{"id":6165,"date":"2025-11-28T09:56:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/cna-resume-examples\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:56:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:56:43","slug":"cna-resume-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/cna-resume-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Cna Resume Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me tell you about the time I applied to 23 CNA jobs in two weeks and heard crickets. There I was \u2013 fresh off finishing my certification at the local community college, Starbucks iced coffee in hand, thinking my resume was golden because I\u2019d listed \u201creliable\u201d and \u201ccompassionate\u201d seven times. (Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t.)<\/p>\n

Turns out, hiring managers at places like Sunrise Senior Living and Mercy General don\u2019t care about adjectives. They want to see your hands in the work<\/strong>. My breakthrough came when a nurse manager at a job fair glanced at my resume and said, \u201cHoney, where\u2019s the story<\/em>?\u201d Changed everything.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I wish I\u2019d known sooner:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Ditch the \u201cResponsibilities\u201d graveyard<\/strong>
    \nMy first resume read like a Walmart job description: \u201cAssisted patients with daily living activities.\u201d<\/em> Yawn. After shadowing a hospice CNA, I rewrote bullets like: \u201cSupported end-of-life patients\u2019 dignity through meticulous personal care \u2013 averaging 12 daily turns\/repositions with zero skin breakdowns.\u201d<\/em> Suddenly, interviews rolled in. Numbers stick. Specifics matter.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Certifications aren\u2019t garnish \u2013 they\u2019re the main dish<\/strong>
    \nI used to bury my CNA license under \u201cEducation.\u201d Big mistake. Now mine sits right under my name in bold: CNA #12345 (CA Board of Nursing) \u2013 BLS\/CPR Certified<\/strong>. Bonus? I added a one-liner about my dementia care workshop at the local Alzheimer\u2019s Association. Facilities ate that up.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Your soft skills need calluses<\/strong>
    \nInstead of \u201cgood communicator,\u201d my resume now says: \u201cDefused 4+ agitated dementia episodes weekly using validation therapy techniques.\u201d<\/em> Got that gem from remembering how Mrs. Thompson at Oak Grove would calm down when I sang Sinatra with her. Hiring managers want proof you\u2019ve been in the trenches.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The \u201cOh crap\u201d moment that changed everything:<\/strong>
    \nAfter six weeks of silence, I rewrote my resume while binge-watching Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> (season 3, if you\u2019re wondering). Used a free template from Google Docs but added red accents like the band on our scrubs. Landed an interview at a rehab center where the director said, \u201cI could tell you\u2019ve actually held<\/em> a gait belt.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Quick hits from my Notes app:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Keep it to one page \u2013 CNAs aren\u2019t writing memoirs<\/li>\n
    • Mention EMR systems you\u2019ve used (even Epic or Cerner)<\/li>\n
    • Add \u201cFluency in [Language]\u201d if applicable \u2013 I got a $2\/hr bump for Spanish<\/li>\n
    • Volunteer at a church health fair? That\u2019s resume gold<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Last thing: Your cover letter is where you get human. Mine started with \u201cThe first time I changed an occupied bed, I knew\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2013 way better than \u201cI\u2019m applying because\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

      Need a starting point? Grab my go-to template here [imaginary link] \u2013 it\u2019s the one that finally got me into pediatric home care. You\u2019ve got this. And hey, if I survived rewriting my resume in a Panera booth using ketchup-stained napkins? You\u2019ll crush it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Let me tell you about the time I applied to 23 CNA jobs in two weeks and heard crickets. There I was \u2013 fresh off finishing my certification at the local community college, Starbucks iced coffee in hand, thinking my resume was golden because I\u2019d listed \u201creliable\u201d and \u201ccompassionate\u201d seven times. (Spoiler: It wasn\u2019t.) Turns…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}