Care Worker CV Guide

What to include in a Care Worker CV

Whether you want to apply for your first care worker role or are looking for a job change, knowing where to start when putting your CV together and what to include can be difficult. When creating a CV for a care worker job, you should include your contact information, a professional summary, education and training, work experience, key skills, achievements and references.

It is easier to break down your CV into manageable sections. Let us look at how to do this and the information you can include.

Contact information

Your contact information is the first section of your CV, which goes at the very top of the page. You should include your first and last name in bold, and you can also add your location, such as your town, city or county. You should also include a current and reliable phone number and a professional email address.

There is some information to avoid adding to your CV, including your full address, a photo, date of birth, age, marital status, religion, personal social media page and national insurance number. It is unnecessary and may lead to bias, discrimination and security risks.

Focus on the essential contact details to present a clean and professional image to potential employers.

Professional summary

A professional summary is also known as a personal statement or professional profile.  This section is crucial, as it is usually one of the first things an employer will read. It allows you to convey who you are, what you bring to the role and why you are perfect for the job. It also sets the tone for the rest of your CV and encourages the reader to read on.

Your summary should be a brief paragraph, ideally no longer than five sentences, that is placed at the top of your CV, typically below your contact information. Here are some pointers on what to include:

• Begin with a brief and strong statement that captures who you are and your years of experience, especially in care work. For example, “Compassionate and dedicated care worker with 5+ years of experience…”.
• Highlight relevant key skills and achievements and include specific examples, like “expert in providing emotional support and assistance with daily living activities”.
• Showcase relevant experience and particular areas of expertise, such as “proficient in dementia care and end-of-life support”.
• Convey your passion and commitment to care work by mentioning why you love the field. For example, “Passionate about improving the quality of life for elderly and disabled individuals”.
• Include any relevant certifications or training, e.g. care certificate, first aid, dementia care, mental capacity, etc.
• Include your career goals and what you hope to achieve in the role.

Here is an example of a professional summary for a care worker:

“Compassionate and dedicated care worker with 5+ years of experience providing high-quality care to elderly and disabled clients. Expert in emotional support, daily living assistance and dementia care. Known for strong communication skills, empathy and reliability. Certified in First Aid and CPR. Passionate about enhancing the quality of life for those in need and committed to maintaining the highest standards of care.”

Ensure you tailor your professional summary to each care worker job you apply for to reflect your specific skills and experience.

Education

You can add your education or put your work experience first. It is at your discretion, but you should prioritise and list the most important and relevant sections first. For example, if you are a recent graduate, highlight your education. If you have years of experience, your work history should come first.

When employers look at your CV, they will want to see that you have qualifications and training relevant to care work. Alternatively, if they do not ask for specific credentials, they may want you to highlight your GCSEs and other training where you developed transferable skills.

Adding your education to your CV is straightforward, but do it in a way that highlights the most relevant information. Your qualifications and training should be in chronological order (the most recent first), and you can structure it in the following way:

• Education section title – label this section clearly, e.g. “Education” or “Educational Background”.
• List your qualifications – start with your most recent and relevant qualifications. Include the following details for each:
  • Qualification name, e.g. “NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care” or “Diploma in Health and Social Care”.
  • Institution name – the name of the school, college or training provider.
  • Location – include the town, city or county.
  • Dates attended – the period you attended, for example, “September 2018 – June 2020”.
  • Grades awarded or anticipated – if relevant.
• Include relevant courses – if you have taken specific courses or training applicable to care work, list them as well. For instance, “First Aid Training” or “Safeguarding Adults”.

Work experience/employment history

Your work experience (employment history) section can go after your professional summary or education. It demonstrates your practical skills, reliability and hands-on experience in real-world settings. It helps employers gauge your ability to handle the job demands and provides concrete evidence of your expertise and dedication to care work.

When adding your work experience to your CV, ensure your roles are in reverse chronological order (most recent first). If you have had many jobs, you should prioritise listing the most relevant and recent ones. Here are some examples of what to include:

• Heading: Include a heading, “Work Experience” or “Employment History”.
• Job title: Clearly state your job title for each of your previous roles, e.g. “Care Assistant,” “Home Care Worker,” or “Health Care Assistant”.
• Employer/organisation name: Include the name of the organisation you worked for.
• Location: Add where you worked, i.e. town, city or county.
• Dates of employment: Mention the month and year you started and ended each role.
• Key duties: Highlight your key responsibilities in bullet point form. Keep it brief and aim for three to five bullet points. You can also add your notable achievements or have a separate section.

