A strong CV is essential when you want to land a job as a support worker.
This guide, which includes 2 real-life support worker CV examples, will walk you through how to produce a CV that will stand out from the crowd and get you plenty of job interviews.
Guide contents
- Support Worker CV examples
- Structuring and formatting your CV
- Writing your CV profile
- Detailing work experience
- Your education
- Essential skills for a Support Worker CV
Support worker CV example
Community Support Worker CV example
This is a great example of a Support Worker CV that demonstrates the skills and experience you should be highlighting as well as how you should be displaying this information.
I will now give you the step by step process of what to include within each section of your CV.
Support worker CV structure and layout
The layout and format of your CV is all about bringing forward the most relevant information and providing a pleasant reading experience for busy recruiters and managers.
Your CV should facilitate simple navigation, allowing recruiters to easily navigate your experience and quickly identify exactly why you’re the right candidate for support worker roles.
The below infographic indicates how to format your CV and what sections you should be including.
Formatting Tips
- Use bold headers to break up information into distinct sections and bullet points to facilitate ease of reading
- Hold recruiters’ focus by avoiding the use of images (photos, company logos) and keeping to a simple colour pallet and a font that is clear to read
- Try to maintain a CV length of 2 sides of A4, detailed enough to demonstrate your suitability without it becoming tedious to read
Structuring your CV
Your CV should follow the below structure, breaking the content into clearly defined sections:
- Contact details – Start your CV with your contact information
- Profile – Keep the most important details to the top of the page by summarising your experience and displaying your core skills
- Work experience / Career history – Listing your career history, working backwards from your most recent position
- Education – Detailing any sector specific qualifications and documenting all courses achieved
- Interest and hobbies – An optional section
Moving forward we’ll walk you through each of these sections, stating what to include.
CV contact details
Your CV should begin with your contact information, ensuring the details you provide are up-to-date and accurate.
You need to include the below information:
- Phone number
- Email address
- Location
Supplementary data such as marital status, date of birth or your full address isn’t required and just takes up valuable space within your CV.
The city you reside is enough for location, and photos don’t have an impact in the decision making process, so keep them out of your CV.
Support worker CV profile
Grab recruiters’ attention at the top of your CV by beginning with an introductory paragraph that will act as a sale pitch and at first glance identify why you’re suitable for a support worker role.
Summarise your experiences in 5-10 lines, persuading recruiters or hiring managers to delve deeper into your CV.
Consider these tips when writing your CV profile:
- Avoid cliché statements such as “I am a team player” or “I’m a passionate individual” and instead tailor your profile to the support work sector.
- Research the industry prior to creating your CV profile, adding any keywords or sector specific skills.
- Sell yourself, consider why you match the criteria for support worker roles and include this within your profile.
Quick tip: If you worry that your spelling and grammar might not be correct, try using our quick-and-easy CV Builder to eliminate the risk of making mistakes.
Things to include in your support worker CV profile
- Companies worked within – Whether you worked within the private sector or for the local council
- Level of experience – Are you a senior support work, entry level or a graduate?
- Support Worker qualifications – degree qualified or if you completed any NVQ courses
- Types of Support Worker roles – Discuss the type of support work you have experience within, whether you have worked with vulnerable adults or child.
Core skills section
A core skills section allows recruiters to quickly match you to the job criteria.
This should be a section made up of two to three columns of bullet points and be placed directly underneath your CV profile.
Use keywords from Support Worker adverts as well as using the skills we have documented below to ensure these strengths are tailored and custom fit.
Work experience/Career history
Work in a reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role and working backwards through your career history.
Prioritise space in your CV for the role description of your most recent/current roles, shortening the descriptions for less relevant or older positions.
Structuring your roles
Role descriptions paint a picture of your job history offering recruiters a valuable insight into your experience and abilities.
Pinpoint key information by separating your role descriptions into three distinct sections like the example below.
Outline
This acts as an opening, setting a background into the company you worked for or the department you worked within.
E.g.
“Working with clients who have complex and challenging behaviour and emotional needs both individually and in group sessions to assist them with their developmental well-being.”
Key responsibilities
Listing your key responsibilities or duties within each of your positions, including project involvement or interactions you had with specific colleagues.
E.g.
- Providing essential support to clients and their families
- Facilitating group sessions for clients with more challenging needs
Key achievements
Demonstrate the value you had within previous employers by documenting any significant achievements or accomplishments.
E.g.
- Played a key role in the department achieving perfect score on an external accreditation survey
Education
Towards the bottom of your CV document any qualifications or courses that align with your support worker career.
Add qualifications such as a NVQs in Health and Social Care or Degrees such as a Social Work BA.
If you have space, list any additional qualifications for instance GCSE’s, A Levels or vocational courses.
Interests and hobbies
Unlike other sections within your CV, this isn’t a mandatory component.
Use to add depth and backup your strengths especially if you have less sector specific experience, only including hobbies that add value to your application.
For example, as a support worker demonstrating your compassionate nature is key so combine this in the hobbies you represent such as voluntary work helping children or vulnerable adults.
Essential skills for your support worker CV
Each support worker position will command core skills despite individual role requirements differing:
- Sit to Stand Lift – Supporting patients to stand following safety procedures
- Medication Provision – Being aware of the right medication, administrating the correct dosage
- Safeguarding – Understanding the applicable regulations around protecting the vulnerable
- First Aid – A clear understanding of first aid practises
- Completing Care Plans – devising individual care plans and reporting any important observations
Writing your support worker CV
Producing a CV that will land you an interview is about structuring and formatting your marketable skills and the experience that make you ideal for a career as a support worker.
Recruiters need to see at first glance that you’re the right candidate, reeling them in and making them want to read further into your experience.
Follow the above guide and you’ll be able to create a CV that will get you hired.
Good luck with your job search!