New Grad Resume, Cover Letter, 4 Offers

[2mint]

Hello new grad nurses,

I wrote the Passing California NCLEX-RN in 60 Questions Mini-Series, so I figure I should write one about new grad resume and cover letter.

SOURCES: two small How To books from the local library.

Since I lacked extensive work experience I decided to move 'Education' near the top.

And recognizing that HR/Hiring Managers spend about 10-30 seconds on a resume, I decided to forgo clinical experience/skills and went for visual appeal instead.

*Please disregard AN formatting, originals look clean and balanced with proper bolding, italicizing, and centering and doubling spacing.

Mine landed me 5 interviews and 4 job offers--and successfully negotiated salary 2 out of 4.

Obviously this may not apply to everyone nor to all HR/Hiring Managers.

********************************************************************

Name

Street 0000 Drive [phone]

City, CA 0000 email@00001111111 [phone]

OBJECTIVE

Xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxx to practice nursing xxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx department.

EDUCATION

Associate xx xxxxxx, Registered Nursing

City College, City, CA, 20xx

Certificate, Nurse Assistant

City College, City, CA, 20xx

Bachelor xx xxxx, xxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxx, City, CA, 20xx

xxxxxxxxx Award

QUALIFICATIONS

• Active License, California xxxxxxxxxx

• xxxxxxxxx xxxx pressure—xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

• xxxxxxxxx team xxxx— xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

• xxxxxxxxx oriented— xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

• xxxxxxx learner— xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx

• Experience with Electronic Health Records

• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite

EMPLOYMENT

Certified Nurse Assistant xxxx-Present

Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxx Facility

• xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

• Report xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

• xxxxxx patients xxxxxx xxxxxx

• Feed, xxxxxx xxxxxx patients

• xxxxxx xxxxxx patients

Crew Member xxxx- xxxx

Department of Xxxxxxx

• xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxx xxxxxx

• xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx

• xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

• xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

• xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

********************************************************************

###############################################

Name

0000 Street

City, CA 00000

[phone]

xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx

Month xx, 20xx

Xxxxx Medical Xxxx

Street

City, CA 00000

Dear Xxxxxxxx:

I am interested in xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, xxxxx xxxxx xxxx.

Xxxxxx's mission, vision, xxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx. EXAMPLE OF MISSION/VISION, I am aware of the importance of teamwork xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxx xx xxxxxxx. Xxx xx xxxx, I gained xxxxx xxxxx xxxx skills.

Enclosed xx xx resume xxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxx nursing. And as a recent new graduate, I am very excited about the possibility to work on your team and I look forward to discuss how my xxxxxxxxxx would benefit xxxxxxxxxx.

Thank you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Xxxxxx xxxxx,

Name

Enclosure

###################################################

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

Oh no.....ixchel....you were on fire, but your momentum was too strong that it carried you over the cliff (psst, passerbys, we had a little back-and-forth on another thread earlier today).

So sad that you can't prove the above quote....nothing in my first (response) post....nothing in my second response post. (Giving me an easy win to shut me up? Well played )--but then I won't be able to submit my new grad pay negotiation article for the Winter Contest....

OP,

I have written and WON writing contest with Allnurses.com You should listen to the Guide as he/she is trying to help you with your post, if this was intended to be an article post for Winter contest you'd be dead last and it was certainly hijacked by other users who placed more useful information for

New Grads. If your cover letter helped you secure 4 offers give people info not xxx's. However, your responses were entertaining. xoxoxo lol.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN - and not a Canadian.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

joanna3,

Are you Canadian? Could that be why we are speaking past each other?

When I said not to be offended, I truly meant it. You are a working professional, highly unlikely to benefit from my thread.

This subforum is filled mostly with new grads who are seeking resume help. My title and my salutation clearly address new grads.

And I can promise you that no new grads, nor any member of AN, would advocate me to reveal my personal information nor any data in my resume and in my cover letter that can reveal said info. Now we got the x's covered, I will answer your initial question with this guarantee:

I can almost guarantee you that no new grads, who are asking their potential employers to pay them $45K to $65K in salary, cannot figure out my intent for this thread.

And yes, as closely as shown here, my resume and my cover letter look exactly line for line on paper. Did I not say that I lacked extensive work experience so I chose to focus on visual appeal? And for me, it worked out: my sporifice documents landed me said offers.

p.s.

My 100th post is intended for when I am done with my new grad program.

Well if you're going for visual appeal, what I am looking at when I view your initial post is mainly x's and blanked out lines. Maybe that's just me, but that's how your resume appears when I'm looking at it.

As a hiring manager, I would likely put your resume aside if this was your presentation, in comparison to the 100 other equally qualified candidates.

Yes I am Canadian, but what would that matter? We speak and understand the same language.

[kuch3]

I really appreciated your post. You provided some great tips. I am a new nurse and writing a quality resume is quite a challenge for me. Any chance you might post an actual example? Or is there a certain format or template you suggest? I have no nursing experience other than clinical experience and my resume needs to impress.

[ixchel]

I really appreciated your post. You provided some great tips. I am a new nurse and writing a quality resume is quite a challenge for me. Any chance you might post an actual example? Or is there a certain format or template you suggest? I have no nursing experience other than clinical experience and my resume needs to impress.

If you read the comments below the OP, you might find some better insight.

Good luck to you in your job hunt and congratulations on passing the NCLEX!

[AvaRose]

My only problem with this whole resume/cover letter thing is I have zero work experience that any HR or DON would care about when looking at me as a potential nurse. Working at Walmart and even being in the Navy with several large gaps in work history do NOTHING for me...which is probably why I have yet to get an interview. So now what? I can't just make stuff up to fill a resume and I don't have anything to say in a resume or cover letter without lying so none of the usual advice works...even career services at my school advised I fudge my information.

[ixchel]

My only problem with this whole resume/cover letter thing is I have zero work experience that any HR or DON would care about when looking at me as a potential nurse. Working at Walmart and even being in the Navy with several large gaps in work history do NOTHING for me...which is probably why I have yet to get an interview. So now what? I can't just make stuff up to fill a resume and I don't have anything to say in a resume or cover letter without lying so none of the usual advice works...even career services at my school advised I fudge my information.

You need to google nursing buzz words. Look them over. Think about ways you've done each and every one of those buzzwords in your prior jobs. Prior work experience absolutely is relevant. You just have to figure out how, and let them know.

[AvaRose]

You need to google nursing buzz words. Look them over. Think about ways you've done each and every one of those buzzwords in your prior jobs. Prior work experience absolutely is relevant. You just have to figure out how, and let them know.

I have googled nursing buzz words, my problem is my current and previous employment doesn't fit into those buzz words without me completely making up what I do/did at work. For example I am currently a cashier at Walmart but ringing up purchases and getting told I deserve to rot in hell at least once a day doesn't lend itself to any buzz words unless 'takes abuse from customers on a regular basis' is now a desirable skill for a nurse to possess. Previous to that I had a failed attempt at being in the Navy but I was only in for 18 months and never did the job I was trained for because I was stuck in the training base on administrative hold waiting on my security clearance because yeah...the government is a little slow sometimes. The closest thing I could pull from that was documenting my rounds when I stood watch but that's about it...I am very frustrated and have put in several hundred applications already for everything from agencies to LTC to all the new grad programs that are starting next month and I've either gotten the generic we are looking for someone more qualified email or when I check the status I am no longer being considered...or the new grad programs haven't contacted anyone yet (not sure because no one at any of the hospitals knew when the interviews would be held). One application recently at a regional hospital sent an email that I was being forwarded to the hiring manager but who knows if they will even look at it.