If you have qualified as a social worker and are in the process of looking for employment, then you will also be aware of a social work cover letter which will accompany every resume that you send in for all the social work positions you are applying for. In a competitive job market, having an effective and unique resume and cover letter are essential. Writing these letters can be a useful effort in your attempts to land the job you want. The letters should be written in a marketing style, attracting the recruiter to want to know more and to be prickled with interest. Sentences should be short and to the point. There is certainly a skill required to wording your cover letter the right way so as not to cause the recruiter to cast your resume on to the pile headed for the bin.
What Is A Cover Letter?
A cover letter is always sent with your resume. It is like an introductory letter, letting the interviewer know what skills and experience will be found in the resume. It provides a little bit of information about why you, as a social worker, believe you are the right person for the job you are applying for. A cover letter should be printed on preferably plain, professional looking paper and the envelope should match. Your curriculum vitae or resume should be printed on the same paper. It is best to use a standard 10 – 12 point font. A cover letter cannot contain any typing errors nor grammatical errors. In a relatively short cover letter, if errors are to be found, it is an indication that you are not particular and professional enough. Cover letters attached to the resume can be either faxed to a particular office, be emailed or handed in personally.
Make It Clear That You Can Offer A Lot
The purpose of a cover letter is to highlight your training, sell your skills, and to show the recruiter that you are definitely worth consideration. Your cover letter must show that you have read the job advertisement by picking out key points and letting them know how you intend to meet those requirements. Pick the key criteria in the advertisement and point out how you will be meeting this in your letter. It is always a good idea to remember that you want to make it clear that you are able to offer something of benefit to the company, and to this end you should avoid stating what you are looking to get from the company. Put down just a few of your achievements, putting them in bullet form to make for easy reading.
Plenty Of Cover Letter Tips And Advice
The social worker cover letter should be about one page; certainly not more than a page and a half. As a social worker, you may find that this is not enough space to put down all your experience. The idea is to make use of a simple layout and for listing your experience, make use of bullets and not sentences. The advantage of laying the information out in bullet form as opposed to sentences is that the information can be read quickly and easily.
Get Personal
You can afford to be a little bit personal with a cover letter, and if you have someone out of the company’s name, use it and start with a title like Mr. or Mrs. or Ms.
Before you apply for that social worker job, have a good look at your CV through the eyes of the recruiter and then look at their goals and adapt the wording of your cover letter to co-inside with what their goals are. Learn as much as you can about the company as plan your entire cover letter around them.
Find Something Fresh And Unique To Differentiate Yourself
Remember that the recruiter has loads of resumes to sift through before finally settling on a select few to go on with to the next stage. If your cover letter looks and sounds like all the rest, you won’t make an impression. You have to come up with some interesting and fresh ideas that will make the recruiter realize that you can make a positive difference to your new place of employment. The recruiter makes use of certain criteria to sift through these CV’s. Some of these things will be:
- are you over qualified or under qualified for the position?
- does the social worker do voluntary work – run support groups and counsel clubs?
- what are the applicant’s salary expectations?
Social workers work in a variety of settings and their work is extended to individuals, families; in fact anyone who is distressed, suicidal, has disabilities, battling with substance abuse, desperate or bereaved can have therapy from a social worker. A social worker cover letter will give an indication of the work social workers perform as either independent therapists or in alliance with other health care professionals. Social workers help people function the best way they can; helping them to deal with their relationships and problems. A well-written cover letter is essential to getting attention for your resume and ultimately getting an interview in a highly competitive social work market.
Skills/Qualities
When you write a cover letter, there is certain information that will need to be included. Your employer will certainly want to know about the skills and qualification you have achieved and you will need to relate your skills and experience to those set out in the job posting. Properly trained social workers have always got a broad range of skills, and they need this because they will be acting as advisers or as counselors. A social worker cover letter can mention the college where training was done, and the resume will list all your skill and achievements. You will need a professional qualification for social work, whether you will be practicing full- or part-time.
A Bachelor’s of Social Work will get you into the social work profession. Most states recommend that students concentrate on biology, political science, psychology, sociology, political science and a second language. Those who represent themselves as social workers must be registered, because through registration, social workers become accountable for their practice by adhering to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.
Plenty Of Cover Letter Samples On The Internet
When you apply for a job, a cover letter should be sent with your resume and if you are not sure what to write, there are plenty of cover letter samples on the Internet. You can pick up many tips and advice on how to write a cover letter and how to set it out in a winning way.
Your Covering Letter Is Not A Resume
Your cover letter is your first chance, with your entire resume, to make a good first impression. Have a good look at cover letter examples. Cover letters are not set in stone and there are various types that you can use. They generally have three parts; the first paragraph basically giving the interviewer a clue as to what position you are applying for. The middle paragraph can mention a little bit about your skills and experience you have, all the while bearing in mind that you want to give a brief description of what you have to offer the employer because detailed information will be found in the resume.
Mention how your skills and experience match the job you are applying for and how they can really be of benefit to the company. Remember not to pack your covering letter with the same information that is found in your resume. In the cover letter you can also refer to other relevant documents which are attached and which will certainly generate additional points in your favor.
Describe What You Mean
As a social work you don’t want to just use phrases like ‘good team player’ because most people use this very phrase on their resumes. Rather give an example of where you actually put your team player skills to use with good effect which simply goes to provide credibility to what you are saying about yourself.
Apart from the fact that there is plenty of advice and tips on the Internet on how to write a cover letter for yourself as well as template samples that you can download and use, there are also professional cover letter writers who know exactly how to write a professional social worker cover letter for you. These professional writers understand how a good cover letter can enhance your chances of having your resume read and an interview arranged. You simply send them your details and they make sure they structure the perfect cover letter for you. They know that your cover letter also reveals your ability to communicate effectively.
Conclusion
With a cover letter less is more. Cover letters need to be concise because employers don’t have the time to read reams and reams of information. At one glance they want to sum up what you are offering. By including just the essentials, the employer will see that you have the capability to turn complex situations into simple ones.