Caregiver: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
Caregivers provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (48% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Preparation
- Job Zone 1-2 of 5
- very little to some preparation
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 48% of workers
Data Government data groups this job as Personal Care Aides (O*NET-SOC 31-1122.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Every page for Caregivers
Education, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeCaregiver resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsCaregiver interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What caregivers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
- Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
- Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
- Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
- Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
- Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
- Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: English Language, Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security.
Software caregivers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
- AppletreeComputer based training software
- Computer reading softwareOptical character reader OCR or scanning software
- Mi-Co Mi-FormsData base reporting software
- August Systems Visit WizardCalendar and scheduling software
- Email softwareElectronic mail software
- FaceTimeVideo conferencing software
- Voltage SecureMailElectronic mail software
Also called: Personal Care Aide, Care Provider, Direct Care Worker, Home Care Aide, Medication Aide.
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
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