Is My Resume Too Long for a New FNP?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am new to the forum and came across your column. I have been a RN for 9 years. I've worked in several hospitals on med/surg and med/tele floors but became completely burned out. I discovered that there were SO many other nursing jobs out there and have experience in quite a few different roles. As a result, my resume has grown quite lengthy over the years with not a lot of time spent in any role (about 1-2 years on average). On the bright side, I discovered that I enjoyed correctional nursing and hope to stay in that area.

I am currently in an FNP program and expect to graduate Fall 2020. My question is this: with such a lengthy resume, do you think this will hurt my chances in finding a NP job if I choose to venture outside of corrections as a FNP? Do you recommend condensing my resume? If so, how? Right now, it is about a page and a half long.

Dear Soon to be FNP,

Congrats on finding your niche in correctional nursing and on your FNP path.

On the one hand, a newly graduated FNP either with or without previous nursing experience is still seen as a new grad FNP by some employers. Meaning your previous experience may hold value for some employers, and not so much for others.

Your resume, at 1.5 pages, is not necessarily too long, but do keep it succinct and pertinent. Having a work history of 1-2 years per position may be questioned during an interview, if it's seen as a pattern. You would need to assure your employer that you plan to commit to the position.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Another way to group things together is to do more of a functional resume by listing your skillset and then mentioning what jobs fulfilled these goals.

[movenurse]

Thank you both so much for your help and guidance!