200 job applications and no interviews can you help me with my resume

Nurses Job Hunt

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ok so like the title says I have filled out over 200 applications since march and not one call back. any advice would be appreciated. I found a per diem home care position thanks to a friend but it turns out they are closing down at the end of October, so now I have to get back to the hunt. BTW the font doesn't look like this on my version.

I left out the personal info for obvious reasons

Cover letter

As a Registered Nurse, I am writing in regards to your employment listing. I believe that my ability to work with a team,my excellent work ethic, and my critical thinking skills make me a valuable employee. I would appreciate the opportunity to become part of your health care team.

I am a dedicated professional that is looking for an opportunity to grow as a Registered Nurse. My goals include providing excellent patient care by upholding the National Patient Safety Goals, and listening to the clients needs and concerns. With my 10 plus years in customer service I have become proficient in communicating with people, and addressing complicated issues. I excelled as a student upholding a 3.0 average while raising two young boys. So needless to say I am great at time management, multi-tasking, and working under stressful situations.

I am very excited by this career opportunity and I am interested in meeting with you to discuss the position further. I have enclosed my resume that provides greater detail about my abilities. You can reach me at the phone number or e-mail listed above. I look forward to hearing from you to discuss the position further.

Sincerely,

*********

Enclosure: Resume

OBJECTIVE:

I am a Registered Nurse professional looking for a challenging and responsible role. Where my skills, knowledge and experience can be utilized effectively. I want to become part of a health care organization that focuses on compassionate care, and working with the client to achieve goals.

SKILLS

  • Experience of 10 years in customer service and certified nursing assistant field.
  • Exceptional capacity to multitask: manage competing priorities with ease while delivering superior patient care
  • Ability to identify the needs of the patient and focus on the investigation of the physical and psychosocial development.
  • Ability to perform in a calm and efficient manner under stressful situations.
  • Proficient in computer programs
  • Critical thinking skills: able to examine lab values, assess the patient, look at history and develop a care plan that focuses on the clients needs.
  • Organization and communication skills both verbally and written.
  • I am able to work as a team member to coordinate care and achieve goals with others on the health care team.

EDUCATION:

Associates Degree Nursing-Modesto Junior College, class of fall 2011

Clinical rotations: Doctors Medical Center, Modesto 4 semesters

CA RN License Number: ****** exp-10/31/2014

WORK EXPERIENCE:

08/13-NOW; Sierra View Home Health Services, 1455east G st., Oakdale, CA 95361. Tel (855) 956-8773; Registered Nurse

09/08-04/11;Round Table Pizza, 2908 E Whitmore Ave, Ceres, CA 95307. (209) 541-1177 ; Supervisor

02/2001-01/2005;Vintage Faire Nursing and Rehabilitation, 3620 Dale Rd, Modesto, CA 95356. (209) 521-2094; Certified Nurse Assistant

Reference's can be provided upon request.

I would take out the part in your cover letter where you talk about having kids. It's no ones business and you don't want directors to think your kids are a handful and may impede your work if you ever need to stay home with them for any reason.

Also I noticed that your second sentence under objectives is not a complete sentence.

thank you for your comment I will remove/fix the issues

On my resume under the work experience, I always put the position title first then the dates, place of employment etc. You don't really have to put your gpa in the cover letter. You could put honors, such as Dean's List, honor societies, etc in a section marked Other on your resume.

You could shorten your Objective category. It should only be a sentence or two.

You might add that you are planning to get a BSN on your cover letter somewhere even if you aren't right this second it should probably be a longer term goal. You may be having trouble getting interviews or positions due to only having a ADN. Many hospitals are expecting their ADNs to commit to BSN or actually have one. This is mostly because they want magnet status. In Florida many hospitals will not hire unless they have a BSN or commit to get theirs in a certain amount of time. Some are even making their current ADNs commit to BSN in a certain time period or they will be let go.

Under work experience write 8/13 to present not NOW.

References: Available upon request (just sounds better)

Skills section is a little wordy and repetitive. I don't even have a skills section on mine but I do have a lot of experience

(18 years) hogging up my resume space. I would just try to work those skills into the job descriptions but keep it short.

Sometimes on actual applications there is a skills section and you can write it on there.

I agree about keeping kids off the resume. I had 3 in nursing school and I was told to keep that stuff off and don't mention it in the interview either unless it was brought up. For example: Say you were an RN who was returning to practice and had a gap of time on your resume. Then you could mention that you took time off for family responsibilities. Most managers know what this means. If asked for more details in the interview, then it would be appropriate to elaborate.

You could add a category on your resume labeled Certifications: You put your BLS/CPR, ACLS etc in that category. If you are trying to get into acute care then having ACLS is a good thing.

Another certification that is easy and cheap to get and is Stroke Certification by the National Institute of Health. Just go to their website. When I got mine it was $10

Having exta certifications makes you look committed to excellence and education- like you are going above and beyond.

