Critique My Cover Letter & Resume! Honesty Welcomed!

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2013

IMO I like it because it is short and to the point. I hate reading resumes that come in a binder form.

stewartfamily2010 · Jun 25, 2013

Completely agree with tokmom.

Bayat · Jun 26, 2013

All-in-all, not bad. You might consider moving the "License and Certifications" to below your "Professional Profile" section and add a "Skill Highlights" section just below that to show off what you know. About 4-8 top skills that you accumulated from your clinicals and life.

Also, consider your degree listing thus:

Associate of Science: Some College - Nursing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mth 20xx

Anytown, ST

. . . * Graduated with honors - College of Nursing

. . . * GPA 3.94

Now about your cover letter: It kinda lacks what makes you qualified for the position. Take a gander at this:

Dear Human Resources Professional,

Please consider me a strong candidate for the Correctional Nurse position advertised in the [website] for [City], [state] at the [facility]. Upon reading this announcement, I wanted to provide you the enclosed resume and recommendations. As you will note from my resume, I hold a RN licensure. Described on each of the supporting documents, I have gained the essential skills from clinical experience and as a tutor providing quality instruction as I earned my degree and license. Thus it is with a comprehensive foundation knowledge that I now seek to interview for and, I hope, serve within the capacities of the Correctional Nurse.

Summarizing all that appears on the attached resume, I offer:

. . . * Strong assessment skills with the ability to prioritize care based on patient group using the nursing process.

. . . * A Highly adaptable personality that transitions easily between different tasks while working individually and with a team.

. . . * A demonstrated ability to assess and advocate for patient needs in developing and implementing nursing care plans and maintaining patient medical records.

. . . * Efficient response to urgent and complex clinical situations with patients using strong communication and critical thinking skills.

However, what my resume does not show is my passion for serving the underserved. My unfailing professionalism and strong ethical center allowed me to provide compassionate care to inmates admitted to my clinical site for advanced procedures, including offenders other students and staff declined to care for. By the same token, my alert and conscientious approach to nursing practice allowed me to always maintain a safe environment for the patient and staff while maintaining firm professional boundaries in interactions with the patient.

Though my resume is detailed and comprehensive, it cannot fully demonstrate the manner in which I have achieved success. Character, personality, and the ability to work in a team environment can be demonstrated in a personal meeting. I would welcome an interview at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration. I am certain that I would become a valuable addition to your staff.

Thank you for your valued time,

Some Person

thejadedmonkey · Jun 26, 2013

Thank you everyone for your comments! This is my first resume and cover letter and I'm just trying to figure this all out in an employer-friendly job market.

Bayat, your suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially with regards to my cover letter (which I felt particularly clueless when writing). I'll adjust it and my resume to fall more in line with your recommendations. Hopefully, both are enough to get me noticed.