Social Work - Career Guide - 2009 Revision

Sep 21, 2026

Boston University School of Social Work Career Guide (2009 revision) supports BUSSW students and alumni with career decision-making and job search planning. It introduces the BUSSW Career Center, its mission, services, hours, and resources for social work practice. It guides self-evaluation through skills, values, interests, and personality traits, then covers employment discovery methods, including internet use, networking, informational interviewing, resumes, cover letters, interviewing, negotiation, licensure, job placement, and tracking the job search process.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Table of Contents

Letter to Reader

Introduction to BUSSW Career Center

Deciding What to Do Within Social Work

Locating Social Work Employment Opportunities

Networking and Informational Interviewing

Resume Writing

Writing Cover Letters

References

Interviewing Guidelines

Negotiating Terms of Employment

Where the Jobs Are

Licensure

Job Placement and Temporary Employment Services

Tracking the Job Search Process

SOCIAL WORK CAREER GUIDE 2009 Revision 1 Table of Contents | I. Letter to Reader | 3 | | --- | --- | | II. Introduction to BUSSW Career Center | 4 | | III. Deciding What to Do Within Social Work | 5 | | Skills | 6 | | Values | 8 | | Interests | 10 | | Prioritize Your Skills, Values, and Interests | 12 | | Personality Traits | 13 | | Now You Know | 15 | | IV. Locating Social Work Employment Opportunities | 16 | | Using the Internet | 17 | | V. Networking and Informational Interviewing | 20 | | Suggested Questions for Informational Interviews | 21 | | Sample Letter Requesting Informational Interview | 22 | | VI. Resume Writing | 23 | | General Guidelines | 24 | | Action Verbs | 26 | | Resume Worksheet | 27 | | Sample Clinical Resume | 28 | | Sample Macro Resume | 29 | | VII. Writing Cover Letters | 31 | | Sample Cover Letter | 32 | | VIII. References | 33 | | IX. Interviewing Guidelines | 34 | | Improper Questions and Interviewing | 36 | | Most Commonly Asked Questions | 38 | | Suggested Questions for Interviewer | 39 | | Sample Thank You Letter | 40 | | Job Offer Letter of Decline | 41 | | X. Negotiating Terms of Employment | 42 | | Letter of Acceptance | 45 | | XI. Where the Jobs Are | 46 | | XII. Licensure | 48 | | XIII. Job Placement and Temporary Employment Services | 51 | | XIV. Tracking the Job Search Process | 54 | 2 Dear Reader, Welcome to the Boston University School of Social Work Career Guide! This publication is designed to assist BUSSW students and alumni in their career decision making. This guide contains tools, tips, and trends for job seekers, compiled through Career Center staff’s searches of career development resources and suggestions from BUSSW graduates concerning experiences with their career pursuits. You are invited to visit the Social Work Career Center to gain further information about any of the topics outlined in this publication or to obtain further assistance with your own important career decisions. We wish you the very best for a successful employment search! Social Work Career Center Boston University School of Social Work 264 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 617-353-3761 [http://www.bu.edu/ssw/career](http://www.bu.edu/ssw/career) [swcareer@bu.edu](swcareer@bu.edu) 3 Introduction to the BUSSW Career Center The Alumni Relations Office and the Office of Student Services and ALANA Affairs at the Boston University School of Social Work initiated the Social Work Career Center in 1990 to meet the unique career development needs of the School's students and alumni. The mission of the BUSSW Career Center is to: 􀂙 Provide comprehensive information and quality services to promote social work career development. 􀂙 Enhance relationships with the social work practice community at large, with particular emphasis on the urban environment. 􀂙 Facilitate the process by which students make the transition between the School and the practice community, and by which alumni make the transition to different fields of social work. 􀂙 Provide a greater understanding of social work among different professions, create options for social workers in different settings, and provide students and alumni the opportunity to participate in such processes. The Center is currently housed in Room 115, School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road. BUSSW students and alumni may utilize resources between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. If you want access the Center when it is not staffed, see a staff person in the Admissions Office or Student Services Office. Please be prepared to leave an I.D. with the Receptionist/Student Services Office while you visit the Center. The Center houses a variety of career resources, contacts for international social work practice, subscription publications, and networking opportunities through the Career Advisory Network (an on-line listing of BUSSW alumni who have agreed to be contacted by students and alumni for networking purposes) . Throughout the

FAQs

What is the purpose of the BUSSW Social Work Career Guide?

It provides tools, tips, and trends to help BUSSW students and alumni make career decisions and pursue successful employment searches.

What does the BUSSW Career Center do for students and alumni?

It offers comprehensive information and quality services, career resources and contacts, workshops on job-search topics, and tracking of employment trends among new graduates.

How does the guide help readers decide what to do within social work?

It emphasizes self-evaluation by prioritizing skills, values, and interests, and assessing personality traits to identify a suitable career niche.

Sep 21, 2026

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