Caregiver Resume Example & Template

This career is growing fast -- 34% per year! But you still need a stellar resume, so let us help you land your next job.  

Caregivers, also known as home health and personal care aides, assist seniors and people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. They may be allowed to administer patients’ medication and check their vital signs, but Caregivers usually assist patients with daily tasks like keeping track of appointments, eating, bathing, and dressing. 

This important job needs an important resume that will soften even the toughest of employers and patients. So, let’s get started.

In this article, we’ll discuss

1. Which format is right for your resume
2. How to write a resume summary 
3. Describing your work experience
4. Listing your skills
5. Including your education 
6. Naming your certifications
7. Choosing the right template

Caregiver Sample Resume 

Caregiver, Brighter Lights Care Facility

• Assisted 13 elderly patients each day with daily needs including personal hygiene, dressing, turning positions, and eating meals
• Administered medications to 20 patients twice daily, ensuring proper instructions were followed, such as taking the medications with or without food
• Helped patients with light exercises, including prescribed physical therapy movements
• Coordinated weekly bingo nights, garnering positive patient feedback and a 25% increase in patient engagement 
• Assisted with admitting, transferring, and discharging patients as required
• Completed charts at the end of each shift detailing patients’ daily cognitive and physical functioning
• Provided assistance to 3 patients with with intellectual disabilities as they worked to improve their ability to live with minimal assistance in home life

Personal Caregiver

• Assisted 3 patients a day with bathing, dressing and other personal hygiene items from the comfort of their homes
• Administered medications and kept a daily journal of medicine intake
• Performed light housekeeping duties, including the planning and preparation of nutritious meals and ensured patients had clean bed linens
• Maintained a daily journal of each patients’ activities and reported any physical or cognitive changes to the clients’ families
• Offered emotional support, companionship and conversation, including reading to patients and reviewing family albums with them 
• Observed patients' conditions, measuring and recording food and liquid intake and output and vital signs, and reported changes to patients’ families and doctors
• Provided patients with help walking, exercising, and moving in and out of bed
• Assisted patients with running errands and light administrative duties
• Monitored diabetic patients’ glucose and insulin levels
• Transported patients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices 

1. Choose the Right Format for a Caregiver Resume

The first step to drafting your resume is deciding which resume format to use. This depends on your career experience and skillset. 

You have 3 main options for your resume:

1. Reverse-Chronological -- this is the most commonly used resume format. With this structure, place your most recent jobs first, followed by the next most recent job, and ending with your oldest position. 

Tip: only include jobs relevant to the position to which you’re applying, so leave out any former jobs that don’t fit. For example, previous work as an Elementary School Teacher could be tweaked to show relevance (assisting with daily tasks, compassion, etc.), but with a former job as a Hostess it may be harder to show commonalities.  

2. Functional -- this format is best for people who have been out of the workforce for a while, perhaps because they had to care for children or an elderly parent. This format will have headers like “Patient Care” and “Medical Support” with their respective skills listed in bullet points below. At the very end of the resume, include a brief snapshot of your work experience.  

Tip: Read our advice on How to Explain Employment Gaps on a Resume. 

3. Hybrid / Combination -- this format is a mix of both Functional and Reverse-Chronological. It provides more detailed work experience descriptions that would typically be seen in the latter, while still offering a bulleted list of skills.  

Tip: When in doubt, choose the Reverse-Chronological resume format. For more details, check out our guide on How to Write Your Resume in Reverse-Chronological Order. 

For a Caregiver, hiring managers and private patients want to glance at your resume and get a sense of the following:

• Basic health-related services. While this certainly doesn’t have to be extensive, you should have some experience administering or identifying medications, checking blood pressure, and changing dressings or bandages. 
• That you’re empathetic, caring, and compassionate about your patients
• Comfortable arranging appointments, performing light housekeeping, cooking food, and assisting your patients with daily activities such as bathing and eating. 

The best format for a Caregiver is either the Reverse-Chronological resume format or the Functional Resume format. The former shows the trajectory of your career -- how you’ve grown professionally and expanded your work experience and knowledge base. The latter, the Functional Resume format, shows employers your skills and abilities. 

Check out our advice on How to Show Your Job Promotions on a Resume for more details. 

 2. Write a Strong Caregiver Resume Summary

Did you know that hiring managers only look at resumes for six seconds on average?

One of the best ways to succeed in that short glance is to include a resume summary. 

But first --- what is a resume summary?

A resume summary is one or two sentences at the top of your paper that summarizes your entire resume. It’s the punch line that gets the resume reviewer wanting to know more.

For a Caregiver career, include the following points in your summary

• The amount of time you’ve worked in the healthcare field
• Anything you specialize in or have extensive knowledge about, such as assisting those with mental disabilities, working primarily with a senior demographic, or caring for those with a sizeable medication regimen
• An adjective or two conveying your personality, such as “compassionate,” “organized,” “helpful” or “friendly.” 

Here is an example of a bad resume summary: 

Caregiver with 10 years of experience assisting those in need. 

This is a bad resume summary because it is incredibly vague. What exactly does “assisting” entail? And what populations are “in need?” Additionally, this summary does not offer anything that makes you stand out. In other words, why should the employer choose you over another qualified individual?

Here is an example of a good resume summary: 

10+ years of experience assisting geriatric populations and those with intellectual disabilities in daily activities. Provides compassionate care with an emphasis on improving patients’ independent functioning.  

This is a good resume summary because it shows how long you’ve been in the field, over ten years, and it specifies which populations you work with. It also tells your patients and their families the areas you’re most experienced in -- assisting patients with daily activities to rehabilitate their independence. 

For more information, checkout our guide on How to Write a Killer Resume Summary. Or, browse our Resume Summary Examples. 

