The Social Work Career Guidebook
Author: Jennifer Luna, Cindy Snell, and Michelle Woods
Page Count: 260
ISBN: 978-0-87101-603-4
Published: 2024
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Earn 7.0 CEUs for reading this title! For more information, visit the Social Work Online CE Institute.
Have you wondered how to channel your passion for change into not only your professional success but also a lasting legacy? Social workers, often referred to as “agents of change,” join the profession with the intention of making the world a better place. However, most social workers do not learn a systematic approach to fostering change in their own career advancement. By focusing on your personal and professional growth, you can build a legacy that extends beyond immediate impacts, ensuring that your contributions endure and inspire future generations of social workers, clients, and communities. This interactive guidebook will provide you with useful tools and inspiration for every stage of your social work career journey.
The authors, who have decades of experience leading career services offices in top-tier social work schools, break down the stages of career development and provide tips, easy-to-access exercises, and resume and correspondence samples. The chapters will guide you through applying for jobs, interviewing, evaluating offers, negotiating salary and benefits, and successfully onboarding at your new job. Case studies and appendices provide strategies for building and documenting your network, interview questions and tactical responses, personal budgeting templates, and tools for evaluating single and multiple job offers.
Throughout, the authors encourage the readers to take a long view of their career and their legacy. Whether you are a recent social work graduate or a seasoned expert, this book will set you on a path toward your ideal job and professional fulfillment.
Preface: Why We Wrote This Book
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Road Map to the Profession of Social Work
Chapter 2: Social Work Career Planning for Advancement and Fulfillment
Chapter 3: Assessing Need and Building Relationships: Determine Your Career Direction
Chapter 4: Creating Your Brand Identity as a Social Work Agent of Change
Chapter 5: Your Resume, Cover Letters, LinkedIn Profile, and Other Job Search Materials
Chapter 6: Implementing Your Job Search Plan
Chapter 7: Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers
Chapter 8: Mapping Your Legacy as a Social Work Agent of Change
Appendix A: Comprehensive List of Social Work Skills
Appendix B: Assess Your Career Stage with the PDCSW Assessment Tool
Appendix C: Sample Informational Interview Questions
Appendix D: Career-Defining Moments, Patterns, and Professional Themes
Appendix E: Sample Resumes and Curriculum Vitae
Appendix F: Sample Cover Letters and Other Job Search Correspondence
Appendix G: Sample Questions to Evaluate Organizational Fit
Appendix H: Determine Your Budget
Appendix I: Evaluate Job Offers
References
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Earn 7.0 CEUs for reading this title! For more information, visit the Social Work Online CE Institute.
As a career coach for social work students and graduates, I find this book to be a helpful resource. It offers practical tools and insights that are often missing from traditional social work education, such as negotiating salaries, creating personal budgets, and planning a long-term career path. I especially appreciated the case studies and sample materials, which make the content both relatable and actionable. Having all aspects of social work career development in one comprehensive guide is incredibly convenient. This book has a place on my desk, and I frequently reference it during sessions with students and graduates.
Katie Justice, MSW, LISW-S
Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, Career Services and Continuing Education
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
The Social Work Career Guidebook was reviewed by Juliette Collins for The New Social Worker.
The Social Work Career Guidebook is a modern, realistic take on how to navigate the social work profession for current social work students, entry-level, and seasoned practitioners alike. From explanations of the nature of work at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels to various case studies, assessment tool examples, and overall guidelines, the text offers the blueprint for how to embark on your social work career journey and market the transferrable skills you possess, whether or not this is your first rodeo. In addition to the way the introduction of the text provides a brief summary of the book chapters, each individual chapter has an outline at the beginning that helps the reader to zero in on the objectives and action items ahead.