Aged Care Resume: Sample & Tips [Also for No Experience]

You come to work every day so that seniors can age with dignity and grace. You support, listen and stay compassionate in the hardest of times and situations. You deliver the best care, have the qualifications, and deserve the best job out there because of that. 

Not sure how to translate that into a perfect aged care resume? We’re here to help.

This guide will show you: 

• An aged care resume sample better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write an aged care resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on an aged care resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for aged care to get any job you want.

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Aged care resume sample

Here’s how to write an aged care resume, step by step:

1. Choose a good aged care resume format

Aged care workers assist the elderly, making sure they receive the necessary medication and can cope with daily activities and domestic duties. They can perform both in-house and residential services. The purpose of an aged care resume is to reflect that a person is fit to provide this kind of support and has the knowledge and skills required.

A good aged care resume always starts with formatting. To make sure your resume delivers the right message, follow these steps:

• Choose a font that’s neat and easy to read (Helvetica, Arial).
• Set even margins on all sides of the document.
• Select 1–1.15 line spacing.
• Use bold type for headers to make sure they stand out.
• Go with reverse-chronological order (starting with your most recent job/education is what hiring managers usually expect, but there are other resume formats you can explore).

You can also choose a simple template for your resume that will take care of the formatting. Once you're done, make sure you download the file as a PDF so that it doesn’t look shoddy when opened on different devices.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure how long an aged care resume in Australia has to be, aim at 2–4 pages with 11–12 pts text size.

2. Compose a resume summary or a resume objective

According to the UN World Population Ageing Report from 2019, the number of older persons in Australia is expected to grow by 84% by 2050. A similar report indicates that ageing will have a more pronounced impact in the coming decade than in the past due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation.

The demand for aged care services will only increase, and so will the number of job applicants. That means that your aged care resume should have more than good looks to stay competitive, and the opening paragraph can really make it or break it.

Experienced aged care professionals compile a personal summary for their aged care resume. To write a strong one, follow these tips:

• Brainstorm a “master list” of your prominent accomplishments.
• Compare it with the description of the position you are applying for, and single out matching points. 

If you have no experience, write a career objective for your resume. The approach will be slightly different:

• Think of relevant transferable skills you’ve acquired previously.
• Make it clear why you’d like to work in this specific field and organisation and why you’ll be good at it. 
• Refer to the job description as well, using it as a basis for your search for ideas. 

That also applies if you’re switching careers. 

Pro Tip: It might make sense to leave this section for the end of your resume-writing process. This way, you’ll have all the info in front of you, making it easier for you to summarise. 

3. Write targeted aged care duties on your resume

Once you’re done with your opening statement, you need to make sure to support your claims with a solid description of your previous work. Approach it this way:

• Begin with your most recent position (if you went with reverse-chronological order).
• Include the job title, name of the organisation, dates of employment, and 3–6 bullet points.
• Start each bullet point with a power verb (like “demonstrated”, “maintained”, or “fulfilled”).
• Show results. Focusing on aged care duties on your resume might be tempting, but it’s important to pair them with measurable achievements.
• Keep things relevant. As before, keep an eye on the position description to make sure you match the expectations. 

Even if you’re writing an aged care resume with no experience in the field, this still applies. Tailor your entries to the job ad, and describe experiences that support your career objective. 

4. Feature your education on your resume for aged care

You’re absolutely required to have a degree and/or training to work in aged care, so you have to list it right to make sure it’s easy to notice. There are usually two scenarios:

• For an aged care resume for an experienced candidate, list your degree, the name of your college/uni, its location, and the time frame.
• For an aged care resume with no experience (a recent graduate, for example), mention your academic achievements: a high GPA, relevant publications, some practical experience you’ve acquired, etc.

You’ll also have a chance to accentuate extra education or certifications in the additional sections of your aged care resume—more on that below.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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5. Single out relevant skills on your aged care resume

It might seem hard to decide which key skills to put on your resume. After all, don’t the hard skills matter more? 

Not necessarily. Being an aged care professional is a very emotionally challenging job, so soft skills are just as important as hard skills or training. Highlight them on your aged care resume by following these tips:

• Start by making a list of your strong suits.
• Pick out the ones that are relevant to the job and would reinforce your application.

Once you’re done, your skills section might look something like this:

Aged care resume sample—skills

• First Aid
• Personal care
• Domestic assistance (ADLS)
• Mobility and dexterity assistance
• Transportation assistance
• Organisation & Planning
• Responsibility
• Compassion
• Calm under pressure
• Maintaining a positive attitude

This list starts with the required hard skills and then mentions equally important personal characteristics. Maintaining good relationships with service users and engaging with their families is a crucial part of your work, just like medical knowledge, so do mention it. 

Want more ideas? Read our guide: How to Write a Resume: Examples for Australia

6. Elevate your resume for aged care with additional sections

You might not see these in every aged care resume sample, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a great bonus. 

Use extra sections to feature:

• Essential certifications that are obligatory for the job, like Certificate III in Individual Support or Certificate IV in Ageing Support.
• Publications and memberships.
• Language skills.
• External projects or even hobbies and interests, as long as they make sense for the job.

An aged care resume with no experience can greatly benefit from such additions as well, making up for what the candidate is missing work-wise.

7. Add an aged care cover letter to your application

For your application to be complete, your resume for aged care should be paired with a cover letter. This is a wonderful chance to demonstrate who you are as a person and a professional and explain your motivations for applying (especially if you don’t have a lot of experience).

The process is similar to that for your aged care resume:

• Maintain a good cover letter format.
• Use a similar template. 
• Keep it precise (under 1 page) and tailored to the position requirements.

In your aged care cover letter:

• Address the hiring manager with their name (avoid old clichés like “To Whom It May Concern”).
• Single out your key achievement and mention it in the opening paragraph.
• Describe your professional experience and show the hiring manager you understand the role (and will be a good fit).
• Talk about why you chose the place/client, why you’d be a good addition to the team, or why you’re the right choice based on your values.
• Close your letter with a call to action, saying you’d be happy to schedule a call or a meeting. Mention that you’d like to share some ideas about the work and your potential input.

If you don’t get a response right away, make sure to follow up. Things tend to fall through the cracks, and some hesitation does not always mean “no”.

Need more tips? Read our full guide: How to Write a Good Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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That’s about it! Hope you found our guide on writing an aged care resume informative and useful.

Any extra tips we should include? Was the aged care resume sample for Australia helpful? Let us know in the comments!