What Are the Qualities of a Great Social Worker?

Individuals and entire communities look to us for leadership, assistance and advice, which is why we look for these qualities in our Social Workers:

Commitment to ethics: with so many people counting on you, we'll need to rely on your integrity to do the right thing for the community and each client.
Compassion: the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and appreciate their challenges enables you to gain the perspective essential to meeting their needs.
Knowledge of social work: your education and experience will be put to the test with interesting challenges.
Fun personality: being a leader in the community requires that people find you approachable, outgoing and fun, when appropriate.
Creativity/ability to solve problems: finding the right solutions to situations that you encounter requires innovative thinking.
Appreciation for boundaries: knowing how far you can go in certain situations, and how much you can reasonably expect of others is vital to your success.
Passion for the City's mandate: you must be enthusiastic about working with people who are marginalized and in need of various forms of assistance.
Relationship-building skills: others must trust you to help them solve delicate problems and difficult situations.