Caregiver Resume Example
A career as a caregiver typically involves providing personal care and administering prescribed medications. For a successful caregiver application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll discuss how to create a caregiver resume that catches the eye of employers, with tips and examples to help you write your own.
This comprehensive guide will give you all the tools you need to craft a caregiver resume that positions you strongly against other candidates. You'll learn how to show employers you've got the relevant qualities, skills and experience for the job, all presented in a format that employers prefer to see. The article also includes tips for formatting your resume according to your experience and strengths. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your caregiver resume.
Main elements of a caregiver resume
Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a caregiver resume being no different. If you're lacking relevant work experience, you might choose to add sections that showcase your skill set earlier than in a traditional resume layout. These sections might include projects, education, hobbies and interests, skills and other optional sections.
While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:
Header and Personal Information
A caregiver resume header contains your name and contact information. Add your first and last name, your phone number and your email address. Include your address or location, but avoid adding any other personal information. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can add the URL to your header so the hiring manager can get a better understanding of your work history and experience. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.
Only include professional, name-based email addresses in your resume header. If you have an old email address that uses nicknames, puns, references to your personal interests or anything else that could appear unprofessional, set up a new email just for your job applications. Finally, always double-check your contact details are correct and up-to-date before sending your resume.
Benjamin Moore
benjamin.moore@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
linkedin․com/in/benjamin–moore123
Resume Summary
The next section is the resume summary. The section might also be called 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. This is a brief introduction to you, your key skills and your career achievements and ambitions. While a resume summary focuses on your career achievements and experience, a resume objective typically focuses on your ambitions for the future. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for caregiver roles.
Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.
The best resume summaries reflect the job description and focus on qualities that are relevant to working as a caregiver, while highlighting elements of your personality that make you an ideal candidate. They also quantify the information provided with evidence. The graphic below showcases some good examples of what to include in your caregiver resume summary.
Good example:
Experienced Personal Care Assistant with a strong background in providing compassionate and personalized care to individuals with diverse needs. Skilled in assisting with daily living activities, administering medication, and ensuring a safe and comfortable environment. Proven ability to build trusting relationships with clients and their families, demonstrating patience, empathy, and excellent communication skills. Adept at handling emergency situations and maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times. Dedicated to promoting the well-being and independence of those in my care
Bad example:
Personal care assistant with some experience in helping people with their daily needs. Have worked in roles where I provided support and ensured a comfortable setting. Known for being patient and communicating well with those I assist. Able to handle urgent situations and keep things private. Focused on supporting the independence and well-being of individuals under my care
Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.
Skills
The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for caregiver roles. Whether your skills include medication administration proficiency, problem-solving abilities or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Additionally, read the job description to make sure your skills match those required for caregiver positions. You could also include some unique skills that help you stand out as a candidate.
Listing hard skills on your caregiver resume
For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a caregiver. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a caregiver resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. Include around four or five key hard skills that are listed in the job description. These skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you're a good fit for the position.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for a caregiver resume.
- Medical terminology knowledge
- Medication administration proficiency
- First aid/CPR certification
Adding soft skills to your caregiver resume
Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. Think of your best soft skills and add up to five that match the requirements of the job description.
An effective caregiver resume soft skills section should be targeted to include skills that reflect your personality and unique characteristics, while also matching the job description. The graphic below includes some examples of good resume soft skills.
- Empathy and compassion
- Effective communication skills
- Problem-solving abilities
Education
The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as a caregiver.
Working as a caregiver doesn't usually require a degree. Even though a degree-level education isn't a necessity, it's still important to highlight your key educational achievements, including a CPR Certification or other courses or training that showcases your medical terminology knowledge or medication administration proficiency.
List your relevant qualifications in reverse-chronological order. Add the name and level of the award, the institution, its location (if this isn't obvious from the name) and your dates of study. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.
Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 2017 - 2020
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
Certifications
Under certifications and licenses, add any further qualifications that show you're a good fit for the job. These might be licenses that show you're qualified to operate certain equipment, or certifications that give you the edge over candidates with otherwise similar career history. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.
Take a look at some example certifications for a caregiver resume below:
- CPR Certification, 2022
- First Aid, 2022
- CNA Certification, 2022
Work History
Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a caregiver position. Add each previous employment in reverse-chronological order. This means starting from your current or most recent role and working back in time from there. Include your job title, the company name, the location of the job and your dates of employment.
For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.
A good resume work experience section includes your most relevant previous jobs and highlights your key achievements in each role. To make the best possible impression on hiring managers, make sure each entry in your work experience section references skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you added value to each role with quantifiable evidence and outcomes. Review some strong examples of resume work experience sections in the graphic below.
Good example:
Personal Care Assistant, January 2022 - Present
TenderHands Care Services, Anchorage
- Provided compassionate care to over 20 clients, enhancing their quality of life and ensuring their daily needs were met
- Successfully administered medication and managed care plans, achieving a 98% compliance rate and reducing hospital readmissions
- Trained and mentored new staff, resulting in improved team efficiency and higher patient satisfaction scores by 25%
Bad example:
Personal Care Assistant, January 2022 - Present
TenderHands Care Services, Anchorage
- Assisted clients with daily activities, fostering a supportive environment
- Collaborated with team members to improve care delivery
- Maintained client records and ensured compliance with protocols
In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. A bad resume work experience section might fail to address skills and achievements that relate directly to the job description. Falling back on clichés, vague descriptions and basic responsibilities, rather than showing the impact you made, is likely to disengage the reader.
Hear from experts:
Emphasize hands-on experience and relevant skills, such as customer service, teamwork, or problem-solving, to showcase your readiness for the role. (1) Use bullet points to organize your resume and keep it easy to read, especially for hiring managers scanning for key qualifications. (2)
Optional Sections
To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a caregiver resume. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.
