Resume help for new grad

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2012

I will be finished school in a month and a half and am trying to prepare a resume for when the time comes. I will be applying for a grad nurse position, as I don't write the licensing exam until February. I have a few questions. - First, what should my objective be? - I'm young, started nursing school right out of high school, and didn't work much throughout school. How do I make myself stand out with little work experience?- What do I put under skills that relates to nursing? Not specific nursing skills, right?- I'm currently doing my final practicums abroad. How do I best include this on my résumé? - Should I start applying now by email, or wait until I get home?- Any other tips would be greatly appreciated as well!

Objective---what you want, to get into a new grad program

Work experience---did you volunteer? if not, start doing it now. Aim for 20 hours a week.

Skills---You CAN put meds and specific skills. Were you really great with IV starts? Did you do 50 NG insertions? You can also put volunteer skills. Did you organize a community food drive? Do you have great communication skills? Are you very organized? What about time management?

Practicum--List the places with the dates. You can elaborate in an interview.

Remember--keep it all to one page! No one will read a 2 or 3 page resume. Does your school have a career advisory board? They usually know how to do the resume. Tailor each resume to the position you are applying for. If you are only interested in New Grad positions, start applying now. If you are licensed in Feb then apply for places that will start their programs after Feb. Usually they open for application NOW so start looking and they will actually begin in Feb-August 2013.

Good luck! You can also go to the unemployment offices and they can help with resumes.