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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Create Your Social Services
Resume in 5 Easy Steps

  • Step 1: Add Contact Info

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  • Step 2: Include Work Experience Details

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  • Step 3: Provide Education Details

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  • Step 4: Select Your Skills

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  • Step 5: Fill in Your Background

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Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Social Services Resume

Don’t struggle to write your social services resume. LiveCareer’s Resume Builder helps you construct an impressive resume for the social services industry by suggesting pre-written phrases crafted by certified resume experts. You can customize these suggestions as needed or add them verbatim.

For a social services resume, our resume builder may make the following suggestions:

  • Documented case notes daily and coordinated follow-up for seamless case management
  • Collaborated with court, law enforcement and community providers
  • Worked with clients to improve life choices and maximize benefits of programs
  • Updated treatment plans on monthly basis with latest intervention strategies and progress notes
  • Counseled individuals and families regarding mental health, substance abuse, physical abuse and rehabilitation issues
  • Advocated for client needs and funding for at-risk groups
  • Led educational seminars and lectures at local community mental health centers to expand awareness of mental health symptoms and issues
  • Mediated conflicts within families to clarify and resolve underlying issues

6 Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Social Services Resume

  • Do quantify your workload. The position you’re applying for may require you to manage large groups or focus on individuals during every shift. Providing the number of cases you manage shows prospective employers the size of the caseload you are able to manage. You might also list the number of reports you write each month or data on the success rates of your clients.
  • Do indicate your authorization to prescribe psychiatric medication. If the job position requires working with psychiatric patients, it’s crucial to mention when you have the legal authority to prescribe medication.
  • Do highlight your ability to counsel patients through substance abuse. If you are seeking work in a rehabilitation center, employers will want to know your successful approaches to helping patients cope with addiction.
  • Don’t mention any personal history. Don’t assume your own struggles with addiction or homelessness will convince employers that you can successfully help clients. Instead, you could be inadvertently introducing bias into the hiring process.
  • Don’t include an exhaustive list of meetings. Unless you planned or facilitated a meeting, employers don’t need to know about it. Instead, use the space to highlight special training or certifications you’ve earned in your field.
  • Don’t forget the soft skills. Compassion, empathy and patience are all soft skills that make those in social service roles shine. Add these and other soft skills, such as communication skills and conflict resolution to your list of hard skills.

Beat the ATS with These Social Services Resume Skills

To eliminate unqualified candidates, employers in the field of social services often utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS). An ATS helps identify the most qualified candidates by screening each resume for keywords that align with the job description. If your social services resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, it could be eliminated before it reaches the hiring manager.

LiveCareer’s Resume Builder can help applicants pass the ATS screening by suggesting the most relevant job-specific skills to include. Here are some skills our builder might recommend for your social services resume:

  • Expertise in crisis intervention techniques
  • Case management proficiency
  • Medicare and Medicaid applications
  • Biopsychosocial assessments
  • Adept at treatment and discharge planning
  • Dual diagnosis expert
  • Group therapy specialist
  • Psychotropic medications knowledge
  • Individualized service plans
  • Knowledge of medical and psychiatric terminology

Social Services Resumes for Every Professional Level

Entry-Level
Social Work Intern Build my Resume

Social Worker Intern

A functional resume format is ideal for an entry-level job seeker who has relevant skills, but who is short on work experience. In this social services resume example, the job seeker starts with a professional summary emphasizing her caseload management and proficiency at evaluating needs, planning treatments and facilitating counseling sessions. She then adds a summary of qualifications about her experience helping clients recover through outreach programs and collaboration with their family members. Next, she highlights her professional skills using job-specific examples. She lists work history near the bottom, starting with her most directly related position. Finally, she shows progress towards a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Build my Resume

Mid-Career
Caseworker Build my Resume

Caseworker

This mid-career job seeker applicant uses a combination resume format that underscores her directly related professional experience and skills. In this social services resume example, she starts with a professional summary that draws attention to her vast knowledge of available services through her experience managing different cases. She follows it with a section of relevant skills she’s mastered as a caseworker and ends by listing her solid work history. The right-hand column features her industry-related hard skills and the master’s degree she is currently pursuing in sociology. Build my Resume

Executive-Level
Program Manager Build my Resume

Programs Manager

A chronological resume format works best for professionals in senior roles within the industry who want to show off an impressive work history. In this social services resume example, the applicant limits his resume to three sections: a professional summary that focuses on his leadership experience and ability to improve compliance programs in health care, a work history that demonstrates industry-specific skills through his three most recent and applicable professional roles, and a skills summary documenting technical and leadership skills that are necessary for program management. Build my Resume

More social-services resume samples

Find resume examples for your desired social-services career. Get access to expert writing recommendations, do’s and don’ts and everything you need to write a perfect resume.

