Human Service Worker Resume Examples
Years of Experience
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Elizabeth Johnson
(753) 135-7531 | [email protected] | Cambridge, MA 98765 | LinkedIn
Profile
Empathic Mental Health Support Worker with 2+ years of experience counseling vulnerable adults. Skilled at liaising with outside agencies to set effective and highly personalized care plans.
Key Skills
- Care Provision Planning
- Conflict Resolution
- Documentation Accuracy
- Medication Administration
- Mental Health Support Strategies
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
- Team Collaboration
Professional Experience
Support Worker, Bay Cove Human Services, Cambridge, MA | March 2021 to Present
- Offer practical and emotional support to adult residents experiencing a mental health crisis
- Refer clients to outside services and resources when appropriate
- Securely store and administer controlled medications
- Coordinate in-house and community activities to enhance clients’ wellbeing
- Research and arrange educational opportunities to promote clients’ financial independence
- Encourage and model positive interpersonal relationships
- Use de-escalation methods to quickly and fully resolve conflicts
Highlight:
- Earned top marks on all 3 formal evaluations for excellent judgment and dedication to positive client outcomes
Support Worker Precept Placement, Advocates, Cambridge, MA | September 2020 to February 2021
- Helped individuals with brain injuries regain and build key practical and social skills
- Co-developed action plans to meet each client’s needs and promote recovery
- Counseled clients and family members on effective coping strategies and ways to improve their mental and physical health
- Regularly assessed safety at each residence, and reported any concerns to site manager
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology, Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA | 2021
Adam Lewenberg
(765) 456-7654 | [email protected] | San Diego, CA 83485 | LinkedIn
Profile
Health Navigation Specialist with 8+ years of experience helping vulnerable clients access equal healthcare and work opportunities. Collaborator who works with various outside agencies to coordinate and manage complex care plans. Draw on broad, deep knowledge of health system organizations and resources.
Key Skills
- Active Listening Methods
- Multi-Agency Coordination
- Reporting & Documentation
- Risk Management & Mitigation
- Team Collaboration
- Time Management
Professional Experience
Health Navigation Specialist, 211 San Diego, San Diego, CA | September 2019 to Present
- Gather and analyze each client’s personal and medical history to determine risk factors and next steps
- Follow up with patients regularly, and assist their ongoing engagement with other support agencies
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of eligibility criteria and delivery pathways to find appropriate healthcare solutions
Highlights:
- Worked with providers to determine optimal treatment plans, reducing client wait times by ~34%
- Received 99.5% positive client feedback
- Earned a workplace commendation for sound judgment in 2021
Welfare to Work Case Manager, Public Consulting Group, San Diego, CA | March 2015 to September 2019
- Met with clients to help set attainable goals, and stayed in contact to ensure accountability
- Used active listening skills to gain insight on each client’s social, financial, and educational barriers to work, and offered practical solutions
- Mentored clients on building social and organizational skills needed to join the workforce
Highlights:
- Secured employment for 87% of rostered clients
- Completed mandatory county paperwork with 100% accuracy
Education
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology, UC San Diego | 2015
Julie Gordon
(432) 123-4567 | [email protected] | Miami, FL 87654 | LinkedIn
Profile
Organized and dedicated Health & Social Services Manager with 12+ years of experience. Strong reputation for training, developing, and motivating employees to deliver consistent positive results. Skilled at managing large caseloads in a fast-paced, high-pressure work environment. Master of Social Work.
Key Skills
- Case Management
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Healthcare Provision Planning
- Relationship Management
- Staff Training & Mentoring
- Task Prioritization
- Time Management
Professional Experience
Health & Social Services Manager, UnitedHealth Group, Miami, FL | August 2019 to Present
- Create and deliver professional development programs to a team of 20+ health coordinators to build their knowledge of outside resources
- Supervise coordinators managing up to 80 cases at a time; review care plans and organizational pathways to ensure seamless, appropriate provision
- Serve as escalation point for complex case issues and questions
- Build relationships with outside agencies to ensure ongoing support of patients after discharge
Highlights:
- Increased employee retention by 65% in 2 years
- Addressed and fully resolved 98% of escalated cases within deadline
Case Management Specialist, BCFS Health & Human Services, Miami, FL | March 2011 to July 2019
- Managed a caseload of up to 15 clients
- Took calls from clients in health crisis, and promptly referred them to emergency care
- Reviewed and translated initial health assessment into appropriate healthcare plan
Highlights:
- Resolved 87% of urgent cases within first 24 hours
- Completed detailed service reports, exceeding submission targets by 68% in 2018
Education
Master of Social Work, University of Miami, FL | 2011
Bachelor of Social Work, Barry University, Miami Shores, FL | 2009
Common Key Skills and Action Verbs for Human Service Worker Resumes
Employers often lack the time and resources to review every job application in detail, so they turn to applicant tracking systems (ATS) to quickly find the most suitable candidates. An ATS narrows down the applicants by scanning for resumes containing role-specific keywords. To increase your likelihood of being selected for further consideration, try to weave as many of the following keywords into your resume as possible.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Active listening | Child protection |
| Counseling | Critical thinking |
| Cultural awareness | Empathy |
| Organization | Planning |
| Problem-solving | Relationship management |
| Report preparation | Risk management |
| Safeguarding | Social advocacy |
| Teaching and mentorship | Teamwork |
| Time management | Written and verbal communication |
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advocate | Assess |
| Assist | Coach |
| Collaborate | Coordinate |
| Counsel | Determine |
| Develop | Document |
| Facilitate | Interpret |
| Manage | Monitor |
| Motivate | Organize |
| Plan | Report |
| Support | |
Tips for Writing a Better Human Service Worker Resume
Quantify your professional experience on your application
Backing up your professional experience with hard data appeals to employers because it allows them to assess your skill level. It also gives you the opportunity to include some of your most impressive accomplishments along with an explanation of your duties and responsibilities. Whenever possible, quantify your professional experience with statistics to help your resume stand out.
