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As a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), you're likely familiar with the critical role you play in patient care. While your daily tasks might involve things like personal care, taking vitals, and assisting with mobility, your resume needs to do more than just list these duties. Recently, employers have been valuing CNAs who can demonstrate empathy and effective communication, in addition to technical skills. When crafting your resume, remember to weave in how you've made genuine connections with patients and supported their wellbeing.
Moreover, in light of the pandemic and the changing healthcare landscape, it's impressive if you can show adaptability and willingness to learn new protocols and technologies. This isn't just a list of your tasks - it's a narrative about how you've used your skills and traits to make an impact in your past roles.
As a CNA, you should include any specialized certifications, like CPR or dementia care, on your resume. This isn't just about meeting the job description requirements - it shows potential employers that you're committed to professional development and maintaining high standards in patient care.
As a certified nursing assistant, you’ll work closely with patients under the supervision of registered nurses. Your nursing assistant resume should emphasize the hard skills you’ll need to do the job, including performing routine medical procedures like taking blood samples, monitoring vital signs, cleaning and sterilizing equipment, and assisting patients with eating, dressing, and bathing. You’ll also need a solid understanding of relevant policies and legislation, including HIPAA.
One of the easiest ways to bypass resume screeners and ensure your resume lands on the desk of a hiring manager is to include the exact title of the job you’re applying for on your resume. Including a resume title not only does this, it also clearly shows that you’ve customized your resume for this particular job — always a necessity.
If you don’t have a lot of traditional work experience, consider including volunteer work on your resume. You can create a separate volunteer work section, or simply list it alongside paid work experience. If you do this, you should list it in the same way, with an employer heading, dates of employment, and action-oriented bullet points.
As a hiring manager who has recruited for Certified Nursing Assistant roles at companies like Brookdale Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living, and HCR ManorCare, I've reviewed hundreds of resumes. The best resumes that caught my attention and led to interviews had a few things in common. In this article, we'll cover what those are with examples, so you can create a strong resume that gets you hired.
Hiring managers want to see that you have hands-on experience providing patient care. Instead of simply listing your responsibilities, give specific examples of how you cared for patients:
Quantifying your experience with numbers, like how many patients you cared for, makes your resume more impactful. Avoid vague statements that don't give a clear picture of your experience, such as:
A resume summary is an optional section that highlights your most relevant experience, skills, and accomplishments. While it's not a requirement, a well-written summary can grab the attention of hiring managers and provide context for your career goals. It's particularly useful if you're changing careers or have a diverse background that doesn't directly align with the certified nursing assistant role you're targeting.
When writing your summary, focus on the value you can bring to the organization and the key skills that make you a strong candidate. Avoid using generic statements or repeating information that's already covered in other sections of your resume. Remember, your goal is to provide a snapshot of your qualifications and entice the reader to learn more about you.
The work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you show hiring managers what you've accomplished in previous roles, and how that translates to the certified nursing assistant position you're applying for. Here are some key tips to make sure your work experience section stands out:
When describing your previous roles, use strong action verbs that are relevant to the certified nursing assistant position, such as:
Avoid generic verbs like "helped" or "worked on." Instead, choose verbs that showcase your specific contributions and skills.
The education section in your certified nursing assistant resume should be short and sweet. It tells hiring managers you have the required training. You don't need to include your high school diploma unless you're a recent graduate or have no college experience.
The skills section is a critical part of your certified nursing assistant resume. It's where you highlight your top abilities that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Hiring managers and recruiters often scan this section first to quickly assess if you have the right qualifications. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when writing your skills section:
Here are examples of popular skills from Certified Nursing Assistant job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Certified Nursing Assistant job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
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