Unfortunately there are many people who think that a resume is an opportunity to let their prospective employer know about all their achievements throughout their entire life, as well as in each and every job, little realizing that in fact a short document is required. A social worker resume is no different and fortunately there are plenty of social work resumes on the Internet which are excellent representations of what employers are looking for in regards to social worker jobs, and they will show you exactly what type of information to include.
Professional Resume Ideas Off The Internet
There are literally thousands of professionally written resume ideas for you to choose from, from every kind of profession, and for anyone who has never written a resume before. The templates are free to use and no registration is required either, making it easy for anyone; in fact it lets anybody replicate a resume so that it looks like a professional has done it.
Social work is challenging, and even though there is plenty of job satisfaction, there are difficulties which include working long shifts, working beyond your office hours and having to cope with some pretty grueling cases. Your focus is on improving the quality of life of the community, and by understanding the work of a social worker in general, you can begin to style your resume around this.
Even though you may have exceptional qualities, a resume is not likely to receive much attention if your employer has to read too much complex and lengthy information.
A Dynamic Resume Of One Or Two Pages
As a general rule, resumes should be one or two pages, but the resume of a social worker is allowed to be just a bit longer because it is such a vast field, and particularly when your experience is so relevant to the position you are applying for. If you find that your resume is getting too long while you are preparing it, you could for example, take out the undergraduate experience if you already have your graduate experience in. When writing a social worker resume, this is one industry where one size does not fit all, and on top of that there are certain formulas that different organizations will want you to follow when writing a resume.
You don’t want to overload your resume with all your good works and deeds for an organization that is looking for a one page resume. You have to pay attention to the needs and goals of the employer so that they can see you are someone who is not going to be pulling in the opposite direction the whole time. They will want to gauge if you will be able to meet all the responsibilities of the particular position that you are applying for. The bottom line of writing a good resume is to paint a thoroughly presentable picture of yourself as an individual, and whether you opt for the chronological or functional format for your resume, there are certain standard pieces of information that employers will be looking for on your resume.
Getting Your Message Across Effectively
How then can you be sure that your resume does in fact get put on the pile of those that are going to be considered? Employers receive hundreds of resumes for a social worker position so you have to think of ways to make sure your resume is going to stand out. When you consider that your entire future can be determined by your resume, you want to think carefully about how to get your message across in a short but dynamic way. Your future may depend on how effective your resume is, so you have to take your time and think about what you are going to include to convince the company to consider you.
A social worker resume will include some of the following if the information is applicable to the job you are applying for:
- information on how to reach you which will basically include your address, telephone numbers, fax number, website and email address.
- a brief summary of your education
- your main areas of work
- have you introduced new ideas and procedures which have improved efficiency?
- details of your typical caseload
- one to one work as well as group work
- state which certificates, diplomas and degrees you hold
- you can add in any skills that specifically relate to the field you are interested in
- major projects you have worked on
- the name of each of your employers and your job titles
- budgetary responsibilities
What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?
If you have had personality testing or integrity screening, you can include the results of the tests. There is a growing use for graphology in employee selection and placement, because the biggest reason for job turnover is not lack of skills, but mismatch between personality and the job. Resumes and interviews can conceal not only serious flaws but also hidden talents and traits. Firms that use graphology to help match applicants to the job and the work environment say they have much lower turnover and higher productivity as a result. People are beginning to use graphology for their own personal career counseling. This is because they believe that talents are strongly visible in handwriting, and a good graphologist may be able to help a high school leaver or a social worker discover untapped gifts that could lead to a fulfilling career.
There is no doubt that social work is a demanding job,and for this reason a social worker resume needs to contain details of your personality because many people are in the wrong profession based on personality. Consider what strengths the organization would like to see in the person they want to fill the position with and how those strengths can be demonstrated. Employers value certain qualities in an employee such as good communication skills, self-reliance and even-temperedness. While a person they would possibly want to avoid would be an excitable person with poor self-discipline, laziness, and a lack of self confidence. The social worker industry certainly would value someone with high energy as well as the ability to work in a sometimes chaotic, hectic and emotional environment.
