Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Resume Examples [2023]

From the chronically ill to the mentally disabled to the elderly, you help people who can’t help themselves. Thing is, the hospital or long-term care clinic doesn’t yet know about your your extraordinary nursing skills.

So, you’ll inform them— with the best CNA resume to talk up your medical skills, nursing experience, and professional background.

In this guide you’ll find:

• The best CNA resume example to get those certified nursing assistant jobs.
• How to tailor your CNA job description for your resume.
• How to write CNA resume that score hospital and nursing interviews.
• Expert tips on how to improve your certified nursing assistant resume.
• How to show off your CNA resume skills to gain attention.

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Also, have a look at these similar medical resume examples related to nursing:

• Caregiver Resume Examples
• EMT / Paramedic Resume Examples
• ER Nurse Resume Examples
• Healthcare Resume Examples
• Home Health Aide Resume Examples
• LPN Resume Examples
• Medical Assistant Resume Examples
• Medical Scribe Resume Examples
• Medical Student Resume Examples
• Medical-Surgical Nurse Resume Examples
• New Grad Nursing Resume Examples
• Nurse Manager Resume Examples
• Nursing Student Resume Examples
• Patient Care Technician Resume Examples
• Respiratory Therapist Resume Examples

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples for Over 300 Jobs.

CNA Resume Example You Can Copy and Use

A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) provides direct care and support to patients in a healthcare setting. CNAs enhance patients' comfort, assisting with daily activities and ensuring their well-being. Compassion, empathy, and strong interpersonal skills are essential in this role.

Now—here’s how to write a CNA resume of your own:

1. Format Your CNA Resume Before Writing

A nurse wouldn’t just jab a needle in a patient’s arm before washing their hands and sanitizing the area, right?

Similarly, before you begin writing a resume for certified nurse assistant jobs, the resume formatting needs to be prepared.

Here’s how to format a CNA resume:

• In the work history, education, and other time-based resume sections, use the reverse-chronological order to document each entry.
• Choose the best resume font to use, and stick with 11pt or 12 pt font size in the general text.
• Maintain a 1” margin around all 4 sides of your CNA resume for hospital jobs.
• Include only relevant resume sections with only the most appropriate skills, experience, duties, education, and achievements.

Expert Hint: Export the resume as a PDF, unless directed otherwise. A CNA resume PDF can be read on any screen or device, while a Word document appears funny on certain phones or computers.

2. Start with a CNA Resume Objective or CNA Resume Summary

If a client comes into a medical office for a procedural consultation, the doctor’s competence and demeanor will either set their mind at ease or have them running away in fear.

It’s the same when starting a resume—a resume header paragraph, known as an objective or summary, either compels the RN or LPN in charge to read further or makes them move on to the next candidate.

It has to be good. But which intro statement is right for you? If you have experience as a certified nurse assistant, go with the resume summary. 

The career summary statement talks up your knowledge of certified nursing assistant skills, procedures, and protocols. It introduces you as a CNA candidate by briefly relaying your background, and it intrigues them by proving your abilities with a numbered achievement.

Here’s how to write a summary on a certified nursing assistant (CNA) resume:

Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Examples of Summary Paragraphs

The first example resume summary is the winner because it is detailed, specific, and includes numbers to verify your CNA skills. Furthermore, it’s tailored to the job—a key trait of CNA resumes that score interviews. 

No Nursing Experience to Speak Of?

When you’ve got little or no work history as a CNA, go with the resume objective. 

The objective statement on a resume for certified nursing assistants gives evidence of your skills and background, though unrelated. It provides your career goals to show your desire for this CNA job, and it also submits a numbered achievement for the win.

Here’s how to write a CNA resume objective introduction:

Beginner CNA Resume Objective

The bad example is generic and full of job-seeking jargon—you’ll prove you’re not the best certified nursing assistant because you’ll make them sick.

The good example is just right: to the point, detailed, personalized, and quantifiable. 

Expert Hint: For the biggest impact, write the heading statement last. This way, you’ll have the best idea of what to talk about in your intro from writing the other sections.

3. Write a Great CNA Job Description and CNA Skills Sections

Now we’ve come to the main part of any certified nursing assistant resume—the work experience section.

Here’s how to list past work in a CNA job description for resume:

• List your current or most recent employment position at the top, in reverse-chronological order. 
• Include a job title, dates of employment, hospital or medical services company name, and its city and state.
• Add 5 or 6 job responsibilities you handled as bullet points. Choose only the ones most relevant to this particular cartified nursing assistant position.
• Submit a key achievement or accomplishment using numbers to quantify how great you were at the job.

Check out these two CNA job description examples:

CNA Job Description for Resumes

See this? It’s not enough to give a monotonous, basic list of CNA duties. 

To captivate the hiring doctor, RN, LPN, or LVN, give detailed bullet points of your job responsibilities, customize it for this particular position, and include quantifiable wins.

