t be taught. Some types of youth work are better suited to certain youth workers than others and no amount of previous experience with youth will change that.

I have a lot of experience with youth, but I wouldn’t apply for a role teaching youth outdoor activities. Yes, I could learn all the safety information in the world and maybe even be ‘passable’ in the role, but it wouldn’t be best for the youth in those programs.

Why? Because it’s not my passion, nor is outdoor education something I care very much about. When we do things that we don’t care about, things get sloppy and mistakes are made.

I wouldn’t want to have any of those mistakes happen at an outdoor center or in the middle of a lake with a group of youth – would you? I’d want a youth worker whose experience and passion match up in the perfect role for them which, in turn, will make the program outstanding through knowledgeable, safe and experienced staff  for the youth participating.

Your strengths and what you’re passionate about will provide a natural fit for your natural abilities in relating to youth and the skills you learn through education and best practice.

Remember these three things when you see ‘previous youth work experience required’:

  1. Reflect on areas of best practice and room for improvement in your previous experiences
  2. Remind yourself that all youth work is different and decide if you have the appropriate skills and experience for the job. If you don’t, try your desired role out as a volunteer and gain some insight and new experience in that area of youth work.
  3. Identify your strengths and passions. Learn what can be learned, trust your natural skills and choose a path based on what you’re passionate about. If you’re passionate about something, it’s much more likely to positively affect more youth in your program. 

Questions: Do you agree or disagree about my thoughts regarding previous experience in youth work? Why or why not? What are some things you consider when applying for a new youth work position? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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