Resume stand out or resume death sentence???

Nurses Job Hunt

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I've been applying tirelessly for the past 8 months. I'm an LVN with 3 years of acute experience and currently a senior in a BSN program. I had mistakenly thought I would actually be competitive!

I feel that I have a decent resume, but it just seems so 'blah'

I was wasting time on Pinterest between finals this week and stumbled across this site

http://loftresumes.com/

Are these something that will get a new grad kicked right out the nursing door?? Just exploring options to make some changes! Being a single income family again while I'm in school is very stressful, so I would like to work now, since I already have a nursing license. Ideally, I would stay at the job upon graduation and transition into a RN role.

Thoughts? Advice?

Just to clarify - I wouldn't actually pay for this service. In my other life, I was a professional photographer and thousands of hours designing templates and could easily do something similar myself. Just asking if stepping out of the box will get me squashed down!

if I personally had to choose one it would something like "the cubes" design, simple, easy to read, not a million things going on like the other ones but still interestingly stylish enough to stand out, only thing i would change is the orange font to the dark grey that the name is in to keep it more neutral tones.

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I've been encouraging people to put their picture on the resume. I put mine on the cover letter on top of my name in the heading. I'm still fooling around with it. I chose a pic that is a bust shot in a dark turtle neck with my lab coat on...it looks good.

I've sifted through many hundreds of resumes of candidates looking for a job in a professional discipline, and not one of them had a photo. It sounds like you're trying to get an edge based on your youthful good looks.

Think of who might be doing the hiring. That strategy could really backfire.

Unless you're applying for a job as a model, actor, or realtor, it's been inappropriate to attach a photo for most jobs at least since the late 80's.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Healthcare organizations have to meet an extraordinary amount of mandatory (Federal, State, JC, CMS, etc) requirements so they rely on automated systems to keep it together. The only way in is usually through an online application... So

Just a word of caution. Most larger organizations now have digitized environments for resumes, applications, etc. If they receive a paper resume, they just scan it in. More often, people just cut & paste or attach an electronic copy of their resume to an online application. These systems are dumb... they don't recognize fancy graphics, unusual fonts and such. So all your hard work will just show up as gibberish.

Of course, take a copy of that fabulous (typo-free, correctly spelled) resume when you show up for the interview.. but until then, please focus on meeting the needs of the digital monster.

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Some of the low key ones are fine. I would NOT put a picture. Keep it simple and to the point and work on your cover letter too.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I don't know but I love them. If you can truly do layouts like that you might want to consider selling templates on Etsy for some extra change.

What job are you looking for btw?

EDIT I should add my graphic designer friend formatted my resume a few years ago when I needed it. It's alot simpler than those ones but prettier than the build in templates you find in word.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I've been encouraging people to put their picture on the resume. I put mine on the cover letter on top of my name in the heading. I'm still fooling around with it. I chose a pic that is a bust shot in a dark turtle neck with my lab coat on...it looks good.

nononono Don't put your picture on your resume. It's liable to get thrown out. Companies don't want to see your picture because they don't want to be accused of discrimination.

"Anti-discrimination laws in our country have resulted in many Human Resources departments throwing out otherwise great resumes if they include a picture. Companies are so afraid of being sued that they avoid the slightest appearance of bias by eliminating any resume with a photo right off the bat."

Photos On Resumes Or LinkedIn – Advice To The Job Seeker…. : Medical Sales Recruiter – Tips & Quips

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I see all the resumes people send in. No picture since it leaves the company open for a discrimination suit.

All the fancy fonts won't get you in to see me. I just want to know your educational background, how much experience you have, and if you are a new grad where you did your clinical rotations so I'll have a chance of seeing if you fit the needs of my facility.

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I would try to be a little more traditional and conservative....too loud lol

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Go for it. Actually, there is probably no format that would please all recruiters. I think you'll have to decide for yourself. Personally, I like some of them.

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Specializes in Med surg.

I like those resumes and they seem affordable. They definitley catch your eye! go for it.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I'm trying to figure out what kind of job you want. An LPN job? This may be the problem as there aren't many out there...except in LTC etc...(you've heard that all before). Or a new grad RN job (as you are now a senior). If you are not graduated yet, then they are not going to hire you, and if you are looking at LPN jobs and are about to graduate, well, they don't want to hire train, only to have you turn into an RN and leave.

Frankly, I'd skip all the "stand out" stuff. Everyone knows that you are trying to get your resume to stand out. So all the photos and creative fonts and such, just look as if you are trying, they don't really make you stand out past that...

What has always been recommended to me is to keep everything appropriate looking, because while someone MAY love the fonts and stand "outish" resume...someone else may really dislike it. If your resume looks standard, you give yourself a chance to make it past ALL screeners.

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Specializes in Psych, OB-GYN.

Thanks again for the responses, has been great food for thought!

For whomever asked my intentions - I would ideally like to STAY ON once I become an RN, so I do have the info in my personal statement. I'm not far from graduation and I want stay put! I don't want to be job hunting come April/May when all 27 nursing schools in this city graduate! Plus, we know we will be relocating within the next 18 months, so no sense getting a job now, another in 8 months when I become an RN, then leaving there in 10. That definitely wouldn't look good on a resume!

As for where I'm applying... LTAC, TDC (texas dept of correction), hospice, and homehealth.

I have my first job fair in 4 days, so running out of time to make my kinda drab resume awesome!

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