Starting your career in care

Making the decision to kick-start or change your career always seems more possible in January. If ‘find a new job’ is on your list of New year’s resolutions, then a rewarding and admirable career in care could be for you!

If you like the idea of a varied job role where no two days are the same and working without the constraints of a desk job, then care work with Nurseplus could be the ideal career path for you. Despite the challenges, caring for others is a hugely satisfying career choice and allows you to make a positive difference in many people's lives.

We’ve set out some helpful tips and example interview questions so you can see if you’re a good match for Nurseplus:

Is care work right for me?

If you have a passion for helping people, are friendly and approachable, then it’s likely that you’re a good fit for care work. You will need to be empathetic whilst being able to handle tough situations sensitively. You will have strong communication skills along with the ability to keep calm under pressure.

Do I need previous experience?

Not all care work requires previous qualifications, which makes it great for young adults and career-switchers. The key to landing an interview with us is demonstrating your passion for helping others and communicating well. At Nurseplus, we offer all of our new starters fully-accredited training in line with the Care Certificate giving you the skills and knowledge needed to support our clients. If you’re new to care, we will arrange a shadow shift where you will work with a senior member of our team to help you gain confidence.

What will I be asked in an interview?

As a career in care relies more on experience and people skills than qualifications, interview questions are mostly competency-based to help us understand your capacity to handle different situations.  We don’t expect you to have perfect work experience to support your answers so try to think of scenarios that demonstrate your transferable skills.

Here are a few example interview questions:

• Can you outline how you’ve dealt with a stressful experience?
• Have you ever cared for anyone before; through work or for a loved one?
• How would you handle an upset or confused client?
• Have you ever handled an emergency or situation that required quick-thinking?
• What attracted you to care work?

Nurseplus have over 50 branches across the UK and we are always looking for dedicated individuals to join us as Care Assistants, Healthcare Assistants and Support Workers. If you feel you have the right qualities to begin a career in healthcare, contact your local branch today!