Free Downloadable Social Services Resume Templates and Expert Writing Tips

9 Social Services Resume Examples

Every resume falls under one of the three resume styles or formats, which are chronological, combination and functional. These formats organize your resume in a way that highlights your strengths and masks your weaknesses.

Check out our social services resume examples for each format below and choose the one that suits you the most:

Chronological Resume

The most common resume is the chronological format, which highlights the candidate’s professional experience by describing a detailed work history in reverse chronological order.

Candidates with years of professional experience under their belt applying for senior positions like case manager, counselor or advanced applied behavior analyst would benefit from this format.

• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  1. Case Manager: Individuals that ensure proper care for the client’s mental, physical and emotional well-being. They are responsible for creating the most efficient and cost-effective treatment plans. The detailed work history takes center stage and shows you have the experience to deal with any case.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  2. Counselor: It is essential for candidates seeking this job to listen to their patients carefully, analyze their dilemmas and identify the underlying problems. Having the work history in reverse chronological order makes it easier for the recruiter to assess the candidate’s career growth.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  3. Juvenile Court Liaison: Essential professionals throughout the social services field, these individuals make sure the court processes occur legally and orderly for children and underage young adults. This resume reflects the applicant's expertise as a liaison by showcasing her experiences in the various departments dealing with youth.

Combination Resume

Candidates who want to display their social skills and prowess in detail should opt for the combination resume. This resume format gives equal attention to the individual’s skills and work history. As a social services professional, you can highlight the critical skills you’ve acquired, like communication and behavior treatment combined with solid experience working in the courts, private institutions or nonprofit organizations.

Job seekers who have less than 10 years of experience, who are changing careers, looking to gain a promotion or returning to the workforce after a break can all use this resume to their benefit. Below are a few social service roles for which a combination resume would be ideal:

• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  1. Behavior Technician: These technicians work one-on-one with patients to understand and help them improve their conditions. This role requires candidates to have empathy and excellent communication skills, both of which are successfully expressed in Harley Evan’s resume with the help of quantifiable work achievements.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  2. School Social Worker: School social workers help create educational plans to decrease students’ academic pressure and help them thrive in all areas of their education. In a combination resume, you can place the skills section above the work history section so recruiters get an idea of your skill set and how they helped you fulfill the achievements on your work history.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  3. Social Work Assistant: Social work can involve multiple responsibilities, from assisting the elderly in daily tasks to working with war veterans suffering from PTSD. An assistant in this field should have varied experiences, just like Gabe Cooper has in his resume. Paired with the right skill set, you'll be able to get hired in this position and move on up as you gain more experience.

Functional Resume

Entry-level candidates with little to no job experience use functional resumes to highlight their skills while downplaying their limited work history. Unlike the previous two formats, the work history is sidelined, and instead, the skill section is the main event, giving employers a better understanding of the individual’s top three job-relevant skills.

This format is not as common as the others and recruiters often value work experience over acquired skills. However, using this resume format in less formal work settings like a small organization or an internship position will do the trick if you want to get your foot in the door.

If you have the interpersonal, communication and collaborative skills to work in the social services field, you should use the functional format for job openings like the following:

• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  1. Child Welfare Specialist: This role requires knowledge of patient care along with the administrative and organization skills to take care of the various arrangements in the adoption or fostering process. The expansion of administrative assistance and social support work skills in this resume makes up for the candidate’s lack of experience.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  2. Medical Social Worker: These individuals help patients and their families understand their ailments better to prepare them emotionally and financially. A summary of qualifications and a detailed bulleted skill section replace the elaborate work history entries in the resume above.
• Use this Template

  Use this Template
  3. Social Science Research Assistant: These research assistants analyze interpersonal human interaction from a mass of data acquired on evaluations and reports. The functional format is suitable for candidates that want to highlight their data management and research skills for this job despite a lack of experience in the field or in this particular role.