Nursing Resume Do's and Don'ts
Monster Resume Expert by Kim Isaacs
Although a good resume can’t get you a job, a poor resume will keep you from getting one. A resume is a professional marketing tool, a written record of your accomplishments and professional credentials. Because it usually represents the first impression a prospective employer will have of you, your resume must be top-notch in format, content, and appearance. Follow these simple guidelines to improve the impression your resume makes.
What To Do
DO use a chronological format. Start by listing your current or most recent job and work back from there. This is the format most employers are looking for, and anything else makes them suspicious and impatient. Although every rule has exceptions, stick to this format to be safe.
DO focus on your accomplishments and more interesting or marketable skills and experiences. Your resume should highlight the best that you have to offer, not read like a job description. If you’re a staff nurse, the interviewer will expect you to have provided patient care and administered medications. Instead, include special activities such as conducting patient and family teaching, making presentations to outside groups, sitting on interdisciplinary committees, and budgeting and scheduling responsibility. If your experience is limited, focus on the more significant clinical skills, such as ventilator care, chemotherapy administration, and attaining I.V. certification.
DO print your resume on good quality paper and with good quality print. Most laser printers will do the job. If you don’t have a good printer, put your resume on a disk and bring it to a local printer or office services company that has a letter-quality printer. Ask to see samples of good-quality resume paper. Chose one that is white or off-white, never use colored paper or paper with designs or borders. Make sure the print on your resume is crisp, dark, sharp and clear.
What Not To Do
DON’T list personal information about your health, height and weight, marital status, and so on. This information shouldn’t be part of a job search process. In fact, asking about such matters in an interview is illegal, so don’t offer this information. You want the interviewer to focus on your job-related experience, not your personal attributes.
DON’T list hobbies and personal activities such as reading, skiing, and sewing. Discussing these in an interview is fine if you’re asked—they can even help establish rapport with a prospective employer. But this information, just like your height and weight, doesn’t belong on your resume.
DON’T list references with names and addresses. In fact, you don’t even need to say “References Available Upon Request.” If employers want references, they’ll ask for them. Keep your resume free of unnecessary information.
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The US Department of Labor projects much faster-than-average job growth for nurses through 2014. That means as employers seek to recruit and retain talented nursing staff, nurses will enjoy improved salaries, benefits and working conditions.
You might be thinking: “Oh good, since employers will be clamoring to hire me, I don’t have to worry about my resume.”
Wrong.
A winning resume will you get noticed for the best positions and can facilitate a promotion from your current position. A strong resume can also help you command and negotiate a higher salary. Always put your best foot forward on your resume to attract the most desirable job offers. Follow these tips to make your nursing resume shine and review this sample resume for an entry-level nurse.
Present Your Value Proposition in a Qualifications Summary
Lead your resume with a qualifications summary that provides an overview of the value you bring to the table. Paint a picture of what you have to offer by including a narrative statement of your goal, specialty area, level of experience and any other top credentials. In the Monster Resume Builder, use the Career Objective field to present your summary.
Add an Expertise Section
A bulleted list of your proficiency areas incorporates important keywords into your resume (so you’re found in an electronic search) and gives hiring managers a snapshot of your capabilities. Your expertise (or Key Skills if you’re an entry-level candidate and haven’t yet developed expertise) could be nursing specialty areas (e.g., pediatrics, obstetrics) or skills (JCAHO standards/compliance, medication administration, case management). On your Monster resume, use the Skills section to present your areas of expertise.
Detail Your Nursing Experience
Hiring managers want to understand the scope of your experience so they can see if you’re a good match for the job opening. When describing your nursing experience, write about the type of facility (such as acute care, outpatient, rehabilitation), your caseload and area of specialization. Entry-level nurses with limited work experience should provide details of their unpaid work/clinical rotations/practicums.
Demonstrate You’re a Top Performer
Your experience will be stronger if you include your contributions to each of your employers. Think about how you went above and beyond your job duties to make a positive contribution to your employer, patients, families and the community. Did you serve on any boards or committees? Did you help reorganize or launch new facilities or services? Did you provide training for patients and their families? Did you promote health and well-being by providing free community healthcare seminars? Were you known for your strong patient-advocacy skills? Did you help your employer pass an audit or achieve accreditation? Did you train and orient new employees? By providing details about your accomplishments, you’re showing potential employers that you would be a valuable asset to their team.
Focus on Your Related Experience
If You’re Returning to Nursing If you are returning to the field after an absence, target your resume to nursing while deemphasizing unrelated work. One way to handle this dilemma is to divide your experience into two sections. Call the first Nursing Experience and the second Additional Work Experience. This strategy allows you to bring your older, related work to the forefront of your resume. In the Monster Resume Builder, use the regular Work Experience section for your nursing experience and the Additional Information section to briefly mention your other positions.
Pick the Right Format If You’re Changing Careers
If you’re a career changer and your previous experience is completely unrelated to nursing, you might require a functional resume format. This style allows you to emphasize your related skills and training, while downplaying your work history.
Highlight Achievements
Highlight academic achievements and nursing Licenses in your education section, mention any academic honors, scholarships and fellowships. New grads should consider including their GPA (if impressive) and related courses. Experienced nurses may decide to briefly mention their clinical rotations in the Education section. Licensure fits nicely in the Education section — include the state where you are licensed and the date achieved. For privacy reasons, avoid including the actual number; employers will ask for a copy of your license later in the hiring process.
