We read 105 UK care worker job adverts. Here's what employers actually want.
We ran this exercise for nurses and it turned up some surprises. So we ran the same analysis for care workers and support workers — 105 real UK adverts pulled from NHS Jobs, every one read and counted.
If you work in care and your applications are not landing, this is probably why.
The headline finding: it is not about qualifications
NVQ? Mentioned in only 10% of adverts. Care Certificate? 6%. Manual handling training? 2%.
Yet almost every care worker CV leads with a qualifications section listing all of these.
The advert is not looking for your cert list. It is looking for something else entirely — and most CVs are completely silent on it.
The top 10 things care employers actually ask for
Ranked by frequency across 105 real adverts:
1. Flexibility — 69%
Nearly seven in ten adverts mention flexibility explicitly — as a core requirement, not a nice-to-have. What they mean: shift patterns including evenings, weekends, bank holidays, and sometimes sleep-in or waking nights.
If your CV does not mention that you have worked shifts, varied hours, or a rota, add it. This is the most-asked signal in the sector and most CVs are silent on it.
“Worked a rotating shift pattern including weekend and bank holiday cover across a 24-bed residential unit.”
2. Community — 68%
Most care jobs are not in hospitals or care homes — they are in people's houses, supported living flats, community centres, and day services. If you have any community-based experience, name the setting specifically. “Community care” beats “care setting.” “Home visits across [area]” beats “outreach work.”
3. Mental health — 59%
The most surprising finding. Mental health is mentioned in nearly 60% of adverts — ahead of learning disability, ahead of dementia. A large proportion of support worker roles are in mental health services, crisis teams, and community mental health settings.
If you have supported people experiencing mental health conditions, use the correct language: “mental health conditions,” “mental health service users,” “mental health crisis support.” Vague phrases like “challenging behaviour” or “complex needs” will not score.
4. Communication — 56%
Half of all adverts ask for this explicitly. “Good communication skills” is invisible. Show it:
“Communicated daily with service users, family members, and the wider care team to update care plans and flag changes in wellbeing.”
5. Learning disability — 56%
Tied with communication. More than half of adverts specifically mention learning disability. If you have LD experience, write “learning disability” plainly. Autism appears separately in 38% of adverts — add that too if it applies. “Complex needs” will not match either term in an ATS.
6. Shift work — 48%
Nearly half of adverts mention shift working specifically. If you are comfortable with this, say it explicitly in your summary or in your current-role bullets.
“Currently working a four-on, four-off shift pattern including waking nights and weekend cover.”
7. Person-centred — 37%
“Person-centred” with the hyphen appears in just over a third of adverts. It is the dominant value signal in the care sector — more specific than “compassionate care” and more searchable than “empathetic approach.” Use it once in your summary.
8. Safeguarding — 36%
If you have done any safeguarding training, attended a safeguarding review, or raised a concern through the formal process, say so:
“Completed Level 1 adult safeguarding training; raised safeguarding concerns through the formal reporting process during tenure.”
9. Compassion — 35%
Same word, same story as nursing. “Compassionate” in your summary is a genuine keyword in a third of care adverts. Use it once.
10. Driving licence — 14% (near-essential for community roles)
Only 14% overall — but if the role says “community” in the title, a driving licence is almost always required. If you can drive, mention it in your summary. Do not bury it at the bottom of a personal details section.
What care employers barely mention
- NVQ and QCF qualifications: under 11%. In the person spec, not the advert. Do not lead with a qualifications list.
- Care Certificate: 6%. Everyone has it or is expected to get it. Not a differentiator.
- Dementia: only 4%, despite being one of the most common conditions in the sector. Most dementia care is grouped under “residential” or “care home” in advert text. Include it if you have the experience — it just will not match as a headline keyword.
- Manual handling: 2%. Assumed for the job. No need to list it unless you hold a formal trainer qualification.
Do not write a skills inventory. Write a story about the people you have supported, the settings you have worked in, and the shifts you have kept.
Before and after
A support worker applying for a community LD role had this summary:
“Caring and dedicated support worker with 3 years' experience. NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care. Passionate about helping vulnerable people reach their potential.”
Tailored against a real advert, with the patterns from 105 real adverts applied:
“Person-centred support worker with three years supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism in community and supported-living settings. Comfortable on rotating shifts including weekends. Compassionate, flexible, and experienced in supporting service users with complex communication needs.”
Same experience. The difference: flexibility, community, learning disability, autism, person-centred, and compassion — all in the first two sentences, because that is what the advert actually asked for.
Frequently asked
Should I lead my care worker CV with my NVQ or Care Certificate?+
No. NVQ qualifications appear in under 11% of care worker adverts, and the Care Certificate appears in just 6%. These are expected baseline requirements listed in the downloadable person specification — not the signals employers are screening for in the advert itself. Lead with your settings, the people you have supported, and your shift availability instead.
What does "person-centred" actually mean on a care worker CV?+
"Person-centred" with a hyphen is a specific care sector term that appears in 37% of adverts. It signals that you approach care by starting with what the individual wants and needs, rather than applying a one-size approach. Use it once in your summary — it is the care equivalent of "evidence-based practice" in nursing: sounds like jargon but recruiters are specifically looking for it.
Do I need to mention mental health experience even if it was not my main specialism?+
Yes, if you have it. Mental health appears in 59% of care worker adverts — the most common specialism flag in the dataset. If you have supported people experiencing mental health conditions in any setting, use the correct language: "mental health conditions", "mental health service users", "mental health crisis support". Vague phrases like "challenging behaviour" or "complex needs" will not match.
Does it matter if I mention driving for community care roles?+
Very much so. Driving appears in only 14% of all adverts overall, but it is near-essential for community roles. If the job title contains "community" and you can drive, state it clearly in your summary or first bullet — do not leave it at the bottom of your personal details section.
What is the difference between "learning disability" and "complex needs" on a CV?+
"Learning disability" appears in 56% of care worker adverts as an exact phrase. "Complex needs" does not score the same way in an ATS because it is too vague — it could mean anything. If you have worked with people with learning disabilities, write "learning disability" explicitly. Same for autism, which appears in 38% of adverts separately.
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