Social Work CV: Writing A Great Social Work CV

It’s one of the most inspiring careers out there but to get started, every great social worker needs a great social work CV. Find out how to write one in this guide.

It’s a growing profession in the UK, based on statistics from Skills for Care. Councils increased their number of adult social workers by 7% in the year to September 2023.

But there is still a shortage in the social care workforce, with an independent sector vacancy rate of 9.9% – approximately 152,000 staff – so new skilled workers are in high demand.

Contributing to this is an ageing population. By the year 2040, one in seven people will be aged over 75, according to the Government Office for Science.

That said, the proportion of social workers providing support for adults is 31%. Just over half of UK social workers – 52% – support children and families, Social Work England’s insightful report State of the Nation 2023 confirms.

That’s partly due to the dependence that vulnerable children have on dedicated care workers to help them have a better start in life. Early intervention is vital in many cases to provide a program for a child to be safe.

As a social worker your daily responsibilities will likely be very varied, such as:

• Making support plans with individuals and families
• Providing emotional and practical support
• Building trust and confidence with young people
• Helping adults maintain independent living skills
• Keeping vulnerable people safe and protecting them
• Working closely with health professionals and other agencies

Let’s take a look at how to write your social worker CV.

Social work CV skills

With the above broad responsibilities in mind, which skills are the right ones for an outstanding social worker CV?

Popular examples of soft skills are in the following areas, to name just a few:

• Desire to make a difference
• Patience
• Calmness under pressure
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Sensitivity
• Active listening
• Openness to feedback
• Working well with others

On top of your degree, include any relevant qualifications you may have – for example, in counselling. If you have taken or are taking a fast-track qualification route, highlight any transferable soft or hard skills too.

One of the most important principles is knowing how to tailor your CV to the job description.

Don’t be modest – think about all the things you are good at and have experience of, there may be some skills that you haven’t thought about in a while!

But not all of them will be relevant for your CV. There’s also a finite amount of space to play with…

One of the most common questions people ask us is – how many pages should a CV be? It depends on your experience, but usually two pages maximum.

In a CV where you’ll include a personal statement, work history or experience section, your education details, and perhaps a dedicated skills section, space may be at a premium. You may wish to include relevant hobbies or interests on a CV too.

Alternatively, if you feel that it’s a struggle to reach two pages, your CV can be shorter. Either way, write the CV with your potential employer in mind. What will they want to know about you, what skills are they looking for and wWhat achievements will impress them?

Let’s explore how to do this.

CV best practices

As general rules:

• Make your personal statement stand out by including some of your most unique attributes, achievements or experiences. Always remember to make a strong early impression on a CV in case the reader has many to analyse.
• Don’t lie on a CV or include personal details e.g. marital status or age. Don’t include a photo on a CV either.
• Check your CV thoroughly for any mistakes and fix them before sending. Ask someone else, such as a friend or family member, to review it too in case they spot something you overlook.
• Include as many relevant achievements as possible and if you can, substantiate them with evidence – facts or figures.

Try to provide enough context for the reader to understand why these achievements are so impressive, in case it’s not immediately obvious.

Consider using the STAR method to do this – briefly mentioning the situation, task, action you took and the final results. If you need more space, explain your best achievements this way in an accompanying cover letter.

Putting all of this into practice, here is an example social worker CV to give you an idea.

Example – social work CV

[Name]

[Address] – [Phone number] – [Email address]

Personal Statement

Use a few lines to outline who you are, what you can offer and your next career goals. Be concise, but explain how you stand out. Here are a few sample sentences:

Compassionate social work graduate who has helped raise £10,000 for the vulnerable, seeking an entry-level position to apply my academic knowledge and practical skills. I am passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities. 

Key Skills

Relate your skillset, achievements and areas of expertise to the job description and use bullet points – for example:

• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Working under pressure
• Empathy
• Interpersonal skills
• Fundraising

Work History

List your previous roles and experiences, in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent position and including the dates. Use bullet points and highlight relevant achievements or responsibilities:

Social work placement: Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust

September 2022 – June 2023

• Collaborated to provide crisis support to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to deliver compassionate care

Volunteer experience: The Salvation Army, Manchester

2022-2023

• Helped to organise a successful fundraising campaign for a local homeless shelter, raising over £10,000
• Assisted with food bank distribution and homelessness support services
• Provided companionship and emotional support to vulnerable individuals
• Co-organised community events to raise awareness about social issues

Qualifications and Education

In reverse chronological order, list any relevant qualifications or certifications followed by your education history: 

• [Any relevant qualification / certification] [Dates]
• [University name, Bachelor’s degree subject] [Dates]
• [School name, A-Levels, grades] [Dates]
• [School name, GCSEs, grades] [Dates]

Interests

This section is optional if you’re short of space. Ideally, any interests you include should be relevant for the role or strengthen your overall application.

References available on request

Final thoughts

We hope this guide has helped you think about how to write a social worker CV that doesn’t sell yourself short.

Make sure you prioritise the most relevant details of your professional experience so far and try to write the most achievement-led CV possible.

You may also find our recent article on volunteer CV guidelines useful. It also covers the different ways to include volunteering work on any type of CV.

Browse the PurpleCV blog for plenty of career advice. We’ll also help you prepare for interviews – in a recent article we explained how to answer the tricky ‘tell me how you handled a difficult situation’ question.

PurpleCV specialises in CV writing services. If you would like help making your CV work hard for you, or need a professional to write one for you from scratch, please don’t hesitate to contact us.