Use strong action verbs that match the helping nature of social work, such as 'advocated', 'counseled', and 'assessed'. This emphasizes your proactive role.

Include specific metrics where possible. For example, 'Managed a caseload of 50 clients' shows clear impact and experience.

Emphasize any specialized training or certifications relevant to social work, such as mental health first aid or crisis intervention. This sets you apart from other candidates.

Include any languages you speak fluently. Multilingual abilities are highly valued in social work to better serve diverse communities.

Every resume must speak to the job you want. As a social worker, show your skills, experience, and successes match the role's needs. Make it easy for hiring managers to see you're a good fit by mirroring the language of the job post in your resume.

• Highlight specific counselling methods you've used that match the job description, like cognitive-behavioral therapy or crisis intervention.
• For senior roles, point out leadership moments such as coordinating with community services or overseeing support groups.
• If you've got experience in a different field, link those skills to social work tasks, like applying your case management ability from a healthcare role to client advocacy.

When you're applying for a role in social work, it's crucial to use action verbs that show your ability to help and support. Your resume should reflect your active role in making a difference in people's lives. Use verbs that make it clear you didn't just do your job, but you did it with care and impact.

Below is a list of action verbs that are good for highlighting your experience in social work. They help you show your skills in a clear and direct way. Remember to use these verbs to describe your past work and how you made a positive change.

• To display your ability to engage with clients, consider verbs such as engaged, connected, conversed, interacted, and listened.
• Showcase your assessment skills with evaluated, assessed, identified, diagnosed, and analyzed.
• For highlighting case management expertise, use verbs like coordinated, managed, planned, implemented, and administered.
• To emphasize your advocacy work, verbs such as advocated, lobbied, campaigned, supported, and promoted are effective.
• If you've provided direct support to individuals or groups, verbs like aided, assisted, counseled, guided, and facilitated can be very descriptive.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Prepare, Updated, Teach, Advised, Communicate.

When you're applying for a role as a social worker, showing your growth into leadership roles can be a key asset. Employers look for candidates who have taken on more responsibility over time. If you've been promoted or have led projects or teams, make sure to feature this prominently on your resume.

Think about the times you guided colleagues, managed caseloads, or headed community outreach programs. Here are some ways to illustrate your leadership experience:

• Led a team of social workers in a community intervention program, increasing client engagement by 30%.
• Promoted to senior social worker after successfully managing a caseload with a high success rate.

Even if you're not sure you have leadership experience, consider moments when you took the initiative or were recognized for your work. Did you train new staff, or were you chosen to represent your team at a conference? These are all forms of leadership that should be highlighted.

When crafting your resume, focus on the hard skills that show your capabilities in social work. You want to showcase your expertise to potential employers through clear examples.

• Case management
• Crisis intervention
• Mental health assessment
• Behavioral therapy techniques
• Child welfare knowledge
• Substance abuse treatment
• Program development
• Community outreach
• Grant writing
• Knowledge of social services software

Include these skills in a dedicated section on your resume or weave them into your job descriptions. For instance, you might show your experience with case management by describing a successful project in a previous role. Remember, the goal is to match your skills with what the job posting asks for. This is important because many organizations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes based on skill relevance.

However, don't feel like you need to list every single skill above. Instead, select those most relevant to the position you're applying for. If you're unsure which skills to include, look at the job description for guidance. It's better to have a few strong, relevant skills than a long list that doesn't align with the role.

As a social worker, showing your impact with numbers can make your resume stand out. Numbers help employers see the real difference you've made. Here are ways to think about your experience to find these important numbers:

• Count how many clients you've helped. Did you manage a caseload of 50 clients per month? That's a strong number to show your capacity.
• Measure the success of programs you've run or participated in. For example, if you implemented a new program, did it increase client engagement by 20%?
• Think about the time you've saved. If you introduced a new filing system, did it reduce the time to find client information by 30 minutes per case?
• Consider the size of the teams or projects you've worked on. Have you coordinated a team of 5 social workers or worked with a budget of $100,000?
• Look at training and workshops. If you've led any, how many people attended? A number like 40 participants can show your leadership skills.
• Reflect on the outcomes of your interventions. Did you help reduce school absenteeism by 15% in your community?
• Estimate how much you've increased resource accessibility. Maybe you helped 70% more clients gain access to mental health services.
• Record any awards or recognitions. Being awarded 'Employee of the Month' twice in a year demonstrates excellence.

Remember, even if you're not sure about the exact numbers, estimate them based on your experiences. These figures will show how you create real change in people's lives. Your work is about people, but numbers help tell their story too.

When you apply for social work positions at small companies and startups, show them you are flexible and can wear many hats. Small teams often need you to take on varied tasks. You might add phrases like 'adaptable to diverse roles' or 'comfortable with cross-functional responsibilities.' For larger companies, such as UnitedHealth Group or Kaiser Permanente, stress your ability to work within a structured environment. Use phrases like 'experienced in high-volume case management' or 'proficient in following established protocols.'

Consider these points:

• For smaller settings, highlight your ability to build strong, personal connections with clients.
• For bigger companies, show your experience with data-driven assessment tools or case management software.