Social Worker Cover Letter Examples & Writing Tips

Social workers help people deal with mental, emotional, and social problems. They’re also often the first person someone turns to when they need assistance, such as financial, legal, and family issues.

Social workers must be compassionate, patient, and hardworking. In addition, they must have excellent listening skills and a knack for helping people work through their problems.

Show employers you’re the right person for the job by using these examples and writing tips to craft a social worker cover letter that’s sure to impress.

Social Worker Cover Letter Example 1

I am interested in applying for the Social Worker position that you are currently looking to fill. I possess a Master’s Degree in Social Work from an Accredited School of Social Work and am licensed in the State of Michigan at clinical and macro levels. In addition, I hold a Hospital and Health Systems Accreditation in Case Management as well as being certified as a senior advisor. I have worked within a variety of settings with diverse individuals providing me with numerous and valuable experiences. My career has given me the ability to independently conduct assessments and provide help to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.

My ability to utilize community resources and provide education to those in need is essential for a Social Worker. Thinking outside the box in order to meet any unique needs that may come up unexpectedly requires an immediate reassessment and prompt action to execute. Being able to think fast on your feet is part of the advanced skills that I bring to the table.

My advanced assessment and treatment skills help prepare families with a wide range of social, emotional, and health-related problems. I have collaborated with health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, case managers and spiritual care. I have evaluated the social and emotional needs of families to determine the types of social work services needed.

My career has allowed me to complete a range of advanced social work methods with families, individuals and groups demonstrating my mature skills in casework with even the most difficult clients and their families. I am also proficient collaborating with the relevant interdisciplinary teams, committees, and utilizing community resources to most appropriately meet the needs of the clientele.

While my resume and credentials attest to my professional qualifications, I have many additional personal experiences that support my knowledge and sensitivity. I offer commitment, excitement, organization, passion and professionalism: qualities that are necessary for providing leadership and promoting a positive work environment and client relationship.

After you have had a chance to review my employment history and responsibilities, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss further the positions for which you are willing to hire.

Social Worker Cover Letter Example 2

I am writing to apply for the Social Worker, MSW position in Pediatrics. I became aware of the position through an academic advisor who was aware of my interest in pediatric social work. I recently earned my Master of Social Work at the Benedict School of Social Work at New York University in March of this year. I am currently in the process of becoming a licensed Master of Social Work in both New York and New Jersey.

I have extensive experience working with children and adolescents in foster care and school settings. I worked as a social work intern and an associate social worker at the Beacon Child Care Center in New York City last year. I held a case load of 6-7 children as an intern and 30 children as an associate social worker along with a MSW case planner. Together, we performed school visits, court hearings, home visits to both foster and biological families and supervised family and sibling visits. I also performed individual supportive counseling sessions with foster and biological families and foster children.

In addition to my work with children, I also have experience working in an adult inpatient hematology and oncology unit at New York University’s Langone Medical Center as an intern this past year. I performed psychosocial assessments, held family meetings, provided supportive and therapeutic counseling sessions with family and patients. I used cognitive behavioral and crisis intervention techniques when counseling my patients. I also created discharge plans for patients and worked closely and maintained communication with the hospital’s medical team.

During my advanced concentration year at New York University, I became involved with the Zelda Foster Studies Program in Palliative and End of Life Care as a fellow. I am very passionate about palliative care with regards to children and pediatrics. As an intern at NYU Langone Medical Center, I provided end of life and bereavement counseling with patients and families. I also became familiar with hospice and palliative care facilities and programs throughout New York and New Jersey so I could educate and create discharge plans for my patients upon their discharge from the unit.

Along with my clinical skills, I believe my training and experience have provided me with the knowledge to become a part of your social work department with your pediatrics team. Thank you very much for your time and consideration for the position. I hope to hear from you. I can be reached directly at either my email address or phone number included.

Social Worker Cover Letter Example 3

My most recent experience includes medical social work at Rising Hope Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. As both a practicum student and now an employee, I have worked on the pediatric, maternal-infant, pediatric intensive care and neonatal intensive care units, as well as the emergency room and trauma unit. I have excelled in this culturally diverse, multi-disciplinary, fast-paced environment and have witnessed firsthand the impact policies and the current status of the economy affect children and families access to both preventative and routine social services and healthcare.

My name is Mary Kendricks and I am interested in the social work position within your company. I think this position would be a perfect fit as it will allow me to utilize my education and social work experience; as well as my passion for promoting the well-being of children and their families.

Prior to this experience in Las Vegas, I have provided school social work services at both Monroe Elementary School and West Heights Elementary School. At these schools, I conducted assessments and provided counseling services to at-risk youth and their families. Additionally, I have dedicated my previous work and volunteer experiences to children and families battling chronic illnesses and adults near the end of their lives, which has allowed me to develop distinguishing characteristics that I can bring to your organization. I am committed to working with underserved and diverse families during times of crisis.

Enclosed please find my resume for review. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to meeting with you personally.

Social Worker Cover Letter Writing Tips

Show you’re good with people

Social workers work with a variety of people from different walks of life. If you’re applying for a position in this field, the cover letter is an opportunity to show that you can relate to and build strong connections with others.

Include stories about how your experiences have helped develop your skills relating to other people and demonstrate how these skills will be useful on the job. For example, if you frequently went out into the community to help children in need as part of school fundraising activities or volunteered at a local library, mention how these experiences have helped prepare you for working with clients or helping them find resources they need in their communities.

Show You Have Empathy

If you want to get hired as a social worker, show that you have empathy. Social workers are all about making sure that their clients have access to resources they need to lead a healthy and productive life. That means being able to understand, relate and connect with people from different backgrounds in order support them when they need it most.

Use a format that’s easy to read

The person reading your cover letter will probably be skimming it. So, make sure it’s formatted in a way that makes reading easy and fast. This means using bullet points and short paragraphs throughout the letter.

To make your skills stand out even more, you can also use boldface text , underlining , or italics for things like certifications or years of experience . These formatting tools help you quickly communicate key information to the hiring manager while they skim through the document.

Proofread your cover letter

Social workers must be compassionate and sensitive to their clients’ needs. However, they must also be detail-oriented and precise in order to accurately document a client’s case history. Proofread your cover letter thoroughly before submission to ensure that no errors will distract from the strength of your message.