119 Social Work Skills You Can Add To Your Resume (A Comprehensive List)
Whether you’re applying to MSW programs or searching for your next social work role, understanding and effectively communicating your social work skills is essential. This comprehensive list will help you identify and showcase your social work-relevant skills, even if you come from a non-traditional background and don’t think you have any.
Comprehensive List of Social Work Skills
Core Social Work Skills
These are the foundational skills that underpin all social work practice.
Empathy
Active listening
Critical reflection
Cultural humility
Ethical decision-making
Advocacy
Professional boundaries
Self-awareness and reflection
Systems thinking
Interpersonal & Communication Skills
Social work is a relationship-based profession. These foundational skills help build trust, strengthen communication and support connection in challenging situations:
Active listening
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Public speaking, group facilitation, and providing education
Information seeking and open-ended questioning
Reflective responding and summarizing
Building rapport and therapeutic alliance
Collaboration
Conflict resolution
Crisis de-escalation
Working across differences
Boundary setting and assertive communication
Providing strengths-based coaching and feedback
Clinical Social Work Skills
These skills are particularly important for those applying to a clinical MSW program or a role in mental health, healthcare, and therapy settings. They help social workers assess needs, support recovery, and deliver effective interventions:
Assessment and case conceptualization
Suicide risk assessment and safety planning
Active listening and communication
Empathy and compassion
Building and repairing therapeutic relationships
Professional interviewing
Contracting
Goal setting
Treatment planning and implementation
Evidence-based modalities, such as:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Narrative Therapy
Teaching mindfulness techniques
Using a strengths-based approach
Cultural humility and client collaboration
Applying anti-oppressive frameworks
Crisis intervention
Group facilitation
Professional boundary setting
Implementing trauma-informed care
Clinical documentation
Measuring outcomes and progress monitoring
Delivering psychoeducation
Ethical decision-making
Navigating dual relationships and ethical dilemmas
Self-care and burnout prevention
Confidentiality and informed consent practices
Telehealth service delivery
Supervision, consultation, and incorporating feedback
Interdisciplinary collaboration and care-coordination
Termination skills
Advocacy, Community Engagement & Community Development Skills
Social work is rooted in advocating for social justice and capacity building. These skills support individuals and communities while also addressing broader systemic issues:
Facilitation, public speaking, and storytelling for impact
Collaboration
Case management
Resource navigation
Build relationships with community members (community alliances)
Practicing cultural humility in community work
Centering lived experience
Advocacy at the individual, community, or policy levels
Conducting policy analysis, writing policy briefs, and systems mapping
Community organizing and engagement
Developing and/or implementing a community engagement plan
Program development and evaluation
Community outreach
Event planning and marketing
Fundraising and grant writing
Volunteer management
Conflict resolution and consensus building
Problem-solving
Project management and organizational skills
Data collection and analysis
Hosting town halls or focus groups
Gathering input through surveys or informal conversations
Community asset mapping
Applying adaptive and creative problem-solving
Leadership skills
Strategic communications and media advocacy
Coalition-building and stakeholder mapping
Budgeting and grant writing
Research & Critical Thinking
Social workers often use data, research, and critical thinking to evaluate social issues and interventions, improve systems, and ensure ethical practice:
Critical thinking and critical reflection
Using ethical decision-making frameworks
Conducting literature reviews and evidence appraisal
Program evaluation
Research methods (qualitative and quantitative)
Data cleaning, data interpretation, and application to practice
Measuring client outcomes
Writing reports and documentation
Needs assessment and environmental scanning
Knowledge mobilization and dissemination
Administrative & Organizational Skills
Whether working independently in private practice or within an organization, these practical skills help social workers stay organized, accountable, and effective:
Time management
Prioritization and balancing competing demands
Accurate and ethical documentation
Navigating organizational structures and policies
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Using electronic case-management systems
Budgeting and expense tracking
Scheduling and appointment management
Professional & Reflective Practice Skills
Social work requires a strong ethical foundation and an ongoing commitment to personal and professional growth:
Applying ethical decision frameworks
Practicing cultural humility
Anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice
Boundary setting and role clarity
Seeking supervision/consultation and feedback integration
Supervising or mentoring students and peers
Using reflective practice to improve performance
Implementing a personal self-care plan
Practicing evidence-informed care
Evaluating programs or services
Contributing to research and knowledge generation
What if You’re an MSW Applicant Without Formal Social Services Experience and Skills?
If you’re considering applying to MSW programs and worried that you don’t have the “right” experience or skills to get into a program, you’re not alone. Many successful MSW applicants come from non-traditional backgrounds, including myself. What sets them apart and helps them get accepted into an MSW program is how well they can identify and translate their transferable skills into the language of social work.
