new grad..I beg your honest critique for my resume..pls

Bayat · May 23, 2013

"PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE" is like an in-depth interview, so how are you going to talk to your future employer? This is where you provide proof about what you've said in the top part of the resume and is the most technical part of the resume. Keep your experience tightly focused on your desired position. When writing your resume, use action verbs, focus on results, and use quantitative examples.

You have two sources already: your skill highlights and your previous job performance reviews. Nurses thrive on accomplishments as they are on the road to achieving something every day due to the nature of their job. They have so much on their plate owing to the fact that every day is a day with different challenges. So, Lesson One: The minute you start a new job, start keeping track of your accomplishments. Keep a log in a little notebook, or on index cards, in a computer database, on a little tape recorder, or on your smart phone or other device.

But what about all the jobs that have gone by in which you haven't recorded your accomplishments? Lesson Two: Develop a brainstorming worksheet:

1. Prepare an accomplishment inventory. To do this, list all jobs, followed by job duties.

2. Consider accomplishments you achieved in each job, or regarding each job duty if possible. You may believe that you have not accomplished much; however, completing this exercise will help you gain confidence and recognize your achievements. Spend time on this project, adding to your list of accomplishments over the period of a few days. Although you will not use all these accomplishments, it will prepare you for your interview and help sell your skills to your prospective employer

3. If you are having difficulty finding accomplishments, use the Situation/Task-Action-Results (STAR) technique. You can further break down an action as being: Action = Action Verb + Job Skills; And a job skill as being: Job Skill = Keyword + Keyword + … . It is important to break down your accomplishment statements into their base parts so that you can quickly and easily choose what statements to use in a resume tailored for the company and position that you are applying for.

4. Still having difficulty with your accomplishments? Consider the following:

a. What was your impact on time, money, quality and/or customer service?

b. What other impact did your actions have on the project or situation?

c. Why is this important as an achievement?

d. How do you know it

1) Saved time or money?

2) Increased profit/revenues?

3) Decreased errors?

e. Describe the

struggle

to achieve the result.

f. What

changed after

completion of the task?

g. What was the

scope, depth or breadth

of each segment of your accomplishment?

5. Categorize accomplishments by importance. It may be helpful to think in baseball terms. Place each accomplishment in a category for homeruns, triples, doubles, or singles. You should include only homeruns and triples on your résumé.

To a great extent, if a job activity cannot be portrayed as an accomplishment, it may not be worthy of mention in your resume, cover letter, or in an interview.

Now for the meat and potatoes: actually writing an accomplishment. An accomplishment is a three-part statement that summarizes a noteworthy, work-related event, in a way that is generally understandable and believable, while . . .

• communicating the event in a synopsis of what happened,

• briefly explaining how it took place, and

• being specific about the beneficial result it produced.

You write an accomplishment in 14 to 20 words, two (no more than three) typewritten lines (no smaller than 10-11 pt. type), makes no reference to the employer or organization name, and minimizes industry-specific jargon or acronyms.

WHAT You Did Is The First Piece Of Your Three-Part Accomplishment [ What = . . . ed ]. You briefly describe the event. It is preceded by a power past participle (ending in “ . . . ed:”, for example: developed, created, managed, directed, etc.) describing your role in the event. If you're still working at the job, then use the present participle.

HOW You Did It Is The Second Piece Of Your Three-Part Accomplishment [ How = . . . ing ]. briefly describe what you did, preceded by a power ". . . ing" verb form (analyzing, directing, teaching, researching, etc.).

RESULTS Is The Third Part of your Three-Part Accomplishment [ Results = . . . ing ]. Briefly review of the time or money that was saved, the degree of improved quality, preceded by a power ". . . ing" word (saving, improving, increasing, decreasing, etc.). The “ing” ending of words indicates the results are current or ongoing.

Example of a Complete Accomplishment: Streamlined production methods, designing revolutionary automated testing equipment to eliminate work bottleneck, reducing manufacturing labor cost by 17%.

So you start with an ACTION, and end with a RESULT

Here's some other CNA-related accomplishments found around the web to get your little grey cells percolating:

Provide high-quality patient care as an in-demand per-diem CNA within surgical, acute-care, rehabilitation, home-healthcare and nursing-home settings.
Preserve patient dignity and minimize discomfort while carrying out duties such as bedpan changes, diapering, emptying drainage bags and bathing.
Commended for chart accuracy, effective team collaboration, patient relations and consistent delivery of empathetic care.
Provided nursing assistance to residents in a 120-bed long-term-care facility.
Assisted residents with activities of daily living including helping with meals, transferring using assistive devices, bathing, dressing and grooming.
Displayed strong clinical skills in assessing vital signs, performing lab draws and glucose checks, and providing pre- and post-operative care.
Adhered to safety guidelines; completed hospital’s three-hour Patient Safety Training Program.
Ensured the accurate, timely flow of information by maintaining thorough patient records and updating healthcare team on patients’ status.
Complied with HIPAA standards in all patient documentation and interactions.

JamikaC · Aug 21, 2013

Hi I am planning on applying for GHOC for Fall 2014 but I wanted to ask you what was your score on the TEAS exam before getting accepted. Also was it hard to be accepted & is the TEAS the only determination for weather or not u get in?