Career Development

Social work is a dynamic profession, requiring you to stay current in the field, whether it’s applying the latest research, understanding a new regulation and its implications, maintaining your license or professional credential, or acquiring additional training to meet the needs of an aging population, for example. Look to the following resources to. . .

• grow and manage your career;
• maintain a practice of excellence; and
• better serve individuals, families, and communities.

Career Resources

• Build Your Résumé

  Obtain a list of words that will help your résumé stand out, answer these questions to assist you in writing a winning résumé, understand how your cover letter can be noticed by a potential employer.

• Interview Tips and Practice Interview Questions

  Make sure you are prepared for your interview. Read about tips what will help you complete a successful interview and be given the job offer you deserve. The interview tips and practice interview questions will help you land the job of your choice.

• NASW Career Center Webinars (Exclusively for NASW Members)

  Your Social Work Job Search: Résumés, Interview Tips, and Search Strategies
  The Social Work Career Center includes professional development webinars to help you target your job search, perfect your résumé and create your professional brand. Social work career experts provide NASW members with inside information on how to best land a job and network within the social work field.

  Not a member? Sign up today to become an NASW member to access these and other valuable resources. Learn more about NASW Membership and join today!

Continuing Education Resource Center

The cornerstone of professional development is continuing your education. Increase your knowledge and skills by attending face-to-face continuing education programs, receive relevant and timely information about the clients and community you serve, or plan to complete an online course in the privacy of your home or office. All social workers need continuing education to enhance their career. Below are resources that provide you with the continuing education you need to enhance your professional skills:

• Continuing Education Portal
  The CE Portal is a national listing of quality continuing education offerings. A wealth of information at your finger tips where you can search by topic, location, and/or date. 
• NASW Chapters
  NASW Chapters connect you to NASW chapter/state annual conferences and local continuing education programs and activities. Review an NASW Chapter Web site where you live and work to access continuing education events and a network of colleagues.
• Risk Management Workshops
  NASW Assurance Services, Inc. (ASI) offers risk management workshops with CEUs and online resources to reduce a social worker’s risk and exposure to an ethics complaint, licensing board complaint, or malpractice law suit. To learn more, visit the ASI Education Center.
• NASW Lunchtime Series
  NASW members can take advantage of one-hour live teleconferences and earn 1.0 free CEUs. Can’t make a teleconference, but still want to earn the CEU? Listen to the pod cast, download the audio file, or read the transcript later. The Lunchtime Series covers current topics of interest to social workers. Register to listen right away.
• NASW Specialty Practice Sections Teleconferences
  NASW Sections sponsor practice-based teleconferences exclusively for section members. The live teleconferences provide you with the opportunity to earn more free CEUs. The courses are available 24/7 by downloading the audio file or reading the transcript.
• NASW Professional Education & Training Center
  Earn continuing education credits through the new NASW Professional Education and Training Center 24 hours a day.  All courses offered are NASW accredited and members receive discounted prices. The Center offers NASW courses in a variety of practice areas and formats.
  

Professional Networking

Strengthen and grow your social work career through networking with your colleagues around the globe and in your community.

• Attend NASW Chapters face-to-face events to meet professional social workers in your community.
• Chat live with social workers at socialworkchat.org
• Comment on the latest social work issues at socialworkblog.org
• Expand your list of professional contacts by joining NASW’s LinkedIn official group page.
• Friend NASW on our official Facebook group page and introduce yourself, post comments on our Wall, and add topics for discussion. Other NASW Facebook pages include:
  • Official NASW Fan Page
  • Social Work Students—Official NASW Group

• Tweet  on NASW’s Twitter Feed
• Tune in to social work happenings on NASW’s YouTube Channel and comment on what you have seen and heard.

Read, Research and Write for the Social Work Profession

• Publications
  NASW Press is a leading scholarly press in the social sciences. It serves faculty, practitioners, agencies, libraries, clinicians, and researchers throughout the United States and abroad. Known for attracting expert authors, the NASW Press delivers professional information to hundreds of thousands of readers through its scholarly journals, books, and reference works.
  
• Research
  Review the NASW Web site Research Page that provides information on social work research to help inform policy, practice, and education; visit the NASW Center for Workforce Studies Clearinghouse, an on-line library for those searching for information about the social work workforce; read Social Work Speaks Abstracts to research policy issues related to the social work profession; and apply for the dataset to conduct research on the social work workforce to strengthen your knowledge of professional social work!
• Write for Your Profession
  Submitting content to www.HelpStartsHere.org, publishing for the NASW Press, and writing in the NASW Sections newsletters is a great way to inform and connect with like-minded colleagues, build an impressive portfolio of writing samples, and enhance your opportunities for leadership and advancement in the social work profession.
  

Advocacy

Advocating for social work and the clients/communities we serve is critical to securing the future of social work. 

• Advocacy Resources
• The Improving Access to Mental Health Act is a collaborative effort comprised of leading social work organizations and other stakeholders committed to securing federal and state investments related to recruitment, training, retention and research that strengthen the social work profession and the communities it serves. 
  

Licensure

A state social work license is. . .

• Issued to regulate the practice of social work
• Issued to protect the public
• Issued by and useful only in the jurisdiction (state) where the holder plans to practice. 

Licensing requirements vary from jurisdiction. Visit the state regulatory board directly or the Association of Social Work Boards, for a list of social work state licensing agencies or for a comparison of state regulations.

Credentials and Certifications

NASW credentials and certifications provide recognition to those social workers who have met national standards for higher levels of specialized knowledge, skills, and experience.  Credentials and certification enhance your state license and attest to your commitment to advanced social work practice.

Ethics and Best Practices

The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers.  NASW. Our Code of Ethics addresses:

Service Dignity and Worth Importance of Relationships Integrity Competence Social Justice   Click here for a complete copy of the NASW Code of Ethics in English and Spanish.

Leadership Series Documents

Social work can be a very rewarding profession.  However, transforming passion for your profession into a vibrant and satisfying career is not always easy. The NASW Leadership Ladders series is designed to assist social workers with successfully navigating their careers. Whether you are new to the profession, a second-career professional or a mid-career professional, these tips will help you broaden your sphere of influence and take on the challenges that can catapult you to the next level in your career!

Finding Opportunities for Career Development Career Coaching: A Valuable Resource Working as a Consultant Negotiating a Higher Salary Securing The Social Work Job You Seek The Value of Social Work Mentoring Documenting for Medicare: Tips for Clinical Social Workers Organizing for Office Safety Retiring? Tips for Closing Your Private Practice Risk Management in Clinical Practice Setting and Maintaining Professional Boundaries Furthering Your Social Work Education: Obtaining a Doctorate Transitioning Across State Lines: Licensing Tips Beyond Survival: Ensuring Organizational Sustainability Navigating Large Service Systems Managing Stress Presenting Your Work to Others Maximizing the Flexibility of a Social Work Degree Writing Essentials Dual Degrees The Tech-Savvy Social Worker: Prepared for the Challenges of 21st Century Practice Frontline to Corner Office Letting Your Voice Be Heard Opening a Private Practice Publishing as a Practitioner

The NASW Practice Standards address quality social work practice on the following issues: