
Best Resume Layouts: 20+ Examples (from Idea to Design)
The layout of your resume matters just as much as its contents. In this guide, you’ll find 20+ best resume layout examples and tons of expert tips!
A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is responsible for assisting patients with healthcare needs. CNAs are usually supervised by Registered Nurses (RNs) or a Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). Your CNA resume must demonstrate your skills and qualifications to do the job, as well as your ability to effectively cooperate and communicate in a team.
And you know what?
You’re about to learn how to write the best CNA resume out there.
And it doesn’t matter if you want to write a CNA resume with no experience or you’re a seasoned pro with bags of experience.
This guide will show you:
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Looking for more resume writing advice? Explore our guides for all sorts of nursing-related positions:
Don't forget that a perfect cover letter will give you a higher chance to find your dream job, see: Nursing Cover Letter Examples.
1
Here’s the thing—
The BLS stats show the overall employment of CNAs is projected to grow faster than the national average for all occupations.
It means two things:
More CNA job opportunities for you. And… more competition.
The good news?
Your CNA resume will knock out all the others.
First off, see to it that your resume for a CNA position follows the reverse-chronological resume format.
Why this format, rather than a functional resume or combination resume?
Most recruiters are familiar with the chronological resume layout, so it’s very easy for them to scan.
And that’s a huge plus because on average a recruiter spends only about 6 seconds scanning a resume.
More than that, a chronological resume draws the recruiter’s attention to your achievements and experience. And that’s exactly what you want to show off.
As you’re formatting your resume remember to:
Not so sure about how to choose the best CNA resume template? Our guide on choosing the best resume format will help you make up your mind.
2
Here’s how it works:
A recruiter will scan your resume from top to bottom.
They’ll glance over your resume contact information and spend a bit more time looking at your resume profile.
What’s that?
A resume profile is a term referring to either your resume summary or CNA resume objective.
Here’s how the two differ:
A resume summary is a quick rundown of your relevant professional experience. It’s a good choice for candidates who have been at least two years in the workforce.
A resume objective is an introductory paragraph that focuses on your transferable skills to convince the recruiter you’re a great fit. It’s great for the candidates writing their first resume with no experience.
Take a look at the sample CNA resume objective and summary below.
right |
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A dedicated newly-licensed CNA 2019 graduate (GPA 3.9) seeking to use nursing care and advocacy skills in an assisted living setting at Sunsetters Retirement Home. Previous internship experience in providing basic care for 5+ elderly patients. CPR certified. |
wrong |
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A fresh grad looking for the first job as a certified nursing assistant. |
Take another look at the good example of an entry-level CNA resume objective.
Even though it may come from a CNA resume with no experience, the candidate looks super-qualified for the nursing assistant job.
The candidate mentions their:
Plus, they refer to the company by name and offer numbers that quantify the candidate’s skills.
And all of this in just a couple of sentences.
In contrast—
The bad example of the certified nursing assistant resume objective is devoid of all these.
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A reliable bi-lingual CNA of 10 years in diverse healthcare settings for the elderly. Eager to leverage management experience and take patient advocacy and care to the next level at HG Home for Seniors. In previous roles, directed a team of 5+ CNAs and devised a system that reduced incorrect medication administration by 99.9%. CPR and BLS certified. |
wrong |
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CNA with 10 years of professional experience looking for a nursing assistant job at your facility for seniors. |
Just like a good certified nursing assistant resume objective, a good summary for a CNA resume should:
Pro Tip: Write your resume profile at the very end, once your entire resume is ready. This way it will be much easier for you to pick out your career highlights.
The top part of your resume is one of the first places the recruiter will look at. So make sure your professional resume header encourages them to read on.
3
Remember what we mentioned about job opportunities for CNAs?
They’re growing.
But—
So is the competition.
And, do you know who’ll end up getting the best jobs?
The best qualified CNAs.
There’s a problem, though.
Sometimes the best-qualified candidates don’t get jobs. Why?
Because they don’t customize their CNA experience on a resume to the job offer.
Fret not—
Here’s how to get your CNA resume job description right:
This is what your resume job description could look like:
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May 2010–June 2016 Mercy Hospital, Watertown, New York Certified Nursing Assistant
Key achievement:
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wrong |
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WRONG Mercy Hospital, Watertown, New York
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Now—
To make your resume experience section really stand out from the crowd, highlight your key accomplishments in a separate subsection.
