October 2022

When applying for the role of a Registered Manager, it’s essential to ensure that your CV is completed to a professional standard. The CQC and Ofsted will analyse your background, skills, education, and experience to ensure you can fulfil the requirements expected of a Registered Manager. 

In this article, ClouDoc has outlined what fundamental factors are crucial to any CV and how you can adapt these to the care sector. Using our checklist will ensure that your CV is attractive and informative to hiring employers and will do the best secure you an interview. The Care Quality Commission website offers further information regarding CQC requirements for registered managers. Further details regarding how to run a children’s social care provider are available at Gov.UK. 

What Do Employers Look For in a CV?

Depending on the job description and requirements, you can usually predict what the hiring manager wants to see in your CV. It’s important to create a highly targeted CV that gets you noticed. Remember, recruiters are put off by dense, text-heavy CVs. You can break your CV down into four steps to remain attractive to potential employers.

1. Expertise and Achievements

The section that most recruiters and potential employers are going to be drawn to is the experience section, as this often holds the answers as to whether the company should hire you. An employer will want to see progression with little to no employment gaps. It is essential to prove your expertise and dedication to your profession. You must include proof that you’ve succeeded in a similar work environment working with relevant projects or subjects. Highlighting your biggest achievement is imperative to ensure you leave a memorable impression.

2. Relevant Skillset

The skills section allows recruiters to skim through and analyse your CV. They can tell immediately if your CV fits what they are looking for and whether you should be called in for an interview. You must read the job application and highlight the skills mentioned to include them in your CV. Create a separate section for your skills so they stand out on the page, and ensure you highlight your talents in your personal statement and experience section.

3. Data and Quantifiable Metrics

Quantifiable metrics make all the difference when it comes to displaying your worth. Remember that before picking up your CV, the hiring manager has already read dozens of applications. Make yours stand out by adding data and measurable results when featuring accomplishments in your CV. Use numbers and statistics to help the recruiter understand your full impact within context.

4. Proper Spelling and Grammar

Mistakes and errors in spelling and grammar stand out and can leave a bad impression. You should always proofread your CV and eradicate any errors before submitting it to hiring companies.

CQC and Ofsted Registered Manager Criteria

Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 7

The CQC state the intention of this regulation is to ensure that people who use services have their needs met because the regulated activity is managed by an appropriate person. This is because providers who comply with the regulations will have a registered manager who:

• Is of good character,
• Is able to properly perform tasks that are intrinsic to their role,
• Has the necessary qualifications, competence, skills, and experience to manage the regulated activity,
• Has supplied them with documents that confirm their suitability.

The CQC will refuse registration if providers cannot satisfy that they can and will continue to comply with this regulation. 

Fitness of a Registered Manager – Ofsted 

As per the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, a person may only manage a children’s home if: 

• The person is of integrity and good character, 
• With regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number of needs (including any needs arising from disability) of the children – 
  • The person has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of the children.
  • The person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home,
• The person has the appropriate experience and qualifications if the person has
  • Within the last five years, worked for at least two years in a position relevant to the residential care of children,
  • Worked for at least one year in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role.
  • Attained a Level 55 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England). 
  • Attained a qualification that the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma. 
• The relevant date is – 
  • In the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls three years after the date on which that person started managing a home; or
  • In the case of a person who was managing a home on 1st April 2014 and 1st April 2017. 
• The registered provider may defer the relevant date if the person – 
  • Does not manage, or has not managed, a home for a prolonged period; or
  • Manages, or has managed, a home on a part-time basis. 

Adapting to the Care Sector

Working in the health sector is an immensely rewarding career. When you are searching for jobs, it’s important to look for positions that suit your skills and experience. By developing an understanding of what hiring managers look for in a CV, you can write an effective application and, hopefully, land an interview. When formulating your CV for a health or social care position, you should:

• Gather relevant information,
• Draft your personal statement,
• List your work experience,
• Describe your education and training,
• Outline relevant skills and competencies,
• Mention additional relevant information,
• Include keywords,
• Proofread and edit.

How to Write a CV For Health and Social Care

Working within health and social care is a hugely rewarding career. When looking for jobs, it’s important to look at positions that match your skills and experience. Your CV should communicate your experience and skills effectively and show potential employers that you are the best fit for their positions. Understanding what hiring managers look for in a CV can help you write an effective application and land an interview.

