Is Your Personality Type Suited to Social Work?
If you are thinking about entering the industry of social work and are interested in taking up the fulfilling role of being a social worker and helping to combat everyday injustice, you may be wondering whether you will be a good fit personality-wise.
Here is a list of some of the most vital personality traits of successful social workers to help you decide.
Empathy
Empathy is undoubtedly, and unsurprisingly, the most essential personality trait of a social worker.
You will be working closely with people and communities in need, after all.
The ability to offer kindness, support, and understanding to these individuals will be key to adequately do your job and making a difference in others’ lives.
Further to this, being empathetic means that the people with whom you work will have an easier time connecting with and opening up to you.
Reliability
Social workers will need to earn the trust and respect of many people throughout their careers, hence the reason why it is so important to be reliable and dependable.
Another aspect of dependability is to remain consistent in all of your dealings.
This includes providing your clients with your unconditional support throughout various trying times.
Patience
Working with people is the core of a social worker’s vocation and this automatically means that the job requires endless amounts of patience.
In many instances, you will deal with cases, social injustices, problems, and individuals who are extremely complex.
It can take lots of time to resolve these issues and bring about vital change. Social workers need to avoid exhibiting feelings of frustration.
They will also need to employ a host of skills and techniques to encourage clients to discuss their emotions and details relating to a case.
Observance
Social workers should notice when something is amiss or when a client does not seem to be sharing their whole story.
All of this boils down to being an excellent communicator and, most importantly, a great listener.
You will need to hear what a client is saying, as well as what they are not saying.
The good news is that any world-class social work program, like the Marian University Bachelor of Social Work program, will teach prospective social workers all about mastering the art of communication and being more perceptive.
Organization
In order to ensure smooth, effective dealings with clients, social workers need to be well-organized at all times.
You will often be dealing with multiple cases at once and will have plenty of details to remember.
Ensure that you carefully take notes and file them to allow for easy access when necessary.
Also, be sure to work on clearing your mind and workspace of any clutter which could lead to distractions.
Keep in mind that the more organized you are in your day-to-day life, the more time you will have on hand to spend working closely with the individuals who need you the most.
If you can relate to most or all of these personality traits, there is no doubt that social work is for you.
Best of luck as you embark upon this exciting new journey and profession!
