School is finally over and your hard work is about to be recognized. It’s time to celebrate.
But after you take a breath, you’ll want to begin the job search that will launch your senior living career.
If you’re wondering exactly where to start, the first step is to create your resume.
Writing your first resume
Each posted senior living job opening will attract several applications and your resume is your unique introduction to a company or community. If this is your first resume, these tips can help make yours shine and stand out from the rest.
The importance of a resume
A resume will showcase your qualifications for senior living job positions. Think of it as a snapshot of who you are and what you can offer.
It’s the first time your prospective employer will meet you – on paper – so make the best impression possible. Take time and care when creating your first resume as it’s typically the deciding factor of whether you’ll be asked to meet in person and interview.
Your first resume for a senior living job: Include these 6 features
The following basics will provide the foundation needed to produce your best professional imprint.
1. Choose the right format
When creating your first resume, keep in mind the person who will be reviewing stacks of applications. Don’t give him or her an easy reason to put yours in the reject pile.
Use a professional template as a guide but personalize it to provide your information in the best format.
Keep it short – one page whenever possible. Use headings and bullet points to make your resume easily scannable. Reviewers will be looking for qualifications that trigger scheduling an interview.
2. Tailor your resume to the industry and specific job
Adapt your resume to meet the standard of your industry as well as the senior living job position. When creating your first resume, take steps to ensure it doesn’t look like it’s mass produced and distributed.
Study the job description and take note of the keywords being used. Whenever applicable, work these keywords into your education, skills or experience sections. It creates a personalized resume for that specific position and illustrates you understand the type of employee they’re searching for.
3. List previous relevant employment and experience
The key word here is relevant. Include past work pertinent to the open senior living job. This can be a challenge when just starting out but including a long list of unrelated early jobs will only water down your resume.
You may not have an impressive list of senior living jobs when creating your first resume but prospective employees expect that. Include any experiences of personal growth or those that supported you in learning certain related skills.
4. Include your education and training
You’ll want to highlight your education, certifications and training you’ve received that have prepared you for this position. List where you went to school, dates of attendance and any degrees you received.
Include any special skills you possess that are relevant to the position. These could range from communication, language fluency, time management, organization, stamina and examples of interpersonal skills such as the ability to easily interact with others or build trusting relationships.
5. Make sure you’ve covered the basics
Mistakes to avoid – not including clear contact information such as a telephone number of email address, misspelled words, awkward grammatical sentences or using an incorrect name of the person or company due to your cut and paste efforts.
While these may seem like small mistakes, they are extremely impactful when creating a first impression. After writing your resume, read it out loud – again and again. Check for mistakes. Ask someone else to review it for you. Polish it until it shines.
6. Add a cover letter
Cover letters can be another opportunity to help prospective employers learn a little more about you than what can be gleaned from a resume. Use to briefly highlight why you’re interested in the position and to illustrate why you would be a great addition to the staff.
While you won’t be able to convey a complete picture, make sure you pique their interest. The job of your first resume and cover letter is to help them decide you are someone they want to talk to and learn more about.
Joining the team at Sinceri Senior Living
Sinceri Senior Living specializes in independent living, assisted living and memory care, fostering deep bonds between those who live and work in our communities – just like families.
We extend our commitment in creating this welcoming environment to our employees who form strong relationships with the residents and their coworkers. In fact, many of our team members think of the community they work in as their second home because of such strong connections.
The caregiver’s role is to first make our residents feel safe and secure. We strive to ensure everyone we hire is generous, compassionate and as committed as we are to provide excellent service at every opportunity.
We understand the stress that caregivers can experience and the challenge in trying to stay one step ahead of what a resident or family member might need or desire. We fully support their efforts as it truly takes a team to provide quality senior care.
If you’re interested in becoming a care partner with Sinceri Senior Living as we strive together to exceed expectations, we hope you’ll be in touch.
We also invite you to download our complimentary guide, Simple Self-Care for Caregivers and CNAs: 6 Ways to Take Care of Yourself so You can Care for Others, which includes helpful tips and steps you might try.
