Caregiver Skills for a Resume
Families and agencies hire caregivers they can trust alone in someone's home. Show the care you give and the conditions you have experience with, and that you are dependable, kind and observant.
Updated
13 skills at a glance
Hard skills
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Personal care and hygiene
Say what you help with, and that you protect the client's dignity and choices.
Example bullet pointHelped an older client with bathing, dressing and grooming each morning, following her own routine and preferences.
Safe transfers and mobility support
Mention the equipment you use and your safety record.
Example bullet pointHelped a client recovering from a stroke with transfers and walking, using a gait belt and walker as the therapist showed.
Dementia and Alzheimer's care
Show the approaches you use and how they helped.
Example bullet pointCared for a client living with Alzheimer's, keeping a steady daily routine that eased her evening agitation.
Meal planning for special diets
Name the diets: diabetic, low-sodium, soft or pureed.
Example bullet pointPlanned and cooked diabetic and low-sodium meals from a weekly menu the family approved.
Medication reminders
Say that you remind and record, within what your state allows.
Example bullet pointGave daily medication reminders from a weekly organizer and logged each dose for the family and the nurse.
Vital signs, where trained
Mention your training, and that you report readings outside the normal range.
Example bullet pointChecked blood pressure and blood sugar each morning and reported high readings to the agency nurse.
Housekeeping and laundry
Show that it supports the client's safety and comfort.
Example bullet pointKept the home tidy and free of trip hazards, and did laundry and changed linens twice a week.
Visit documentation
Show accurate notes that families and agencies rely on.
Example bullet pointWrote a short note after every visit on meals, mood, activity and any changes, shared with the family through the agency app.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Patience
Show it with clients who move or understand slowly.
Example bullet pointGave a client with Parkinson's the time he needed to dress himself, so he kept his independence.
Trustworthiness
Mention long placements, keys, money for errands or references.
Example bullet pointWas trusted with house keys and grocery money by two clients over four years.
Compassion
Show how you supported a client or a family through a hard time.
Example bullet pointSupported a family through their mother's final months, working alongside the hospice team.
Good judgment when alone
Describe a situation you handled before help arrived.
Example bullet pointRecognized the signs of a stroke in a client, called 911 and stayed with him until paramedics arrived.
Communication with families
Show that families heard from you regularly, and straight away about any change in their relative.
Example bullet pointSent families a short weekly update and called straight away about any change in health or mood.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Home Health Aide (HHA) certificate
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- CPR and First Aid
- Valid driver's license
Keywords from caregiver job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- personal care
- dementia
- medication reminders
- meals
- transfer
- clients
- home health aide
- companionship
- Alzheimer's
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a caregiver put on a resume?
Personal care, safe transfers, dementia care, meals for special diets, medication reminders, housekeeping and visit notes, plus patience, trustworthiness and good judgment when you are alone with a client.
Do I need a certificate to work as a caregiver?
Not always, but many agencies prefer a Home Health Aide or CNA certificate, and nearly all want CPR and First Aid. A valid driver's license helps with errands and appointments.
Can I include caring for a family member?
Yes. Describe it like a job, with the care you gave and for how long, especially if it is your main experience.
Put them to work
Start from a caregiver resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.