A certified nursing assistant (CNA) resume represents a concise summary of your skills and experiences written to impress hiring managers and secure you an interview. It’s a professional document that, when created properly, highlights your key strengths and gets you ahead of the competition.
In this guide, we’ll teach you the intricacies of crafting an outstanding CNA resume. You’ll learn how to format your document and get an appealing layout, which sections are mandatory and which are optional, how to write them, and more. Toward the end, we’ll even give you examples of complete resumes to serve as inspiration.
Key Takeaways
The best format for most CNA resumes is chronological, with functional and combination formats being usable in specific instances.
For a professional layout, you want a one-page resume with a good font, 1-inch margins, and sufficient white space between sections.
Mandatory sections to include are contact information, resume objective or summary, work experience, education, and skills.
The work experience section is usually the most important one, and it should take the most space in your CNA resume.
In addition to listing mandatory certifications and licenses, you should include all the others you have to improve your chances with hiring managers.
A well-written cover letter can strengthen your application and help you showcase additional skills and accomplishments.
How to Format Your CNA Resume
There are three common ways to format your CNA resume, and they are:
Common Resume Formats
Chronological format, which is the most common one. It puts your past experiences in reverse-chronological order. This makes it easy to read by hiring managers. Moreover, it’s an ATS-compatible format, helping you pass the initial software scan.
Functional format, which puts your skills first and is best used by certified nursing assistants with no work history. The downside is that this format isn’t always compatible with the ATS.
Combination format, which is the hybrid of the first two. It puts your skills front and center while backing up each skill with relevant accomplishments in reverse-chronological order. This makes it perfect when you have gaps in employment.
CNA Resume Layout
A strong resume layout makes your document visually appealing, enhances its readability, and helps it optimally convey valuable details about your skills and experiences.
You can follow these guidelines to achieve that goal:
CNA Resume Layout Guidelines
Your CNA resume should be one page long. You can add a page or two only when the job ad requires more than that, and you have tons of experience to highlight.
Choose a professional font for your resume, like Arial, Calibri, or Verdana.
Font size should be 10–12 pt for regular text and 14–16 pt for section headings.
Margins should be uniform on all sides and at least 1 inch.
Utilize white space between sections to create a clean and organized look.
CNA Resume Mandatory Sections
Every CNA resume should have these five mandatory sections:
Resume Mandatory Details
Contact information
Resume objective/summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
Following that, you can add as many optional sections as you want, as long as they provide relevant information and don’t clutter your resume. Some options include:
Resume Optional Details
Licenses/Certifications
Languages
Still, writing a CNA resume from scratch might seem complex if it’s your first time doing it, even with all the provided information. That’s why we suggest using our resume builder. It’s a tailor-made software solution designed to help you create a resume in minutes.
You can choose from countless professional CNA resume templates, customize them to your preference, input your information in designated spots, and download a finished product. On top of all that, you can use our custom AI to polish your writing for more impact.
CNA Resume Template
Speaking of templates, here’s one of many CNA resume samples that you can find when using our resume builder:
CNA Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major] [University/college name] [Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Resume templates
Resume templates that are designed to help you win a jobHow to Add Contact Information to Your CNA Resume
Adding contact information to your CNA resume is a straightforward process of listing the following details in the header of your resume:
Contact Information Mandatory Details
Your name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
Optionally, you can include your:
Contact Information Optional Details
LinkedIn
Location
Let’s see what that looks like in an example:
Contact Information Example
Edgar Harvey Certified Nursing Assistant + 909 915 6417 edgarharvey@example.com linkedin.com/in/edgarharvey Los Angeles, CA
How to Write a CNA Resume Objective/Summary
Writing an objective or summary for your CNA resume is all about grabbing the hiring manager’s attention in 2–4 sentences. This short description of your CNA resume is typically the first thing they’ll read, which is why you want to highlight your key strengths to show potential right off the bat.
Entry-Level CNA Resume Objective
If you’re an entry-level candidate, you should write a CNA resume objective to showcase your strongest skills relevant to the job you’re applying for. You can also emphasize your academic accomplishments and any results obtained during your internship or training.
