Help critique my resume!

Flatlander · Oct 16, 2014

OK, here goes... Just my reactions, but might help. Instead of Highlights, use "SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS," centered under your name and contact (cell phone, email, city/state is sufficient). Name in very large letters with credential (BSN, RN)

Under SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS list about five bullet points that summarize the things that make you stand out from the crowd. The idea is to hit 'em with your top qualifications, the things that make you special as close to the top of the resume as possible!

Instead of 9 years in healthcare (yawn) try a statement with more impact. What exactly did you do in those nine years, and what skills did you excel at that are transferable to your nursing career? Hint: What was the Consulting job? Can you make several statements that sound great and are applicable to the job of an RN? Do this with each of the healthcare jobs or roles you held over those 9 years. For greater impact, tailor these statements to the job description of the job you are applying to. For practice and to develop several of this type of statement, do this with four or five different nursing jobs that interest you. Gradually you will hone an impressive resume.

Spell out abbreviations: what does CRNBC stand for? Spell it out and state what you did as the representative. You've got to inject some life into this thing! :)

Next, leave off the objective. They will know what you're applying for when you submit your application online, or your cover letter -- the rest is fluff and they all sound the same. Remember, you're trying to catch their attention immediately, so they will keep reading.

I think you don't need to list all your clinical experiences. Everybody's got em. You might want to put impactful statements in your summary for the clinical experiences that relate to the job you're applying for or that showcase a unique skill. If you do choose to list each one, just list the facility and location and unit, and if it adds something special or unique, just one bullet point statement.

Remember to try to include any honors, high GPA's, recognition, special skills, etc. Your languages are a definite plus. Find a better way to express that in your SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS. ("Fluent in English and Spanish.")You do have some good statements under your clinical experiences, which could be shortened for more impact.

So, I would start with the SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS, with a few wow-ing bullet point statements that make your qualifications special and unique and show that you are qualified for the position. Then center CLINICAL EXPERIENCE next and list the locations of your clinicals. I really don't think it's necessary to take up the important real estate on your resume with things that are obvious. If you did really well at it or really got excited about it, put it up top in your SUMMARY section. Or you could list some bullet points under CLINICAL EXPERIENCE that related to the job you're going for.

Under RELATED WORK HISTORY show how each job related to your goals as a nurse and added to the skills you will use as a nurse, whether it is teaching, counseling, customer satisfaction, problem solving, etc, etc. Again, look to the job description and use statements for your work experience that relate to the job you're seeking. This is to show that those 9 years gave you practice at skills and knowledge you will use as a nurse.

If you have volunteer work that is impressive or shows another side of you, make a heading for VOLUNTEER WORK and list it with a bullet point showing what you did that was unique or added to your value as a nurse.

Under EDUCATION, put the degree first, followed by the school and then the date. Add GPA if it's 2.5 or above. Include any honors, distinctions, special activities, etc. Dean's list or whatever.

Include a section for LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES under or before education. List type of license, licensing board, and date. Some people include the license number and expiration dates . Not sure about that. Put your certificates here again, making sure you use the exact wording that's on the certificate and who sanctioned it (i.e., Red Cross, or other organization that provided it , and the date it was granted or expires).

Try to find lots of nursing new grad resumes to compare to. That sometimes helps with how to word things.

You might want to leave less space between the sections of your resume and between the separate items. Maybe that's just the way it came out in your post, but it looks like wasted space and lacks impact. I read somewhere that every word on your resume should be working to sell you to the employer. If it doesn't get your worth across, it shouldn't be in there. With all that space and with lackluster descriptions, well...there just isn't enough "there" there.

I'd like to see how it looks when you've shown us what sets you apart. I have a feeling you're hiding your light under a bushel. Florence wouldn't do that! Let it shine, girl! or guy!:)

GCar · Oct 16, 2014

Makes sense. Leave out the obvious and use the most of my space to help differentiate other new grads

GCar · Oct 16, 2014

Second resume as per feedback.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

9 years of experience in healthcare
Bilingual in English and Spanish
CRNBC Student Representative

EDUCATION

ABC College Vancouver, BC

Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, 2014, GPA 3.6/4.0

XYZ College, Coquitlam, BC

Certificate in Emergency Mental Health, 2014

123 College, Clifton, NJ U.S.A.

Associate’s of Applied Science in Medical Assisting, 2005, GPA 3.4/4.0

CERTIFICATIONS

Certificate in Emergency Mental Health
Certificate of achievement within international field study

