Crafting an impressive resume is an important step towards landing a nursing job you love. A polished, well-organized resume will help you stand out from the crowd and guarantee an interview. Think about it as your first impression on potential employers – it’s the first glimpse they get into who you are and what you can offer their facility.
Use these 5 ways tips to upgrade your resume:
1. Brainstorm.
Start by creating a master list of all your accomplishments. Write down everything you can think of, including:
- Knowledge and skills (education/ licenses/ certifications)
- Extracurricular clubs
- Academic or workplace awards
- Clinical rotations
- Work experience
- Volunteering
This will help you (A) remind yourself of how much you’ve achieved and (B) get organized before putting your resume together. You should keep this master list and update it as you gain new skills and experience.
2. Be authentic.
Adding a personal touch to your resume is an immediate attention-grabber. Consider creating a passion statement about why you decided to be a nurse – or why you want to work at the place you’re applying. For example, if you’re applying to a nursing home, your passion statement might be: “I want to help residents stay happy and healthy by providing them with high-quality care in their later years.”
3. Get organized.
Your resume should have a clean, well-structured format so it’s easy to read. Use consistent spacing, font, font size, margins, and bullet points. You should also cap the length at one page – unless you have more than 10 years of experience or an extensive list of certifications/specialties.
4. Tailor your resume to the job.
You should tweak your resume slightly to fit the place you’re applying; employers want to know that you’re interested in their company specifically. For example, if you want to work in their emergency department, draw attention to your clinical rotations in the ER, your emergency care credentials, and your preference for fast-paced work.
5. Use keywords.
Many facilities now use a type of computer software, called Applicant Tracking System (ATS), that filters resumes based on keywords. That means if your resume doesn’t share enough keywords with the job description, it’ll be rejected before the employer even sees it. Make sure to read the job description carefully and pull keywords where appropriate to include in your resume.
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