A cover letter is a way of putting yourself right in front of a future employer. It gives you a chance to say why you want the care assistant job, what experience you have, and explain how you’re the best person for the position.
Get it right and you’ll grab the hiring manager’s attention. Get it wrong and your letter will end up in the bin while you wonder why you didn’t get any further.
But fear not. There is plenty you can do to make sure your cover letter is first class and your next care assistant job is a few steps closer. We're going to help you with:
- why a cover letter is important
- what to include in a cover letter
- cover letter top tips
Care assistant cover letter tips.
Why do people still use cover letters for care assistant positions?
Because they really work. A cover letter allows you to target an employer and a position in a really specific way. A letter for work in an elderly care home will be different from one working with people with physical or mental disabilities.
It’s also not just a rewrite of your CV but is your chance to shine – tell the employer why you’re good, let them know what unique skills and qualities you can bring and relate those specifically to the job you’re applying for.
What to include in a cover letter for a care assistant.
Your cover letter should include information that demonstrates you’re right for the role – a summary of education and training, but also any experience you may have gained, what tasks you undertook, what skills you have gained during the course of your work and why you are uniquely qualified for the role.
- Research - Research the home, company or individual you’re applying to and demonstrate you have an understanding of their needs or business.
- Experience - If you worked in a nursing home you could mention daily tasks you carried out such as bathing, lifting, dressing, feeding and aiding mobility. If it was with an individual as a personal care assistant you could describe the things you did to help improve their day-to-day life such as meal planning, laundry, housekeeping and providing medication reminders.
- No experience – Don’t panic if you don’t have any. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere! Relate your skillset to the care assistant job in question. Skills such as listening, communication and compassion/empathy are transferable but important for a care assistant role and can be illustrated through any work experience or educational activities.
What you DON’T want to do is make your cover letter a rehash of your CV. You’ll be sending that anyway so make sure the cover letter has some personality injected into it and that you SELL yourself to the prospective employer.
Top cover letter tips.
- Be concise, don’t waffle and make sure every sentence counts
- Keep it to one page and divide it into four or five short paragraphs
- Check for spelling and grammar. Twice
- Understand the workplace you’re applying to
- Convey why they are your employer of choice, how your personality fits their culture and what unique skill set you can bring with you
You can find care assistant cover letter templates in our CV hub here.