Read this article in original format >> Nursing Link
Although a good resume can’t get you a job, a poor resume will keep you from getting one. A resume is a professional marketing tool, a written record of your accomplishments and professional credentials. Because it usually represents the first impression a prospective employer will have of you, your resume must be top-notch in format, content, and appearance. Follow these simple guidelines to improve the impression your resume makes.
What To Do
DO use a chronological format. Start by listing your current or most recent job and work back from there. This is the format most employers are looking for, and anything else makes them suspicious and impatient. Although every rule has exceptions, stick to this format to be safe.
DO focus on your accomplishments and more interesting or marketable skills and experiences. Your resume should highlight the best that you have to offer, not read like a job description. If you’re a staff nurse, the interviewer will expect you to have provided patient care and administered medications. Instead, include special activities such as conducting patient and family teaching, making presentations to outside groups, sitting on interdisciplinary committees, and budgeting and scheduling responsibility. If your experience is limited, focus on the more significant clinical skills, such as ventilator care, chemotherapy administration, and attaining I.V. certification.
DO print your resume on good quality paper and with good quality print. Most laser printers will do the job. If you don’t have a good printer, put your resume on a disk and bring it to a local printer or office services company that has a letter-quality printer. Ask to see samples of good-quality resume paper. Chose one that is white or off-white, never use colored paper or paper with designs or borders. Make sure the print on your resume is crisp, dark, sharp and clear.
What Not To Do
DON’T list personal information about your health, height and weight, marital status, and so on. This information shouldn’t be part of a job search process. In fact, asking about such matters in an interview is illegal, so don’t offer this information. You want the interviewer to focus on your job-related experience, not your personal attributes.
DON’T list hobbies and personal activities such as reading, skiing, and sewing. Discussing these in an interview is fine if you’re asked—they can even help establish rapport with a prospective employer. But this information, just like your height and weight, doesn’t belong on your resume.
DON’T list references with names and addresses. In fact, you don’t even need to say “References Available Upon Request.” If employers want references, they’ll ask for them. Keep your resume free of unnecessary information.
-----------------------------------------------
The US Department of Labor projects much faster-than-average job growth for nurses through 2014. That means as employers seek to recruit and retain talented nursing staff, nurses will enjoy improved salaries, benefits and working conditions.
You might be thinking: “Oh good, since employers will be clamoring to hire me, I don’t have to worry about my resume.”
Wrong.
A winning resume will you get noticed for the best positions and can facilitate a promotion from your current position. A strong resume can also help you command and negotiate a higher salary. Always put your best foot forward on your resume to attract the most desirable job offers. Follow these tips to make your nursing resume shine and review this sample resume for an entry-level nurse.
Present Your Value Proposition in a Qualifications Summary
Lead your resume with a qualifications summary that provides an overview of the value you bring to the table. Paint a picture of what you have to offer by including a narrative statement of your goal, specialty area, level of experience and any other top credentials. In the Monster Resume Builder, use the Career Objective field to present your summary.
Add an Expertise Section
A bulleted list of your proficiency areas incorporates important keywords into your resume (so you’re found in an electronic search) and gives hiring managers a snapshot of your capabilities. Your expertise (or Key Skills if you’re an entry-level candidate and haven’t yet developed expertise) could be nursing specialty areas (e.g., pediatrics, obstetrics) or skills (JCAHO standards/compliance, medication administration, case management). On your Monster resume, use the Skills section to present your areas of expertise.
Detail Your Nursing Experience
Hiring managers want to understand the scope of your experience so they can see if you’re a good match for the job opening. When describing your nursing experience, write about the type of facility (such as acute care, outpatient, rehabilitation), your caseload and area of specialization. Entry-level nurses with limited work experience should provide details of their unpaid work/clinical rotations/practicums.
Demonstrate You’re a Top Performer
Your experience will be stronger if you include your contributions to each of your employers. Think about how you went above and beyond your job duties to make a positive contribution to your employer, patients, families and the community. Did you serve on any boards or committees? Did you help reorganize or launch new facilities or services? Did you provide training for patients and their families? Did you promote health and well-being by providing free community healthcare seminars? Were you known for your strong patient-advocacy skills? Did you help your employer pass an audit or achieve accreditation? Did you train and orient new employees? By providing details about your accomplishments, you’re showing potential employers that you would be a valuable asset to their team.
Focus on Your Related Experience
If You’re Returning to Nursing If you are returning to the field after an absence, target your resume to nursing while deemphasizing unrelated work. One way to handle this dilemma is to divide your experience into two sections. Call the first Nursing Experience and the second Additional Work Experience. This strategy allows you to bring your older, related work to the forefront of your resume. In the Monster Resume Builder, use the regular Work Experience section for your nursing experience and the Additional Information section to briefly mention your other positions.
Pick the Right Format If You’re Changing Careers
If you’re a career changer and your previous experience is completely unrelated to nursing, you might require a functional resume format. This style allows you to emphasize your related skills and training, while downplaying your work history.
Highlight Achievements
Highlight academic achievements and nursing Licenses in your education section, mention any academic honors, scholarships and fellowships. New grads should consider including their GPA (if impressive) and related courses. Experienced nurses may decide to briefly mention their clinical rotations in the Education section. Licensure fits nicely in the Education section — include the state where you are licensed and the date achieved. For privacy reasons, avoid including the actual number; employers will ask for a copy of your license later in the hiring process.
Read this article in original format >> Nursing Link
