The purpose of your resume is to tell a potential employer something about you to see if you are a good fit for the job you are seeking. You want to let the CNA recruiter know about your education, skills, interests and goals. When you send your carefully-crafted resume to the recruiter, don’t forget to attach a detailed cover letter.
The cover letter and resume gives you the opportunity to showcase your abilities and experience, which may ultimately help you land that dream job as a certified nursing assistant. You can see a Sample CNA cover letter and resume at the end of this article.
Building Your CNA Resume
In the first section of the resume, list your work experience along with your previous supervisor’s name and contact information. Even if your previous work experience has not been in the field of healthcare, it should still be listed to show the reader that you are capable of working in a responsible manner. Volunteer experience should also be listed.
In the next section, list your education. The program where you obtained your training as a certified nurses’ aide is important to list, with the dates of attendance along with the date of your CNA certification. As you take continuing education courses, those too should be listed, with the title of the course, number of hours completed and provider name and contact information.
Special skills and affiliations are also a good idea to list. If you are fluent in a foreign language, for instance, or you are capable of lifting 100-pound weights, this could be helpful on the job. Additionally, if you are a member of any club or organization that may be relevant to your profession, don’t forget to include it in this section of the resume.
Some employers will also request a separate list of references. These typically include names, addresses, and telephone numbers of former teachers, friends and other acquaintances. Personal references can include anyone who knows you well enough to vouch for your character.
Sending in a good resume will improve your chances of getting an interview
What You Should not Include
Prospective employers do not need to know about your hobbies or anything having to do with your personal life. If you have had legal problems wait until you are asked for information. You are not required to inform prospective employers about your ethnic group or religious, political or personal beliefs.
The Basic Structure Of A CNA Resume
There are different styles for resumes, but the basic idea is to organize your information in a way that will make it easy for a prospective employer to read at a glance.
- Your name, address, telephone number and email address at the top will tell the reader whose resume he or she is reading and how to get in touch with you for an interview.
- In most resumes education comes next, with the names, addresses and telephone numbers of schools you attended and the dates you attended. When you take continuing education, that can be added as well.
- Your experience can be listed next, with job titles, names, addresses and telephone numbers of employers, and starting and ending dates you were employed.
- References are typically listed last, with the names and titles of the people listed, their relationship to you, and contact information.
- Some resume writers prefer to list skill sets, such as vital signs and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and then write where the skills were obtained and how long you practiced them. This kind of resume is better for more experienced nurses’ assistants who have acquired specialized skills along the way.
Sample CNA Resume
The following sample resume gives a clear picture of a newly trained certified nurses’ assistant. There are no hard and fast rules for how you must write your own resume, and this is intended only to give you the basic guidelines. Feel free to experiment and find the best form that works for you. A well-written resume, which looks professional and highlights relevant training and experience, will paint a clear picture for the recruiter.
123 Main St., Omaha, NE 99990
(323) 555-1212
lisasmith@ggmail.com
Dedicated Nursing Aide
A motivated Certified Nursing Assistant known for the ability to effectively provide patient care and perform tasks in a wide variety of duties related to that of a professional Certified Nursing Assistant
Professional Experience
Sunrise Nursing Home – Omaha ME, June/2010 – Present – Provide care to residents in a 32-bed facility. In this capacity, I routinely perform the following activities:
- Monitor and assessed patient vital signs
- Change, fed and bathed patients
- Assist patients while walking
- Transfer patients from bed to wheel chair
- Turn patients in bed according to schedule
- Serve meals to patients
- Encourage patients to meet goals stated in the care plans
- Empty and cleaned urinals and bedpans
- Assist Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses
- Attend staff meetings
- Provide emotional support to patients and family members
Additional Qualifications
Hobart Hospital, Omaha, NE, June/2013 – Novemner/2013 – Successfully completed a Brain Injury Internship Program at Hobart Hospital. During the Internship, I provided nursing assistance to staff and cared for patients with severe neuro-related trauma in the brain injury unit.
Education
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Associate Degree (2010) – OmahaCommunity College, 133 Jones Ave, Omaha, NE99990
Certifications and Affiliations
- State of Nebraska nursing assistant certification – May, 2010
- Basic Life Support certification
- Member of Nebraska Society for CNAs
- Fluent in Spanish
Sample CNA Cover Letter
You should send a cover letter along with your detailed resume. The purpose of the cover letter is to capture the reader’s attention so they want to read the attached resume. The resume may land you that coveted interview; however, without an engaging cover letter your resume could get lost in the crowd.
When writing your cover letter, remember to make it personal to the reader. Take your time to do your homework regarding the correct names, titles and other pertinent contact information of the hiring managers or administrators. The attached cover letter can be used as a sample when you write your own.
November 5, 2013
123 Main St., Omaha, NE99990
(323) 555-1212
Ms. Sandy Jones, R.N.
Director of Nursing Recruitment
Ambery Hospital
2376 Tiger Avenue
Big Town, USA 99990
Dear Ms. Jones,
Recently it came to my attention that your hospital has a recent opening for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). I am very interested in this position. I am a currently working as a CNA at Sunrise Nursing Home and have been employed there since 2010. Through my current employment and previous experience as a volunteer in a Brain Injury unit of a hospital, I can bring a wide variety of hands-on skills to Ambery Hospital.
I also have formal classroom training, which equipped me with the skills necessary to thrive as a professional Certified Nursing Assistant. More importantly, I take pride in the fact that I have consistently been awarded CNA of the year for the last two quarters for the care and compassion that I provide to all my patients as well as their families.
I would be grateful for the opportunity to speak with you about my ability and experience and to find out more about what you expect from potential employees. You would not be disappointed, I can assure you, if you selected me for the position. Please see my attached resume for specific skills and various duties I have performed in my past and current assignments.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lisa Smith
This was an expert contribution by Denise Warren, R.N BSN & Kathryn Goldin, R.N., M.D., M.S.P.H.
Thanks for give an idea on how to DLL a resume. Its been very helpful. God bless u.