So you’ve decided you want to be a social worker! What a great career choice! As a social worker you’ll be a liaison, a mentor, a neighbor, a rule enforcer, a friend, and much more. I graduated with a degree in social work in 2001, and worked in the field for a few years before choosing to stay home with my children. Here are five tips to help you land a great social work job and prepare you for your career.
Social Work Student Tip #1: Volunteer in Your Community
One of the best decisions an aspiring social worker can make is to gain job experience through volunteering. It is a fabulous idea to do some volunteer work while in college. Not only are you helping someone in need, you are helping yourself obtain experience to list on your resume, get real-life social work experience, and determine what population you work with the best.
There are numerous agencies that would be thrilled to have your time, energy, and dedication. And, when you need a job reference in a few years, they’ll (hopefully) be happy to be one for you. Yes, you are required to do community service with your social work degree. However, volunteering shows that you are going “above and beyond” and truly have a heart to help those in need. It will make your resume stand out, compared to someone who only did the community service hours to complete their degree.
Some social service agencies to consider volunteering at are: Big Brothers/Big Sisters (there are so many kids who would love to have a mentor), CASA (advocate for abused children) and suicide crisis/ hotline. You might also think about volunteering with Hospice, at a homeless or domestic violence shelter, or a rape crisis center. Most cities and large towns have a volunteer center to help match volunteers. (Google your city’s name and “volunteer.”)
Obviously, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. Even just volunteering with one agency will look fantastic on your resume. Most importantly, you will make a difference in the lives of people in need. I personally, volunteered with CASA while in college. I also became a volunteer for our local crisis & suicide hotline shortly after graduation, which lead to a full time job. (This is in addition to my practicum hours.) Volunteering is very rewarding to all.
Social Work Student Tip #2: Study for Your Social Work Licensure Exam Early
Another tip is to study for your social worker licensure exam early. There are many online prep courses to consider. I invested in social work exam study guides, that I eventually sold on eBay. (You might check out eBay before paying full price.) I did have a brief subscription to socialworkexam.com.
Social Work Student Tip #3: Find a job before getting your MSW.
I have known of several people who went straight from undergrad to obtain their master’s degree in social work. From what I’ve learned, you can still get most social work jobs with a bachelor’s degree. (There are of course, some exceptions, but many people with just a BSW can still land a great job.) Most MSW jobs are for supervisor type jobs. So, if you don’t want to be a supervisor (or at least not yet), you might search for a job before applying to graduate school. This is just my two cents, you can also go back to school later on if you wish.
Social Work Student Tip #4: Don’t overwork yourself.
There is no rule that you must complete your degree in four years. I, personally, took five years to finish my degree. If you need to, only take 12-15 hours at a time to help you to be able to focus well on your courses.
Social Work Student Tip #5: Keep Up Your GPA
This is a tip for all majors, obviously, not just social work majors. Do your best to keep your GPA at least 3.0, preferably 3.5. You will be more likely to find the job of your choice with a higher GPA. Try to obtain A’s in all of your social work classes. As tip #4 says, if you need to, take less hours at a time.
Social Work Student Tip #6: Try to FInd a Summer Internship.
If you can afford it, try to find a volunteer (or in some cases, paid) summer internship with an agency. This will help you learn the part of social work that you can’t read about in textbooks. It will also look great on your resume, and who knows, it might lead to a full time job after graduation.
Social Work StudentTip #7: Join Your College Social Work Club
Make it a priority to join your college social work club. This will not only look great on your resume, it will help with networking later on. If there is not one at your college, then start one! Ask your professor for advice on how to form one.
Social Work Student Tip 8: Join Online Forums and Groups for Social Work Majors and Social Workers
There are several online groups of social work majors and social workers where you can get advice, learn from others, and just hear about the profession. I highly recommend visiting www.sociallworkchat.org. You might also visit www.socialworker.com. You can get advice from social workers in the field, ask questions about career planning, even maybe get some tips on writing papers for your social work class.
Social Work Student Tip 9: Join the NASW as a Student Member
I highly recommend joining the National Association of Social Workers. There are numerous benefits to joining. Click on their website here to learn more. I also encourage Christian to join the North American Association of Christian Social Workers. Click here to visit the website. These organizations can help with networking, continuing education, liability insurance and more.
Social Work Student Tip 10: Read Up on Social Work
While you will be doing plenty of reading in your social work classes, there are many other books you can read to help prepare you for your career.Click here for some book review. I also recommend reading A Child Called It
by Dave Pelzer.
These are just five tips to help prepare you for your social work career. Please also read “Is a Career in Social Work Right For You: Questions to Help You Decide” for more advice on planning for a social work career.
Good Luck and Best Wishes!