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Acute Care Nursing Preceptorship: Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital

Acute Care Nursing: St. Paul’s Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital

Surgical Care Nursing: Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital

Mental Health Nursing: St. Paul’s Hospital

Community Nursing: Three Bridges Clinic, Umbrella Multicultural Health Cooperative

Thorough understanding of assessing patients to recognize suitable nursing interventions
Well-versed in administering medications and treatments as prescribed by a physician
Proven leadership skills in team communications to create a consistent and productive environment
Effective in assisting physicians and healthcare professionals during surgery and other medical procedures

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

2009-2012: Nutrition/Fitness Consultant, Jenny Craig INC., Vancouver, BC

Assist clients develop realistic lifestyle plans in order to obtain successful outcomes
Educating clients on health promotion strategies

2007-2008: Phlebotomist, Englewood Medical Hospital Center, Englewood, NJ

Obtain blood samples for medical testing and transfusion through venipuncture or capillary puncture
Build trust and minimize patient discomfort during phlebotomy procedures while efficiently collecting blood specimens

2005-2007: Medical Assistant, ABC Clinic, Northvale, NJ

Responsible for administrative duties such as billing, filling, and scheduling appointments
Vast experience dealing with lab work and assisting doctors in treating patients with various conditions

VOLUNTEER WORK

2012-2014: Outreach Volunteer. YouthCo., Vancouver BC

Help implement harm reduction strategies for HIV/HEP C at risk youth
Provided education and assisted in health promotion lifestyle planning

Flatlander · Oct 16, 2014

Much better. I'd still like to see you bang it out under the summary. You've got a lot to crow about! High GPA's, etc.

- What about, instead of "9 years health care experience"

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

* New graduate BSN-RN, graduated with honors, GPA 3.6/4.0

* Associates degree in Medical Assisting, GPA 3.4/4.0

* Bilingual Spanish/English

* 2 years volunteer HIV/Hep-C counseling with at-risk youth

* 2 years medical assistant in busy primary-care clinic

* 3 years full-time phlebotomist in urban medical center

Of course you need to word it so it is all true, but this is just an example.

After reading the job description you'r applying for, you can jot down some of the things the employer is seeking. They will pretty much spell it out for you... such as organizing and prioritizing, flexible, and other terms to describe the person they're looking for. You can then try to plug some of those terms into your statements and descriptions. The more you can do this the better.

I really like the way you summarized your clinical experience. You can really build on what you've got here.

I think it looks good, but would benefit from a little more polishing. I think you could brag a little more in your bullet points for the work experience. Using terminology from job announcements. Instead of "responsible for administrative duties," think about what it looks like to do a great job at managing the billing and filing. What are the most important aspects of the jobs? You had to be accurate, organized, and efficient. You had to prioritize the work so that office business ran smoothly and the doctors were happy. Or whatever...but you get the picture. Think about what the best medical assistant would contribute to the functioning of the office and the practice of the physicians. Then tell how you did it in one or two dynamic sentences. "Organized and managed office billing and filing for accurate and timely completion." You can probably do better than I can because you know what it takes to do it well, and what can happen if you don't do it well.

Oh, and make sure that you use the same verb tense through out. If you say "assisted", use the "-ed" ending for all your verbs. Or if it's "-ing" just keep it the same throughout. Everything has to be consistent, including punctuation, spacing, etc. Be sure to proof read at least five times for spelling and grammar, and have a friend read it a couple more times. It's so easy to miss something, and so important not to have misspelled words and punctuation errors.

Hope that helped. Be sure to look in the search box on allnurses for resume and interview advice. There have been some very detailed articles/posts by long-time hiring managers with excellent suggestions. You've got a great start. Keep up the good work. You can re-write your resume hundreds of times during a job search, but don't delay sending it even if it's not "perfect." There is really no such thing as a perfect resume...they are all works in progress!:)

GCar · Oct 16, 2014

Thank you so much for your advice. I think this is the most beneficial piece of information I've gotten regarding my nursing resume. I really appreciate it

GCar · Oct 16, 2014

Thank you so much for your advice. I think this is the most beneficial piece of information I've gotten regarding my nursing resume. I really appreciate it