What a caregiver resume should lead with
Caregiver jobs are in home care agencies, assisted living, group homes, and private homes. A hiring manager for these jobs reads the top of your resume first, so put this there: care experience (paid or for family), reliability, and transportation.
Put your work history first, then a short skills section and any certifications.
Write your summary in two or three lines. Say the job you want, what you have done that fits it, and one thing that makes you reliable.
A sample caregiver resume. Type your details and watch it fill in.
[Your name]
[City, State] · [your phone] · [your email]
Summary
Caregiver with [number] years of [experience, clinicals or training]. [Your two strongest skills for this job, for example personal care and companionship.] [One result you are proud of, with a number.]
Experience
Caregiver, [Employer name], [City, State]
[Month Year] to [Month Year or Present]
- Helped clients with bathing, dressing, and grooming [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Cooked meals and helped with eating [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Gave medication reminders [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Did light housekeeping and laundry [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Helped clients move and walk safely [add how many, how often, or for whom].
[Your previous job title], [Employer name]
- [A duty from this job that also matters as a caregiver, with a number.]
Certifications
- CPR and First Aid [date earned]
- Caregiver or personal care aide training [date earned]
- Dementia care training [date earned]
- Driver's license [date earned]
Skills
Personal care · Companionship · Meal preparation · Medication reminders · Safe transfers · Housekeeping · Patience · Reliability · activities of daily living · light housekeeping
Nothing you type here is sent or saved. The template below is this layout as a Word file and a PDF, with tips for career changers.
Resume template
A caregiver resume, laid out and ready to fill in
- The caregiver duties, skills and the words hiring systems scan for, already in place.
- Blanks in [brackets] for your own facts, and tips for career changers.
- A Word file to edit and a PDF to send, emailed in minutes.
$4.99, one time
One payment. Nothing recurring. No account needed.
Credentials to list on a caregiver resume
List only what you hold or are finishing. Put the state or issuing body and the year.
- CPR and First Aid
- Caregiver or personal care aide training
- Dementia care training
- Driver's license
- Reliable car
- Background check cleared
Example caregiver resume lines
These are things people in this job really do. Use a line only if you did it, and add a number when you have one: how many patients, loads, orders or rooms, or how often.
- Helped clients with bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Cooked meals and helped with eating
- Gave medication reminders
- Did light housekeeping and laundry
- Helped clients move and walk safely
- Kept clients company and watched for changes
- Drove clients to appointments and errands
- Wrote daily notes for the family or agency
Skills and words employers look for in a caregiver resume
Many employers search resumes by keyword, and recruiters skim for the same words. Use the ones that are true for you, spelled the way the job posting spells them.
Skills: Personal care, Companionship, Meal preparation, Medication reminders, Safe transfers, Housekeeping, Patience, Reliability, Dementia care, Communication with families.
Words from caregiver job postings: personal care, companionship, activities of daily living, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, transportation, dementia care, reliability, compassion.
| Top skills to show | Words employers search for |
|---|---|
| Personal care | personal care |
| Companionship | companionship |
| Meal preparation | activities of daily living |
| Medication reminders | meal preparation |
| Safe transfers | medication reminders |
| Housekeeping | light housekeeping |
| Patience | transportation |
| Reliability | dementia care |
| Dementia care | reliability |
| Communication with families | compassion |
What the job involves: O*NET 31-1122.00, Personal Care Aides (US Department of Labor).
Coming to caregiver work from another job
Your past work counts if you say what it shows. Family caregiving is direct experience; food service shows meals and safety habits; cleaning work shows housekeeping.
Never claim a duty you did not do. Say what you did in words this job uses.
Next steps
- Get the caregiver resume template, a Word file and a PDF laid out for this job, $4.99 one time.
- Have your own resume rewritten for one caregiver job, using only what is on it, $14.99 one time.
- See caregiver jobs near you and get your resume rewritten for each one. The first application each month is free.
- Check your resume first with the free resume grader.