Nursery Nurse CV Guide

What to include in a Nursery Nurse CV

You may see many CV examples and templates. However, your CV should be specific to you, your qualifications, experience, skills, and the nursery nurse position. A generic and rushed CV will look like you do not care about the role and is unlikely to grab the attention of employers, potentially resulting in an unsuccessful application.

Your CV is usually the first thing employers will see. A well-structured, clear, and professional CV creates a positive first impression and sets you apart from other candidates, as you will likely compete with many others. Employers often sift through countless applications, so a well-crafted CV can quickly grab their attention and make you stand out. Here are some pointers for what to include and how to create a good impression.

Contact information

The first and easiest part of your CV is adding your contact information. You should add your name, phone number and a professional-looking email address at the top of the document. Avoid using nicknames and aliases to create a good first impression.

You can include your location in your contact information, but it does not have to be your full address; you can give your town, city or county. You may also want to add other information where applicable, e.g. links to professional networking profiles, your own website, an online portfolio, etc.

Avoid including personal information, such as date of birth, gender, nationality, marital status, etc. Including too much personal information can come off as unprofessional, clutter the document and distract from the essential content that makes you a strong candidate.

Remember, the primary purpose of your CV is to showcase your qualifications, skills and experience.

Always keep your contact information up-to-date to make it easy for employers to contact you so you do not miss any opportunities.

Professional summary (career objective statement)

A professional summary is also known as a career objective statement or personal statement, which should be positioned at the top of your CV, usually under your contact information.

Your professional summary is one of the first things an employer will see, so it is important it grabs their attention and stands out. A well-written summary also sets a positive and professional tone for the rest of your CV, encouraging the reader to continue exploring your qualifications and experience.

This section provides a concise snapshot of your key skills, experiences, career goals and attributes relevant to the nursery nurse role. It is a brief statement telling the employer why you are the ideal candidate. Here are some things to consider when you are crafting your statement:

• Begin with a strong opening and use dynamic adjectives or action verbs, your job title and years of experience, for example, “Dedicated and compassionate nursery nurse with over five years experience…”.
• Highlight your key skills and strengths essential for a nursery nurse, such as child development knowledge, communication and teamwork. An example would be “…proficient in early childhood education, effective communication and creating nurturing environments…”.
• Briefly mention your relevant experience and any notable achievements. For example, “…with a proven track record of implementing educational activities that promote social and emotional development…”.
• Emphasise your personal traits that make you suitable for working with children, e.g. “…known for patience, creativity, and the ability to build strong relationships with children and parents…”.
• Align your summary with the specific job requirements and company values. For example, “…seeking to contribute to [Nursery Name] by providing exceptional childcare and educational support.”

It should be brief, so aim to keep it around 3-5 sentences in length, and ensure you highlight your passion for childcare and child development.

An example of a professional statement would be:

“Dedicated and compassionate nursery nurse with over five years of experience in early childhood education and care. Skilled in creating engaging and educational activities that promote cognitive, social and emotional development. Proven track record in providing a safe and nurturing environment, effectively communicating with parents and collaborating with colleagues.”

Education

The education section should come after your professional summary, although some put their work experience first. This part of your CV is where you can highlight your academic qualifications. You should list them in reverse chronological order, i.e. the most recent first, and include the following information:

• Relevant childcare qualifications, for example:
  • NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator).
  • NVQ Level 3 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development.
  • BTEC National Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development.
• Additional certifications – include any supplementary certifications, such as:
  • Paediatric First Aid.
  • Safeguarding Children.
  • Food Hygiene.
  • Special Educational Needs (SEN).
• Ongoing education- note any courses or training you are currently pursuing or plan to take, such as online courses, workshops and seminars.
• Formal education, e.g. GCSEs, A Levels, certificate, degree, diploma, etc.

Remember, for each qualification, add the following:

• Name of the qualification.
• Name the institution where you obtained your qualifications.
• Dates of attendance, i.e. the years you attended each institution or when you completed the qualification.
• Any academic honours, awards or scholarships you received.

An example of an education section would be:

• CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator).
  • ABC Training Centre, London.
  • Completed: June 2023.
• Paediatric First Aid Certificate.
  • Red Cross Training, London.
  • Completed: March 2022.
• GCSEs
  • Highend High School, London.
  • Completed: July 2018.
  • Subjects include: Child Development (A), Biology (B), and English (A).

You can include any additional certifications or training in this section or have a separate section further down your CV. It may be worth adding them separately if you have a larger education history.

