Support Worker CV Example & Guide for 2024

Many people say they’re a ‘people person’. Being a support worker is a ‘people job’. There aren’t many more practical jobs that require you to work with people than this. You are at the very frontline of someone’s life, either making a great change, or supporting them in maintaining the current condition.

To make sure that the person hiring understands just how much you care, how diligent you are, and that you have the right skills, you need to build a solid support worker CV. With this guide and support worker CV example, that’s easier than changing the sheets.

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Need a different CV example? Check these guides:

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• Mental Health Support Worker CV
• Mental Health Nurse CV
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• Nursery Nurse CV
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Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV guides.

Support worker CV example

Now here’s the formula for a job-winning support worker CV: 

1. Write a support worker CV personal statement

In a job where you deal with this many people, first impressions matter. Establishing instant rapport and authority matters. Your personal statement should immediately establish that this is a support worker CV worth reading. And that's definitely something you should include in a CV.

Your personal statement (also called a CV profile or CV summary) is nothing more than a short summary of your most impressive achievements, skills and experience. Try to simply answer the following questions with one sentence each:

1. Who are you, what’s your experience?
2. What type of care are you experienced in providing?
3. What’s your most unique achievement?
4. What’s your most impressive achievement?
5. What are you hoping to be able to achieve in this job? (Think more for your employer than for yourself).

That should be enough. Six lines is optimal length for a strong personal statement to make sure your support worker CV grabs attention. You will find it much easier to write the personal statement after you have finished writing the rest of your CV.

Support worker CV personal statement

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Craft your support worker job description

Providing care and helping with everyday tasks. Assisting patients with disabilities. Administering medication. Everyone knows what the responsibilities of a support worker are, especially the employer. So in your work experience section avoid making a boring list of duties.

Instead, work through the job advertisement to see which are the most important for your employer. When preparing your support worker job description, write a bullet point about how you excelled in your daily duties, using the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula. Try to estimate the volume and impact of your work.

Make 3 to 7 bullet points, ranked in order of importance. Record your work experience under the following heading:

[Job Title]

[Employer Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

For old positions, keep it to 3 bullet points.

If having no experience for a CV, emphasise transferable skills, relevant coursework or certifications, volunteer work, and personal qualities that align with the job. Crafting your first CV can be straightforward if you approach it strategically.

Support worker CV job description sample

3. Include education section in your care support worker CV

Although formal education may not be necessary for some support worker jobs, most of them will ask for a Level 2 or 3 NVQ in a relevant subject. If you have these qualifications, make sure you list them prominently in your education section right under your work experience.

If you don’t have these qualifications and the position requires them, consider looking for a position where you can qualify on the job, or prioritise your skills section and show there why you’re the right candidate.

List your qualifications and certifications in the following way:

Qualification Name, Date

School Name

Like this:

Care support worker CV education section example

4. List your relevant support worker skills

Being an effective support worker is not based on theory, but on proven, real-world, practical skills. Add a skills section to either additional things you can do that you don’t want to discuss at depth, or as a short and to-the-point recap of the most important points.

Whatever you do, make sure it covers exactly what your employer is looking for in an employee—by studying the job advertisement and their website if necessary. 

Make a list of around 5-10 key support worker skills (including hard and communication skills).

Support worker CV skills section

5. Add additional sections to your support worker CV

You will be dealing with various scenarios in different environments, and having a broad skill set and experience is what will allow you to excel. Languages, extra certifications, or volunteering experience will help prove that you have the skills. Or at least that you can multitask.

For a perfect CV, make sure you keep it relevant. You can have a nice chat about your hobbies once you’re in the interview, for now, keep your support worker CV to what it should be—a list of reasons to hire you. 

Mental health support worker CV additional sections example

6. Create a support worker cover letter

For many, writing a cover letter seems a drag. These are probably the same people that you will hear complaining they still don’t have a job in a few months. Another piece of good news—most people have no clue how to write a support worker cover letter. 

This is what to include in your cover letter:

• 1st Paragraph (60-80 words)—State your years of experience, and outline why you are a unique and better candidate than most.

• 2nd (Main) Paragraph (120-200 words) —Outline your 2 or 3 proudest or most significant achievements that you can back up with some numbers or cases. They should closely relate to what your new employer expects of you.

• 3rd Paragraph (40-60 words)—Seal the deal by stating what you hope to do for them.

• Call to Action (Single Sentence)—Be confident, and ask for a call or an interview.

If you are sending a support worker CV with no experience, this is your chance to highlight your transferable skills.

7. Use proper support worker CV format

Make sure your CV format is second to none by applying these tips:

• Use a common CV font like Arial or Calibri. 
• Use clear headings for each section, and space between sections out to guide their eyes.
• For a neat CV structure, use even margins on all sides.
• Research free CV templates to find the best one for yourself. You can go for a creative CV template as long as it is ATS-friendly.
• Unless told not to, save your support worker CV in a PDF format.

How long should a CV be? No longer than a page, unless you've got years of experience under your belt.

If you don’t hear back after a week, give them a follow-up call to see if they processed your application yet.

One last CV tip. When sending your CV of a support worker, avoid using 'Please find attached my CV'. 'My CV is attached' sounds better.

That's it! Now you know what a CV should look like. You will be providing world-class care to those who need it very soon!

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Did we answer all your questions on how to write a support worker CV? Got any job hunting tips and tricks you’d like to share? Did you find our support worker CV sample useful? Use the comments section below. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.