How to write a care assistant job description
If you're looking to hire a care worker or care assistant, writing an effective and enticing job description is crucial if you want to attract a good number of strong candidates.
A well-written job description not only outlines the day-to-day responsibilities of a role but also gives candidates a clear understanding of your organisation, its values, and the opportunities for growth and development.
Use the ideas and template sections below to frame your care assistant job adverts. We’ve also included some examples to help you figure out how to write each section.
Key details of the care assistant role
You’ll start off with an overview of the role, which will encompass some of the key details including the job title, location, salary and then a bird’s-eye view of the responsibilities involved.
Job title
The job title is often the first thing candidates will see, so you want it to be concise, informative and eye-catching.
While a clear and generic title such as Care Assistant can keep things simple, you could instead consider something more specific, such as Residential Care Assistant or Home Care Support Worker.
Job type
Care work can be carried out as a full-time permanent job, on a temporary basis, or even with contract or part-time roles. At the outset, make it clear what kind of working pattern would be required in the role you’re hiring for.
Location
This is important to ensure that potential applicants know where the role will be based and how much of a commute it will be for them.
If you are able to include the postcode, Totaljobs matching technology can find relevant candidates by location.
Compensation
You’re more likely to get a higher number of applications if you can be specific when it comes to salary and benefits.
Our research found two in five HR leaders in the UK say that they often lose candidates because salary wasn’t discussed soon enough in the hiring process. The job description is the perfect place to put that right.
Outline the purpose and responsibilities
In the main body of your job advert, begin by clearly explaining the purpose of the care assistant role and how it contributes to the wider care team and business.
Start with an introductory sentence that sums up what a care assistant is there to do.
Then you can move on to explain how a care assistant works alongside other roles or teams, and the responsibility they have, whether that’s focused on care home residents or clients in their own home.
Reference the size of the wider team, and the names of any key roles the care assistant will work alongside. Include opportunities for progression too, and how professional development will be supported by your organisation, as this is key to attracting higher quality candidates who want to push themselves to further their careers.
You can also incorporate semantically related keywords like “care worker,” “personal care assistant,” “health and social care” or “home care” to improve searchability online.
List the key responsibilities of the role
In this section, paint a picture of a typical day, highlighting the key responsibilities and care assistant duties.
You may have some other specifics you want to include. To work these out, take some time to answer the following questions:
- What are the objectives of the role?
- What might a typical day look like?
- What will they spend most of their time doing?
- What might more ad hoc work involve? For example, promoting independence or providing emotional support.
- Who are their key stakeholders?
For example, this list of responsibilities could include:
- Assisting clients with personal care tasks
- Monitoring health and wellbeing
- Improving quality of life day-to-day
- Performing household duties
- Helping with meal preparation and helping clients to eat
- Understanding and following a care plan
- Engaging clients in social and recreational activities
- Accompanying clients to medical appointments
- Communicating with clients, families and the care team
Personal specification
Alongside the responsibilities of the role, list the essential skills or experience you’re looking for in a candidate, plus the traits or soft skills they’ll need to be successful.
Essential skills and qualities might include:
- Emotionally intelligent
- Empathetic
- Caring
- Friendly
- Efficient
- Perceptive
- Strong communicator
- Patient
- Reliable
If relevant, also include qualifications or certifications. You could also encourage people with the desired traits to apply, even if they don’t have prior experience working in the care sector.
About your organisation
This section is vital for helping you to find candidates that are the right cultural fit for your organisation. You might not have the space to include all of the elements outlined below, but you can consider some of them when framing your company overview.
If you want to add more detail, consider creating a Company Profile on Totaljobs. You can even add videos and imagery to your profile to give candidates even more information to help them decide whether to click the apply button.
Values
This gives prospective applicants an idea of what values are important to your organisation and what values you expect employees to bring and enact. So, consider using this space to answer:
- What is your mission statement?
- What are your company values?
- Why do people want to work with you?
Culture
Often tied closely to your values are your company culture.
This can be things like having a culture of listening to employees, promoting from within, or championing inclusivity for parents at work.
Here, it can be useful to think about:
- How would you describe your company culture?
- How is your company different to others?
- What social aspects does your company offer?
Diversity and inclusion policy
Workforce diversity has grown in importance in recent years, and you should shout about it whenever possible. This can include:
- Highlighting your commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion
- Being authentic and transparent
- Considering linking through to a diversity and inclusion policy on your website
- Spotlighting any employee-led networks or employee resource groups in your organisation
Corporate social responsibility
This is an opportunity to talk about your impact in the community. As a care provider, this should be second nature, but have a think about:
- How does your business make a difference to the wider community?
- Do you offer charity days, where staff can take time off to support a charity or cause of their choice?
Perks and benefits
Salary is important. After all, 73% of workers say salary is the biggest influence in their decision to apply for a role. However, it’s not everything.
Our research shows that 41% of workers are willing to skip a pay rise to get their most desired benefit.
So, in addition to providing salary details where possible, make sure you list the benefits and perks you can offer that might appeal to candidates.