Care assistants are often unsung heroes who play a vital role in our society. Perhaps you’re aiming to work in your clients' homes, a care home setting, or in another capacity within the community. Whatever your situation, writing a well-crafted care assistant CV is the first step in landing your next role.
Being on the job hunt can feel tough for anyone. This might be especially true for you as a care assistant. After all, if you’ve made a career of supporting and providing value to those around you.
The good news is that care assistants are in high demand across the whole of the UK. But when you are applying for a role as a care assistant, it is paramount that you get your CV looking great. How can you do that?
By taking the same care with writing your experience down on paper that you would with one of your clients, of course!
CV guide for a care assistant CV
At Resume.io, we are here to help you to get your CV looking the part. Our wide range of CV examples and our CV builder are sure to help you secure an interview for your next care assistant role.
This CV guide and corresponding care assistant CV example will cover the following:
- How to write a care assistant CV
- Choosing the right CV format for a care assistant
- How to add your contact information
- Using summaries
- Adding your experience
- Listing your education and relevant care assistant certifications
- Picking the right CV design/layout
- What the care assistant job market looks like and what salary you can expect
How to write a care assistant CV
There should always be a clear structure to your teacher's CV. It is a good idea to jot this down before you start writing since hiring managers are often looking for the same, skimmable format. If you are prepared and know the direction you want your CV to go, it will also be much easier to write your CV well.
The very first step in writing your care assistant CV is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:
- The CV header
- The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The CV skills section
- The education section
You may also want to include other sections, such as awards or achievements. However, the sections above should be non-negotiables.
Your CV should be no more than two pages long. So, only include additional sections if it gives you something valuable to add alongside the other sections. The content of your CV should always be tailored to suit the job you are applying to, and more specifically, to the hiring manager's reading of your CV. The CV examples we have provided will show you the ideal length of a CV and our tips along the way will educate you on how to tailor each section for a role.
As part of your CV-tailoring journey, do your research on the company, the role, the department, and the hiring manager. This way, you will be able to put yourself in the right mindset as you write your care assistant CV. Plus, you will be prepared to show why your professional values line up with theirs.
You can use this strategy to create a winning CV:
- Tailor the CV for the care assistant role you want and adapt the style to suit the type of person who will potentially be reading your CV at your target organisation.
- Use a CV template that is easy to read and has a simple design.
- Make sure you use relevant keywords on your CV, as these will help you pass through ATS screening phase.
Optimise for the ATS
Many employers will employ an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before the hiring manager even gets a look at your CV. What does that mean? It means that your job application making it in front of human eyes is at the mercy of this algorithmic software. Luckily, we've got some tips for you to find your way around it.
- The ATS ranks job applications based on the presence of keywords. Make sure you use those keywords in your CV!
- Determine what the most important keywords are by reading through the job description.
- Mirror other key vocabulary in your CV by looking at the desirable skills and experience from the job description. Only include them if you are being truthful, of course!
Remember to make sure the writing on your care assistant CV still flows well. After all, when you pass the digital ATS you still want to impress the very real, very human hiring manager!
Choosing the best CV format for a care assistant
The best CV format and most popular one for a care assistant role is reverse chronological. The focus of this CV format is the employment section. We recommend this format because the hiring manager is usually most interested in seeing if you have recent relevant experience, which the reverse chronological makes it easy to see at a glance.
Don’t worry - even if you don’t have recent relevant experience, we’ve got a trick or two up our sleeves to help write an excellent employment history section. We’ll cover that later in this guide. However, if you have no previous experience as a care assistant or are entirely new to the workforce, you might want to consider functional or hybrid options.
The functional CV format is where the focus is on skills, and it is most prevalent among professionals with complex technical profiles or new job seekers. The combination or hybrid format is a combination of both of the functional and reverse chronological formats.
We suggest that you stick to the reverse chronological CV format for a care assistant role. However, the most important thing is that your CV format communicates your profile in a way that does it the most justice for the role at hand. Regardless of your format, our advice is to stick to a simple CV layout.
Include your contact information
The content of your CV should speak for itself. However, always keep functionality in mind. As well as making sure your name is clearly legible at the top of your CV, you want to make sure that it’s easy for the hiring manager to contact you. How can you do that? Add your contact details at the top of your CV.