A resume is the perfect place to market yourself and you will want to draw attention to skills and training that are specific to the job you are applying for. Writing an effective resume is a step closer to that elusive interview. A resume is similar to an introduction and is telling your prospective employer a little bit about the type of person you are, and that you have all that it takes to be successful in the new post as well as an asset to the company. Your resume must inspire your prospective employer to pick up the phone and say ‘ About that position… we’d like you to come in for an interview’.
An Independent Thinker
With social worker resumes, your prospective employer will want to see that you can cope on your own and that you have the ability to make independent decisions, you are able to assess treatment dynamics accurately. They will also want to see that you have a set of effective treatment strategies and that you have experience with individual, group and family therapy techniques.
Resume Writing Guides
If you need to write a resume and are not sure how, there are plenty of resume-writing guides on the Internet that can help. Resume Templates has got more than 250 different resume templates for you. A well-written social worker resume contains all relevant information. No resume is set in stone but a chronological resume is the most common form of resume and you will see sample resumes of every style on the Internet. Generally layout of a resume is as follows:
- name and address – make sure that your e-mail address is appropriate and professional because this is the email that your employer will use to correspond with you and you don’t want to have an unprofessional, frivolous email address. With your website and Facebook address as well, you will want to be sure that they don’t contain things on them that could jeopardize your chances of success.
- education – list your highest degree first and the year it was awarded and give the name of the university.
- experience and activities – are you a member of a professional organization and have you taken part in campus and community activities? You will also want to package your experience in a striking way to catch the employer’s attention.
- volunteer work and activities
- skills – there are skills that are always used in the field of social work and in your resume, it will be of value to incorporate some of them into your resume. Some of these are case management, clinical work with groups, clinical work with families, administration, training, substance abuse treatment experience research, play therapy, crisis intervention, program evaluation and others.
- objectives – not necessary on your resume if you use your cover letter to spell out what you want in a job.
- references – a great resume can certainly put social worker job seekers in the running for a good position, but you should never underestimate the results of a reference check, as this is often the determining factors. Many candidates who appeared to have it all are eliminated from the list once their references from previous employers have been checked. Sometimes it can be a good idea to request a reference letter from your previous employers and to attach this to your resume.
When you want to describe your work experience, use specific headings that represent the work you have done. Work experience is probably the most important section that employers want to see. Headings like Child Welfare Experience, Clinical Experience, Administrative Experience, Therapeutic and Advocacy Experience and Program Planning Experience will help your employer quickly see if the experience you have fits what they are looking for.
Include Volunteer Work
Increasingly, corporate bosses are taking notice of job candidates’ volunteer efforts, particularly in the field of social work, simply because they realize that these employees have a real passion for the work, that even when they are highly talented, they are willing to put in hours of unpaid work. For them they see someone like this as a real asset to the company simply because it demonstrates commitment, character and loyalty and these are attributes of note.
Social workers are employed in a variety of different settings and areas, and hold an active social work license. Most social workers are employed on a full-time basis, providing help and assistance to those in dire need. They earn a generous salary, depending on their qualifications and also receive employee benefits which include things like medical aid and a retirement plan.
Conclusion
When you write a social worker resume you will want to state what settings interest you. You should look at the organizations website where you will be sending your resume and learn a little bit about their social worker programs, and then make a list of your experiences and skills, field placements, volunteer positions, your education and licensing and how it matches to the work they are doing.
Remember to always use keywords appropriate to social work. For clinical positions you will need to draw attention to your clinical skills. You can also include details about the number of clients you have seen individually or in a group, the length of treatment and what results have been achieved.
There can be no doubt, that when it comes to a social worker resume, by learning what to put on yours, it is possible to ensure that you are considered as a candidate. Your resume should portray your compassion, your tolerance and professionalism, and when writing your resume you need to present these characteristics convincingly as well as your ability to adhere to strict confidentiality when managing your different clients.