If the nursery nurse job does not require specific qualifications, mention your education, but you may want to focus more on your work experience.

Work experience

Work experience is crucial on a CV for a nursery nurse position because it demonstrates your hands-on ability to provide quality childcare and education. By detailing your work experience, you showcase your understanding of day-to-day responsibilities, such as creating a safe and stimulating environment, planning and implementing age-appropriate activities and communicating effectively with parents and colleagues. This experience highlights your competence and sets you apart from others, illustrating your dedication and readiness to contribute positively to a nursery setting.

When detailing your work experience as a nursery nurse on your CV, focus on showcasing your skills, responsibilities and achievements. Like the education section, it should be in reverse chronological order (most recent first), and for each position, include the following:

• Job title: Clearly state your role, e.g. Nursery Nurse.
• Employer/nursery/organisation name: Name of the nursery, childcare facility or other place you worked, e.g. Rainbows Nursery.
• Location: Town, city or county, e.g. London.
• Dates of employment: Duration of your employment, e.g. September 2021 – Present.
• Responsibilities: Highlight key duties and tasks you performed (aim for three to five bullet points and use action verbs to describe your tasks), e.g.:
  • Providing high-quality care and education to children aged 0-5 years.
  • Developed and implemented age-appropriate activities to foster children’s development.
  • Monitored and recorded children’s progress, sharing this information with parents and carers.
  • Ensured the safety and well-being of all children, maintaining a clean and safe environment.
  • Collaborated with colleagues to plan and organise special events and activities.

Key skills and achievements

A strong key skills and achievements section in your CV can make it more compelling to employers. It provides a clear snapshot of your abilities and helps them quickly identify whether you possess the specific competencies required for the role.

This section normally comes after your work experience, and it is important to include examples of hard and soft skills in your CV.

• Hard skills – are specific, teachable abilities or knowledge that are typically easy to quantify. These are often learned through education, training programs or on-the-job experience. Examples of hard skills for a nursery nurse might include child development knowledge, Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum understanding, safeguarding, food hygiene certification and development milestones tracking.
• Soft skills – are personal attributes and interpersonal skills that are often harder to measure but are crucial for building relationships, adapting to different situations and achieving success in the workplace. Soft skills for a nursery nurse might include communication, empathy, patience, problem-solving, team collaboration, adaptability, time management, etc.

Before starting the skills section, revisit the job description to see what skills they want in a nursery nurse and consider how yours aligns. If you do not have nursery nurse experience or qualifications, focus on transferable skills, such as childcare, team collaboration, adaptability, problem-solving, etc.

In this section, you can add your achievements but only include them if they are relevant to the role and try to quantify them where possible. We will look at showcasing your achievements later.

Some employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which pick up keywords, so using these in your CV can increase the chances of a successful application. Keywords that may help include “Child Development”, “SEN (Special Educational Needs)”, “Activity Planning”, “Parent Communication”, etc.

You can add your hobbies and interests to your CV, but it is not mandatory. If you add them, ensure they are relevant to the nursery nurse position.

Other information

The sections we have covered are not set in stone, and you can choose whether to add other information. It is important to note that any additional sections should be relevant to the nursery nurse role and ensure you have enough space on the document. Some other sections you may consider on your CV are as follows:

• Certifications, workshops, webinars, seminars, training and any other professional or personal development, e.g. paediatric first aid, safeguarding, child development courses, food hygiene, health and safety, special educational needs (SEN), etc. You can add this information to the education section or detail it separately. If you include it, add the name of the training and date, and ensure that your certifications are up-to-date.
• Voluntary work related to working with children, e.g. summer camps, local community centres, after-school clubs, etc. You can add this to the work experience section if preferred. If you do include it, detail the name of the organisation, the dates you volunteered and your key duties.
• Language proficiency, technological skills, extracurricular activities, specialised training or other relevant information demonstrating your suitability for the role. For example, mention any familiarity with educational software or digital tools that aid in early childhood education and administration.
• Memberships in professional organisations, such as the Early Years Alliance.

You want to set yourself apart from other candidates, so include any relevant information you think will make your CV shine.

References

The reference section is usually the last in your CV, and you can mention that references are available upon request or include contact information for professional references if required by the job application.

Including a referee section in your CV is important because it provides potential employers with reliable sources who can verify your qualifications, experiences and character. Choose referees who can provide a strong, positive account of your abilities, especially relevant to working with children or in education.

Remember to inform your referees and ensure they will provide a reference before adding them to your CV.