200 job applications and no interviews can you help me with my resume

schnookimz · Oct 13, 2013

I would take out the part in your cover letter where you talk about having kids. It's no ones business and you don't want directors to think your kids are a handful and may impede your work if you ever need to stay home with them for any reason.

Also I noticed that your second sentence under objectives is not a complete sentence.

nikihuff · Oct 13, 2013

thank you for your comment I will remove/fix the issues

Sippie · Oct 14, 2013

On my resume under the work experience, I always put the position title first then the dates, place of employment etc. You don't really have to put your gpa in the cover letter. You could put honors, such as Dean's List, honor societies, etc in a section marked Other on your resume.

You could shorten your Objective category. It should only be a sentence or two.

You might add that you are planning to get a BSN on your cover letter somewhere even if you aren't right this second it should probably be a longer term goal. You may be having trouble getting interviews or positions due to only having a ADN. Many hospitals are expecting their ADNs to commit to BSN or actually have one. This is mostly because they want magnet status. In Florida many hospitals will not hire unless they have a BSN or commit to get theirs in a certain amount of time. Some are even making their current ADNs commit to BSN in a certain time period or they will be let go.

Under work experience write 8/13 to present not NOW.

References: Available upon request (just sounds better)

Skills section is a little wordy and repetitive. I don't even have a skills section on mine but I do have a lot of experience

(18 years) hogging up my resume space. I would just try to work those skills into the job descriptions but keep it short.

Sometimes on actual applications there is a skills section and you can write it on there.

I agree about keeping kids off the resume. I had 3 in nursing school and I was told to keep that stuff off and don't mention it in the interview either unless it was brought up. For example: Say you were an RN who was returning to practice and had a gap of time on your resume. Then you could mention that you took time off for family responsibilities. Most managers know what this means. If asked for more details in the interview, then it would be appropriate to elaborate.

You could add a category on your resume labeled Certifications: You put your BLS/CPR, ACLS etc in that category. If you are trying to get into acute care then having ACLS is a good thing.

Another certification that is easy and cheap to get and is Stroke Certification by the National Institute of Health. Just go to their website. When I got mine it was $10

Having exta certifications makes you look committed to excellence and education- like you are going above and beyond.

Peppermint_RN · Oct 14, 2013

First I want to say good luck with the job hunt! I graduated in May & spent nearly every day applying for about 200 different positions. Finally got an interviews and subsequently a job offer after about 4 months. So keep your head up, something will come along soon!

So my advice:

Tweak your cover letter to fit the facility. Look up their mission statement and core values and use them to explain why you'd be a good fit. Even as you explain your background, make sure you add these key words. For example (using my cover letter that got me an interview):

"BlahBlah Medical Center is founded on a legacy of compassionate care, and as a new grad Registered Nurse, I hope to continue that legacy in my life and my career. I would love the opportunity to begin this journey at BlahBlah Medical Center in the RN-Medicine position posted on your website.

As a nursing student at ThisState Community College, I was able to experience the holistic, reverent care BlahBlah Medical Center is known for during 2 semesters of clinical rotations. With dedication and hard work, I have developed a solid foundation of critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication skills, and the desire to provide quality, compassionate patient care. My 6+ years as an Assistant Manager at FastFood Place in have allowed me to develop the ability to work efficiently as a team, as both a leader and team member, as well as develop excellent customer service skills and time management techniques. I look forward to utilizing what I have learned in a facility focused on physical, mental, and spiritual healing.

I have applied for the position online and have also attached my resume for your review. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you further."

See how I tied in key words to make me seem a good fit for the facility? Not sure how true it is, but I've heard some websites use computers to pick resumes/cover letters out of the thousands they recieve based on certain key words. If it is true, you want to use them to be at the top of the stack. Also, it shows the reader you've done your research about the facility.

Resume:

I would shorten the objective and fit it to the facility. For example:

"A highly motivated patient advocate skilled in customer service, critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based care desiring an opportunity to join the BlahBlah team as a Medical-Surgical RN."

Quick, to the point, and showing the qualities you will bring their facility. Also, its stating their facility name, so it doesn't look like a "one resume fits all" you send out to everyone.

Make the skills short & sweet. Most HR skim over the resume. Too many words looks crowded and doesn't get to the point fast enough for their busy schedules.

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]-Great organizational skills

-Passionate about expanding current experience and knowledge

-Highly adaptable; transitions easily between different tasks

-Dependable & responsible

[/TD]

[TD]-Positive & professional attitude

-Excellent customer service skills

-Great interpersonal skills & ability to work well individually or as a team

-Able to multitask efficiently

-Creative problem-solving skills

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

I would put Licenses/Certifications next, so they know your licensed as an RN and you have BLS/ACLS or whatever.

"Licensure: Registered Nurse, State of ______ - Active

Certifications: BLS for Healthcare Provider, AHA certified - expires June 2015

Advanced Cardiac Life Support, AHA certified - expires June 2015"

Then list Education. Did you earn any awards? Any clubs involved in? Any positions held in student councils? Dean's List/Cum Laude?List those with it if you have them.

"Associates of Applied Science in Nursing Degree, 2008-2011

Modesto College, This City, This State

-Graduated with Honors, Cum Laude (GPA 3.38 / 4.0)

-Treasurer of Nursing Class of 2011

-Phi Theta Kappa, Inducted Member, 2010

-Student Nurse Association, Member, 2008 - 2011"

I wouldn't list phone numbers for work experience, just taking up valuable space. They'll ask for these when doing background checks if offered a position. Maybe list any special projects you did related to the positions held, or any awards and recognition you've received in those positions.

I've read all over to not bother putting "References upon request" because HR knows that you'll give them a reference list if they request it. Make a list of references & bring with you to your interview. :)

Hope that helps some! I'm telling ya, I've rewrote my resume/cover letter almost on a daily basis when I was job hunting. Kept tweaking and tweaking until I finally snagged an interview, and eventually a job offer. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

drewroarkcprw · Oct 16, 2013

nikihuff,

I am a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and I write nursing resumes on a daily basis. Here is my feedback:

1) I agree with schnookimz, remove the information about your children.

2) Your "objective" should be a "summary of qualifications" instead. Show the organization what skills you have to offer rather than telling them what you want out of them ("YOU want a challenging role, YOU want an organization that focuses on..." etc. - it's currently all about you).

3) Remove generic information. Employers want to see your real-world skills, not your "soft" skills. Every resume since the beginning of time mentions multitasking, being calm in stressful situations, organization, etc. If you want to include your soft skills, make it brief.

4) Your resume presently has pronouns (I, my, etc.). Pronouns are not formal verbiage, and thus should not be used in the resume.

5) There should not be any mention of references on the resume. If they want them, they will ask. In addition, "reference's" has an unnecessary apostrophe on your existing resume.

Hopefully some of this helps. I know some of it is echoing the sentiments of what others already said, but I agree with them.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2013

I find it interesting that you blocked out your RN license number in your post but you still posted your real name (!!!!) .... you do realize that this does nothing to protect your personal information, and know that ALL nursing license data is publicly accessible online.

Just a heads up, and why most of us on this site post under anonymous usernames.

nikihuff · Oct 19, 2013

Thank you everyone for your comments, I will make the required modifications. Although I am losing hope I will try to keep my head up.