How To Write a CV for a Care and Support Role
Your chance to make a first impression when applying for a care and support role starts with your CV. Crafting a compelling CV requires some effort, but it certainly pays off.
Keep reading to find out what relevant information to include in a CV, how to present it and which elements can improve your chances of securing a role in health and social care.
Your CV for a Care and Support Role
Your CV is a document you can send to prospective employers in response to job advertisements for care and support roles.
Your CV needs to be accessible. It should provide a summary of your skills so that the employer can get an idea of what you can bring to the role.
How To Create Your Care and Support CV
If you’re not sure which elements to add to your CV and what it should look like, follow these steps. You can also use our free template to create one.
1. Make It Easy For Prospective Employers
Think about what the organisation needs to know about you. That starts right at the top of your CV with some practical details. They need to know how to get in touch with you. That includes providing your mobile number and email address.
2. Craft Your Personal Statement
After some practical details, it’s your opportunity to tell the organisation who you are. Your personal statement provides a summary of your skills in relation to care and support work. If you’re not sure what to include, you can find some keywords in the job description and use them as starting points for highlighting your skills and roles where you’ve used them.
For example: As a compassionate and resilient care assistant, I practised empathy and honed my communication skills during my two years working in care. I am a keen learner and have recently completed a training course in dementia care.
3. Focus On Your Relevant Experience
List your history of employment in reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent position and include your job title, the company and your dates of employment. If you have had previous experience in care and support roles, outline some of your duties in one or two sentences.
Remember – not all roles in care require experience so don’t be put off applying if you haven’t worked in care before. If you are new to the sector, you can mention any other jobs, work experience or voluntary roles. You can highlight any aspects that involved care and duties that brought out transferable skills. Check the skills section below for some ideas.
4. Outline Your Education
As with the list of your work experience, describe your education, starting with the most recent course. You should include the course, any grade you received and where you obtained it. This section is for formal education, such as academic qualifications from school. However, don’t forget to include certifications such as safeguarding, first aid or personal care if you have them.
5. Highlight Your Skills
You can add another paragraph, list or series of headings to your CV to highlight your skills. Think about the skills you have and which ones are required for the role. Select a few and include them.
If you have space, add some context to how you gained these skills or when you used them in the past. Since a CV is a snapshot, you want to keep it to two pages. If there isn’t enough room to add all of the skills you want, ensure they’re mentioned in your personal statement or connected to your duties in your work experience section.
6. Referees
Another way you can make it easier for prospective employers is to provide them with everything they need to hire you. If possible, add the names and email addresses of two people who can be contacted for references. Ensure you’ve had a chat with your referees to let them know that you’d like to include them on your CV.
Skills To Emphasise
The job description is the best source to check to work out which skills the recruiter wants in the ideal candidate. For care and support jobs, the following attributes are valued and worth mentioning on your CV.
- Empathy - Showing that you can be compassionate and see things from someone else’s perspective is essential to working with people who need support.
- Communication - In care work, being able to adapt how you speak based on the people and the circumstances and your ability to listen are assets.
- Resilience - Care and support work is demanding in many ways. Show recruiters that you know how to handle the demands and stay balanced.
- Teamwork - Understanding how your actions affect others and how to work towards a common goal is essential to success in all industries.
- Dutifulness - You can show you’re right for the role by demonstrating your abilities to switch between different tasks, identify priorities and complete your duties successfully and on time.
- Patience - Highlight your ability to stay calm even in the face of frustration, slow progress or challenging circumstances.
- Respect - A person-centred approach is invaluable in health and social care. Show that you can consider others' needs, help maintain their dignity, involve them in their care and adapt to different people’s varying needs.
- Compliant - Care work environments have rules and regulations. Show that you can recognise good practice, plan, and follow procedure.
Read about the care qualities required in health and social work roles to find out more.
Remember - your CV is an important document so take time to get it right. Be sure to make your CV the best it can be to help you stand out from the crowd. Good luck!