Focus on accomplishments. Most office assistants, CNAs, waiters, waitresses and others send lists with job titles and the job-candidate's job description. Hiring managers either know your job description or they can look it up online. They cannot look up your accomplishments in the job. What kinds of patients did you serve as a CNA? How many did you care for each day?

Also—beware the ATS.

An ATS, or applicant tracking system, assists the administrative staff at larger hospitals and clinics manage the large amounts of resumes they receive. A resume is fed into the software, given resume keywords to look for, and is graded by its match percentage.

If you get a poor grade, you’ll be deemed a poor candidate. To pass the ATS scans, you need to use a high-quality ATS resume template and fill your resume with the right keywords.

To locate the ideal keywords to use on a resume for CNA jobs, return to the job advertisement.

The CNA job description, particularly in the duties area, will tell you exactly which skills and abilities this medical facility is looking for in a CNA candidate.

Next up—a great section with skills to put on a resume for CNA applicants.

Nursing assistants, aides, and orderlies are expected to increase by 192,800 jobs each year. This 8% increase means more jobs—but also more competitors.

Here is a list of sample CNA resume skills to ensure you get it right:

10+ Winning CNA Skills for Resume:

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
• First Aid
• Emergency Response
• Mental Health Requirements
• Empathy & Compassion
• Communication Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Technical Skills
• Disease and Infection Control
• Assessing Vital Signs
• Health Documents & Medical Records
• Everyday Health & Personal Hygiene

As we mentioned earlier, a targeted resume is a resume they’ll consider.

So, don’t think of every CNA skill and medical ability you have and throw them into a nursing assistant skills list. Instead, look at the job ad once more to find the skills they’re looking for. If you have one they request, add that into your certified nurse assistant skills resume list.

Consider including a core competency matrix of 9 hard skills in three columns to help ATS systems find your resume. This is especially important for CNA and related healthcare jobs where specific patient care competencies are key to being selected.

Expert Hint: Include a few soft skills to complement your hard skills! Communication skills, patience, and empathy are just as important for CNA jobs as knowing how to check vital signs.

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4. Use the CNA Resume Education Section to Your Advantage

You don’t need more than a high school education for most nursing assistant positions. However—you do need to document your education correctly.

Here’s how a CNA resume education section should appear:

CNA Resume Example of Education Section

Here are guidelines to follow for a perfect CNA resume education section:

• Add your most impressive (recent) degree or diploma at the top.
• Include the major, name of the school, location, and date of completion.
• Throw in any relevant and impressive wins, such as academic awards or relevant coursework completed.
• If you’re a university student, add high school as a second entry below.

If you have completed a college degree, however, there’s no need to include your high school diploma.

Expert Hint: In most cases, your work history section goes above your education section. However, if you haven’t worked yet and your education section is more substantial, switch places and put this on top.

5. Round Out a Resume for CNAs With Appropriate Extras

Additional sections on a CNA resume show the RN or LPN a clearer picture of yourself as a candidate.

Here are several top choices to consider for extra sections on a nursing assistant resume:

Certifications & Licenses

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), American Red Cross
• Preparedness and Health and Safety Services Certification
• Healthcare Assistant Certificate, Pre-LPN Entry Program
• Certified Hospice and Palliative Nursing Assistant (CHPNA)

CNA & Nursing Organizations & Associations

• Nursing Ethics Network (NEN)
• National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA)
• Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC)
• Home Healthcare Nurses Association (HHNA)
• International Association for Human Caring (IAHC)
• International Council of Nurses (ICN)

Related Hobbies & Interests

• Yoga & Physical Fitness
• Studying for LPN Exam
• Tutoring First Aid & CPR Classes
• Volunteering at Local Clinic

Foreign Language Proficiency

• Bengali: Native Proficiency
• Hindi: Professional Working Proficiency
• Saraiki: Intermediate Proficiency
• Kinyarwanda: Basic Conversational Proficiency

Expert Hint: Don’t forget to include a cover letter for CNA jobs. Most employers require one, and many of the ones that don’t still prefer a CNA cover letter.

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Key Points

Let’s sum up.

Here’s how to write the best CNA resume:

• Format the CNA resume template before you begin by choosing the right fonts, using a 1-inch margin, and structuring it reverse-chronologically.
• Open your CNA resume with a compelling introduction, either an objective or summary statement.
• Document your work history in reverse-chronological order, with 5 or 6 bullet points, and with quantifiable achievements.
• Tailor your resume to one specific job, rather than writing a generic CNA resume.
• Include a list of CNA skills on your resume, which they request from the job description.
• Add an education section and any academic achievements relevant to the CNA job.
• Throw in a few additional sections, such as languages, certifications, or hobbies, to really wow the registered nurse who’ll read your resume.

Have any questions on how to write a resume for certified nursing assistant jobs? Want more CNA resume samples? Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!