In 2019, the average salary for a role in community and social services got paid $46,090 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, anyone who works in social services knows, the big reward comes from the positive impact made on individuals and communities. Part of the reason that jobs in social services tend to pay a bit above the median average for U.S. jobs is the fact that many roles in this field require advanced degrees. As with all resumes, you will need the five main sections: contact information, professional summary or objective statement, skills, work history and education. The main selling points of your social services resume should be found in your skills and work experience sections. Those are the main spaces where you have to show employers that you’re the right person for the job. It’s also good practice to try to include some numbers on your resume to give a scope of your work to hiring managers. It’s important that you have a portfolio ready to showcase strong examples of your work in addition to your resume. Today, most writers keep websites that serve as online portfolios for the ease of sharing with employers.
Work in social services may be harder to quantify than some careers, but think of ways that you can paint a clearer picture of what your workload and responsibilities looked like. For example, a social worker could include figures like this to better convey the impact and breadth of their work: Attained a 87% success rate for client employment or job-program enrollment Moderate 4-6 weekly group therapy meetings
Supervise two student social workers Counsel 8-10 at-risk teens from varied ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds Integrity is a huge part of being a social worker, so while you want to use numbers that communicate the power of your work, never lie or fluff up numbers on your resume.