Your steps to apply
Senior Social Worker
Veterans Health Administration · Cumberland, Maryland · Closes in 2 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
The job is open to the public. The posting says you must be a U.S. citizen to apply, but non-citizens may be appointed if qualified citizens cannot be recruited. Veterans' preference does not apply to outside applicants for this hiring, under a shortage waiver.
Experience: You need at least 2 years of experience after you get advanced practice clinical licensure, in a specialized area of social work. One of those years must be equal to the GS-11 grade level.
Education: You need a master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). A doctoral degree in social work cannot replace the master's degree.
Licenses and certifications:
- State license to practice social work independently at the master's level
- State license at the advanced practice level, including an advanced generalist or clinical exam (unless grandfathered)
- Ability to provide supervision for licensure
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 2 days (November 5, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: You will be rated on how well you meet the qualifications, based on your application, resume or CV, and questionnaire. Your experience will be verified, and errors or missing information may lower your rating or make you ineligible.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Submit the full package, including your license and long-form resume or CV, by 11:59 PM ET on 11/05/2026.
- Describe your post-licensure experience clearly and specifically, since the agency will verify it.
- Send a transcript if you use your education to qualify, and make sure the school is accredited.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.