Social Work Resume Templates and Examples for 2024

Social Work Resume Template Example

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Social workers are on a mission to support individuals and communities in need. Your social work resume should reflect this commitment and show hiring managers you meet their expectations. We’ll provide tips to assist you in creating a resume that effectively conveys your experience and passion for helping others overcome life’s challenges.

How To Write a Social Work Resume

Consider using a resume template to save time and ensure a professional look. Your social work resume should include these sections:

Contact information

Create a header at the top of your resume that contains your best contact information. It should include your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile.

Profile

The profile is a brief opening statement that sets the tone of your social work resume. It should introduce you as a professional and intrigue hiring managers enough to keep reading. Mention your years of experience and passion for helping others. Describe what makes you stand out, such as experience in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, or youth advocacy.

Key skills

Show you’re ready to tackle the challenges of social work with confidence and competence by featuring a key skills list on your resume. Be sure to align your hard and soft skills with those listed in the job description of the position you’re applying for. This ensures that your resume aligns with the specific requirements of the job, making you a more appealing candidate.

Common hard and soft skills for social workers

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

To make the most of your professional experience section, use action verbs to start each bullet point. These words help to concisely describe what you were responsible for and what you accomplished in your previous positions. They create a clear picture of your contributions, showing how you took an active role at work. As you craft your social work resume, use action verbs like those below to present a compelling narrative of your career:

Professional experience

This section is your opportunity to showcase the impact you’ve had as a social worker. It should make hiring managers confident in your ability to excel in the role you’re pursuing. Focus on tasks and accomplishments that directly relate to social work. Mention client interactions, assessments, counseling, advocacy, and any specialized areas you’ve worked in.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

In social work, results matter, and numbers can help you show what you’re capable of. It’s like presenting evidence in a case — it strengthens your argument for why you’re the ideal social worker for the job. To hiring managers, someone who achieves measurable results can truly make a difference in the lives of their clients.

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

The job outlook for social workers is bright, with a projected increase in employment over the next 10 years. Job opportunities will be abundant, but you’ll need a well-written resume to compete for the best positions. Tailoring your resume is the one way to increase your chances of landing an interview. This helps to prove you meet the needs of potential employers.

To tailor your social work resume, identify what hiring managers are looking for in a candidate. For example, if you’re applying for a position at a hospital, emphasize your medical social work and experience collaborating with health care professionals. Match up your skills with those listed in the job description to show you’re qualified for the role, and include keywords in your resume.

What if you don’t have experience?

If you’re fresh out of college or have yet to earn much experience, you can still write an effective resume. Your focus should be on the knowledge you’ve gained from school, transferable skills, and your willingness to contribute to the field. Emphasize relevant coursework related to things like human behavior, counseling, and ethics.

Have you completed internships or field placements during your time in school? If so, detail your experiences and accomplishments. Maybe you’ve been involved in community outreach programs mentoring youth and participating in support groups. Describe how you’ve used transferable skills like communication, empathy, and teamwork in these situations.

Education and licenses

Many social worker positions require you to hold at least a bachelor’s degree and often a master’s degree. Start by listing your highest level of education, providing the name of the institution, location, and dates of completion. Licensure is also an essential part of the job, so be sure to list your most up-to-date social work licenses in a separate section of your resume.

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A resume should be a forward-looking value proposition that showcases your most relevant accomplishments for a target role — not a rear view summary of your previous roles and responsibilities.