However, this format is not always appropriate for new social workers just entering the field. Often, a chronological format can do more harm than good in the job search by focusing too much attention on a varied work history, career changes, or inexperience. The solution? The functional format of the résumé places the focus on your skills and experiences in the context of certain categories. For example, you may choose the categories of "Needs Assessment," "Administration," and "Human Relations." Under these categories, you might include internship experience, management of a fundraiser for your school or church, and customer relations experience gained while working in retail. While these experiences may seem different from each other and some may seem unrelated to social work, this format allows you to place these skills in a context for the employer to see how these skills meet the agency’s needs. You may even want to choose your categories based on the job posting.

Whether you choose the functional or chronological format, there are certain standard pieces of information employers expect to find on your résumé.

The education section of a résumé should be placed immediately under your objective, unless you have been out of school and working for a few years. Only list universities where you received degrees. List the most recent university first. This section should include the name of your university, the city and state of your university and the month and year you graduated. Of course, you should also include the degree(s) you received and your GPA (if it is above a 3.0). Include any courses that are related to the job for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a position in direct social work, you would want to include your Individual Counseling and Family Therapy course. Use the same information for the next school you list, if you received a degree from another school—for example, an MSW from one university and a BSW from another university.

This section is the heart of your résumé. It is basically the same whether you use a functional or chronological résumé. The way it is worded is the employer’s guide for deciding whether or not to interview you. This section lets the employer know what you have done that could be useful in the job they are advertising. The most important words in this section are the action verbs, which make your skills come alive for the employer. Twenty-five commonly used action verbs for social work are:

• Administered
• Assessed
• Charted
• Collaborated
• Conducted
• Coordinated
• Counseled
• Developed
• Diagnosed
• Educated
• Encouraged
• Facilitated
• Helped
• Identified
• Implemented
• Interviewed
• Mediated
• Monitored
• Observed
• Recommended
• Reinforced
• Resolved
• Reviewed
• Scheduled
• Supported

For a more complete sample list of these action verbs, visit The New Social Worker’s online career center at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com/careercenter and look under the "Job Search" category. You can also find skills listed using sample job specific task statements on Web sites such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm) and O*NET (http://online.onetcenter.org).

Skills should be listed from most important to least important. A simple formula to remember is STAR. The STAR technique is an easy method for making sure you tell employers everything they want to know. Begin with "S" for describing the situation, "T" for task, "A" for action taken and "R" for results. For example, to describe a school social work position, you might say: Counseled a child with behavior problems in the classroom resulting in a decrease in disciplinary infractions. Keep in mind that skills can come from unrelated jobs and any volunteer experiences you have had.

Include any honors you received or activities you were involved in during college that were not included in your experience/skills section. Make sure you specify positions held. NEVER include high school!

Never include these on the résumé itself, nor should you include a statement about them. Instead, on a separate piece of paper, use the same heading as on the résumé, and include the references’ names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. If employers want these, they will request them in the job posting. If not, bring the list to the interview, as they might want them at that time. Remember to keep your references informed of your application activities, so they won’t be surprised when they are contacted.