Direct Support Professional Resume Examples
Land your desired job with help from our Direct Support Professional resume examples! We’ve got high-quality samples, plus tips for organizing and writing each resume section.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Direct Support Professional resume
summary examples
To make your resume pass the seven seconds recruiters spend eyeing a resume, write an impactful resume opener.
The resume summary consists of a two to three-sentence paragraph introducing yourself to potential employers by featuring your top skills and professional abilities.
Think of it like a business pitch. Your knowledge and experiences are the product you have to sell to the investor, in this case, the employer.
If you have plenty of work experience in your desired field, choose the professional summary approach.
If this is your first time applying for a Direct Support Professional position, use the objective statement, which allows you to share your skills as they relate to your career goals.
You can compare these two approaches in the examples below to determine which is better for your situation.
Good example:
“I am a Direct Support Professional with 5+ years of experience providing quality care and support to individuals with disabilities. I have a proven track record of creating positive and meaningful relationships with clients, while also maintaining a safe and secure environment. My experience includes developing individualized care plans, implementing therapeutic activities, and utilizing a strengths-based approach to ensure client needs are met.”
Why this example passes:
- Feature candidate’s success statistic to grab attention. Numbers add detail about how big the results you deliver are, e.g., test scores, passing rate and more.
- Shows career length, 11 years.
- Mentions employer-desired skills: student motivation and interactive lessons.
Bad example:
“ Experienced Direct Support Professional looking for a new opportunity. Passionate about helping others and providing quality care. Committed to making a difference in the lives of those I serve.”
Why this example fails:
- Doesn’t include any numbers that quantify direct support professional’s performance
- Uses vague descriptions and skills.
- Doesn’t include years of teaching experience.
The fastest way to write your
professional summary
The last thing you want is to miss out on a job because you didn’t apply in time. That’s why you should check out our Resume Builder.
It’s automated and offers pre-written content to help you write an excellent professional summary. You can complete your entire resume in 15 minutes!
- 1
Enter the details about the job title you held. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts.
- 2
Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
- 3
All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!
Our Builder is the quickest and easiest tool for writing a stellar Direct Support Professional resume. However, you can also dive deeper with our professional resume-writing services. Take advantage of all the tools LiveCareer offers and start landing interviews!
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Direct Support Professional resume work
experience examples
As an Direct Support Professional, your work experience section is crucial to convince employers you’re the best candidate. Picking job-relevant skills and achievements is vital to write a good resume since they must directly respond to the employer’s needs. The following work experience examples will help you identify the do’s and don’ts of writing this essential resume section.
Good example:
Rolling Meadows Middle School I Rolling Meadows, IL I 8/2018-current
- Provided direct care and assistance to individuals with developmental disabilities
- Developed and implemented daily activities to improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being of clients
- Collaborated with families and other care providers to ensure clients receive the best care possible
- Monitored client progress and reported any changes to the team lead.
Why this example passes:
- Numbers and statistics add detail and quantify the results this direct support professional delivers: 4% improvement and a class size of 20-25.
- Good use of strong words and active language.
- References specialized value cahier provides with “individualized lesson plans.”
Bad example:
Emily Dickinson Elementary I Redmond, WA I 4/2022-present
- Helped people with disabilities with daily activities
- Assisted with meal preparation
- Supported individuals with medical needs
- Provided transportation to appointments and activities.
Why this example fails:
- Lacks numbers or statistics.
- Describes general tasks, not teaching achievements or career highlights.
- Uses active verbs, but doesn’t focus on results.
Direct Support Professional resume skills examples
Here are 18 sample skills for direct support professional:
- Client Transportation
- Medication Administration
- Appointment Scheduling
- Behavioral Management
- Crisis Management
- Case Management
- Report Generation
- Progress Documentation
- Patient Care
- Patient Assessments
- Patient Education
- Client Support
- Clinical Quality Program Standards
- Chronic Disease Management
- Care Plan Management
- Care Delivery
- Goal Setting
- Direct Patient Care
You should sprinkle skills and abilities throughout your resume. Include them in your professional summary, work experience blurbs and a dedicated skills section.
Examples of additional resume sections
Your Direct Support Professional resume must include the following: contact information, resume summary, work experience, skills and education. These are the five main resume sections; however, you can customize your resume with additional sections.
Here are some examples of optional direct support professional resume sections that you could add to provide greater detail:
- References
- Certifications
- Additional skills
- Photo
- Overview
- Professional skills
- Soft skills
- Languages
Ensure you only share relevant qualifications in your resume’s additional sections. Better to have a concise resume that’s quick to read!
Examples of resume formats
Every resume has a specific layout to organize all sections, also called a resume format. You’ll see examples of the three resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
The main difference among them is whether or not they give more visual weight to your work history or to your skills section. The format you should select for your resume is based on your years of work experience as a direct support professional.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional formats
- Focus on skills.
- Best for first-time direct support professional who lack work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination formats
- Balance skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career direct support professional.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological formats
- Put the most focus on work history.
- Best for direct support professional with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a direct support professional resume template. Templates are preformatted layouts created by design professionals to ensure your resume looks amazing!
Don’t forget your direct support professional cover letter
A cover letter works hand-in-hand with your resume to make a stronger case for why you deserve the job.
We always recommend submitting a cover letter with your resume because it’s a great way to increase your chances of getting hired.
Cover letters are a supplemental document to your resume that allows you to do many things, such as provide more context on your work experience or the achievements listed on your resume. You can share your career story and how you envision progressing. And you can even add more accomplishments you couldn’t fit on your resume!
Writing a full-page cover letter also shows your critical thinking, attention to detail and communication skills. Sure, it’s extra work, but it pays off, primarily if you use our Cover Letter Builder.
Our Builder will create a completely personalized cover letter from the information on your resume or write it from scratch considering your job title and years of experience. You’ll be done in 15 minutes or less!
If you want more examples of what to include in your cover letter, you can browse all cover letter examples available.
Don’t forget to tie it all together in a stylish yet professional design, which you can find in our cover letter templates library.
Finally, check out our blog article on How to Write a Cover Letter for a deep dive into cover letters.
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