Transferable Skills for Care

Care is a growing industry with an increasing number of people living longer and more people wanting to continue to live at home as they get older; care assistants and support workers have never been more in demand. On top of this, the role can have a real positive impact, too. You’ll be able to see the people you’re helping everyday and know that you're making a credible difference to their lives, both physically and emotionally.

A job in care can also take you place, as there are always plenty of progression paths open to take. Care assistants can work to become managers, administrators, nurses etc, the list goes on.

It’s also a very flexible role, as full and part time vacancies are always available. Care happens around the clock always, so there’s always shift flexibility with regards to hours and days of work. If you lead a busy home life and can only work weekday nights, that’s a possibility. Regardless of your schedule, there’s bound to be a job in care suitable for you.

You don’t necessarily need all of the qualifications to get started in the sector, either, as you’ll often be able to learn as you work. On top of this, there are many transferable skills for care work that you could benefit from highlighting on your CV for potential employers, especially if you don’t have much experience to draw from.

Transferable skills aren’t job specific. They’re the sorts of abilities that you use across every day activities, and are skills that you use in every job you will hold.

If you’re writing a care CV for the first time, or giving your existing one a makeover, you’ll want to focus on some of the most desirable transferable skills for care work.

---

Organisation and Time Management

Have you ever had to juggle taking the kids to school, racing home for a delivery, doing a food shop, cleaning the house, running to the post office and picking the kids up after school? If so, your time management skills are going to be excellent. Working in care, you have to be both organised and reliable with the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Service users will often rely on you as a care assistant to help them with their morning routines, medication, food and any other household tasks that need doing.

Adaptability

If you can think on your feet, solve problems without causing more chaos and adapt to new situations, this is a huge advantage. Role depending, you may work the same three days in a week, with the same shift patterns, though you’ll likely find that in care, no two days are the same. You might have to make important decisions on the fly, you’ll need the ability to think fast and react smart.

Communication and Compassion

A great carer should be an even better listener and be able to understand how best to support their service user. Some people who require care may be non verbal, for example, so you’ll need to be patient, understanding and encouraging. You may be the only social contact that person gets during the whole day, so talking and listening can be just as important as top notch personal care, to minimise loneliness and isolation.

Being compassionate and empathetic towards individuals is a huge part of being a carer. Everyone feels better knowing that someone is listening and understanding, and this feeling is even more important when people are vulnerable and isolated.

Customer Service Skills

One of the most important aspects of being a care assistant or support worker is making sure that your service users feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. If you’ve worked in a customer facing role previously, you’ll likely have experience dealing with complaints and reacting in a calm, considerate manner to try and deescalate the situation - even when this isn’t reciprocated. This sort of experience can prove invaluable for care work, as it can help you navigate difficult situations.

Observation

Are you the sort of friend who notices a new hairstyle, or can you tell when your friend’s feeling off? As a carer, you may be the only human contact that an individual has within a day, so noticing small changes in their mannerisms and condition is incredibly important. You’ll also need to be able to assess environments looking for safety hazards. Is the heating working? Is the floor slippy? Your observations are key in helping keep service users safe and happy.

---

You don’t have to start working in care right as you leave school in order to start a career. Lots of our carers have had previous jobs elsewhere, including hospitality, retail and customer service. Lots of carers held other roles previously, or came to a career in care later in life. Maybe you’ve cared for a relative or friend, and want to make a career out of it. It can be a very flexible job with ample opportunities for career progression, too.

Whatever the reason, there are many care opportunities open for the taking. Everything we do here at The SKA Group Ltd is designed to support and empower our carers to deliver the outstanding service that we’re known for. Our roles come with competitive weekly pay, flexible working hours with shifts patterns to suit your schedule and ongoing training and support from the whole team.

You can browse our current vacancies on our website, or get in touch today to see if we can help land you your perfect care role.