Enrolled Nurse who needs help with resume?

joannep · Mar 13, 2006

Focusing on skills and experience and nsg qualifications first, but also add in what else you are able to do. I would be changing the cv depending on what you were applying for. Are you applying for a grad year, or to work in a doctor's surgery, or in aged care.

gwenith, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2006

Do's and Don'ts

1) Make sure it looks clean and neat.

Go to the trouble of getting yourself a nice folder for the CV and put it in that. If you are not up to it yourself - get it professionally done.

DON'T Handwrite it on a piece of floral notepaper torn from a book.

2) Make it easy to read

Use a clean font Arial or similar and size it 10 - 12 and space it out a little - don't bunch it up. Remember the interviewers are people who are often pushed for time they want to be able to "skim" through this easily.

DON'T get "arty" e.g. use fancy script writing on paper covered in roses with lilac scent.

3) Keep it to the point

Use titles such as Previous Work Experience and point form what you have done previously. There are plenty of examples online.

Don't "pad" it out. No-one wants to wade through 30 pages of copies of certificates in rag dollmaking unless you are applying for a position where that would be pertinent. Again remember that they are busy people.

4) Be positive about yourself but be truthful

You have to "sell" yourself. They have to WANT to hire you. So make sure you make the right impression, prefessional, willing, eager and most of all able.

Don't boast or claim attributes you do not have.

5) Include other commitments to your profession

Usually first job seekers have little to include in the CV - so make sure you do include interest in your own profession - you can say that you participate here for example.

All of the "Don'ts" I listed above I have actually witnessed myself as the interviewer. In the last case it was someone who wrote on thier CV (in an application for a Clinical Nurse Consultant positon which had a huge amount of independant practice in a very specialized and narrow field) "I have a degree in nursing and I think that should more than adequate for any job I undertake" I have NEVER seen such an immediate unanimous negative reation. Length - don't worry if the other person has a stack of paper 5 sms high while you are only sitting there with 5 pages. This is one of those classic cases where length does not count:roll- especially for your first job in the profession.

Grace Oz · Mar 16, 2006

"I have a degree in nursing and I think that should more than adequate for any job I undertake"
Well, yeah, but .........

feral_nurse · Mar 17, 2006

"Go to the trouble of getting yourself a nice folder for the CV and put it in that."

As someone who had just waded through 172 applications for a single position, please don't put your CV in a nice pretty folder. It puts your CV in the too hard to read pile. Also another pointer... Make sure you spell check your documents (CV, application letter, etc).

If you are actually applying for specific jobs, make sure you address the key selection criteria. This can either be done in your application letter, or on a separate page...

Good Luck

gwenith, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2006

"Go to the trouble of getting yourself a nice folder for the CV and put it in that."
As someone who had just waded through 172 applications for a single position, please don't put your CV in a nice pretty folder. It puts your CV in the too hard to read pile. Also another pointer... Make sure you spell check your documents (CV, application letter, etc).
If you are actually applying for specific jobs, make sure you address the key selection criteria. This can either be done in your application letter, or on a separate page...
Good Luck

Having been on more than a few interview committees believe me having your CV LOOKING professional and neat does go a long way toward being chosen - certainly given the choice between neat and professional and a hand written note with ragged edges - well you know which one is chosen each time.

milenko · Mar 17, 2006

Thank you everyone for your time and kind replies, I have taken it all on board and will apply it. I used to manage an office and I agree the whole esthetics look and long resumes full of puffery were the first ones to be over looked when I hired people.

I always looked at the resumes that were to the point.

Thanks again, fingers crossed as I have a few offers on the table already.

Milenko