INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Social Worker positions are at a 12% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 715,600 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 89,200 to 804,800 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Social Worker jobs was $51,760 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $33,020, and the highest 10% more than $85,820.
Our conclusion? The Social Worker job market is wide open for candidates.
Top Social Worker sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Social Worker resume experience section
Social Worker Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Social Worker resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Planning, execution and evaluation of welfare social programs.
- Supervision and management of occupational workshops for worker' spouses and children.
- Instituted health campaigns - control and prevention.
- Followed up 80+ kids’ health condition & organized their HIV tests;
- Prepared legal files for the recovery of the properties stolen from the children.
- Raised private funds and enroled 27+kids into school.
- In depth assessment with families and children suffering from a myriad of issues such as addiction, mental health and homelessness.
- Case management
- Report Writing and follow up with case notes.
- Taking the lead on Child in Care reviews and Case conferences.
- Admission coordination including clinical review of referrals and payor source verification.
- Discharge coordination including transfers to other facilities, completing referrals for home health providers, follow up MD visits, and pharmacies.
- Create person-centered care plans for patients based on treatment goals.
- Assist with Medicaid application process including completion of the FL2.
- Complete all psychosocial assessments, screening instruments, andrelevant MDS/CAA sections
- Worked as a part of an interdisciplinary team to facilitate treatment, case management, and discharge planning for acute SPMI patients in the admissions complex.
- Provided supportive counseling and facilitated group counseling to orient clients to positive life choices and behavior modification.
- Advocated for the dignity and respect of each client and their families to ensure properly individualized and prompt service delivery.
- Received commendations for excellent service delivery through creative modes of rapport building.
- The civil council in Italy have to work to increase the social welfare.
- Case by case investigation
- Direct handling of foster care cases
- Networking with institution and assotiation
- Assisted with the relocation of a Syrian family in my community
- Accompanied the family to doctor's appointments
- Helped them adjust to the country and connect with other Syrian people living in Portugal
- Aided with the practical aspects of moving to a new country (bank accounts, public services, law)
- Worked on the wards visiting patients and helping the Coordinator from Social Services with her duties
- Accompanied patients to religious services
- Assisted with meal times
- Visiting Schools to measure weight of school kids.
- Taking Blood Samples for tests.
- Conducting eye tests for kids and keeping eye on infections.
- Developed and executed the plan for Little Rock’s homeless Day Resource Center.
- Promoted Center through various media outlets and managed organizational website.
- Managed a large caseload of homeless individuals and families; including counseling, substance abuse and mental health treatment.
- Coordinated and administered psychological testing for 130+ refugees
- Improved working efficiency by Integrating mental health and behavioral health service
- Developed gambling & substance abuse prevention program specifically for Asian population
- Being trained by a high-performance team of social workers and psychologists;
- Working with victimized children and teenagers;
- Arranging logistical issues.
PRO TIP
Make sure to relate your experience to your job description, but never lie. That’s not tolerated and will show up in the face-to-face interview later on.
Action Verbs for your Social Worker Resume
Recommended reads:
Social Worker Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Social Worker resume
- Linux
- Windows
- Microsoft Office
- Wordpress
- E-Commerce Software
- XRM
- CRM
- Linnworks
- Mac
- Communication
- Compassion
- Patience
- Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability
- Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature
- Honesty
- Team-player
- Strong work ethic
- Time management
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
Recommended reads:
Social Worker Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Social Worker Resume Header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Social Worker resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
Social Worker Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Social Worker resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Social Worker resume
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Social Worker Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Social Worker Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Social Worker resume:
Social Worker Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Social Worker resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Social Worker Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
