resume advice please!!

[sunflower93]

Hello!

I am going to be graduating soon and am making my first resume ever!! (scary)

I obviously am not technically an RN yet, but all of the hospitals near me are accepting future grads resumes over the next couple months.

I was hoping someone could review my resume and give me some advice....

I wasn't sure as to whether I should include a skills section because I feel the skills I have are very limited and basic since I have not even graduated yet and do not have any true experience besides clinicals... any opinions on this?

I also was not sure whether I should include my shadowing experience but felt that it showed my willingness to learn so I did. Not sure if I should just ditch this section though.

Lastly, I feel like my prior work experience doesn't look great, as it is totally unrelated to the nursing field and am wondering if I should even include it at all?

Please, If anyone has any constructive criticism or advice I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Here is a slightly edited version of my resume:

NAME HERE

ADRESS

phone number, email

OBJECTIVE

Compassionate and ambitious nursing student looking to acquire an entry level RN position, improve and gain new clinical skills and education, and provide safe and competent patient care.

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY HERE- city, town August 2016- Present

- Bachelor of Science in Nursing- Expected May 2018

- 3.86 GPA

- Study Abroad: place here- Expected date here

CERTIFICATIONS

Basic Life Support certification, American Heart Association

STUDENT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

HOSPITAL HERE, city and state September- December 2017

Oncology and Hematology Unit

HOSPITAL HERE, city and state March- April 2017

Labor and Delivery Unit

HOSPITAL HERE, city and state January- February 2017

Pediatric Unit

HOSPITAL HERE, city and state October- December 2016

Medical Surgical Unit

VOLUNTEER WORK

BLAH BLAH SKILLED NURSING FACILITY, city and state July- August 2015 (50 hours)

- Assisted geriatric patients with social activities, cognitive games, and other activities of daily living

- Assisted with patient transportation within facility

OBSERVATION EXPERIENCE

HOSPITAL HERE , city and state January 2018

Neurosurgery Unit

- Shadowed an RN to gain an educational experience in neurosurgery

PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE

HOSTESS/WAITRESS

place here, city and state September 2013- April 2014

- Effective and positive communication and customer service skills

- Excellent time management and prioritization of work duties

SHIFT LEADER

place here, city and state October 2011- January 2013

- Integrated customer service and organizational skills in a busy work environment

- Supervised staff members and helped resolve customer and staff conflicts

[sunflower93]

accidentally posted twice- trying to delete my comment- new here

[Julius Seizure]

You are on the right track! Yes definitely keep the work experience in there - it shows that you know how to be an employee, that you have experience dealing with the public, and that you have leadership experience (shift leader). I love the idea about putting your shadowing experience too - was that outside of school requirements?

I wouldn't include a skills section if you don't have something really compelling to put it in - they know you are a new grad anyway...they kind of know you are starting with the basics.

My main critique would be that your objective is kind of wordy...it just looks like you were trying to put lots of buzzwords in. My thought while reading it was "blah blah blah you want a job as a bedside nurse". Consider simplifying it. If you wanted to, you could put a "summary" section. That's where my "buzzwords" are. They aren't bad to include (some companies use software to scan resumes for them), but it just made your objective muddy. On my resume, I have a summary section right below my objective, before my education and work experience. Looks kind of like this (I am not a new grad):

Summary:

8+ years of nursing experience in pediatric critical care and pediatric cardiology.

Employment at multiple hospital systems, providing a broad base of experience and flexibility.

Special interest in care coordination, discharge planning, and medically complex populations.

Proficient PC skills, including MS Word, Excel, and web-based applications.

Skilled in data organization and analytical thinking.

Excellent reputation for strong communication skills, adaptability, and clinical judgement.

All in all, good work! Your resume has all the important parts. Check if your school has a career center that gives resume help - many do. Good luck!