Making a career change can be daunting, but working in social care can be a great choice, if you are looking for a stable career in a growing industry. You’ll probably find that you already have the transferable skills for care work, and it can be a flexible job with opportunities for career progression.
Whether you're interested in becoming a professional carer, support worker, healthcare assistant, nursing assistant, or exploring other careers in care, there are many options available.
You don’t have to start working in social care straight out of school. Lots of carers had other jobs previously or came to a career in care later in life after a career break. Maybe you’ve been a carer for a relative or friend, and now want to make a career out of it, as a professional carer, care assistant or support worker.
At Cera, we have many carers and support workers who have previously worked in other sectors, including hospitality, retail, the military, travel and customer service. These diverse backgrounds often provide valuable transferable skills for care work.
Why consider a career in care?
Due to the pandemic and following economic conditions lots of people have needed to make a career change. We've seen plenty of sectors struggle, and people with jobs that looked secure were furloughed or made redundant. In contrast, care workers are key workers, and it’s a job that will always be needed.
In fact, care is a growing industry. With an increasing number of people living longer, and more and more older people wanting to continue living at home, healthcare assistants and home care support workers have never been more in demand. Care assistant vacancies are plentiful, offering opportunities in various settings, from care homes to people's own homes.
And it’s a job that has a real impact. You get to see the people you’re helping every day and know that you’re making a difference in their lives through patient care and companionship. Care assistant duties often involve supporting vulnerable people, which can be incredibly rewarding.
Jobs in care can take you places. If you don’t want to be a carer or healthcare assistant long term, there are career progression opportunities. Lots of carers go on to become care managers, administrators, nurses… the list goes on!
It’s a flexible job. Whether you’re looking for full or part-time hours, want to work days, evenings or nights, there’s bound to be a job in care with the right hours for you.
You don’t need qualifications to make a career change to working in care. Whether you’ve been a carer for 20 years, are looking for a new career at 50 or have never worked before, you’ll be able to learn as you work. Many employers offer training, including the opportunity to earn a care certificate or complete an apprenticeship. There are plenty of transferable skills for care work that you can highlight in your CV to get started.
What transferable skills do I need for care?
Transferable skills are skills that aren’t job-specific. They’re the kind of skills and abilities that you use across every job you’ll ever have, as well as in everyday life. You’ve probably got more of them than you realise!
If you’re writing a CV for the first time or rewriting your CV as part of your career change to apply for care jobs, you’ll want to focus on some of the most desirable transferable skills for care. These skills are crucial whether you're applying for healthcare assistant positions, nursing assistant roles, or other care worker jobs.
1. Organisation and time management
Have you ever had to juggle dropping kids at school and racing back home for a boiler service before taking the dog to the vet, going to the Post Office and picking the kids up again? If so, your time management skills are probably spot on!
Working in care, you’ll need to be organised and reliable. You might have a lot to do in a short amount of time, which is typical of care assistant duties.
People will rely on you to help them get up in the morning, help with their medication, prepare their meals, and do many more essential tasks. These responsibilities are common for healthcare assistants and support workers alike.
2. Adaptability
If you’re good at thinking on your feet, this is a huge advantage as a care worker, support worker or professional carer.
You might work the same hours and visit the same service users each day, but you’ll learn that no two days in care are the same. You might need to make quick decisions to help a service user. Whether that’s doing some urgent cleaning, being a shoulder to cry on or calling the emergency services, you’ll need to think fast.
3. Observation
Are you always the first person to notice when a friend has a new hairstyle or the first to notice when someone seems a little under the weather?
You might be one of the only people who see a service user each day. Because of that, it’s important that you’re able to notice changes in their condition and record them, as well as raise them with their family or other healthcare professionals if necessary.
You’ll also need to notice any changes in their environment that might impact their safety. Is the floor too cluttered to easily move around? Is the heating working correctly? Your observations are key in keeping people safe and well. This skill is particularly important when working with vulnerable people in care homes or providing home care support.
4. Communication and compassion
A good carer should be a great listener and understand what their service users need. Some of the people you help might not be able to speak easily, but you’ll need to be patient and encouraging. Strong communication skills, especially verbal communication, are essential in care work.
You might be the only person that a service user sees that day. Talking and listening can be just as important as personal care for people who are feeling isolated. Providing companionship is a crucial part of care.
Some days you’ll find yourself singing along to the radio while serving lunch and others you might be quietly holding someone’s hand while they take their first unaided steps in months.
Being compassionate and empathetic is the most important part of working in healthcare and being a care assistant. Everyone wants to know that someone is listening to them and understands. And this is even more important when people are vulnerable or isolated.
5. Great customer service skills
A really important aspect of being a care assistant is making sure that your clients feel listened to and treated with respect and sometimes, our care workers may be faced with agitated or upset service users.
So if you’ve worked in a customer-facing role previously, you will likely have had to deal with complaint handling and learning how to respond to people in a calm and sensitive manner - even when they are not doing so in return. This previous customer service experience will help you navigate difficult situations when working in a caring environment, whether you're a nursing home assistant or providing home care support.
These communication skills are also valuable when working with care plans and maintaining client records, which are important aspects of care assistant duties.
