My social work career coaching framework is my social work belief system and it’s also the principles I’ve implemented to build a social work career that I love.
- Social workers do not take a vow of poverty
- Professional burnout is not a social work rite of passage
- Social work skills are high income skills
- Social work skills are highly transferable
- Define social work career success on your own terms
This year, I will engage in more ‘thought leadership’ and less ‘career coaching’.
You’re probably wondering what that means. Today it means that:
(1) I am no longer offering individual career coaching. All my systems, processes, and packages will be transitioned into seminars, workshops, courses, and group programs.
(2) I am pursuing more guest speaker opportunities, podcast/YouTube guest appearances, conference presentations, and guest lecturer opportunities.
(3) I am opening my business to developing and managing social work practicum programs for businesses and agencies including intern supervision as needed.
Please feel free to send referrals, recommendations, and invitations my way. Thank you in advance.
You can still find social work career coaching strategies on my YouTube channel.
MY TRUTH: I do not enjoy resume and cover letter writing, job searching (for myself or my clients), or social media optimization.
One of the icebreakers I often use in my workshops is “What song defines/describes your career to date?”. My answer is always “I’m Every Woman” (by Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston depending on your age LOL).
Guess what my end of year reflection revealed (again)? That in my work as a Social Work Career Empowerment Coach, I have been using career coaching to hide my true passion which is women’s empowerment. I’m unsure why I kept pushing this aside because it keeps coming back and I keep including it in my work. So…I’m digging deeper into my bag of authenticity in 2025. Stay tuned for what this looks like in practice!
If you are looking to hire a speaker or trainer for National Mentoring Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month or Social Work Month I’d love to share strategies, resources, and inspiration with your staff, community or higher education institution. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation today.
Nicki Sanders, MSW, is committed to career development, professional development, and organizational development. As Founder and CEO of Nicki Sanders Leadership Consulting, her mission is simple – to eliminate toxic workplaces by developing skilled, empathetic, and goal-oriented leaders who have the vision, support, and resources to create a culture where business prospers, and employees thrive individually and collectively. Nicki has an extensive background in nonprofit management leading high-functioning, multi-disciplinary teams, volunteer recruitment and retention, and social impact programming. She is a thought leader dedicated to dismantling the outdated, narrow view of social work and an accomplished professor, coach, trainer, and group facilitator who has combined her gift for authentic relationships, Master of Social Work degree, and over 20 years of diverse work experience to create a life and career aligned with her values and purpose. She is a lover of nature, cupcakes, travel, and 80’s hip hop and R&B music.
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