First I want to say good luck with the job hunt! I graduated in May & spent nearly every day applying for about 200 different positions. Finally got an interviews and subsequently a job offer after about 4 months. So keep your head up, something will come along soon!

So my advice:

Tweak your cover letter to fit the facility. Look up their mission statement and core values and use them to explain why you'd be a good fit. Even as you explain your background, make sure you add these key words. For example (using my cover letter that got me an interview):

"BlahBlah Medical Center is founded on a legacy of compassionate care, and as a new grad Registered Nurse, I hope to continue that legacy in my life and my career. I would love the opportunity to begin this journey at BlahBlah Medical Center in the RN-Medicine position posted on your website.

As a nursing student at ThisState Community College, I was able to experience the holistic, reverent care BlahBlah Medical Center is known for during 2 semesters of clinical rotations. With dedication and hard work, I have developed a solid foundation of critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication skills, and the desire to provide quality, compassionate patient care. My 6+ years as an Assistant Manager at FastFood Place in have allowed me to develop the ability to work efficiently as a team, as both a leader and team member, as well as develop excellent customer service skills and time management techniques. I look forward to utilizing what I have learned in a facility focused on physical, mental, and spiritual healing.

I have applied for the position online and have also attached my resume for your review. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you further."

See how I tied in key words to make me seem a good fit for the facility? Not sure how true it is, but I've heard some websites use computers to pick resumes/cover letters out of the thousands they recieve based on certain key words. If it is true, you want to use them to be at the top of the stack. Also, it shows the reader you've done your research about the facility.

Resume:

I would shorten the objective and fit it to the facility. For example:

"A highly motivated patient advocate skilled in customer service, critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based care desiring an opportunity to join the BlahBlah team as a Medical-Surgical RN."

Quick, to the point, and showing the qualities you will bring their facility. Also, its stating their facility name, so it doesn't look like a "one resume fits all" you send out to everyone.

Make the skills short & sweet. Most HR skim over the resume. Too many words looks crowded and doesn't get to the point fast enough for their busy schedules.

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]-Great organizational skills

-Passionate about expanding current experience and knowledge

-Highly adaptable; transitions easily between different tasks

-Dependable & responsible

[/TD]

[TD]-Positive & professional attitude

-Excellent customer service skills

-Great interpersonal skills & ability to work well individually or as a team

-Able to multitask efficiently

-Creative problem-solving skills

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

I would put Licenses/Certifications next, so they know your licensed as an RN and you have BLS/ACLS or whatever.

"Licensure: Registered Nurse, State of ______ - Active

Certifications: BLS for Healthcare Provider, AHA certified - expires June 2015

Advanced Cardiac Life Support, AHA certified - expires June 2015"

Then list Education. Did you earn any awards? Any clubs involved in? Any positions held in student councils? Dean's List/Cum Laude?List those with it if you have them.

"Associates of Applied Science in Nursing Degree, 2008-2011

Modesto College, This City, This State

-Graduated with Honors, Cum Laude (GPA 3.38 / 4.0)

-Treasurer of Nursing Class of 2011

-Phi Theta Kappa, Inducted Member, 2010

-Student Nurse Association, Member, 2008 - 2011"

I wouldn't list phone numbers for work experience, just taking up valuable space. They'll ask for these when doing background checks if offered a position. Maybe list any special projects you did related to the positions held, or any awards and recognition you've received in those positions.

I've read all over to not bother putting "References upon request" because HR knows that you'll give them a reference list if they request it. Make a list of references & bring with you to your interview. :)

Hope that helps some! I'm telling ya, I've rewrote my resume/cover letter almost on a daily basis when I was job hunting. Kept tweaking and tweaking until I finally snagged an interview, and eventually a job offer. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

nikihuff,

I am a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and I write nursing resumes on a daily basis. Here is my feedback:

1) I agree with schnookimz, remove the information about your children.

2) Your "objective" should be a "summary of qualifications" instead. Show the organization what skills you have to offer rather than telling them what you want out of them ("YOU want a challenging role, YOU want an organization that focuses on..." etc. - it's currently all about you).

3) Remove generic information. Employers want to see your real-world skills, not your "soft" skills. Every resume since the beginning of time mentions multitasking, being calm in stressful situations, organization, etc. If you want to include your soft skills, make it brief.

4) Your resume presently has pronouns (I, my, etc.). Pronouns are not formal verbiage, and thus should not be used in the resume.

5) There should not be any mention of references on the resume. If they want them, they will ask. In addition, "reference's" has an unnecessary apostrophe on your existing resume.

Hopefully some of this helps. I know some of it is echoing the sentiments of what others already said, but I agree with them.

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

I find it interesting that you blocked out your RN license number in your post but you still posted your real name (!!!!) .... you do realize that this does nothing to protect your personal information, and know that ALL nursing license data is publicly accessible online.

Just a heads up, and why most of us on this site post under anonymous usernames.

Thank you everyone for your comments, I will make the required modifications. Although I am losing hope I will try to keep my head up.

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