Someone who wishes to pursue a career in the human services industry – defined the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations – needs to possess certain qualities in order to be successful in this type of work. For instance, the individual must be dedicated to helping people. If the individual is working to improve the lives of people with special needs, he or she should have a strong sense of conviction to do that type of work. This level of dedication will help someone to follow through with challenging tasks and projects.
Consider some other qualities that can help a person to be successful as a professional in the human services industry:
Persistence.
Someone who is pursuing a career in the human services industry should have a great deal of persistence. For instance, it can be difficult to get funding for various projects and programs that can be helpful to people with special needs. An individual with the quality of persistence will be likely to get the funding needed to help a particular group of people. In addition, a person who is persistent will not be deterred by setbacks. Instead of being discouraged, the individual will figure out other ways to solve an issue or get the results he or she is looking for. Lindsey Stone is an example of an individual with persistence who is working in the field of human services.
A Love of Learning.
An individual in the human services industry should be excited about adding to his or her store of knowledge. This person must always be on the lookout for articles, seminars, workshops and books that offer new information about people with special needs. For instance, a human services professional may make it a priority to read an article a day regarding advances in teaching basic skills to individuals with special needs. Someone who is always learning something new is able to incorporate that knowledge into his or her daily work. This improves the quality of the person’s work and allows him or her to better serve clients. Also, it helps the person to maintain enthusiasm about the work he or she is doing.
A Good Communicator.
A person working in the human services industry communicates with others throughout the day. In short, this is not solitary work. For instance, a professional may talk to business owners or directors in government agencies about funding for various programs. In addition, the individual must communicate in an effective way with others in his or her office. Building relationships with colleagues and clients is important in the human services industry. Of course, communication extends to the written word as well. A person working in this industry should be able to draft grants, letters and other important documents. Knowledge of the proper form for these documents and the type of language used in them are both important. These are all materials used in the process of getting funding for programs.
Compromise.
Finally, an individual who is thinking about pursuing a career in the human services industry must be willing to compromise on various issues. For example, sometimes the details of a fundraising project have to be adjusted in order to make it work. In short, the professional must be willing to make these adjustments in order to get the best possible results for his or her organization and the clients it serves.