Keep in mind the details we recommend you include when listing your contact information:
- Full name & title. List your first and last name. Make sure your title reads "care assistant".
- Professional email address. Make sure you have a professional-sounding email address that people can reach you at, such as [email protected].
- Phone number. List a number where you can be readily contacted. Don’t forget to make sure your voicemail greeting is appropriate, too.
- Location. Listing just your city is enough detail for this stage of your job hunt.
- LinkedIn. Depending on the sector you work in as a care assistant, LinkedIn can be a great place to brand your professional image for the job you're aiming for.
Don’t include:
- Date of birth: Adding your date of birth can make age discrimination easier. This could put you at a disadvantage when negotiating pay.
- Personal details: Some details are normal to share after you've signed a contract. But in the meantime, your marital status, national insurance number, and passport number are all things that can be kept private.
Make use of a summary
The summary (AKA the profile) of your care assistant's CV is where you tell the employer a bit about you. Just as you would introduce yourself to a new client, you can use this section to help give the hiring manager an understanding of who you are.
Remember that you should always approach this section with the reader in mind. Why should they read more of your CV? Why are you a great fit for this job in particular? You only need two or three statements in the summary. It should leave the reader with a strong insight into what has led you to apply for this role.
That means that being concise is key. It’s quicker and more descriptive if you use action verbs. You can also save on space by omitting “I” from each statement.
The summary should not be a duplicate of other information on your CV but rather showcase the highlights. Think of it as a teaser of what your professional profile is all about. Some aspects that you might like to focus on include your level of experience, your key impressive achievements, and what value you can provide.
You can find a care assistant CV sample summary below. If you want to peruse other CV examples for more summary ideas in jobs that have transferable skills with a care assistant, try reading our:
You can find adaptable care assistant example summaries below:
DBS-checked care assistant with experience volunteering in a dementia care facility. Able to create efficient patient rotas and monitor medication intake. Strong communication skills and commitment to providing exceptional care for elderly residents. Committed to continuous learning and development to enhance caregiving skills and contribute positively to the well-being of residents.
Care assistant with three years of experience working in home care, supporting elderly clients with day-to-day activities. Patient and reliable with a commitment to delivering the highest standard of care. Independent worker with the ability to work under pressure and manage time effectively. Specialising in care for dementia patients and their families.
Senior care assistant with over a decade of experience providing exceptional care to elderly residents. Proficient in administering medication, managing care plans, and coordinating with healthcare professionals to ensure optimal resident well-being. Skilled in fostering meaningful relationships with residents and their families, resulting in improved quality of life and satisfaction. Proven track record of leadership, mentoring junior staff, and implementing innovative care practices to enhance overall care standards.
Outline your care assistant work experience: a careful balance
As mentioned earlier, the reverse chronological format is the most popular one for a care assistant's CV. As such, you need to create an employment history section in yours with your current or most recent position listed first.
You can then work your way back to talk about previously held positions. Don't be afraid to mention other examples of work experience outside of your career as a care assistant. However, this is only useful if it offers relevant context about what makes you the professional you are today. It's all about getting the balance right. Include your experience that shows your technical proficiencies, but equally, you should mention aspects or previous roles that present you as a well-rounded professional and well-suited to the role.
For instance, if you have worked in jobs with transferable skills or worked in other roles in the healthcare or social care industry, then the hiring manager might like to know about it. The path into a care role is not linear. Many people have other careers or start down a different path before landing on a job path as a care assistant. It’s nothing to be ashamed of!
Create a subheading for each previous role. State your job title, employer, and the dates you were employed. You can create relevant bulleted statements underneath each subheading.
Once again, in these statements you can avoid using pronouns - in this case, “I”. Instead, focus on finding dynamic action verbs such as delivered, or managed to describe highlights in each role that are pertinent to the job you’re applying to.
Your goal should always be to inform the employer of the experience you have that is relevant to the role. If you don’t have any experience as a care assistant, focus on the aspects of roles you have had that may be transferable. For example:
- Provided a high level of customer service.
- Worked in a busy environment.
- Managed time effectively to meet deadlines.
As you become more experienced in the field, you will have more to talk about in this section. The golden standard to aim for is to list your achievements and results that you played a part in. Consider the below examples:
- Administered medications accurately and documented resident responses, resulting in maintained patient satisfaction and safety.
