We receive enquiries regularly from talented and experienced social workers who wants to apply for a job in the UK. After reviewing the CVs and feedback from social work managers in the UK, below are some useful tips which will help you to write a CV so you have a better chance of being invited for a virtual interview.
Job Description
Spend 15-20 minutes reviewing the description of the job you’re applying for and make sure you include at least five keywords or specific functions of the job included in the posting.
Spend some time to create a customised version of your resume that mirrors the job description so that the person reading your resume knows you have took some effort. For example, share some examples how you practiced confidentiality or worked as part of team as these are always needed in frontline social work.
If there’s no job description and especially you are applying for any opening in their teams, read our article about various social work teams. Another option is to read LinkedIn profiles of people in the same, or similar, roles at the local authority.
One page or Two page?
Aim to keep your CV to one page (and using a 12-point). Do not exceed two pages limit and use bullet points under each work experience you include to highlight clear, quantifiable achievements and results, rather than describing your job responsibilities.
Adjectives like ‘really’ or ‘very’
Adjectives like “really” and “very”, they don’t add much meaning to your bullet points.
Instead jump straight to the verbs. Often managers are worried about applicants language skills when recruiting a candidate who is not a native English speaker. Therefore, this is the opportunity to show your writing skills and it is more impactful that way.
Vague titles like ‘intern’
Similarly, vague titles like “intern” or “manager” don’t give a sense of what you were actually doing in the role. Social worker is a protected title in the UK. Many applicants from overseas have worked in charity and projects and often the role- project co- Ordinator, manager etc without clear explanation of responsibilities will not be relevant. Therefore, your previous experience should be able to demonstrate how you achieved skills which are transferrable to the role of a social worker.
So try to give us some more specifics around the projects you worked, you placements during social work programme and estimated hours you spend.
Self-assessments like ‘detail-oriented’ and 'hard working' 'committed'
Think about hiring managers who are seeing applicants CVs regularly. You can’t be your own judge instead let your nouns, verbs and numbers stand on their own and speak for themselves. As an example, instead of claiming as detail oriented, make sure the CV has no typos or spelling errors, clearly it helps prove that you’re detail-oriented. If you give specific examples that show how you follow your organisation's policy alongside some results, it proves you are committed and hard working.
There are certain jargon's social workers use. As an international social worker, knowing some of these jargon's would definitely go well as hiring manager see you have done some research.
While you may not ultimately be a fit for the role you are applying to, you could be a fit for another one down the line. So write CV addressing UK employer rather and seeking some help from a dedicated recruiting agency would really make difference.
‘References available upon request’
We are trying to keep the CV short and maximum of two page. So instead of writing information like bio data and reference as above, come up with another bullet point in a previous job that proves what you have been able to accomplish.
As as international social worker, understanding what UK social work job is and what the recruiting managers are expecting are the key and this would help you to have a big picture when writing your resume. You want to look like a social worker with transferrable skills, English language and able to function as per the expectations of the role. So, read every line, read every bullet point, before attaching to the email.
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