So, you’ve written a great social worker resume, gathered your information and you’re sure that your work experience fits the job description perfectly. However, before you submit your social work resume, you also need to write a cover letter. A professional cover letter is an effective way to prove to a potential employer that you know what you’re talking about and you have the skills necessary to do great work. Here’s how you can use a social worker cover letter example to build a great cover letter.
A short cover letter sample can help you understand what your cover letter format should look like. Here’s a great starting point.
Dear Mr. Smith,
I decided to get my Master of Social Work (MSW) when I was pressed to choose a major after high school. I had no idea, over six years later, the number of people I would have helped. Every year, over 100 people come through my door seeking social services, and I’m the person who helps guide them through the system. My passion for the field and efficiency in work is what has led me to apply for the social worker position at Company Name.
My biggest skill is in patient advocacy. Many of my clients have spent years struggling with substance abuse and mental health concerns, and every day, I go through my caseload and help them find community resources that can help them develop a treatment plan and find the healthcare they need. Some of my clients have been in psychiatric institutions and I’ve been able to help with both crisis intervention and discharge planning to help them maintain their well-being on the outside.
My professional experience and knowledge of the social work system are exactly what make me such a good social worker. I know that I can do even more for the community in this new position. Let me know when we can sit down and talk about the benefits I may be able to provide for your organization.
Sincerely,
Roger Kiely
This is a very short cover letter example, but it’s a great starting point from which to build a cover letter template.
A cover letter, at its core, is all about getting a hiring manager to see why you could be the perfect person for this job application. Here’s how you can talk about your relevant experience and your professional resume in a way that showcases all of those elements.
In the first paragraph, you need a hook to pull a hiring manager in. In this instance, the hook is that the applicant stumbled upon this job sort of accidentally, having chosen an MSW after graduating high school. However, he indicates that he now loves this position and appreciates having gotten his master’s degree in this field. He then moves on to his biggest achievement, which is that he helps over 100 people per year with case management and other social work needs.
In the second paragraph, you need to talk about what makes you such a good person for this job. What sets you apart from other people who are applying for the same job? Often, that’s years of experience and skills. Here, the applicant mentions his extensive experience with clients with disabilities, using information pulled from resume examples to discuss exactly what he can do to help his clients. If you wanted to include more information, you might include bullet points below this second paragraph.
Your third paragraph is your call to action. This is where you directly ask for the job interview. This is a unique part of a cover letter because you typically aren’t able to simply ask for an interview. Make the most of it by using assumptive language like this applicant, who says, “Let me know when we can sit down and talk.” This extends an opportunity for the hiring manager to reach out.
A cover letter is important for any job you’re pursuing, not just a social work job. If you’re concerned about whether or not you’ll be able to write a great cover letter, then just use the cover letter builder from ResumeNerd. This is an effective way to write a cover letter, even if you have no experience doing so.
On average, a cover letter should be half a page to 3/4 of a page long or 250-350 words. This is enough space to cover everything you likely want to talk about, but it’s not so long that a hiring manager is likely to pass it over.
You don’t need extensive experience to write a cover letter, especially because past work positions you may not have thought of as “experience” will still be relevant enough to include. A position as a social work intern or volunteer work you performed is still experiencing even though you may not have been paid as though it were a full-time job. Lean on your skills and discuss as much experience as you do have.
