We've all created a resume at one point or another. But which tips and tricks can turn a Personal Support Worker Resume from one that merely gets read to one that gets you hired?
Resume: A quick refresh
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A resume is an advertisement, plain and simple. The product or service that is being advertised is you. The purpose behind the document is to make yourself stand out to the employer and have them grant you a job interview.
Onto the Personal Support Worker Resume
What can help set you apart from other applicants is a strong resume bias towards your skills, experience and education. Since the large majority of this job is dealing with the public, having strong references is also of key importance.
Skills
PSW skills are mostly outlined in text-books and in your course materials. "Flexible, works well with others, problem solving, etc" are all common examples of some skills that you can list. You may also want to include a few job specific examples such as "familiar with body mechanics, warning signs and dealing with different personality types."
Experience
Since PSW courses in Ontario require on the job placement, each and every student will have some experience to place upon their resume. A quick tip for current or perspective students. If you are offered the ability to change workplaces in the middle of your co-op then do so. Even if the first placement is everything you were hoping for, the additional placement will help to pad your PSW experience on your resume. Attempt to stick to "more adult" employment positions, unless you absolutely need to use your old paper route or baby sitting as padding.
Education
For education list your personal support worker certificate and high school graduation. They will assume that you made it through elementary school. If you collected an awards along the way include those as well.
References
This section can really go a long way in helping you secure a job. A tip is to use individuals that you got along with at your placement as references. This may be fuzzy in terms of honesty, but you can always say that a co-worker at the placement was "in-charge" of your training and day to day activities. Using a person that knows you is preferable vs using a manager that you had little contact with.
Personal Support Worker Resume Tips & Tricks
For your own free editable sample resume you can visit our Personal Support Worker Sample Resume page. Extra tips are available at Personal Support Worker Ontario, our homepage.