Help with resume/cover letter (new grad)

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Hi everyone:

This is my first time posting on this website and wanted to know if I could get some friendly feedback on my cover letter and resume. I am a new grad and have applied to a little under 50 positions so far. I graduated in May, passed NCLEX in July and received my license in August.

I registered to take an ACLS and PALS course and will have that complete in September so that hasn't been added to my resume yet. But I do plan on adding that once it is complete.

Please ignore the boxes/formatting. I copied this from Microsoft Word and it formatted weird.

So here it is...

Thanks to everyone in advance!!!

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]Name

Address

Phone: ____ - Email: ____

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Date

Company

Attn:

Address

Address

Dear Mr. ___:

I am writing in response to an announcement recently posted on the _____ employment opportunities web site. As you can see from my resume, I have recently obtained my Associates in Nursing from the ____ College School of Nursing.

Through my clinical rotations, I have had the opportunity to work in several settings, including medical-surgical, critical care, and labor and delivery. My experiences enabled me to develop strong skills that prepare me well for the challenges of nursing. I completed my transitions rotation in the intensive care unit at ___ Hospital, and am confident that I will continue to develop as a nurse; particularly as I provide care to a diverse patient population.

In addition to my nursing skills, I have developed my leadership skills as well. As the Vice President of the Future Nurses' Association, I have planned several community service activities, including blood pressure screenings and taught students about sexually transmitted infections. I also worked alongside my peers in fundraising for and organizing our graduation ceremony.

Like your institution, I am a firm believer in continuing education not only for myself but of others. I had the opportunity to be a part of ____'s, a doctoral student at ___ University, research study entitled: "What cannot be told: The impact of visual narratives on observational assessment skills." Further, a seminar that I observed at _____ General Hospital discussing clinical issues for perinatal providers allowed me to further educate my patients during my high risk OB clinical rotation. Within the next two years I plan to enroll in a Master's degree program in Nursing.

Thank you for your time and consideration for this position.

Sincerely yours,

Name

Attachment: Resume

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 3]Name

Address

Phone: ____- Email: ___________

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 3]Career Profile:

Goal oriented, entry level Nurse, trained to care for patients as well as advise them on preventive and good health practices. With compassionate nature and comforting demeanor, maintains the ability to recognize various diseases and to provide first level care, before the physician is able to attend to the patient.

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[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 3]Areas of Strength

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]

  • Physical Examination
  • Medical Terminology
  • Epic System

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[TD]

  • Disease Management
  • Health & Wellness
  • Body Mechanics

[/TD]

[TD]

  • Bilingual
  • Medical Ethics
  • Clinical Procedures

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[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 3]Professional Experience

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Law Office of _______, Town, State 2004 to Present

Legal Secretary

  • Performs a variety of legal secretarial and related duties in support of the attorneys and ongoing operations of the office
  • Schedules and arranges hearings for Crime Victim's Compensation throughout the State of ____
  • Composes letters and memoranda, as well as prepares reports using knowledge of work area instructions and guidelines
  • Reviews legal documents to ensure they are in proper format and contain all necessary portions or related documents for court acceptance
  • Establishes and maintains office files, logs, legal references, control records, and other information in connection with the work under the control of the attorney

Education

____ College, Town, State - 2013

Associates of Science, Nursing

______ University, Town, State - 2009

Bachelor of Arts, Biology

International Scholar Laureate Program - 2006

Delegation on Medicine: China

Certifications

Registered Professional Nurse

Basic Life Support (CPR and AED)

Volunteer Work

_____ University Medical Center - Patient Communication and Transport Procedures

Memberships

Future Nurses Association - Vice President

Phi Theta Kappa - Honors Society

Scientia Nova (Science Club) - President/ Founding Member

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'd leave off the language on being compassionate and trained and all that whole career profile paragraph. They know what nursing school teaches you and know what rotations you took-- everyone does. New grads don't have any nursing experience, so it's not useful to imply that you have anything beyond your new degree.

I would highlight the bilingual, though, and say what language it is. Especially useful if there is a large population in the facility's service area. If they use Epic, mentioning it is useful. The rest of that list, meh, every nursing grad is supposed to have at least a passing familiarity with all of it; as a new grad, you aren't proficient ("strength") in them yet, really. If you did an unusual senior rotation like, oh, 8 weeks of 3-4 days/week in a nursing unit, mention that, esp if you intend to continue in that area.

Since this is a nursing resume, the legal experience is properly mentioned in the cover letter, and they can ask you more about it if they want to. It is not part of your professional nursing experience.

I wouldn't give them a timeline on your plan for the MN. 1, They will just be getting their money back on your orientation by then, and they will not like the idea that you are taking a job already having made plans to leave it. 2, You might not do that then. 3, You might not do it at all-- you have so much ahead of you that you can't possibly tell what opportunities, certifications, or other pathways may open before you. You can say in your cover letter that you look forward to learning about X in the X unit to which you are applying, because this has always been of particular interest since you did Y and Z in clinical. Or that you want to broaden your experience base.

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