Example #1
Good
Devised and developed a staff training program to help colleagues confidently determine and address child protection concerns, resulting in a 45% increase in risk identification.
Bad
Taught colleagues how to notice and tackle child protection issues.
Example #2
Good
Researched and facilitated appropriate educational opportunities for service users, increasing addiction recovery rates by 32% over 3 years.
Bad
Found education courses to help people with addictions recover.
Highlight your educational accomplishments
A solid educational foundation is crucial for almost any human service role, and a hiring manager will want to see that you have the theoretical knowledge to perform the job well. A well-written education section of your resume is especially important if you’re a recent graduate and don’t have much professional experience. As well as including basic information about your school and degree title, mention any coursework you completed that demonstrates your aptitude for the role.
Example #1
Good
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Gainesville, FL, September 2007 – June 2011
Coursework completed:
- Principles of Behavior Analysis
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Bad
Bachelor of Psychology
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, September 2007 – June 2011
Example #2
Good
Bachelor of Science in Social Work
LESLEY UNIVERSITY, Cambridge, MA, September 2017 – June 2021
Coursework completed:
- Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion
- Human Behavior in the Social Environment
- Child Welfare: Challenges and Solutions
Bad
Bachelor of Social Work
LESLEY UNIVERSITY, September 2017 – June 2021
How to Align Your Resume With the Job Description
Hiring managers typically have to wade through large numbers of applications to find the right individual for the job, and they tend to have specific skills and qualifications in mind. To help them attract suitable applicants, employers hiring human service workers usually publish a detailed job description explaining exactly what they’re looking for.
This makes the job ad a rich source of information about what the hiring manager wants to see showcased in your resume. Try to align your resume as closely as possible to the skills and experience set out in the ad, taking particular care to mention any skills listed toward the beginning or repeated for emphasis. Doing this helps show the employer that you can deliver on all their must-haves.
Example Human Service Worker Job Description
Are you a qualified social worker or experienced human service worker with a passion for helping people overcome barriers to employment? If so, we want to hear from you. Work Opportunities Limited is seeking an empathetic team player to join our thriving New Hampshire branch. The successful candidate will create personalized progression plans for vulnerable community members and coach them in acquiring the necessary skills for the work world.
Responsibilities:
- Perform initial assessments with new clients to help identify potential risks, strengths, and areas for growth
- Use active listening skills to gain insight into each client’s barriers to employment
- Work collaboratively with clients, colleagues, and external agencies to generate practical and achievable action plans
- Build strong relationshipswith clients, local education providers, and employers
- Actively seek educational and employment opportunities for clients within the community
- Coach and counsel clients to help them develop crucial emotional, social, and practical skills
- File regular reports to monitor progress and steps taken
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or a related field; candidates holding a Master’s degree strongly preferred
- Minimum 3 years of experience in a counseling or mentoring role
- Mental health support experience preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Welcoming and empatheticinterpersonal style
The job description shows that the employer is looking for someone with the following attributes and skills:
- Empathy
- Coaching
- Assessment
- Planning
- Risk management
- Teamwork
- Relationship management
- Counseling
- Report preparation
- Written and verbal communication
- Mental health support experience
Once you’ve established what the employer is looking for, you should try to include as many of the skills mentioned in the job description as possible in your resume. Here’s an example of a resume tailored to suit the description above:
Human Service Work Experience Example
Employment Support Worker
Human Service Agency, Watertown, SD, September 2014 – Present
- Assess service users upon registration to determine their needs and challenges and work with the teamto generate an action plan, receiving 98% positive client feedback in 2020
- Coach clients experiencing mental health problems to help them develop the emotional and social skills to thrive in a work environment, leading to a 67% increase in client confidence according to a recent survey
- Build and maintain strong relationships with businesses and education providers and conduct robust risk assessments to match clients appropriately
- Communicate regularly with clients and placement providers and submit regular progress reports, meeting 99.8% of deadlines over 3 years