How To Write a Care Assistant CV

Becoming a care assistant is a highly rewarding career choice that will make a significant difference in the lives of the people you work with. If you're looking to begin your career as a care assistant or applying for a new job, you need to provide a strong CV to potential employers. Effective CVs help prove to recruiters you have the skills necessary to work as a care assistant. In this article, we offer advice to help you create your CV, with examples of how to structure the document and some of the key skills you should include.

What is a care assistant CV?

Care assistant CVs are job application tools for healthcare professionals who provide care services to those who can't perform them for themselves. CVs are documents that contain a professional's skills, work history, education and other important aspects of their professional life. The requirements for care assistants vary, but each professional can impress recruiters with by creating a CV that accurately displays their professional proficiencies.

How to structure a care assistant CV

Now that you have some general tips on what you should and shouldn't do when writing your CV, it's important to know which information to include. Follow these steps to understand how to create your CV:

1. List your contact details

Include your name and contact details at the top of your CV. State your name, phone number (both home and mobile, if possible), email address and physical address. Listing your contact details at the top of your CV makes it easier for recruiters to find your information and contact you later.

Example:

Mary Bills Birmingham B18 6NF
Mobile: +44 (0)1xxx xxxxxx
Email: marybills@emailprovider.com

2. Write a personal statement

A personal statement is an introductory paragraph that summarises your qualifications, skills and work experience related to the care industry. You can think of it as a preview before you go into greater detail and it is an opportunity to make a strong first impression. To write an appropriate care assistant CV, remember the following tips:

• Make the most of the available space by avoiding generalisations and focusing on qualifications, experience and skills related to working as a care assistant.

• Research working as a care assistant before writing your summary and try to include some relevant keywords. This will show recruiters that you have an understanding of the role.

• Remember that your personal statement should be clear and concise, featuring only the most relevant experience and skills.

Example:

A hardworking and motivated care assistant with a passion for helping and caring for others and more than ten years of care home experience, working directly with patients and residents. I find it extremely rewarding to help people maintain their independence while assisting them with tasks that they are unable to complete alone.

Read more: How To Write an Attention-Grabbing Personal Statement

3. Add a section for your skills

You can arrange your skills section in a series of bullet points. Your goal here is to ensure that the recruiter can gain an understanding of your skill set and suitability for the position by quickly reading your most relevant skills. If you aren't sure which skills are relevant, take the time to do some research and find out which of your skills best align with the role.

Example:

• Patient care

• First aid training

• Comprehensive understanding of hygiene

• Strong communication

• Teamwork

• Patience

• Observational skills

• Problem-solving

Related: 7 Essential Personal Assistant Skills

4. Describe your work experience

When detailing your work history, your most recent job should be placed first, working backwards to your earliest roles. You should focus on your professional career but it's worth including any volunteer roles that are relevant to working as a care assistant, particularly if you lack professional experience. List the company, the years you worked there and your role.

These role descriptions are another opportunity to convey some of your skills and abilities. They add context to your list of skills. For example, if you previously mentioned that teamwork is one of your skills and you worked as part of a team, include that information to reinforce the point.

An example of a description could say:

Worked as part of a team that provided care for elderly people living in Lewisham. Helped the elderly maintain their independence by conducting daily visits to their homes and performing various tasks, depending on their individual needs.

Beneath this description, list your key responsibilities in bullet points to create a clear outline. Example:

• Focused on the individual's personal hygiene.

• Provided mental stimulation by conversing with individuals who otherwise lacked social interaction.

• Managed clients' care logs and ensured they had taken any prescribed medication.

• Helped organise clients' medication to ensure it was easy for them to take.

• Monitored the environment of the home and assisted with necessary cleaning that clients were unable to perform.

• Provided support to relatives and friends who were struggling to cope with caring for the elderly.

5. Add your education qualifications

Providing a full history of your time in education is important for recruiters and can reinforce the skills you have mentioned in your CV. Describe your achievements, including your GCSEs, A-Levels, degrees and other qualifications in relevant areas such as nursing and social work. Any relevant certifications will add credibility to your CV.

Related: How to Become a Social Worker

Tips for writing a care assistant CV

CVs usually follow a basic structure and include your qualifications, work experience, education and personal details. Try to follow these tips on how to write a care assistant CV:

• Use minimal imagery such as company logos and photos in your CV. It might seem as though these additions will make your CV more visually appealing but, in reality, the imagery might distract recruiters from focusing on your skills and other relevant information.

• Use a standard black font for your text. There are professions where you might use more creative CV design but your care assistant application should follow the conventions of a traditional CV.

• Enhance the readability of your CV. Separate the information in your CV by using headers, bullet points and short paragraphs. This makes it easier for the reader to find necessary information.

• Your CV should not be longer than two sides of A4 paper. You might feel as though you have more to include, which is a positive, but limiting yourself to two pages means you will be more selective and only include the most relevant information.

  Read more: CV Format Guide: Examples and Tips

Skills to include in a care assistant CV

Everybody is different but there are essential skills that potential employers will look for when hiring a care assistant. If you feel you possess these skills, make sure to include them in your CV:

Safeguarding

When working with the vulnerable and elderly, it is vital that you understand the importance of safeguarding. This means ensuring that clients are living free of neglect and abuse. If you suspect that any client is being mistreated by their family or others, you must be willing to take action by contacting the appropriate groups.

Related: How to Write a Skills-Based CV: Template and Examples

End of life care

Many care assistants will work with patients suffering from a terminal illness. This can be difficult for professionals and clients but a care assistant can make a tremendous difference to the quality of life of people during their final days. If you have experience working in end of life care, it will reassure potential employers that you are capable of doing so.

Medical care

If you have qualifications or experience in delivering medication to clients, mention this in your CV. Many elderly clients are required to take daily medication and a care assistant should ensure that they are following these instructions. In some cases, having experience or a proficient skill level in medical care may give you an advantage over other job candidates.

Personal care

Personal care takes many forms but it fundamentally refers to ensuring the wellbeing of clients. Whether this is medical, hygienic or simply providing a familiar face and social interaction to people who might otherwise lack any company, express that you understand the importance of this skill. Providing personal care tasks is a crucial aspect of a care assistant's job, so it's beneficial to include this.

Related: What are care assistant duties and key skills? (Plus salary)

Confidentiality

You must be able to protect the confidentiality of your clients while working as a care assistant. You might be the only personal interaction that a client has and they must know they can speak to you in confidence. In most workplaces, breaching client confidentiality is against company policy.

Hygiene

When working as a care assistant, you need to ensure that your personal hygiene is exemplary for the sake of vulnerable clients. You might also need to assist them with their hygiene, which some will find difficult to maintain alone. Because of this, having basic knowledge and a strong skill level in hygienic tasks is beneficial to care assistants.

Following instructions

Some clients might have very specific care instructions and it will be your responsibility to adhere to them. Showing that you have the necessary attitude to closely follow instructions will be a significant benefit to you when embarking on a career as a care assistant. This skill also often shows recruiters you are willing and able to follow company policies as well.