How to write a care assistant cover letter
Your cover letter is a key part of your arsenal for winning a new job in the fast-growing care sector. If you’re up against other care workers with similar skills and experience, a good cover letter will help you stand out from the crowd, making your application more personal, while also drawing out specific skills and experience.
Think of your cover letter as an advert for your skills as a carer. As you apply to carer jobs and care worker jobs, take the opportunity to show off what you have to offer, why you’d be the right person for the job and also to highlight a little of your personality.
We’ve compiled our tips for writing a cover letter that will distinguish you from the rest of the applicants – as well as a free template you can use as inspiration. You may also want to explore our question and answers guide for care worker job interviews.
Top tips for writing a top-notch care worker cover letter
What attributes should a care worker have?
Carers need to be compassionate, patient and kind, but equally, they also need to be able to keep up with a fast-paced and often demanding job. That means that you’ll want to focus on these two areas, showing that you’re great with people but also resilient and hard-working.
Do your research and planning up front
It’s important to spend some time thinking about what you want to mention in your cover letter and then planning out how you are going to structure it.
First up, you need to think about why you want this job in particular and why you’d be the right hire for care assistant jobs. So, grab a piece of paper and jot down your ideas – they don’t have to be in any order yet.
Next, read the job advert again, focussing on the required skills and experience section. Then, think of relevant examples of when you’ve done these things in your career. Say a key requirement of the job is working with people with spinal injuries – if you’ve completed a course on caring for patients with this issue, be sure to shout about it in the cover letter.
Last of all, plan out the order of your cover letter. It shouldn’t be more than five or six paragraphs, so make sure you hit all the key points. Put the most relevant at the top and work your way back from there.
Start positively and personally
Your cover letter is your chance to shine, and your first couple of sentences are important for getting the hiring manager interested. If you can, find out the name of the person who is in charge of recruitment for this specific job – this might be on the job ad, but you can also call up the company and ask.
Your first paragraph is where you highlight your personality and motivations. Describe why you are the right fit for the job and emphasise why you want it so much. This is sure to impress, and the hiring manager is likely to keep reading.
Highlight your most relevant experiences
Whether you’ve been working in the care sector for 20 years or are just starting out, it’s essential to show how your past experience makes you right for the job.
If you don’t have professional care experience yet, you can certainly draw on other occasions where you’ve shown you have the personal skills which are key to the industry – perhaps you supported a sick relative or volunteered in a children’s home during your gap year.
For more experienced care professionals, the trick is to choose the most relevant examples from your career to the job at hand. If you’ve mainly worked for agencies that organise home visits but are now looking to transition to a large institution. Show how working within an agency gave you insights into the running of a larger operation.
Training and qualifications
Besides experience, it’s also essential to mention any relevant training or qualifications you have completed. Applying for a job working with Alzheimer’s patients? It is certainly worth mentioning any certification you have with regards to the disease.
Make sure your personality comes through
Perhaps more than most professions, care work depends on your personal attributes. You need to be empathetic, a team worker and have a sense of humour too. Provide evidence of how you are right for the role – perhaps mentioning the satisfaction you get out of team work, or how you feel inspired by patients who have struggled through adversity. Whatever it is that makes you tick about care work, make sure it comes through.
At the end of your cover letter, a great way to leave a lasting mark is to share your future goals and vision for your career: what do you want to achieve in the role you’re applying for? Is it progression, training or a sense of fulfilment?
Remember that people like people, so your cover letter should provide an insight into who you are.
Care Worker Cover Letter Example
Amy Dyer
34 First Avenue Hove
BN3 1PP
Amy.Dyer@yahoo.com
07785 467 731
Rachel Jones
Holly Road Retirement Homes
28 Holly Road
Hove
BN3 8GH
23/09/18
Re: Application for care assistant role
Dear Ms. Jones,
I am writing to apply for the Care Assistant position at Holly Road Retirement Homes that I saw advertised on Monster.co.uk. I have extensive experience working with dementia patients which I believe makes me the right fit for this role. I have spent the past 15 years working in care homes for elderly residents, and I have built up a solid bank of skills which I believe would allow me to make a significant contribution to your organisation.
I am particularly interested in working for Holly Road Retirement Homes because of your reputation for excellent care for dementia patients. I am keen to further develop my career in this field, and to gain exposure at one of the country’s leading dementia care homes.
My interest in working with dementia patients has evolved through previous roles in both a home setting and in an institutional environment – most recently at Sunny Vale Care Home where I managed a team of ten in the specialist dementia wing. To further enhance my knowledge of this illness, I also completed an evening course in dementia care at Brighton College.
I believe through well-structured care, patients can lead a dignified and fulfilling life. I am very keen to continue working in this challenging field and believe working at Holly Road would give me the exposure and experience to really help future patients.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Amy Dyer
Download this free care worker cover letter template in Word.
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