Congratulations on having completed your aged care courses aged care course! Even if you haven't finished it yet, since you are making the efforts to become a better professional, you deserve a pat on the back.
Now, every aged care professional is practically aiming for the same set of roles – as a personal care worker, as an aged care professional working in a community-living space, or as an aged care worker associated with a healthcare institution. Along with the common set of goals, professionals trying to enter the aged care industry are also carrying similar qualifications in the form of certificates, advanced certificates, diplomas, and degrees. This is the key reason why you should work on your resume, cover letter, and interview preparation plan to make yourself stand out as a professional among a heap of applicants.
Here are the top tips you can use to optimize your cover letter, resume, and interview plan for maximizing the chances of getting hired:
How to make a Cover Letter?
Your cover letter acts as your statement, which shows your potential employer why you are applying for the role, what qualifications you possess, and the next step of engagement. Ideally, it should summarize your resume, be aligned in the form of a cohesive story, and highlight your behavioral traits.
To achieve this, you can divide your cover letter into three distinct sections – Opening Statement, Middle Body, and Closing Statement. Keep the entire cover letter under 350 words and make sure you have included all key information accurately.
Here is how you can work on each section:
1. Opening Statement: Don't try to be very creative unless you are cold-emailing the hiring manager. Open with who you are and what your background is. Here is an illustration:
"My name is Damien Russo, and I am glad to apply for the role of an Aged Care Associate at Bupa , Adelaide. I hold a Certificate III in aged care, with 120 hours of mandatory training provided by Healthcare Plus Center in North Adelaide. I was in the top 20% of the students in my class and had been working with Healthcare Plus for the past 18 months."
This illustration lays out key information – who is the person, his qualification, what form of training he already obtained,
his most-recent achievement, and a brief on his employment history.
Also Read: Qualities of an Aged Care Worker in Adelaide
2. Middle Section: This is the section where you can highlight your behavioural traits and showcase why you are the right candidate, among other professionals, qualified for the personal care worker job. Try to look at the traits necessary to excel as an aged care worker, and you will have a better understanding of what you should communicate. Here is an illustration:
"I am a compassionate individual and have volunteered with several non-profits in the recent past, primarily focusing on providing better individual care services. I am a member of my local Toastmaster Society and have a keen eye for developing strong workplace relationships. Along with aged care course, I have also attained a 50-hour training in emergency care from Healthcare Plus Center."
This section communicates key traits that hiring managers might seek in an aged care professional – adequate training,
empathy, and good communication skills.
3. Closing Statement: The goal now shifts to showing what you have attached with your cover letter and nudging the hiring manager on what she should do next. Here is an illustration:
"I hope you consider me for the role mentioned above. I have attached my updated resume for your reference. Please feel free to get in touch with me using the phone number and email address provided in the resume. I look forward to hearing from you and join the Bupa Aged Care Centre, Adelaide."
The section shows that the applicant has attached a resume and gives the hiring manager guidance on what she can do
next in order to reach out to the applicant. While this may seem obvious, it serves as a Call-to-Action.
How to make Resume?
A resume tends to be a more templatized document that chronologically shows your professional and academic history. Keep the resume to one page, use a table to align every section properly & remove the table's borders later, and never stuff keywords into your resume. Some recruiters use special software for scanning 'deliberate keyword stuffing' in resumes. Here are some other tips:
1. Begin from the top with your name, email address, and phone number. Avoid attaching your photograph.
2. Give each sub-section a proper title – Educational Background, Professional Background, Extra and Co-Curricular Background, Languages, and Extra Skills are the common sub-sections, in that order.
3. In each sub-section, use reverse chronology to arrange your progress. For instance, you will mention Diploma,
Certificate IV, Certificate III, Certificate II, Certificate I, and high-school diploma from the top. You don't
have to mention every subject you studied. Add your CGPA or scores and any academic achievements you had in this section.
4. Use the same principle for the professional experience section, starting from your most
recent role and going back to your first role. If you do not have the experience, use your internships
and training in this section. Mention your roles & responsibilities and performance at the workplace.
5. In the extra and co-curricular section, add all the activities, volunteering, and directly unrelated experiences
you have had. This will help the recruiter evaluate you as a well-rounded professional.
6. In the end, mention the languages you speak along with the fluency you have in them. You can use these
scales – Elementary Proficiency, Limited Working Proficiency, Professional Working Proficiency,
Full Professional Proficiency, and Native Proficiency.
Make sure you use a readable font and maintain uniform spacing across the resume.
You might find some templates on the internet that add graphs and more colours to the resume. Generally,
hiring managers to find the distracting since the information they are looking for gets hidden.
Also Read: What are the 5 important points that can affect your Career in Aged Care
How prepare for Interviews?
If you have ensured your cover letter and resume are aligned, your interview will be smooth. For the questions,
you can focus on technical and behavioural questions. Technical questions focus on what you have learned in your
academic and professional training that would be directly applicable to the role. Behavioural questions would focus
on who you are as a person. Make sure you have practiced your story of growth, you know why you are
applying for the role, and how you plan to add value to the hiring manager's team. Also,
prepare a couple of questions that you can ask the interviewer in case she/he gives you the room to do so.
In Conclusions
If an institution has posted an opening – it wants to hire you. Keep that in mind while preparing your cover letter, resume, and interview plan. You can get feedback on these three from professionals who are already working in similar roles and the professors at your training institution. Ensure you utilize all the resources given by your career services center and never lie on your resume.