Regardless of
whether you are just starting your nursing career, or if you have a desire to
make a change, a resume is an essential element. Often, a resume is the determining factor on
whether or not you are presented with the opportunity to interview for the
desired position.
Resume
Mistakes
When preparing
your resume, plan to spend an adequate amount of time to perfect it. The number one mistake on a resume is grammar
and typos. When a hiring executive has
the first glance at a resume, imagine how it resonates with them if the first things
they notice are typos or improper grammar.
It's not uncommon to have errors on long reports, however a resume
should be no more than one page, and a mistake, or numerous mistakes in the
form of grammar or spelling, can halt you chances prior to even considering
your credentials. Review your resume,
use a grammar check program, many are available free, and will generally capture
90% of grammar errors. Read your resume
out loud so that you will actually hear any grammar mistakes. Have another person check your resume for
you, two sets of eyes are better than one.
You may be the best candidate for the nursing position that you are
applying for, so don’t let typos or grammar mistakes prevent you from getting
that interview.
Do
Not Underestimate Your Knowledge
Professional
resume writers say that the one mistake many people make is to underestimate
their knowledge. As a nurse, you have a
world of information within your mind.
If you attended a conference on the proper care of a hospice patient,
and received a certificate, don’t fail to include that on your resume. Remember the person looking at your resume
does not know you at all; they are making an initial judgment and assessment
based on that one piece of paper, or computer screen in front of them. If you don’t include your knowledge and
accomplishments, they will not know them, and the next resume may present
better than yours. You don’t have to
elaborate on all certifications or accomplishments; however, they should be
mentioned in the form of a short sentence.
If you have spent the last 2 years working with patients that have
orthopedic conditions, don’t overlook that on your resume, it may be just the
specialty field the hiring executive is looking for. When you skip or don’t include your area of
expertise and knowledge, you are under-presenting yourself, and creating a
higher chance that you will be overlooked because of your resume, never even
getting the opportunity to interview for the position at hand.
Do
Not Over-Inflate yourself
As a nurse,
you know that you are knowledgeable, and you know how diligent you are in
making sure your patients receive the best care possible. There is little you have not seen or done in
the medical treatment room, the reality is, you are a superhuman in
scrubs. The hiring executive that
reviews your resume does not want to know that you are a superhuman. Because compassion is part of being a nurse,
and in fact a very important part, it’s often put at the top of the list of
what nurses consider their attributes.
Compassion is a great thing for a nurse, without it, you would not make
a good nurse, however on a resume, it is virtually wasted space. It would be acceptable to list the word
compassionate when providing a brief description of yourself, however do not
elaborate on it. A Human Resource
professional is looking for your area of medical expertise, and not that you
are a compassionate person. Providing
you receive an invitation for a face to face interview, you can elaborate slightly
more on the fact that you care about your patients, but a one page sales
advertisement for your nursing skills is not the place to do so. The facility you are applying to is not
looking to hire a compassionate person; they are looking to hire a professional
nurse. Your level of compassion will
follow you naturally and demonstrate your ability to be a good nurse, once
hired.
Do
Not Discuss Previous or Current Employers
When you
compose your resume, obviously you will list the facilities that you have been
employed with. You do not however need
to discuss the actual facility. For
instance, it would not be wise to indicate the reason you are leaving your
current position is due to the fact that they lack technology. It may be true, however, it is not
information that should be shared. Don’t
throw your current employer under the bus so to speak. It not only makes them look bad, it makes you
look bad as well. Everyone has had that
supervisor from, well you know, not a nice place. You could fill an entire page with the
annoyances of this supervisor, and all of it would be accurate. However, it would be valuable wasted space on
your resume. You are not selling that
person, or having a complaint session regarding them, you are selling yourself,
and your abilities. Only you need to
know that you cannot wait to get away from that supervisor. Perhaps your
current supervisor is holding you back, don’t say as much on your resume, and
phrase it more like “a desire to have the opportunity for advancement”. The hiring professional will view you as hard
to get along with, a complainer and not a team player if you make insults of
your current or previous employer and their staff.
Be
Honest and Realistic
Sure, you are
selling yourself, and your abilities as a nurse, however, don’t sell yourself
as having knowledge, or a training that you do not have. In the field of nursing this could be a
detriment to a patient, and to the medical facility. You want to include your accomplishments, and
certifications, however, don’t overstate, or make it sound as if you are
bragging. Also, do not claim to have
knowledge in a specific area that you don’t.
Ultimately, you could be placed in a situation with a patient, and told
to perform a procedure that you actually have no knowledge of.
Under-Promoting
Yourself
It is a common
mistake to under promote, or underestimate your abilities on your resume. When you submit a resume that uses general
terms, it does not stand out, and will blend in with the numerous other resumes
received. A common term many nurses use
is “general nursing”. There really is no
such thing as general nursing, as each nursing job is different, at least in
some ways. You can have the title of
registered nurse; however that title can vary quite a bit from one medical
facility to another. If you worked in
ICU, that is pertinent information, or if you worked in the emergency room, and
covered the maternity ward when needed, that also is very relevant information
on your resume. If you leave this type
of information out, you are short changing yourself. Don’t just do one generic resume for every
job you want to apply for. You should
never falsify your resume; however you can tweak it to display your relevance
to a particular job.
Resume
Programs
A resume
program may help to start you on the way to writing a professional resume,
however don’t rely on it completely.
There are some resume programs specifically designed for nurses, and
they are not a good substitute for a personal resume. These programs tend to use medical
terminology beyond what most people would relate to. They also tend to make you sound like a
robo-nurse of sorts. Another
consideration is, if you use the first nursing resume program that you found on
a search engine, how many others will use the same one? Using a cookie cutter type resume is never a
good idea, you are trying to stand out, not blend in.
Not
Providing Details
When you start
your resume, it’s a good idea to start out by making a list of your current and
previous job responsibilities. All too often nurses will simply state, “I cared
for patients in labor and delivery”.
That is far too generic. Did you
empty bedpans, or did you administer labor inducing drugs and assist the
physician in the delivery room. By
offering some detailed information, the hiring executive may notice a specific
work function that you have experience in, and it's just what they are looking
for.
Don’t
use an Objective on your Resume
Replace the
“objective” spot on a resume, with a “summary”.
After all, the Human Resource department, as well as the potential
supervisor does not have nearly as much interest in what you hope for your
future, as what you will bring to the table with your job skills and
abilities. If you are afforded the
opportunity to interview, that will be the time, if asked, to give a brief
description of what your future career goals are. Resumes that have unrealistic goals, are just
that unrealistic, and may appear like you are simply looking for a stepping
stone for the next great job.
Following some
simple guidelines can make your resume stand out, and help you secure an
interview or a promotion with your current employer. A few do have and don’ts will help you land
the perfect job.
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