Nurses, as well as specialists of other professions, may find it difficult to write a resume when they are going to apply for a new job. Even experienced employees do not always know what information to provide in their job application, so no wonder that writing a nurse resume may turn into a real challenge. The most common dilemmas that candidates are puzzling over are not limited only by choosing a proper paper format or the list of professional nursing skills. There are much more questions arising when one starts thinking about what things are better to focus on and what details are less significant to mention.
To get a clear vision, check out this nurse resume example, and then we will discuss in detail what exactly an employer expects to find in a candidate’s letter of application.
So, where to begin? Let’s spell out each section of this Nursing Resume Sample and discover what information is required and what is better not to focus on.
Introduce yourself
Correct, the first step is introducing yourself. Write your full name and provide the ways an employer may use to contact you, such as a phone number and email address. Also, include your location address and a photo of yourself. The last one is not required, but it is still preferable to have it.
Professional Summary
This section should include a few sentences and thus, there is no need to write too much here. If you want to tell about your experience and write about it in detail, use a cover letter for that purpose. View a professional summary as an advertising banner. You need to capture the attention of your employer, but the amount of words is limited. So, be brief but specific. After this section, mention the licenses you have. That’s very important for a nursing position.
Skills
When candidates reach this part of a resume, they often start listing all the possible skills that they have. However, there is no need to tell about such skill as providing patient care since it is something common that every nurse could and should do. Focus on those specific skills which are required for the position you are applying for and which are not mastered by everyone.
Professional Experience
Unlike the previous section where it was not necessary to tell about each and every skill you have, here the more experience you provide, the better. However, concentrate only on those pieces of experience which are related to your profession. Do not mention about your design or marketing experience when you are applying for the position of a nurse. That will not be viewed as a benefit, rather will lead to a lot of unnecessary questions like - Why does a professional nurse have such experience?
Education and Training
Indicate information about the degree you have and where you have received it. If you have passed any courses or training programs which have contributed a lot to your profession, do not forget to mention them as well.Helpful Resume Tips to Avoid Common Mistakes and Make Your Resume Sound Great
The creative resume template provided above will help you to write a great resume. However, there are a few more pieces of advice which are necessary to take into account while doing a letter of application. Although these are less significant, they are not any less important.
- Use a simple and common font such as Times New Roman or Arial. At least 12 point font size will be enough, but do not use more than 16.
- Make a professional email. Avoid emails like [email protected]. It is okay to have such one for personal needs, but it looks very unprofessionally if you mention it as your work email.
- Do not use the phrase References Available Upon Request. That is a relic of the past which today seems pointless since your potential employer may request such information and he or she does not need your approval.
- Make your resume satisfy the job requirements. Make sure that your you job experience, skills as well as personal qualities match the employer’s expectations 100%.
- Do not forget about a cover letter. That is important! Not all companies state that sending a cover letter is a must. However, be sure that a cover letter is always an ace in the hole. This separate document allows you to tell everything about yourself, your motivation and desire to work in a company since resume is usually very limited for that purpose. So, do not ignore a cover letter since a lot of people managed to get a job due to this document, and not always due to their resume alone.
Suggested Reading:
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