- Developed strong rapport with residents and their families, resulting in improved client satisfaction scores.
- Completed required documentation accurately and in a timely manner, resulting in improved compliance with regulations.
- Participated in team meetings and contributed insights to improve care practices, resulting in an improved score in resident satisfaction.
Some of our other CV examples could provide some further inspiration on how to draft a compelling previous work experience section.
You can find a care assistant employment history CV sample below.
Care Assistant at Homecare Belfast, Belfast
March 2020 - Present
- Providing individualised care to residents and helping them maintain their independence.
- Supporting residents with day-to-day activities, including washing, housekeeping, and shopping.
- Providing emotional support to residents as needed.
- Scheduling and leading meetings with family members to update them on patient conditions.
Care Assistant at 5 Star Care, Belfast
March 2019 - March 2020
- Aided residents with everyday activities including mealtime, bathing, and grooming.
- Assisted residents with organisation and cleaning of spaces and belongings.
- Built meaningful relationships with residents and offered emotional support through challenging situations.
- Drove residents to visit friends and family, collecting them and dropping them home.
How to write a care assistant CV with no experience
If you lack prior care experience, emphasise your transferable skills. Think about the ones that are especially relevant for a care assistant position. A good way to do this is to tailor your CV to align with the job specification. Highlight previous experience - even if it's from school or from a volunteer position - showing that you possess specific qualities that are mentioned in the job description.
You can also choose to focus on interpersonal skills such as empathy, communication, and patience. Not only are these crucial for providing quality care to residents, but they are excellent transferable skills for almost any job.
Additionally, you can emphasise other capacities that make you a well-rounded professional for this career. For instance your organisational skills, adaptability, and the ability to work effectively within a team. Even if you haven't worked in a care setting before, qualities such as these could help your chances. However, your best clue as to which skills and experience will best resonate with the hiring manager will always be found by reading the job description carefully.
Of course, you should also highlight any relevant training or certifications in the education section. But don't forget to express your eagerness to learn and contribute positively to the well-being of residents or patients. This can go further than you may anticipate. By emphasising transferable skills and aligning them with the job requirements, you can make a compelling case for your suitability as a care assistant, even if you are a newbie!
If you're looking for a sample CV for a care assistant with no experience, consider checking out our student CV example which is targeted to new professionals who are just entering the workforce.
Include your key skills relevant to being a care assistant
The hiring manager should get a good grasp of what you can offer through the skills section of your care assistant CV. You should aim to include a mix of both hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the technical skills that you learn in training as well as on the job. On the other hand, soft skills tend to be useful for a range of job types. However, in a career as a care assistant, your soft skills are an important part of the package.
Make sure you are highlighting technical skills and soft skills or qualities you can bring to a care assistant role. Here are some examples that you may choose to highlight in your skills section:
- Organisation: Organisational skills will help you to manage a rota of patients and manage the elements necessary for their care such as medication intake.
- Compassion: Empathy is an important soft skill for a diligent care assistant to provide a certain level of high-quality care.
- Medical equipment operation: Using machinery or equipment will be important in certain care settings, depending on your team and experience level as a care assistant.
- First aid and CPR: These may seem like fundamental skills if you've been doing this for a while but don't forget to reiterate the obvious if it's highlighted in the job description.
A general rule of thumb is to reiterate important keywords from the job description. This is true even if the skill is implied by the presence of a particular certification, qualification, or previous role. Never assume that something is made clear unless you've explicitly stated it. After all - you want your CV to be easy for the hiring manager to skim through.
Crafting a skillful CV
Don't forget that the skills you showcase to the hiring manager on your care assistant's CV extend well beyond your skills section. Consider how you are presenting the skills that are part of your professional profile in other sections, too. For instance, the summary and the bullet points in your previous employment section.
Look at the adaptable example below for more ideas of skills to include on your CV as a care assistant.
- Dedicated team player
- First Aid and CPR Trained
- Ability to Work Under Pressure
- Excellent Organisational Skills
- Ability to Manage and Monitor Patient Medication Intake
- Experienced in Creating Patient Rotas
- Compassionate and Empathetic Patient-first Approach
- Clean driving record
Detail your education & relevant care assistant certifications
Specific qualifications are often not required for a care assistant role. However, they will certainly improve your chances, especially in specialised care settings. Just as you would with the experience section of your care assistant CV, you can list your educational qualifications from the most recent to the earliest qualifications you earned.
