How to hire social and human service assistants

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping.
• Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions.
• Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients.
• Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history.
• Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients.
• Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance.
• Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior.
• Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking, monitoring and writing skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, psychology, therapy and counseling and English Language
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $22.08 an hour ($45,930 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for social and human service assistants

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What social and human service assistants do

• Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping.
• Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions.
• Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients.
• Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history.
• Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients.
• Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance.
• Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior.
• Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingMonitoringWritingCustomer and Personal ServicePsychologyTherapy and CounselingEnglish Language

Education, experience and outlook for social and human service assistants

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +7.4% over ten years, faster than average · about 48,900 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay social and human service assistants

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See social and human service assistants pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
• Counselors, All Other
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Healthcare Social Workers
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
• Social Workers, All Other
• Health Education Specialists

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.