Personal Interests
Adding your hobbies and interests is a legitimate way of showing off your skills and personal qualities. Consider listing hobbies and interests to help your resume stand out, or to provide the employer with some insight into your personality and wider interests. They're perfect for candidates who might lack genuine work experience as a caregiver. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Voluntary Work
Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for caregiver roles. Write your volunteer section in a similar format to your work experience, including your role, the organization name, relevant dates and the details of your contribution.
References
It's relatively unusual to include references in a standard caregiver resume, but they are required occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.
References can be provided upon request.
Best strong verbs for your a caregiver resume
Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Add strong verbs from the list below to create a greater impact with your work experience section.
- Assist
- Support
- Manage
- Coordinate
- Monitor
- Communicate
- Advocate
- Implement
- Document
- Collaborate
Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.
Example of a caregiver resume
The caregiver resume example below incorporates all the information from above into a full-designed resume template, so you can see how a final resume will look:
742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
•
benjamin.moore@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/benjamin–moore123
Dedicated and compassionate Personal Care Assistant with extensive experience in providing high-quality care to individuals with diverse needs. Proficient in daily living assistance, medication management, mobility support, and personal hygiene care. Adept at creating a safe and comfortable environment while maintaining patient dignity and confidentiality. Strong communication skills with the ability to build trusting relationships with clients and their families. Certified in CPR and First Aid.
Personal Care Assistant
2020
-2022
CareCompanion Services (Denver)
- Provided compassionate daily care to 15+ elderly clients, assisting with personal hygiene, meal preparation, and medication management
- Trained and supervised a team of 5 junior assistants, ensuring adherence to best care practices and safety protocols
- Developed personalized care plans, enhancing client well-being and satisfaction, resulting in a 95% client retention rate
Medical terminology knowledge
Medication administration proficiency
First aid/CPR certification
Empathy and compassion
Effective communication skills
Problem-solving abilities
CPR Certification
First Aid
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Do's and don'ts of a caregiver resume
Tips to write the best resume
- List key skills throughout your resume that show you're a good fit for the role, and include a separate 'skills' section.
- Use a clear, professional resume format to make your document as accessible as possible, including a readable font and appropriate headings, margins and line spacing. This will make your resume easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read.
- Add each relevant job in reverse-chronological order, beginning with your current or most recent position and working back from there.
- Read your resume carefully before sending it, to avoid errors that could prove costly to your chances.
- Tailor your resume to the job you're applying for by consulting the job description and using keywords throughout your document.
Avoid these common mistakes on your resume
- Don't include personal details beyond your name, location and contact details. Adding your age, gender, nationality or a photo can create unwanted hiring bias.
- Don't use passive language because it's less engaging for the reader. Change phrases like 'the target was exceeded' to 'I helped the team exceed the target'.
- Don't lie or exaggerate the details of your caregiver career or education, as this can backfire later in the recruitment process.
- Don't use overly decorative formatting and layouts that can detract from the content and make your caregiver resume harder for scanning by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Don't use an email address that contains unprofessional content, and if necessary create a new, more professional email address.
Guide to making your resume ATS-friendly
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. When drafting your caregiver resume, there are a few guidelines to follow to give you the best chance of passing the ATS screening stage and progressing with your application.
Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:
- Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
- Add keywords throughout your resume that help ATS software match your application to the job description. A higher match means your application is more likely to proceed to be reviewed by human eyes.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
- Adopt simple, professional language to keep your resume as concise as possible. This tends to make your document more readable, and easier for ATS software to scan.
For help crafting a winning resume, read our in-depth career blog and review our resume examples for inspiration.
A caregiver resume FAQs
Alongside your caregiver resume, it's important to produce a professional cover letter that creates a similar positive impact on the reader.
Firstly, choose whether you're going to write a full cover letter, or whether a brief email confirming your application and drawing attention to your resume will be sufficient.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to caregiver roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
Jobseeker's HR-approved cover letter templates can help you produce a cover letter that really catches the eye of employers.
For an experienced caregiver application, the objective of your resume is to showcase the many achievements in your career to date. Your caregiver resume is likely to have a longer work experience section than resumes for less experienced candidates, any you may wish to go back further than the standard 10 to 15 years of employment history, depending on your experience levels. In your caregiver resume, think about any optional sections you could add to help prove your standing and reputation in your industry. Sections such as awards, achievements and projects can build a picture of your career successes to date.
A resume headline can catch the attention of the reader and give them a strong first impression about your suitability for caregiver jobs. Resume headlines are also helpful for the ATS stage of the recruitment process, as they can help you reference the job title and one or two keywords for the role. Write a few words to set the tone for your resume, including the job title, your experience or track record and one or two key skills that make you stand out.
See below for an example of a well-constructed resume headline:
- Aspiring and Compassionate Junior Caregiver
- Compassionate and Reliable Caregiver Professional
- Experienced Senior Care Specialist
The best format for your resume depends on two key factors. Firstly, the amount of relevant work experience you have. Secondly, the type of role and its level of seniority. For entry-level roles, or situations where you're changing to a new career, a functional resume is often the best option. This places your skills and education above your work experience. On the other hand, if you're experienced in your industry or applying for senior positions, a traditional, reverse chronological resume format is usually best. This places most emphasis on your work experience.
Key points for your caregiver resume
Writing a strong, impactful resume is about using your experience to demonstrate your relevant skills and achievements. You can do this through your work history or other resume sections. Choose a resume structure that makes the most of your relevant experience, whether through work or other activities, and be sure to tailor your resume to match the job description.
Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