If you have previous experience as a care assistant, it would be helpful to list any training you have received or, indeed, any self-directed studying you have undertaken. Many care assistants may have participated in an apprenticeship or completed a Healthcare Support Diploma. This is something that you can mention in the education section of your care assistant CV.
The following qualifications and training could be considered particularly relevant for a care assistant CV:
- Healthcare Support Diploma
- NCFE in health and social care
- Apprenticeship in adult care support, health, and social care, or similar
- Relevant college course in a related subject (such as an A level, GCSE, or BTEC)
On the other hand, you may find yourself in a position where you have no experience relating to a care assistant role, but you have a degree or other qualification relating to social work. In this case, you should still list your education. You may choose to implement bullet points underneath the subheading so that you can highlight the key transferable skills and learning that you gained from it. Make it abundantly clear to the hiring manager why the qualification is relevant.
BA Health and Social Care, University of Ulster, Belfast
April 2016 - July 2019
Pick the right resume layout and design for a care assistant CV
Now that we've guided you through how to write some care assistant CV content that will give you a great chance for an interview invitation, it's time to talk about the visual presentation. The quality of the content is, of course, the main priority. However, you don’t want to let yourself down with a poor layout and design.
Just as many of your patients still want to look their best, your CV should indicate to the manager that you take pride in the presentation of your work and your professional profile.
Hiring managers expect a top CV to be easy to follow, to be simply laid out, and error-free. For a care assistant CV, we recommend a simple font and a modest colour palette. A simple CV layout should do the trick. Some workplaces that are more traditional could warrant a professional CV layout.
Taking your time is key to creating the perfect care assistant CV. However, if design isn't your strong suit you can look at our CV templates, which offer guidance in getting the formatting just right.
Sleek content = sleek design
Creating a sleek design for your CV is helped with the use of a professional template. If you really want your CV to shine, then you will also need to consider the size of your CV sections.
A CV should be two pages long maximum. So, make sure that you aren't making your education and skills section longer than they need to be. For a professional with some experience, your previous employment section should take up the most space on your CV.
The key to every section, of course, is being selective with the information you choose to include. This will change depending on the job you apply to, so don't forget to tweak each version of your CV so it's uniquely suited to the job application.
Care assistant job market and outlook
With around 17,600 care homes in the UK and a considerably high staff turnover within the care sector, there is a constant need for care assistants. In addition, people across the globe are living longer. This means that the size of an elderly demographic is increasing, and therefore, so is the demand for care assistants.
If you are interested in further developing your career as a care assistant, you could research professional development opportunities such as the Workforce Development Fund, which supports high-quality care and training of staff in adult social care. An Advanced Learner Loan from the government could also help you with the costs associated with further training.
In the UK, the average hourly rate for care assistants is £11.15. Care assistants can often work flexibly, with shifts to cover a range of lifestyles. As there is a requirement for care assistants around the clock, there is often the potential to work part-time hours such as evenings and weekends.
More care assistants are employed in the UK than in many other healthcare professions, including nursing assistants, dental nurses, and ambulance staff. According to statistics, over 1.5 million people work as adult care assistants in the UK.
The high number of care assistants employed in the UK shows a huge demand, which seems to be constantly increasing. Care assistants can choose the setting they wish to work in, and with over 17,000 care homes operating in the UK, there is plenty of choice for people working in this sector.
In fact, according to insight from the Care Quality Commission, over 50% of respondents said they were having trouble securing new staff. Staff vacancy rates sat at around 7% in mid-2023. What type of salary you can expect as a care assistant?
Key takeaways for a care assistant CV
As a care assistant, you've taken on a role that's in high demand. It can be a challenging but rewarding career choice - and the stats show that you're in a great spot to secure your next role! Using the reverse chronological format to craft your care assistant's CV is going to put you in the best spot to land an interview for your ideal position.
So use the appropriate keywords throughout your CV from the job spec. Don't forget to tailor them to every individual job! You can finish it all off by choosing a CV layout that is clear and speaks to your professional nature.
