Social Work Resume Template Example

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
  • Profile
  • Key skills
  • Professional experience
  • Education and certifications

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.

Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn

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.

Example

Experienced Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Millersville University. Over six years of experience working with individuals and families. Recognized for delivering excellent care and achieving results in diverse clinical settings. Maintains the highest ethical standards, fostering trust through active listening and emotional intelligence.

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

Hard Skills Soft Skills
Assessment Active listening
Case management Cultural competency
Crisis intervention Flexibility
Documentation Relationship building
Family counseling Self-awareness
Program development Sensitivity
Psychosocial evaluation Stress management
Substance abuse counseling Time management
Trauma-informed care Verbal de-escalation
Youth advocacy Written communication

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:

Action Verbs
Advocated Assessed
Collaborated Counseled
Empowered Facilitated
Implemented Intervened
Mediated Promoted
Provided Referred
Supervised Supported
Teach  

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.

Example

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Forge Health, Greensburg, PA
May 2019 – present

  • Complete initial assessments for 20 clients per month to determine appropriate levels of care
  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop treatment plans
  • Lead crisis interventions with a 95% de-escalation rate
  • Conduct over 200 individual and group counseling sessions each year, maintaining detailed clinical records
  • Participate in weekly team and case management meetings
  • Implement telehealth services to increase client access by 25%

Medical Social Worker, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
February 2017 – April 2019

  • Provided more than 400 psychosocial assessments, crisis interventions, counseling, and referral services on a consultation basis
  • Referred 80% of patients to appropriate community resources
  • Demonstrated emotional intelligence while working with diverse patient populations
  • Maintained consistently high patient feedback scores and a 95% satisfaction rating
  • Collaborated with the management team to optimize resource allocation

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.

Example

Education

Master of Social Work (MSW), September 2013 – May 2016
Millersville University, Millersville, PA

Licenses

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, 2020
  • Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, 2016

Social Work Resume Template Text Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
City, State Abbreviation zip code

Profile

Experienced LCSW with an MSW from Millersville University. Over six years of experience working with individuals and families. Recognized for delivering excellent care and achieving results in diverse clinical settings. Maintains the highest ethical standards, fostering trust through active listening and emotional intelligence.

Key Skills

  • Active listening
  • Clinical assessment
  • Crisis intervention
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Ethical integrity
  • Individual and group therapy
  • Telehealth services

Professional Experience

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Forge Health, Greensburg, PA
May 2019 – present

  • Complete initial assessments for 20 clients per month to determine appropriate levels of care
  • Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop treatment plans
  • Lead crisis interventions with a 95% de-escalation rate
  • Conduct over 200 individual and group counseling sessions each year, maintaining detailed clinical records
  • Participate in weekly team and case management meetings
  • Implement telehealth services to increase client access by 25%

Medical Social Worker, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
February 2017 – April 2019

  • Provided more than 400 psychosocial assessments, crisis interventions, counseling, and referral services on a consultation basis
  • Referred 80% of patients to appropriate community resources
  • Demonstrated emotional intelligence while working with diverse patient populations
  • Maintained consistently high patient feedback scores and a 95% satisfaction rating
  • Collaborated with the management team to optimize resource allocation

Education

Master of Social Work (MSW), September 2013 – May 2016
Millersville University, Millersville, PA

Licenses

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, 2020
  • Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, 2016
Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.

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