Skills And Characteristics Of Human Service Workers

Human service workers are a crucial element to the career field to assist people that have issues that have impacted his/her life. In order to have an effective profession in the human services field an individual should have some abilities and characteristics that will assist them throughout his or her profession. There are attributes that are thought about essential and damaging within the human service profession. Prior to a private starts his/her task as a human service employee he or she need to have or develop abilities that will assist them throughout their profession.

The author of this paper with response the concern of where and how can abilities be established to help in the formation of a successful human services worker and if there is such a thing as a natural born helper. Also, she will explain someone in her life she believes would be an exemplary human services employee and the characteristics and skills she possesses.

What individual qualities do you consider essential for an effective career? Which qualities should be thought about harmful? There are lots of personal attributes that people possess that will allow them to have an effective career within human services.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified writer

Proficient in: Communication

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

According to National Company for Human Services (n.d), "Human service experts and those who educate them, no matter whether they are students, faculty or practitioners, promote and encourage the special worths and qualities of human services" (para. 1). A few of the qualities the author of this paper thinks are essential for a successful career within human services are good communication abilities, respect for their clients, understanding the requirements of the customer and the background where they are coming from, and the understanding of what help the client requires.

There are also some characteristics that can be detrimental to one’s career within human services. The author believes that some detrimental characteristics a human service professional can possess that can be harmful to one’s career are a dual or multiple relationship with the client, discrimination towards the client, unethical behavior, and lack of knowledge for the client’s wellbeing. Are there specific skills which individuals need to have or develop before employment in the human services field? If so, which ones?

A specific skill that an individual in the human services field needs to have or can develop before he or she starts their job are social skills. Social skills are important because if an individual is not able to interact with others then he or she will be misunderstood by the client that they are helping (Scileppi, Teed, & Torres, p. 95, 2000). If a human service worker does not have good social skills it can bring stress on them and on the client (Scileppi, Teed, & Torres, p. 95, 2000). In an individual has good social skills it will increase the self-confidence, provide tools for social networking, and decrease the interpersonal conflicts (Scileppi, Teed, & Torres, p. 95, 2000). “Successful leaders invariably possess well-developed social skills, including listening and communication skills” (Scileppi, Teed, & Torres, 2000, p. 95).

Where and how can skills be developed to help in the formation of a successful human services worker? An individual that is going into the human service profession can go to school to get a degree in the career field. This degree will educate the individual on the history of human services, the importance, and how to deal with clients. Along with taking classes an individual can volunteer at establishments that provide human services to individuals. When an individual volunteers at an establishment it gives them a look at what he or she can experience and can give them an idea on what skills that he or she needs to acquire or work on before they begin their job.

Is there such a thing as a “natural born helper”? The author of this paper believes that an individuals are not natural born helpers. She believes that the way an individual is raised and the environment that he or she grows up in has an effect on how they treat others as they get older. If an individual is treated with respect and is shown how to treat others within the environment then it is more likely that they will do the same when they get older. Describe someone in your life you believe would be an exemplary human services worker.

What characteristics and skills does he or she possess? The individual that the author believes that would be exemplary human service worker would be her sister. Her sister is a very kind hearted person. She is the type of person that would help anyone no matter what it was and what it would take. She is the type of person that goes out of her way to get things done and puts the needs of others before hers. Some of the characteristics that her sister possess are kindness, understanding, sympathy, respect, genuineness, and self-determination. The skills that she possess are good communication, social interaction, and good work ethics. This shows that even if an individual is not a human service worker they can still possess characteristics and skills that can help someone if need be.

Conclusion

Human service workers are hardworking individuals that help individuals with situations that have come up in their lives that have impacted them in a negative way. There are characteristics and skills that have essential and detrimental effects on the success of one’s career. Individuals that are going into the human services career have places to go to obtain skills before he or she starts their career. The author of this paper with answered the questions of where and how an individual can develop skills to help in the formation of a successful human services worker and if there is such a thing as a natural born helper. Also, she described how she believes her sister would be an exemplary human services worker and the characteristics and skills she possesses.

References
National Organization for Human Services. (n.d). Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43:ethics&catid=19:site-content&Itemid=90 Scileppi, J. A., Teed, E. L., & Torres, R. D. (2000). Community psychology: A common sense approach to mental health. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.