You Have More Relevant Skills Than You Think
Even if you’ve never worked in a social services or human services setting (I sure hadn’t), you have likely developed key transferable skills that are essential for social work practice. If you’ve supported individuals through challenging situations or emotions, advocated for fairness, led teams, or engaged in active listening and empathetic communication, you already have some foundational social work skills. For example, you might have developed relevant transferable skills in roles like:
Education (e.g., working with students and families, adapting to diverse needs, providing education)
Healthcare (e.g., empathy, communication, interdisciplinary collaboration)
Research (e.g., analyzing data, evaluating outcomes, reviewing the literature, writing reports)
Customer service and hospitality (e.g., de-escalation, active listening, interpersonal skills)
Administrative or nonprofit roles (e.g., documentation, resource coordination)
Community organizing or volunteering (e.g., advocacy, outreach, collaboration)
Corporate or HR setting (e.g., coaching, mentorship, conflict resolution, collaboration, policy creation and implementation, leadership)
Consider your different experiences (e.g., academic, personal, professional, volunteering) while reading through the comprehensive list of social work skills and make note of any skills you’ve gained in any settings, even if they weren’t social work-related. The skills you identify can be effectively translated in your application materials to demonstrate your readiness for an MSW program.
How to Frame it in Your Personal Statement or Resume
Instead of focusing on what you lack, highlight how your unique background and transferable skills will make you a strong social work student and future social worker. Social work welcomes a wide range of lived and professional experiences and values the unique perspective and skills you can bring to the cohort and the field, so leverage your what makes you different. For example, my professional experience was in providing organizational psychology consulting, so I emphasized how this background gave me strong relationship-building and assessment skills, knowledge of how social injustice plays out in workplaces, problem-solving abilities, experience applying research to practice, and an understanding of systems (like workplaces) that impact human behaviour and well-being. This not only showed that I have transferable skills, it also demonstrated the unique perspective I bring.
When framing your non-traditional experience:
Connect your past experiences to social work principles: Explain how your experience in customer service taught you about active listening and conflict de-escalation, how your corporate role developed your understanding of systems that impact individuals, or how your volunteer work fueled your passion for community advocacy.
Use social work terminology: Reframe your experiences using the language of social work. For instance, instead of saying, “addressed customer complaints to improve customer satisfaction,” you might say, “utilized active listening and conflict resolution strategies to de-escalate emotionally charged situations and address clients’ concerns effectively.”
Highlight transferable skills explicitly in your resume: Explicitly identify your transferable skills that are relevant to social work, but don’t just put them in a “Skills” section. Instead, weave them throughout your role description bullet points, showcasing the transferable skills you gained in each role and how you used them to make an impact.
Address your motivation for the career transition: In your personal statement, explain why you’re drawn to social work now and how your unique background will enhance your perspective as a social worker.
Provide concrete examples: Instead of simply stating you have strong communication skills, describe a situation where you effectively communicated with a distressed customer, mediated a conflict, or advocated for someone’s needs.
Demonstrate your commitment to learning: In your personal statement, you can demonstrate self-awareness by acknowledging areas where you need to grow while emphasizing your enthusiasm for developing these skills through their MSW program. Get specific about why their program is the ideal place for you to develop the skills necessary to achieve your career goal(s). Do they offer specific courses, specializations, research programs, student-led initiatives, or other unique learning opportunities that will help you develop the skills you need? Do they have faculty members with expertise in your area of interest?
Related Readings
How to Highlight Social Work Skills in Your Resume or Personal Statement
Prioritize Key Skills
Prioritize and tailor the skills in your resume or MSW application by identifying the keywords the employer or MSW program uses (e.g., “trauma-informed,” “anti-oppressive,” “strengths-based”) and mirror that language in your bullet points. For example, if you’re applying to a clinical MSW program or specialization/concentration, ensure you prioritize clinical social work skills while still demonstrating core social work skills like promoting social justice, systems thinking, and advocacy.
Go Beyond Buzzwords
When incorporating social work skills in your resume or personal statement, it’s important to go beyond buzzwords. Don’t just mention “communication” or “case management,” show how you’ve demonstrated those skills in your work by providing context. For example:
Facilitated small group learning environments to support students’ academic growth and emotional well-being, using active listening and inclusive teaching strategies.
Collaborated with community members and local organizations to address food insecurity, emphasizing respect for lived experience and grassroots leadership.
Supported coordination of team schedules and communication, helping foster collaboration and minimize barriers to access for clients and team members.
Responded to emergency situations involving domestic violence using crisis intervention skills to provide immediate support and coordinated with law enforcement and shelters to ensure the safety and well-being of affected individuals.
Documented client interactions and progress, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and facilitating effective communication among care team members.
Collaborated with clients from diverse backgrounds by actively listening to their experiences and adapting services to meet their unique needs.
Provided daily care for an older adult, coordinating medical appointments and advocating for their needs within healthcare systems.
Use Purposeful Action Verbs
Begin bullet points with verbs that reflect social work values whenever possible. For instance:
Advocated for marginalized populations’ access to essential services, such as housing, financial aid, mental health support, and employment assistance.
Facilitated community workshops on mental health awareness.
Collaborated with multi-disciplinary teams to develop client-centered care plans.
Coached new team members on effective communication strategies, providing feedback and role-playing opportunities to build their confidence.
Supported clients in navigating complex systems, including housing and mental health services, by offering resources and emotional validation during periods of distress.
Evaluated feedback from program participants to identify trends and recommend improvements to enhance service delivery and engagement.
Final Thoughts
Social work is ultimately about translating compassion into action. The skills you already have are stepping stones that can position you for your next chapter, whether that’s an MSW program or a new social work role. Using the social work skills list above, pinpoint your strengths, identify your areas for growth, and frame your experience using clear social work language to maximize your chances of success.
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