3. Describe Your Work Experience as a Caregiver

The next step to drafting your resume is to list your work experience. This includes the name of your positions (See: The Right Way to List Job Titles on a Resume), the names of the locations at which you worked, and the length of time in which you worked. 

For more information on how to format your work experience, check out our guide on How to Describe Work Experience.

You should also quantify your resume whenever possible. This means adding a number -- such as a dollar amount or percentage -- to your accomplishments. Quantifying your resume gives the hiring manager a more concrete idea of your workplace performance. For example, say that you “assisted 15 residents a day,” “improved patient satisfaction by 20% based on survey feedback,” or “saved the care facility $30,000 by investing in reusable rehabilitation equipment.”   

Tip: One way to quantify your resume is by listing your accomplishments and awards. Perhaps you were awarded “Employee of the Month” at your last workplace, or maybe you were recognized by an organization in your field. 

It is important to use strong action verbs at the beginning of each bullet point. Try not to repeat or over-use the same verb -- there are plenty to pick from! These verbs will show the hiring manager that you are capable of performing concrete actions from “implementing” to “evaluating” to providing.”

Consider incorporating the following verbs:

• Administered
• Assisted 
• Cared
• Demonstrated
• Followed
• Helped
• Implemented
• Maintained 
• Monitored 
• Oversaw
• Performed
• Provided
• Researched 
• Tracked
• Trained
• Worked

Be sure to write the verbs in past tense to ensure consistency across the resume. 

4. List Your Skills

Skills show the hiring manager what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in the “work experience” part of your resume.

There are two types of skills -- soft and hard. “Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable and are more indicative of your personality. Examples include leadership, problem-solving, and communication. In contrast, “hard” skills are those that are learned through formal education. Examples include computer technology, programming or foreign languages, and certifications.  

Caregivers need a mix of both types of skills. They need to be good communicators with compassion and empathy, but Caregivers also need to know how to read medication labels and how to take patients’ temperatures, heart rates, blood pressures, etc. 

Here are some examples of skills:

Relevant Soft Skills

• Cleanliness
• Communication
• Compassion
• Empathy 
• Flexibility
• Organization 
• Patience
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Tolerance

Relevant Hard Skills

• Ability to Handle Emergencies
• CPR/AED
• First Aid
• Inpatient Care
• Light Cleaning
• Meal Preparation
• Medical Office Administration
• Medical Record Management
• Medication Management 
• Outpatient Care
• Patient-Focused Care
• Patient Management
• Recording Vital Signs

Tip: When completing this section on your resume, review the employers’ job requirements. Try to incorporate some of the language they use. For example, if the job description states they need someone who has “exceptional communication skills, good organizational skills, and the ability to work independently and within a team,” then be sure to include some of these keywords. List “Communication” and “Organization” under the skills section. 

For more skills, read our guide on 100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2021 with Examples for any Job.

5. Include an Education Section 

Caregivers need a high school diploma or GED equivalent. 

When writing your education section, be sure to include:

• The name of the school — "e.g. Aurora High School"
• The location of the school
• Your degree (high-school diploma, GED, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, etc.)
• Graduation year (if applicable)
• Major field or department of study (if applicable)
• Minor field or department of study (if applicable and relevant)
• GPA (If you're a student or graduates who held lower GPAs, this bit of information may be good to omit unless specifically requested by the employer)

For more information, see How to List Education on Your Resume in 2021.  

6. Name Your Certifications

In addition to your high school diploma, some states require Caregivers to have a license or certification, which may involve completing training and passing a background check and a competency exam. 

Certification programs include:

• Certified Home Health Aide
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• CPR and First Aid certification
• Red Cross CNA training program
• National Caregiver Certification Course by the American Caregiver Association

For more information on certifications, check out our guide on How to Include Certifications on Your Resume the Right Way.

7. Pick the Right Template

Now it’s time for the fun part -- picking the aesthetics of your resume! 

Here at EasyResume, we offer several different templates. 

• Academic: these resumes are professionally structured with minimal aesthetics in order to provide a clear and concise glimpse of your experiences. This is best for current students or those looking to pursue a career in an academic field as a researcher or teacher. 
• Creative: these resumes are bold and colorful with eye-catching fonts to help you stand out from the crowd. This is best for those in creative fields like marketing and art. 
• Elegant: these resumes are contemporary and stylish in a way that highlights you and your experiences. This is best for those in fields that prefer austerity, such as the healthcare and finance industries. 
• Modern: these resumes have sleek designs that are fresh and bold with tasteful fonts and clean lines. This is best for individuals applying to startups or to companies with a young audience or product.
• Professional: these resumes have a clean, crisp look that incorporates only one or two accent colors. The focus is solely on the text, pulling the recruiter into your experiences and accomplishments. This is best for individuals applying to straight-laced companies that mandate a suit-and-tie dress code.  

Your resume template should reflect the job to which you’re applying. For a Caregiver career, try a Professional, Elegant, or Traditional format. These will resonate best with both the healthcare field and with older patients. 

If you want to create your own template, read how with our Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create a Resume Template in Microsoft Word. 

8. Takeaways

We’ve done it! Almost. 

Now it’s time to get down to business -- actually creating the resume. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

• Research the job description to locate keywords
• Use a Reverse-Chronological or Functional resume layout
• Write your resume summary, including the amount of time you’ve worked in the healthcare field, anything you specialize in (e.g., demographics, abilities), and an adjective or two conveying your personality
• Include your education and relevant certifications
• Write your experience section in a way that any outsider could understand. Talk more about the how and why of your responsibilities. Quantify your results.
• Pick a resume template that fits the position to which you’re applying, such as Professional or Elegant.

Start from our resume example to save time.

You’ll be well on your way to your next interview, good luck!