If you don’t know what achievements are good for your resume, here’s a couple of ideas:
Remember:
To make your resume for a hospital look impressive, put numbers next to your achievements to show the hiring manager your true impact.
And—
Take a look at our collection of job description bullet points samples to get inspired.
Need more help preparing your job description on a CNA resume? We’ve got a guide just for you: CNA Job Description for a Resume
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.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
4
Here’s a question:
What skills to put on a resume for a CNA?
The answer is—
Relevant.
But how to identify the best skills for your resume?
Easy.
They’re listed in the job offer.
What you just need to do is identify which CNA skills for a resume you have.
Here’s how to do this:
If you find it challenging to come up with your master list, use our list of hard skills or soft skills for a CNA resume as a source of inspiration:
On a side note—
Even if you aren’t a certified nursing assistant, many of the above skills will be relevant skills to other roles in Medicine and Healthcare.
Here are a few examples:
Want to make sure your CNA resume is all spick and span? Learn a couple of resume tips and tricks. And don't forget about our comprehensive list of nursing skills.
5
Here’s the thing:
Without a proper educational background, you would be no nursing assistant. Let alone certified.
That’s why your certified nursing assistant resume must give the education section the right treatment.
First things first—
Your resume for a CNA position should show where you became certified.
Every state has a Nurse Aide Registry. This registry establishes nurse aide training and competency.
So, indicate the state where you earned your certification. Recruiters will appreciate this.
Since every CNA program varies, consider including the number of hours in your training program and relevant coursework on your resume for CNA positions (if applicable).
This is how you can list your CNA certification on a resume:
Sheriden Woods Health Center Nurse Assistant Program
Bristol, Connecticut, May 2007
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) 2007
Completed 124 hours of Classroom and Clinical Training
If you’re making a nursing assistant resume who’s yet to be certified, just add information to this effect. It could read certification in process for example.
If you graduated high school more than five years ago, you can skip listing your high school entirely.
Otherwise, keep it short:
Middletown High School, Bristol, CT
Graduated in 2017
If you hold any relevant certifications, list them in a separate section of your CNA resume.
Pro Tip: If the certifications you list on your resume have an expiration date, say until when they’re valid.
Finally—
If you’ve completed any on-the-job courses related to your field of expertise, add them like this:
2013
OSHA BloodBorne Pathogen Training
Connecticut Senior Living Facility
Completed 30 hours Training
Did you directly observe the work of a doctor ? Read our guide on how to put doctor / physician shadowing on a resume.
6
Adding extra sections to your CNA resume could be risky—
Unless you know how to handle it right.
As with any other section on your certified nursing assistant resume, relevance is the name of the game.
So—
Use the extra space on your CNA resume to show you’ve got some unique skills and convince the recruiter you’re their kind.
Your CNA resume could benefit from such sections as:
Not sure you got everything right on your CNA resume? Take a look at our guide with resume dos and don’ts to be 100% sure.
7
Show off your impeccable communication skills, and write a cover letter for your CNA resume.
If you’re wondering:
Do I really need a cover letter?
Just know that 50% of the recruiters expect candidates to submit their cover letters. And 50% of the candidates are lazy enough not to write a cover letter.
The conclusion is simple—
You can easily cater to the needs of half of the recruiters, and beat half of the candidates by just writing a CNA cover letter.
The question is—
It’s not that difficult. Your certified nursing assistant resume cover letter must be:
Easier said than done? Maybe.
But—
We have a series of dedicated articles that will guide you by the hand from start to finish:
And one more thing:
Your CNA resume cover letter is a letter. Not a novel.
So make sure your cover letter length is just right.
Pro Tip: Make the best impression on the recruiter and learn how to follow up on your job application like a pro.
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:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Here’s how to make the best CNA resume:
Do you have any other questions on how to make a CNA resume? Or maybe you’re already a registered nurse who’d like to share some advice? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a shout out in the comments below.
The layout of your resume matters just as much as its contents. In this guide, you’ll find 20+ best resume layout examples and tons of expert tips!
An employment gap is a period of time (months of years) when a job seeker didn't have a job. While out of work, employees use their time to have children, travel or go to school full time.
How to write a general cover letter? Copy our sample generic cover letter template, adjust and use it to land an interview. Read more!