As your only chance to make a good first impression amongst potential employers, your resume can stand between you and your next care job. And whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned professional, it is essential that it best communicates your skills, experience and knowledge and tells your unique story.
Your resume should be interview ready for families or companies. Your profile can stand is as your resume — on your profile page under “Share your profile”, click the print button.
Here are our insider tips to writing the perfect caregiver resume to help you find your ideal care job.
Emphasis Your Skills
After your name and contact information, show off your most significant qualifications at the top of the resume. These can appear as bullets in an “About Me” or “Professional Goals” section. Include special training, talents and interests that help you stand out.
Mention things you take for granted about yourself that will be very meaningful to a potential employer, like cooking, driving and speaking other languages. Incorporate personality traits such as playfulness, patience, compassion and dedication. This section should also make clear your professional goals and how they pertain to the job you’re currently pursuing.
Make Use of Keywords
If you’re looking for a job as a caregiver, pepper your resume with keywords that reflect qualities consistent with the character traits most sought after in those professions. Consider using keywords such as ‘quality care’, ‘nurturing’, ‘dedicated’ and ‘devoted’. The more descriptors you use, the better sense a potential employer will get of who you are.
Highlight Your Education
Write down a listing of the schools you attended, both in this country and overseas. Include any education, certifications, training, licenses or degrees you’ve obtained. If you haven’t yet, you can add these qualifications to the “Skills & Experience” section of your profile.
Describe Your Work Experience
Next, list your jobs in chronological order from most recent to last, with the dates of employment, your work responsibilities and accomplishments at each clearly noted. Use the “Work History” section of your Care.com profile as a template.
Volunteer work, such as running a church bazaar or being class parent, can also be included in a section of its own, given chronologically as well.
Bullet each item and keep them short — focus on the tasks you did that are relevant to the particular job you’re applying for.
List Your Memberships
Are you a member of any professional organizations? Include a list to show that you’re active in this community and dedicated to this career.
Provide Your References
It can be very effective and reassuring to potential employers to have short references on a resume. A two or three sentence testimonial from past clients [or employers], along with their contact information, can make all the difference.
Honesty is the Best Policy
Honesty really is the best policy when it comes to resumes — lies or exaggerations will quickly be uncovered during the hiring process. If you have gaps in your employment or other concerns, address them diplomatically and directly when you interview with employers.
Potential employers will verify your information through social media and background checks, and are more likely to consider you if you’re truthful than if you cover up something uncomfortable.
Check, Check & Check Again
Typos and grammatical errors can be an immediate turn-off. Did you use past tense for jobs you’re no longer at and present tense for jobs you’re currently doing? Proofread your work and ask someone else to thoroughly read it as well. It’s sometimes hard to notice errors in a document you’ve been so focused on, yet they will jump out to someone else seeing it with fresh eyes.
Your resume is a representation of who you are and what you can bring to a potential job. Doing a stellar job is the first necessary step to land the care jobs you desire. You know what you can bring to this new position. Use your resume to share that with your potential employers.