1st counselor of the relief societyactivistalpha phi omegaamericorpsamnesty floor monitoramnesty responderamnesty techanimal shelter volunteerbilingual case managerboard memberboard of directorscampaign volunteercase coordinatorcase managementcase management coordinatorcase manager orrcase manager supervisorcase plannercaseworkercbrfcbrf caregivercommunity advocatecommunity ambassadorcommunity coordinatorcommunity developmentcommunity engagement coordinatorcommunity engagement managercommunity engagement specialistcommunity facilitatorcommunity habilitation goalscommunity habilitation specialistcommunity health coordinatorcommunity impact directorcommunity involvementcommunity leadercommunity liaisoncommunity moderatorcommunity organizercommunity outreach coordinatorcommunity outreach directorcommunity outreach managercommunity servicecommunity service coordinatorcommunity services coordinatorcommunity volunteercpscps assesment senior social workercps investigatorcps specialistdcpdcs case manager 2direct care worker dutiesdirector community philanthropydirector of community relationsdirector of social servicesdisabled persondisaster case managerdisplaced homemakerdls case managerdonation attendantdonor relationsdsp direct support professionaldsweagle scoutearly intervention service coordinatoreconomic self sufficiency specialisteconomic self sufficiency specialist ieconomic support specialistelderly careeligibility interviewereligibility representativeeligibility specialisteligibility workeremergency room social workeremployment counseloremployment program coordinatoremployment program representativeemployment specialistemployment specialist objectiveentry level mental health counselorexecutive director non profit organizationexecutive director of nonprofitfamily advocatefamily caregiverfamily service specialist traineefamily support eligibility specialistfamily support specialistfeeding the homeless volunteerfield organizerfood bankfood pantry volunteerfoster parentfounding executive directorfundraiserfundraising chairfundraising directorfundraising event coordinatorfundraising managergeriatric social workergoodwillgrant coordinatorgrant managergrant writergrant writinggrants management specialistgrants managergroup homegroup home managerhelp u.s.a keenerhome visitorhomeless shelter volunteerhospice social workerhospiceocial work care planhospital social workerhousing case managerhousing counselorhuman services caseworkerihssihss supervisorincome maintenance caseworkerintake specialistintern master of public healthJuvenile CounselorLicensed Clinical Social WorkerLicensed Social Workerlife enrichment coordinatorlifestyle assistantMaster of Public Healthmission tripmorale captainmstmsw internmsw studentnational service personnon profit board membernon profit board of directorsnon profit development coordinatornonprofit executive directornyce family workeroutreach agentoutreach case manageroutreach coordinatoroutreach specialistpact social workerpeace corps builderpeace corps volunteerpeer supportpeer support specialistphilanthropistphilanthropy chairpop workerprison reentry program coordinatorpsspublic healthpublic health advisor (cdc contractor)public health analystpublic health consultantpublic health inspectorpublic health internpublic health nursepublic health nutritionistpublic health officerpublic health program managerpublic health research assistantpublic health specialistpublic prosecutorpublic works directorpublic works laborerpublic works supervisorrecovery coachrelief assistantrelief managerrelief specialistrelief supervisorresource specialistsalvation armysalvation army bell ringerscascoutsoup kitchen volunteerstate eligibility consultantstudent volunteer experiencesubstance abuse counselor internsummer youth employeesyeptelefundraiserurban plannerurban planningvisitation facilitatorvolunteer administrative assistantvolunteer coordinatorvolunteer counsellorvolunteer workwic clerkwic nutritionistymca camp counseloryoung life leaderyouth advocateyouth care workeryouth case manageryouth development professionalyouth mentorzeta phi beta hope coordinator

Resume Success Stories

Statistics and Facts About Social Services Jobs

Average Annual Salary by Job Title

Social and Community Service Manager$65320
Social Worker$49470
Mental Health Counselor$44630
Correctional Officer$44330
Rehabilitation Counselor$38950
Social and Human Services Assistant$33750
017K35K52K70K
Source: BLS.gov/O*Net

Job Outlook by Job Title (2018–2028)

Mental Health Counselor22%
Social and Community service Manager13%
Social and Human Services Assistant13%
Social Worker11%
Rehabilitation Counselor10%
Correctional Officer2%
012.525
Source: BLS.gov/O*Net

Most Commonly Obtained Degree by Job Title

  • Mental health Counselor: Master’s degree
  • Rehabilitation Counselor: Master’s degree
  • Social Worker: Bachelor’s degree
  • Social and Community Service Manager: Bachelor’s degree
  • Social and Human Services Assistant: Bachelor’s degree
  • Correctional Officer: High school diploma

Source: O*NET

Most Common Majors in the Social Services Industry

Psychology14.3%
Public Administration and Social Service12.7%
Business11.5%
Social Sciences10.1%
Education7.22%
Protective Services7.21%
06.2512.518.7525
Source: DataUSA

Most Common Industries Hiring Social Workers

Individual and Family Services$292614
Administration of Human Resource Programs$99648
Hospitals$86740
Outpatient Care Centers$63579
Residential Care Facilities$50403
0100K200K300K
Source: DataUSA

Highest Paying Industries for Social Workers by Annual Salary

Pharmaceutical & Medicine Manufacturing$91424
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities$61857
Elementary and Secondary School$57599
Hospitals$56861
Scientific Research and Development Services$56723
025K50K75K100K
Source: DataUSA

Top Hiring States for Social and Community Service Managers

New York$13110
Pennsylvania$8300
Massachusetts$7420
Texas$5370
Ohio$4960
07K14K
Source: BLS.gov

States with Highest Annual Salary for Social and Community Service Managers

District of Columbia$101360
Rhode Island$96550
Virginia$89290
New Jersey$88570
New York$86700
025K50K75K100K
Source: BLS.gov

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