Here’s a good example of a CNA resume objective:
Entry-Level CNA Resume Objective Example
Licensed Certified Nursing Assistant with a 3.8 GPA and an Associate of Science in Nursing degree looking for an entry-level role at Valley Assisted Living. Proficient in mobility assistance, feeding assistance, and wound care. As a Nursing Assistant Trainee at MediCare Center, assisted 7 patients concurrently, providing medication reminders and coordinated schedules.
The key is to demonstrate what you offer instead of just stating that you’re looking for a job. Otherwise, you’ll get an underwhelming resume objective, like in this bad example:
Bad Example
Certified Nursing Assistant with no experience looking for a first job. Fast learner, eager to progress quickly.
Senior CNA Resume Summary
Your CNA resume summary should point out one or two of your biggest accomplishments to immediately show hiring managers what you’re capable of.
Check out this good example of a CNA resume summary:
Senior CNA Resume Summary Example
Certified Nursing Assistant with over 9 years of experience looking to join Sunnyvale General Hospital. BLS and CPCT-certified with a MediCare Hospital Employee of the Year Award in 2021. Adept at administering daily bedside care and assistance to more than 45 patients, helping improve recovery rates by up to 21%.
However, if you don’t include any specific information about your competence, you’ll end up with a poor resume summary, like in this bad example:
Bad Example
Experienced Certified Nursing Assistant looking to join your organization. Proficient in bedside care and health record documentation.
CNA Resume Professional Experience
Professional experience is usually the most important section in a resume, so let’s find out how to get the most out of it.
General Tips
To start with the basics, here are the details to include when listing your work experience:
Job title
Organization name
Dates of employment
Achievements and results
If you have multiple previous jobs to include, you should do so in reverse-chronological order. Furthermore, for each role, you want to list notable accomplishments and measurable results over everyday tasks and regular assignments. Here’s how you can make those achievements pop:
Use bullet points over blocks of text as they look more professional and are easier to read.
An optimal number of bullet points per job is between 3 and 5.
Include numbers and statistics next to relevant results to make them more concrete by adding measurable value.
Incorporate action verbs and power words in your writing to make it more memorable and impactful.
Certified Nursing Assistant With No/Little Experience
A CNA resume with no experience can still have a compelling work history section. The trick is to leverage analogous activities like internships, training, volunteering, etc.
Let’s see that in an example:
Certified Nursing Assistant With No/Little Experience Example
Work Experience
Nursing Assistant Trainee Valley Assisted Living Los Angeles, CA
March 2023–February 2024
Provided daily assistance to 15 patients on average, including giving basic patient care and helping licensed nursing staff.
Managed dietary needs of patients and assisted in feeding to contribute to a 95% nutrition plan adherence rate.
Communicated with patients and their family members to ensure adequate support, contributing to a 7% increase in satisfaction rating.
Experienced Certified Nursing Assistant
As an experienced certified nursing assistant, you want to demonstrate a wide assortment of valuable skills. This ranges from job-specific hard skills to abilities that help on an organizational level, such as leadership, management, mentoring, communication, etc.
Here’s a good example:
Experienced Certified Nursing Assistant Example
Work Experience
Certified Nursing Assistant Sunnyvale General Hospital Los Angeles, CA
July 2020–Present
Provided comprehensive, high-quality care to up to 30 patients daily with an emphasis on meeting their physical and emotional needs.
Reduced instances of medical complications by 17% through meticulous monitoring of vital signs and careful information recording.
Streamlined the onboarding process to improve its efficiency by 35% and personally trained and mentored 15 new CNAs.
CNA Resume Education Section
The education section of your CNA resume should be brief and factual. It serves to validate your skills and qualifications, but it shouldn’t take the spotlight off your work history section.
That’s why you should briefly include your certification and diploma, along with the dates and institutions that issued them.
Here’s an example from a CNA resume:
Education Example
Education
Certified Nursing Assistant (December 2023) Los Angeles Career College, Los Angeles, CA
Associate of Science in Nursing American Career College, Los Angeles, CA
2020–2022
If you’re an entry-level candidate, you can add more emphasis to this section in bullet points by listing details like high GPA, relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, rewards and accolades, and more.
CNA Resume Skills
CNA resume skills section gives hiring managers and potential employers a concise overview of where your strengths lie. The best way to write this section is to create an orderly list of your abilities.