Here is an example:

Care Assistant.
Sunrise Care Home, Birmingham.
January 2022 – present.

• Assisted residents with daily living activities, including bathing, dressing and grooming, ensuring their comfort and dignity.
• Provided emotional support and companionship to residents, helping to improve their mental well-being.
• Administered medications as per care plans and monitored residents for any adverse reactions.
• Ensured a clean and safe environment by adhering to health and safety guidelines and infection control protocols.
• Supported residents in social and recreational activities to enhance their quality of life.

You can also include your notable achievements, i.e. measurable outcomes, in this section, your skills or have a separate section if you have many stand-out accomplishments.

If you are applying for your first care worker role, you can use this section to focus on transferable skills gained in other jobs, voluntary positions, internships and placements.

Key skills and achievements

Another vital section to include in your CV is your key skills and achievements. Skills are abilities and expertise you develop through learning, practice and experience. They enable you to perform tasks and solve problems effectively. There are two main types of skills, which are:

• Hard skills – are technical, measurable and job-specific abilities, often learned through formal education, training programs or hands-on experience. Some examples of hard skills for a care worker include basic medical knowledge, personal care skills, medication administration, first aid and CPR, infection control, food hygiene, safeguarding and health and safety.
• Soft skills – are interpersonal and non-technical abilities that influence how you interact and work with others. They are often more challenging to measure. Some examples of soft skills for a care worker include empathy, patience, resilience, compassion, adaptability, communication, teamwork and problem-solving.

Look at the job description to see the skills mentioned and match your skills accordingly. Think about those care workers use daily, and add a blend of hard and soft skills to demonstrate your suitability for the role.

Some organisations use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for specific words in CVs. Therefore, using keywords from the job posting can increase your chances of a successful application.

You can add your achievements to this section or include them in your work experience. We will look at how to focus on your achievements later.

Other information

The main sections of your CV should be your contact information, professional summary, education, work experience, key skills, achievements and references. However, you can add additional sections if you have space on your CV and think it would increase you chances of getting an interview invite. Some other sections you may want to consider are as follows:

• Volunteer experience – showcase any volunteer work related to caregiving or healthcare. You can also include experience not directly related to care work if it demonstrates that you are kind and helpful. Maybe you helped at a local charity or assisted with a community event? It is fantastic for showing your character.
• Certifications and training – highlight any relevant certifications or specialised training you have completed, such as the care certificate, first aid, CPR, dementia care, etc. It shows you are keen to learn and improve.
• Languages – list any languages you speak if you can provide care in multiple languages.
• Hobbies and interests – you could add a short section about your hobbies and interests, especially if they relate to caring. For example, if you enjoy spending time with older relatives or helping out neighbours. Just keep it brief and positive. It can make your CV more personable and help employers get to know you better.
• Driving licence and DBS – if the care work job requires you to drive, e.g. in the community, ensure you include your driving licence information. You can also add details of a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check to your CV and the type, e.g. Basic, Standard or Enhanced.

Incorporating these sections into your CV can make you stand out to potential employers. However, do not add too many sections, as it can make your CV look cluttered. Only include information related to the care worker job you are applying for.

References

The reference section is typically the last one in your CV and where you choose people (also known as referees) who can tell potential employers about your skills, experience and character. It is vital to select good referees who can vouch for you and provide a positive and helpful reference. You could ask a previous employer, teacher, tutor, volunteer coordinator or someone else who has seen you being caring and responsible.

Once you have chosen your references, look at the job posting to see if it requests their details. If it does not, you can add “references available upon request” under the section title, which is particularly useful if you have limited space on your CV.

If you do need to add details of your referees for the job you are applying for, you should include the following information for each reference:

• Reference name – the full name of the person providing the reference.
• Job title – their job title or role within the organisation.
• Company/organisation – the name of the company or organisation they work for.
• Contact information – provide their email address and phone number.
• Relationship – briefly describe your relationship with the reference (e.g. “Former Supervisor,” “Colleague,” “Mentor”.

Remember to ask for permission from your referees before including their details on your CV. This way, they are prepared and can provide a positive and timely response when contacted by potential employers. Also, ensure their details are accurate and kept up-to-date.