I'm interested in applying for an internship at a local shelter and I want to be prepared and have a resume. My question is, what should I include, and what do people look for in an ideal candidate?

I don't know what kind of "shelter" you're referring to. Is it for homeless people? Abused women or children? Anyway, it's almost impossible to predict what an employer is looking for, and the "ideal" candidate is certainly a subjective notion. But you should present yourself in the best possible light and get ahead of the competition; however, to do that you would first have to define what kind of social work you're interested in because, as you have correctly noted, there are many aspects to the profession. But to your question about a resume. Keep it short because employers are busy people and don't have time to read a long document. Best to keep it to no more than one page, singled-spaced, one side only. Don't give the interviewer any excuse to throw your resume away. Type size should be no smaller than 11-point so the reviewer will not have a hard time reading the text. Use a conservative font, such as Times New Roman or similar type, nothing flamboyant, on white paper. Be selective about which jobs you want to include. For social work, pick the jobs that dealt with people or people-based programs. Indicate any awards or recognitions you might have received. If you have little work experience, emphasize your volunteer work. Did you work with kids at summer camp? Did you volunteer to work at the local food bank? Did you work with your church on efforts to help the homeless, the ill or the aged? By the way, you don't need to go into great detail on these positions. The interviewer will probably ask you about them and then you can provide more information. It's to your advantage to be friendly, competent, and self-assured. But most of all, be sure you know what you want and tell yourself that you are the best person for the job, without coming on too strong with the interviewer. For an internship you, of course, want to play up your education. If you are in a social work program, indicate what courses you've taken that would help you do a good job at the shelter. If you have received some type of academic awards or recognition, include those in. No sense being needlessly modest. Since this is a non-paid position, let the employer know he or she is getting a great deal by employing you. Good luck.

Hi Katie

An intership is a great way to get your feet wet. you ask what to include in your resume, well any experiences you have had with people which you have helped or have learned from, can be another volunteer experience or even with family or friends.
At the interview sound interested and excited - share how much you want to learn and what you bring as a person.

Katie,

To directly answer your question:

Any paid and/or volunteer experience can all be included in the "work history" section. Make sure it comes across as helping people to develop their own personal strengths, rather than you handing down all the answers to those less fortunate. Confidentiality is important, so even though it is a no-brainer that you don't talk about the clients, add a line that says "Ensure confidentiality of all client information." It is NOT necessary at this stage of your education/career to figure out exactly where you fit in. Any customer-service job relates to working with people - it is a "transferable job skill." You need the ability to LISTEN: be it in sales, where you find out what the customer wants/needs before trying to sell something, or in social work, where you need to be able to figure out what the client needs before you start providing services. You need the ability to establish rapport with people. Many cultures look down on outsiders. I faced that hurdle as an Anglo in a Black community. You have to be able to prove yourself and gain their trust/respect.

For a good resume building site, look at gotresumebuilder with a suffix of .com (it won't let me list the address!)

Now, a word about social work, and what they do not tell you in school. Since you are in college, you need to hear this. While most people enter the field full of idealism, they soon get exposed to reality. That is, often times the job consists of trying to meet quotas, and quality, and sometimes ethics, falls by the wayside. I work for a state agency helping people to get jobs. We are suppose to make a certain number of job referrals each month. The number has gotten so high that it is impossible to even look at the job description. So, if we have someone who wants to work in a warehouse, and the job is for warehouse work, we make the referral. Regardless of pay, regardless of location. Regardless of work hours. Other jobs are the same. Many are grant-funded, so you are trying to prove that you have done everything required by the grant, so you spend all your time with documentation, rather than working with clients.

It's not all that way, but a lot of it is. Please ask around, go into it with open eyes. Also please research salary info. Many social workers make $12-13/hr. That is not enough for an adult to live on. An MSW will do better. Consider specializing in non-profit management, learning fundraising, or learning to write grants. It's not hands on with clients, but still has its rewards.

My work used to be rewarding, and still is at times. It's great when I help a customer to develop a good resume, or deal with a tough interview question. It's even more rewarding when they realize that they have a lot more to offer than they thought they did, and they realize that they ARE a good candidate for a position. I also enjoy teaching the job search seminars, helping them to learn to help themselves. But when the focus shifts to entirely trying to increase quantity, rather than looking at quality, it is discouraging.

I hope you will find the right place where you fit in. I encourage you to volunteer in different places, because it is only by trying out these different programs that you will learn what you like and what you do not.

I hope this has been of some help, and wish you the best!