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Question:
I’ve been in practice as a nurse for years, and have kept the same position in the hospital that I got right out of nursing school. Now I think I’m ready to make a move to a different facility, but I haven’t updated my resume since I applied for that first job. Where do I start?
Answer:
Your situation is not unusual; most of us tend to put off updating a resume until we see a need to apply for something new. A better practice would be to update frequently, every year or so, so as not to loose track of experiences. It’s also helpful to keep a file of training and continuing education courses, certifications, publications, letters related to your work, and performance appraisals. Here are some other tips for putting together your nursing resume.
Start with identifying information
Keep this section at the top of your resume straightforward; name, address, phone number and email address. This is your contact information. Personal information such as marital status and family information is not relevant.
Experience
List your nursing positions, from the most recent to previous positions. Give the date and the job title, with a brief job description. This is the place to emphasize your accomplishments and skills, particularly those pertinent to the position you are interested in.
Education
Now it’s time to list your degrees. Give the name of the school, the location, and the date the degree was obtained. List certifications and continuing education courses that document your additional qualifications for the position you want. If you are currently taking courses toward an advanced degree in nursing, state the program (for example, RN-BSN) and expected date of completion.
Affiliations
Professional memberships come first, but you can also include community groups and volunteer activities that relate to your skills and interests.
Publications and awards
If applicable, these recognitions demonstrate your professional expertise and achievements.
Be brief
A rule of thumb is that a resume should be one page in length. If you have held multiple positions over the years, you should describe in more detail the most recent experience, or the most relevant, and simply list other positions held. The same concept applies to certifications and educational courses. Routine required CEUs are not useful to include, but out of the ordinary training and specialty certifications are important to describe your knowledge base.
Be accurate
Don’t shortchange your accomplishments, and don’t embellish them either. Your integrity as a professional and employee is easily fact checked, so be sure your resume is an honest reflection of your education and work.
Make your cover letter count
This is the place to state what position you are applying for, why you are interested, and why you think you are an outstanding candidate for the job. Briefly, you are introducing yourself, and catching the interest of the reader. Be sure you have the appropriate name and title for the person to whom you are addressing the letter. Also be sure that your form, spelling, and grammar are spotless. Look as sample resumes and cover letters. The American Nurses Association nurses career center offers more advice on writing resumes. You can also post and update your resume at the career center site.
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Sam said @ February 14, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I have written many resumes for nurses and it is very true that they should be done 100% as professionaly as any other type of career. I will say though that there is a trend to start adding images and logos to resumes and it will be interesting to see if it takes off or not.