A Hero's Guide to Creating the Best Hero Profile

As an online platform where customers search different profiles to find the right person to care for their needs or their loved ones needs, having a great profile as a Hero is very important. It will allow you to make the right connections with seekers and increase your chances of getting work!

1. Profile picture

The first thing that stands out when you create your Hero profile is your profile picture. This is where you will capture the seeker’s attention and show the person that you are. Think about it as selling yourself to an audience of customers— you want to come across as someone that they will trust and be able to rely on as well as showing some personality. This will either capture the interest of the Seeker or it will detract them.

What to do:

• A smiley photo that is approachable, welcoming and friendly.
• Make sure your face can be seen.
• One that captures you doing something you love, e.g. if you are a mum, find one with one of your kids. If you love the outdoors, use a picture where you are out in nature.

What NOT to do:

• Steer away from either dark or over bright lighting.
• Steer away from passport photos.
• A sad, moody or not smiling photo does not send a good impression.
• No hats, sunglasses or things that could hinder a proper view of you.
• Don’t post a photo of you with other people, customers want to see who they will be working with.

2) Biography

Your biography is the most important space of your profile, as what you choose to write here can make the different between approval and denial. A great bio will establish trust and present your unique personality. This is where you will define yourself to all customers browsing our website. First impressions count!

Tips:

• Make sure your biography is aligned to Home Care Heroes values; we are passionate about people and making a difference to our community. As a Hero, you are not working to just work. You are passionate about caring for people in need, they are not a list of things to do, but they are real people who you want to positively impact. If you agree with this make sure you are clear about getting this message across in your bio.
• Write in the first person — “I like… I enjoy… I study… I am interested in…”
• A capturing opening line that immediately conveys who you are. Examples:

> “I am an energetic, passionate, joy-filled person”

> “My name is … and I am an ambitious, enthusiastic, energetic young person with a passion for …”

> “I’m outgoing, friendly and enjoy new experiences so I really am looking forward to being a part of ‘Home Care Heroes”

> “I am 22 years old and I love being around people and feel strongly about helping those who are in need.”

• Include enough detail but keep in mind that less is still more. Aim for around 250 words that are engaging, professional, unique and memorable.
• Be honest and authentic and write about who you truly are. You want to define yourself from scratch in a personal way. Include character traits and your personal attributes. This way you will be able to share your passions, interests and skills.
• You can briefly include your education background here but may prefer to include that in the qualifications section.

3) Qualifications

A well constructed list of qualifications, skills and experience is important and helpful to create trust and credibility. Think of this section as a short resume. Customers are interested in your abilities and will likely hire people they feel are safest and experienced. You may not have qualifications in fields of nursing, disability, aged care or domestic assistance and you don’t need to!

This section is still important and should not be limited to your educational qualifications, after all we are “everyday people” who want to participate in the community. Many customers choose people from similar professions as themselves as they feel like they can make a deeper connection with them.

Tips and things you can include:

• Any relevant qualifications, as well as others that may be of interest.
• Outline any casual experience as a companion, carer or nanny.
• Volunteering experience or active participation in your community.
• Outline your educational background.
• Skills and abilities that are relevant to your work as a companion.
• Any other interesting and appropriate projects or involvement.

4) Hobbies

The last section which carries importance to your profile is a list of your hobbies. Make sure you are honest in this section as clients will transact with you based on your interests, and seek out heroes who have similar interests to clients. If you do not like exercise don’t include it, likewise with reading and so on. You can add extra hobbies in addition to the ones provided. Be sure to include any other interesting hobbies that you have. This will allow your profile some more personality and make it pop!

Are you interested in social work, or know someone who would be a great Hero? If you live in NSW and are looking to earn money via a method that is rewarding, fun and benefits the community - Home Care Heroes is for you. Home Care Heroes is a Sydney-based startup on a mission to reduce social isolation and build more inclusive communities in Australia. We offer local jobs with flexible hours to suit your schedule, with a good hourly pay rate. Sign up now to start your hero journey!