Some of the skills that are most relevant and useful for Social Work include the following:

1. Detailed note taking ability - The ability to take excellent notes is extremely important as you listen to
your clients and colleagues and develop interventions and strategies.
2. Organizational skills - Being organized is very important as you will often be asked to multi-task and the
ability to prioritize which work is required to be done in which order is extremely important.
3. Understanding of human psychology - You will need to understand the way people’s mind works.
4. Knowledge of Human Developmental stages – it is critical to understanding human psychology, to know
the developmental stages from birth to death.
5. Knowledge of interventions applicable to one’s specialty - Depending on your specialty there might be a
variety of different interventions that are extremely important to not only understand in theoretical
terms, but also in practical application.
6. A developed sense of empathy - Empathy is extremely important as a Social Worker for without it you
will have an unending series of difficulties as you attempt help others work through their problems
without fully being able to understand their point of view on a given situation.
7. Exceptional professional boundary setting - In Social Work there are myriad situations in which it is
critical that you are able to quickly and effectively establish a boundary in a concise and professional
manner. This is important not only for ethical reasons, but also due to the fact that you as a human being
will find yourself burnt out quickly if you do not rigorously apply and stick to professional boundaries
as you go about the practice of social work.
8. Ability to facilitate co-operation both among individuals and groups – One of your main tasks as a
Social Worker will be to get reluctant individuals and groups to work with one another.
9. Active listening skills - If you wish to be successful as a social worker you will need to be able to listen
and also ask questions where appropriate for clarification as otherwise you will be unable to understand
what others are attempting to convey to you in an accurate manner.
10. Critical thinking skills – Critical thinking is helpful in Social Work just as it is in most of life when you
need to make a decision on what a piece of information really mean, critical thinking is an incredibly
useful skill.
11. Verbal and written communication skills – You will need to be able to express yourself to a wide variety
of people in a diversity of contexts and having strong written and verbal communications skills is an
absolute must.

All of these skills play a crucial role in the career of a successful Social Worker. Developing each skill will
require its own unique method of learning. Many of these skills will be developed as a result of formal
educational training, while some will require you to actively develop yourself as a person.