First aid skills can boost your CV when retraining for a new career

Are you thinking about switching careers or training to work in a new industry? Thinking about any additional skills you have can be a great way to boost your CV and improve your chances of getting an interview – and landing that new job!

Before applying for a new job opportunity, consider how any previous on-the-job training or experience can be applied to a new position or workplace. This might be e-learning courses you have undertaken online, corporate training in a previous role, or first aid training.

First aid is a particular skill set that doesn’t show its true value until an emergency situation presents itself but which is highly valued by employers. This may be rare, but when it does happen, knowing how to administer crucial medical assistance really can be the difference in saving someone’s life.

It takes just six minutes for a lack of oxygen to cause the human brain to expire – that’s six minutes in which you could be providing the vital support that they need. There’s no way of telling when this knowledge may come in useful and for what reason – accidents happen every day in every industry, as well as in the home and on the street.

Whether you wish to work with children, the elderly or vulnerable, or even the general public in a customer service role, first aid skills can be applied to a range of workplaces. They are also necessary if you intend to apply for a job in manufacturing or other industries where hazards are common.

Some of the instances in which you can help include when someone has fallen and hurt themselves, is choking or not breathing. First aid can also help treat bleeding, burns, breaks and even heart attacks until medical help arrives. It is also useful in the event that someone is having a stroke, seizure or when someone has consumed harmful substances.

It is a highly valued skill in any area where you might work with people and/or machinery. If you have first aid skills, you will already have an advantage when it comes to applying for work in a range of sectors, or if wishing to retrain for a new career, whether as receptionist, to work in nursing or as a teaching assistant.

Even if you wish to work in marketing, IT and other office jobs, as well as in the retail and hospitality sectors, you’ll find your first aid skills will boost your CV and your employability.

Since workplaces are required to have first aiders, if you enter any of these roles, it is highly likely that your employer will help you to keep on top of your first aid skills. Training or refresher days will likely be available for you to maintain your knowledge and confidence in administering this potentially life-saving assistance.

If you already have these skills, make sure you include them on your CV after retraining for your new career as they will work alongside your new professional qualification or other employability courses you have taken to mark you out as a responsible and confident candidate. And if you’re thinking of training in First Aid, there are a number of courses available that will help you get ahead in helping other people in the event of an accident or emergency.