Certified Nursing Assistant resume keywords
Most certified nursing assistant applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in certified nursing assistant job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Patient care
- Vital signs
- ADL assistance
- Charting (EHR)
- Infection control
- Mobility and transfers
- CPR/BLS
- Dementia care
- CNA certification
- Activities of daily living
- Vital signs
- Patient transfers
- Bathing and grooming
- Feeding assistance
- Charting
- Fall prevention
- Infection control
- BLS
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Compassion
- Patience
- Physical stamina
- Observation
- Teamwork
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Cared for 12 residents per shift with bathing, feeding, dressing and mobility." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Cared
- Assisted
- Recorded
- Monitored
- Reported
- Maintained
- Supported
- Oriented
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "CNA certification", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the certified nursing assistant resume example and generate one free from rough notes.