Alternative Jobs For Caregivers
Filed under Job Resources
In this economy, it is not uncommon for people, in all sorts of fields, to start searching for alternative jobs where their previous skills can still be fully utilized. Caregivers are no exception. Many caregivers today find themselves moving from the traditional caregiver assignment of assisting the elderly to related jobs like working with autistic children and nursing. Fortunately, many alternative jobs for caregivers require little to no additional training and can even lead to better benefits.
List of Different Occupations for Caregivers
Traveling Caregiver
The career of a traveling caregiver is quickly becoming a popular and rewarding job for thousands of skilled workers in the United States. Traveling caregivers require no more education or training than a typical caregiver, although they’ll be required to travel around the country frequently. This career generally requires the caregiver to move from job to job, staying anywhere from a month to a year with each client, depending on their needs. Room and board is often paid by the agency and you can earn anywhere from $8 to $15 an hour, depending on your qualifications and experience.
Motivational Speaker
If you have been around people who constantly need reassurance and encouraging words to help them take their medicine or get them through the day, then a job of a motivational speaker might be in your future. These caregiver skills of listening and speaking positive words can be transferable to this career.
Nursing Aides
Nursing aide is another great alternative job for caregivers, although there will be a need for additional training. To switch careers from a personal caregiver assistant to a nursing aide, you will need at least a high school diploma and possibly training and a license, depending on your state. You must also complete a 75-hour certification process to become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and pass an evaluation to work in a nursing home facility. Nursing aids are compensated well and earn between $10 and $15 an hour.
Child Care
Lastly, child care is yet another common alternative job for caregivers and often requires no additional training, although you may want to get certified if you want to work with autistic and special needs children. Paraprofessionals work as assistants to these children helping them perform their daily activities and uses applied behavioral analysis (ABA) techniques to help improve their behaviors.
Depending on your state, you may be required to get credentials as a Child Development Associate (CDA). Providing child care in your home will also require a license in most states. Child care workers are typically paid somewhat low rates of $9 to $11 per hour, although higher education will mean better opportunities. This career field is also excellent if you don’t want to travel because you can run an entire business from your home setting.
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Interviewing A Caregiver
Filed under Caregiver Career, Caregiver education, Job Resources
How do you make sure the person you are hiring is right for this position? Caregiving can be intense at times and this pressure can mount on someone who not prepared. They must be able to deal with the situation without getting frustrated at the patient. The caregiver may be very qualified with their degrees and education but if they lack the ability to smile and be happy around patients, they might not fit the job duties required.
For a patient, laughter is still one of the best medicines. If a caregiver can keep the patient happy, their health can improve too.
Caregiver Traits
Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Caregiver
- Light hearted – Ask them to tell you a joke or a funny situation they experienced recently.
- Happy – Smiling is simply not enough to determine this trait. Ask them how they unwind and relax after a long day? This shows how well they handle stressful situations and a good indicator of their happiness.
- Open-minded – Ask them how open they are to new ideas. Do they listen well to the patient’s request? Caregivers should be servants to the patients and not authority figures. They should be open to ideas and requests as long as it is not harmful to the health of the patient.
- Healing – Are they capable of making the patient feel better? How much knowledge do they know of the particular ailments that affect the patient? A good caregiver will research the ailments and make themselves a better caregiver from learning it. An elderly caregiver should know how to transfer an elderly patient from a bed to supporting mobility device such as a wheelchair or a walker. Other things a caregiver should know is how to keep the living area free from things that could injury the patient.
Look for these caregiver traits when interviewing someone for a position. These questions and traits are perfect for when you are interviewing a caregiver for an Alzheimer patient. If you are looking for a caregiver job, make sure you have these traits when being interviewed. The more traits you have, the better your chances of landing that job.
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Job Search Questions for Caregivers
Filed under Job Resources
Find a caregiver job that will meet your experience and expectations. Use the form below with your caregiver resume in hand for reference. Make sure you have your desired salary amounts in mind before you begin the search.
Average Caregiver Salary
As of 2010, the average caregiver jobs salary is $28000. Average caregiver salaries can range from 22,000 to 33,000 depending on where you work, the location, which industry it’s in and your own experience and benefits needed.
Additional Caregiver Job Search Questions
Who are you willing and experienced to take care of?
- Dementia
- Disabled
- Elderly
- Alzheimer’s
- Cancer
- Child
- Pet
What kind of work environment do you want?
- In Home
- Hospital
- Nursing Home
Tags: Average Caregiver Salary
Follow Up Cover Letter
Filed under Caregiver Career, Job Resources
After sending in a caregiver resume to your future employer, they will usually require follow up information regarding your salary and past employment. There are a few things you will need to do before sending in this cover letter. Make sure you are ready for a call requesting an interview and do some research on your desired salary. In addition, refresh your memory on past job responsibilities and duties. Your future employer will very likely ask you to discuss roles you might have had that will be useful for the new job position. Past behavior and performance is an excellent indicator of future performance and behavior.
Simple Follow Up Letter Request
Here is a sample follow up letter you can use as a template for your own caregiver cover letter.
Tags: Cover Letter
Caregiver Cover Letter
Filed under Caregiver Career, Job Resources
A cover letter for a job is suppose to complement a resume. It is the appetizer (cover letter) before the main course (resume). It is your first impression before laying the groundwork for any interview. Since your caregiver resume will be filled with facts and a list of your skills, you need a cover letter to make the resume feel more human. Basically, it is your way to connect the facts and skills to you, the person. Because of this, the cover letter cannot be generic and must be tailored made for the specific position.
If you are applying for an Alzheimer’s caregiver job position, you have to create the impression that you are knowledgeable in the subject matter. Anything from discussing about the latest research methods in Alzheimer’s caregiving to a newspaper article you have recently read. Then explain how you used that information towards your patient. For example, a study has shown some positive benefits in coffee where,
two strong cups of the black stuff a day can reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
You can mention how you suggested or incorporated a daily coffee plan for the patient after much discussion and approval. Be unique and be human in your caregiver cover letter.
Caregiver Cover Letter Sample
In the cover letter sample to the left, you can see the simple layout of any cover letter. Explain your reasoning for applying to the caregiver job and your background. The second paragraph goes more into detail of your relevance to the job. How can you provide for the job title? What will you offer that someone else cannot? As a caregiver, you want to discuss your knowledge of the particular ailments, diseases and disabilities that you have experienced with your cared ones.
Cover Letter Examples
When you address someone in a cover letter, make sure to know your focus and write accordingly. The three types of cover letters are,
- Application letter responds to job openings
- Prospecting letter inquires about possible positions
- Networking letter requests information and assistance for the job search
The following are cover letter examples in different professions. The formats are similar to a caregiver cover letter but the qualifications are different. Use them as guide and break down the paragraphs into steps. Take a look at caregiver resume samples to get a better idea of some skills to discuss in your cover letter. Here are two effective cover letters and application letters for caregivers.
The first cover letter (application letter) addresses the person’s first encounter with the job employer and what they took from it.
The second letter (prospecting letter) talks more about what they have done in their lifetime of work and how it will be transferable for the prospective job position.
There are plenty of cover letter and resume samples available online. Try downloading a sample resume cover letter and experiment with the many styles and formats.
Tags: Cover Letter