Gather Relevant Information

When writing your CV, you should gather all the relevant information you want to include within it. This should include basic information, such as your name, contact information, previous employers’ details, graduation dates and training certifications. You should also include contact details for professional references, particularly if the job listing requests this. Reach out to your former employers and managers who could provide you with a reference and ensure you have their correct contact information.

Draft Your Personal Statement

Your personal statement is the first thing that a hiring manager will read, so this should command their attention and explain straightaway why you’re the right fit for the available position. In this section, offer a summary of why you work within care and highlight your relevant skills and experience. Write your personal statement while consulting the job description. By doing this, you can include the relevant skills and character traits the employer is looking for. Ensure your writing sounds professional, and focus on convincing the hiring manager to continue reading your CV.

List Your Work Experience

Your experience section gives you an opportunity to display to hiring managers that you possess the relevant experience for your role. For each previous employer, provide the company’s name, location, duration of your career there, job title and a brief outline of the duties and responsibilities for the role. Using bullet points to summarise your responsibilities will help to keep this section concise. If you have limited professional experience in the care sector, consider including volunteer experience in care. You can also highlight ways that non-care-related roles have provided you with transferable skills.

Describe Your Education and Training

Including information about your relevant training is always beneficial. Within the education section, you can include any courses that have helped you develop practical support skills. If you possess GCSEs in Maths, English or Science, these are beneficial to include. Mention any short courses you’ve undertaken that are relevant to the role, for example, Nutrition or Infection Control.

Creating a separate section specific to your education and training shows employers that you’re committed to your professional development and are passionate about your career and progression in care.

Outline Your Relevant Skills and Competencies

Including a key skills section in your CV allows hiring managers to assess whether you possess the necessary competencies. Within this section, list the relevant skills, competencies and qualities that make you the best fit for the position. This section can include care and broader transferrable skills, such as teamwork and communication. You can review job descriptions and look at other care vacancies to identify common skills that employers look for when hiring. Desirable skills and qualities for a care assistant role can include, for example:

• Outstanding interpersonal skills,
• A compassionate and naturally caring nature,
• The ability to follow instructions,
• Adept organisational skills,
• Meticulous attention to detail and observation skills.

Mention Additional Relevant Information

You can add ‘further information’ sections to your CV where you can mention relevant details that aren’t applicable to prior sections. This can help you stand out from other candidates, and you can outline your availability to work shifts. If you’re available to work nights or weekends, you can include this here. Other notable things to mention include:

• Volunteer work,
• Appropriate projects you’ve worked on,
• Career goals,
• NVQs,
• Awards and achievements,
• Ability to speak other languages,
• First aid or CPR qualifications,
• Any current DBS checks.

Include Keywords

You should litter keywords throughout your CV. Keywords are specific terms and phrases that hiring employers will look out for. The job description will include what keywords you should include, and you can also consult with other professionals in the industry to discover what else recruiters look for. Common keywords employers look for include:

• Personal care,
• Patient comfort and safety,
• Hygiene,
• Monitoring and recording observations,
• Dressing wounds,
• Taking bloods,
• Previous Ofsted ratings,
• Communication and interpersonal skills,
• Community or hospital settings.

Proof, Proof, Proof

Once you have written your CV, proofread and edit its content. You don’t want a CV over two pages long. Ensure you haven’t been repeating yourself and include only necessary and relevant information. Make sure there are no grammatical errors. Asking a friend or relative to read your CV can help identify and eradicate errors.

Remember that your CV is your first chance to impress hiring employers with your skills, education and experience. It should encapsulate your passion for health or social care and show that you are a self-aware, progressive professional. Further information on how to write a healthcare assistant CV is available through Totaljobs, including a professional profile example. StandOutCV offers healthcare assistant CV templates and social care CV templates which are beneficial to developing a clear picture of how to structure your care CV. It’s important not to copy this verbatim, however, and use them only to give you an idea of layout or structure. Your CV should be bespoke to you and show employers why you are the right person for the available position. 

At ClouDoc, we provide excellent children’s home policies and procedures that are designed to help you meet Ofsted regulatory requirements and maintain high service quality. Our home care policies and procedures are thoroughly researched, well-written and comprehensive, ready to help you meet CQC regulatory requirements. All our documentation packages are editable online and downloadable in PDF and MS Word formats. For more information on how we can support you and your business aspirations, call us today on 0330 808 0050; our enthusiastic professionals are here for you.