How to Create the Perfect Registered Nurse Resume

Creating the perfect registered nurse resume can be a challenge, especially for graduate nurses. It is difficult to make your stand out in the crowd if you have had little to no healthcare experience. However, you can get creative and in the process become more confident with the skills and expertise you do possess while highlighting them in a manner that will increase your likelihood of landing the job and starting higher on the RN Salary scale.

The nursing profession offers a solid, steady career path. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing jobs are expected to grow at a “faster than average” rate and the number of retiring nurses will create a shortage in coming years. Even with these circumstances, this is not the time to sit back and take it easy when applying for a nursing job. Your resume is your first impression on a future employer, and there’s no better way to initially showcase your achievements and professionalism.

So what does a shining resume look like?

Here are a few proven pointers to set you on the path to nursing resume success:

Creating the Perfect Registered Nurse Resume

Open with a Narrative

A narrative is a clearly written statement that summarizes skills you will bring to the position you are applying for. Make sure to discuss your goals, specialty areas, experience level and any advanced credentials or training you hold. Your resume is not the place to be humble, but also make sure you don’t exaggerate.

Present Your Qualifications and Expertise

Paint a picture of your strengths, and try to use action verbs when describing them. For example, instead of saying “Knowledge of chemotherapy mixing and administration,” say, “Actively managed cancer patients, including mixing and administering chemotherapy drugs according to hospital policies and safety standards.” This statement still shows that you know how to mix and administer drugs, but it sounds more active and more professional. If you don’t have a long history in nursing, make sure to focus on any volunteer or clinical experiences.

Proofread for Errors

While it may seem basic, be sure to re-read your resume to make sure it is clear, concise and typo-free. Check for spelling, grammatical and formatting errors; even a basic error will skew your professional edge with an employer and show that your attention to detail may not be as keen as you claim. Consider enlisting the help of a friend, family member or career counselor for a second opinion when you are finished. If you are just graduating, your school’s career center will typically offer resume services for free, so make sure to check in with them.

Highlight Your Nursing Experience if You are Returning to the Field

If you have been out of the nursing profession for a while, divide your resume’s work experience section into two parts: Nursing Experience and Additional Work History, or something similar. Make sure to place your nursing experience first and highlight your specialty areas, credentials and years of experience, but be sure to also include any other tangentially relevant jobs in the second section. At the very least, do not let long periods of time go unaccounted for.

Showcase Your Top Performances

Employers care about the image you will present of their company. If you have been recognized for outstanding performance, been part of policy or patient care committee,s or have helped develop standards for better care, you should highlight those standout experiences. Discuss your role in the process, any collaboration with administrators and positive results of the changes if possible, and always attempt to use quantifiable measures wherever possible, such as how many patients you routinely cared for or the number of nurses you managed.

A perfect nursing resume is one that allows you to showcase who you are while spotlighting your passion for the nursing profession. Use your resume as an opportunity to present your most professional image, and remember that it is a reflection of who you are to an employer.

Get Past the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

In recent years, the application process has gone high-tech. Many larger employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that have artificial intelligence (AI) that scrapes your resume for keywords to ensure you are a good match. This could mean that resume isn’t even seen by a human being because you didn’t include information that matched with the job description.

Before submitting your resume, read through the job description and ensure you’ve included the main key words that define the job. For example, if they are looking for a nurse with critical care experience, but your resume does not include the words “critical care” the ATS is likely going to kick your application out and it will never even be considered.

Learn Nurse Resume Secrets from a Hiring Nurse Manager

If you know someone that hires nurses, ask them what they are looking for. Ask them what makes an applicant stand out. Would like be more or less likely to hire a nurse that included a photo on their resume? Do they use an ATS to review applications and weed out those without the correct keywords? Every hiring manager is different, but getting a first hand perspective from one gives you new information to evolve and adapt. Plus – this very conversation could open a door. If they are friend, it’s likely not good to ask them to hire you, but they likely know other nurse managers that are looking for awesome people and they’l probably be happy to give you a recommendation.

Get Your Resume Professional Reviewed

Sometimes having an extra set of eyes can help you feel more confident with your resume. Even if you’re an excellent writer and are confident with what’s on your resume, it may be a good idea to have your resume professionally reviewed. A review is particularly helpful if you are climbing the ladder or changing focuses. I did this myself when I transitioned from a clinical role to a more technical and leadership based role. It was money well spent. Many individuals and companies provide this service. One company that offers some free resume critiques is Resume Writer Direct. Check them out and get your free resume critique.

Review Example Nurse Resumes

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Crafting your resume from scratch can be overwhelming and there is no shame in looking and other resumes to get inspiration for formatting, language, and key areas that you should include.

Here are some great resources for example registered nurse resumes:

Great Resume Templates

 

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3 thoughts on “How to Create the Perfect Registered Nurse Resume”

  1. A lot of nurses do not know the proper format to create their resume. So even though they might have great qualification, they are still unable to get good job opportunities. I think a nurse’s best best is to invest a little in a medical editing service like 
    http://www.researchmedics.com/research-purposal-editing/ which are professionals when it comes to creating medical resumes documents or patient’s forms.

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