
How to Write a Resume According to Science in 2023
How do you write a resume? With so many conflicting opinions out there, we’ve set out to find the ultimate answer to this question.
Write a social worker resume that shows you're caring, knowledgeable, and resilient. Our social work resume examples and professional advice will guide the way.
You put others first, while your needs get the back seat. You work harder than people who earn 10x your salary, with little thanks.
But if you help one life, it’s worth it.
The trouble? Even with all that empathy, it’s still hard to get a job.
What’s blocking you is an unimpressive social work resume. But together we can fix that fast.
In this guide:
Create a job-winning resume with little effort. Hack your way through ATS software with our 18 beautiful templates—give our builder a try!
Looking for a different kind of resume? See:
Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples for Any Job.
Maisie Bauge
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Personal Info
Phone: 785-996-5811
E-mail: maisiebauge@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/maisiebauge
twitter.com/maisiebauge
Summary
Passionate LCSW with 4+ years of experience. Seeking to help clients meet goals at Sugden Well Being. At Strother Regional Life Strategies, provided therapy and counseling to a caseload of 40+ 12–18 year-olds. 70% of clients met goals within 3 months. Mandt-certified NASW member. Skilled in assessment and treatment plans.
License
LCSW — Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Experience
LCSW
Strother Regional Life Strategies
2016–2019
Volunteer Child Social Worker
Blakely Ridge Ranch
2015–2016
Education
Master of Social Work, Alabama State University
2014–2015
BS Social Work, Auburn University
2010–2014
Certifications
Additional Activities
Hard Skills: Counseling, creating treatment plans, assessment, Mandt system
Soft Skills: Interpersonal skills, communication, active listening, empathy
Here’s how to write a great social work resume:
Appearances matter.
Poor resume formatting is the #2 reason recruiters throw out resumes.
So make sure your social work resume follows the right model.
The reverse-chronological resume format is your friend. It lines up all your best features in the right order.
Expert Hint: There are 707,400 social workers in the US. Their ranks are swelling much faster than average. Your social work resume must be its best self to compete.
Here’s your biggest challenge:
Your social work resume is drowning in a sea of other applications. You need it to stand out like Jane Waldfogel at a monster truck rally to get the job.
So—
Do that with a gripping resume profile (in the form of a career objective, career summary, or summary of qualifications).
It’s your sales pitch in a nutshell.
Add:
Your summary goes up top, but—
Write it when the rest of is done to make it easy.
See these social work resume examples:
See the problem?
The second of those social worker resume samples is just a list of skills.
The first shows your caseload and what you did.
Now—
That won’t work in an entry-level resume for social workers. Will it?
Yes. But do it with volunteering or skills from other jobs.
See this entry-level social work resume sample:
Heads up:
The first of those social work resume examples has more detail. They know you used your skills with 25+ children. (Numbers make it sing!)
Expert Hint: The Northeast has a high number of social workers. Southern states have less. A Southern social worker resume needs an extra-strong objective or summary.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
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What social work resume skills do you need?
Here are some of the most common:
Hard Skills
Soft Skills
A word of warning:
Don’t shoe-horn them all into your resume.
To get jobs, write a targeted resume instead.
To write a social work job description for resumes:
See these social work resume samples:
Imagine the job ad wants these social work skills: counseling, client goal-setting, collaboration, documentation.
Experience
LCSW
Strother Regional Life Strategies
2016–2019
Did you catch that?
The first of those social work resume examples shows counseling, goal-setting, collaboration, and documentation. That’s just what the doctor ordered.
The numbers make it solid.
Next, here comes a resume for entry-level jobs.
Imagine a job that wants these social work skills: on-call assistance, Mandt techniques, treatment planning, group therapy, interpersonal skills.
See these social worker resume examples with no experience:
Volunteer Child Social Worker
Blakely Ridge Ranch
2018–2019
The Stippled Pig Restaurant
Server
2014–2019
The Stippled Pig Restaurant
Server
2014–2019
See that?
The first assistant social worker resume example adds volunteering to show on-call assistance and other asked-for skills.
It also fits in interpersonal skills from a server job.
Expert Hint: Burnout rates are high in social workers. How do you manage stress? Show your stress management or self-care methods in a social work resume.
Surprise:
Social work is one of the top 100 jobs in the US. But not all social work positions are created equal.
To get your dream job, add data to the education section of your social worker resume.
This social work resume sample shows how:
Education
Master of Social Work, Alabama State University
2014–2015
BS Social Work, Auburn University
2010–2014
Wow.
A glance at that social worker resume education section might generate a phone call.
Achievements are powerful job-getters.
“Oh, I like this one.”
Wouldn’t it be great if the hiring manager said that?
It’s not a dream.
“Added” sections in a social worker resume can show you’re special.
Here’s a sampling:
See these sample social worker resume examples:
Certifications
Additional Activities
Additional Activities
Did you catch that?
The first of those social worker resume examples has details. That applicant could be Ruth McRoy in disguise.
Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your social work resume. Do some research to find out why you love this job and why you’d rock it. Then say that in your resume.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Here’s how to write a social work resume:
Got questions on how to write great resumes for social work jobs? Not sure how to put social work on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!
How do you write a resume? With so many conflicting opinions out there, we’ve set out to find the ultimate answer to this question.
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It's time to find your first job. Worry not, this guide will show you how to nail an entry-level or beginner resume and wow the hiring manager.