The key is to make those abilities relevant to the job you’re applying for. Instead of listing every skill that you have, you should research the company and read the job ad to find out what employers look for in candidates.
After that, you want to include those abilities, starting with job-specific, hard skills. If the role requires it, you can also add some of the highly sought-after soft skills.
Finally, you should demonstrate your abilities throughout your CNA resume, in addition to creating a skills section. The best way to do it is to mention relevant skills next to accomplishments in the work history and resume summary sections.
CNA Skills
As a certified nursing assistant, you likely have many useful skills to add to your resume.
For instance, you can list clinical skills like:
Clinical Skills
Pediatric patient care
Medication administration
IV therapy
Wound care
Infection control
When it comes to medical technologies, you can add:
Medical Technologies Skills
Electronic health records (EHR)
IV infusion pumps
ECG machines
Then, there are administrative abilities, like:
Administrative Abilities
Medical charting
HIPAA compliance
Inventory management
Valuable soft skills for CNA professionals include:
Soft Skills
Time management
Empathy
Flexibility
CNA Resume: Other Sections
Let’s see what optional sections you can consider adding to your CNA resume.
Licenses/Certifications
Licenses and certifications validate your qualifications and ensure you have the necessary skills and knowledge to do the job. In addition to a mandatory CNA certification which you should add to your education section, you might also need to mention state-specific licenses.
Any additional licenses and certifications, while not mandatory, can significantly improve your chances of getting the job. They highlight specialized knowledge in particular areas and further add credibility to your competence.
Languages
Proficiency in foreign languages helps you communicate better with a diverse patient population. Multilingual certified nursing assistants are capable of understanding patients better and meeting their needs optimally in multicultural settings.
When adding a language skills section to your CNA resume, you should pick an established standard and start with the language you’re most proficient in.
Do I Need a Cover Letter as a Certified Nursing Assistant?
Cover letter templates
Create a cover letter by filling in a free template and sharing it for freeYou should write and submit a cover letter in addition to your resume to maximize your chances of grabbing the hiring manager’s attention and convincing them to invite you for an interview. While this document is typically optional, having it demonstrates dedication and genuine enthusiasm for the job.
Moreover, a well-written cover letter represents another document where you can talk about your skills and accomplishments, further portraying you as a competent professional. You want to ensure that it matches your CNA resume in format, layout, and content to create a cohesive application package and demonstrate professionalism.
Before we wrap up this all-encompassing guide on writing a job-winning CNA resume, here are some expert tips that will help you polish your document to perfection:
5 Expert Tips for Writing a CNA Resume
When writing your resume summary or objective, you should omit personal pronouns. That way, you’ll steer attention away from your job inquiry and focus on what you have to offer the employer and how they can benefit from hiring you.
If you did some volunteer work, you should mention it in your resume. This is particularly important in the healthcare field, as it demonstrates your commitment to your profession and willingness to go the extra mile to help those in need. It also highlights passion and motivation, helping you get ahead of the competition.
Don’t forget about your soft skills. While hard and technical skills are a must-have for CNA professionals, soft skills can be just as valuable and can help you get ahead of the competition. Demonstrating teamwork capabilities, leadership prowess, or communication skills helps portray you as a versatile and competent professional.
You should proofread your resume meticulously to ensure there are no mistakes. Even a simple typo or grammatical error can draw the wrong kind of attention. By having a spotless document, you highlight precision, care, and attention to detail. Proofreading also helps you spot areas where you can improve your writing and formatting.
You can make links in your contact information section clickable in the soft copy of your resume. Your LinkedIn profile, email address, and even your phone number can be links that hiring managers can click to check your profile or contact you effortlessly.
3 CNA Resume Examples
Closing Thoughts
Nursing assistants have a 4% positive job outlook. Getting one of those spots is much easier when you have an exceptional CNA resume that optimally highlights your skills and experiences.
Remember to keep your document concise and professional. Instead of listing every ability or accomplishment that comes to mind, prioritize quality over quantity. That way, you’ll give hiring managers exactly what they are looking for, presenting yourself as the right person for the job.
Don’t forget to take advantage of our resume builder if you need any help. Our templates and this guide will help you land an interview in no time. After that, you might want to check out some of the most common CNA interview questions, and it won’t be long before you have the job of your dreams!
