What's Wrong with My Resume?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Apr 28, 2012

this isn't much of a resume because there isn't much to tell, having only been working for a little more than a year. can you add any volunteer work or other education or skills outside of nursing to give a better imprssion of your worth to a prospective employer? as to the rest of it, well, what you've basically done is give an lpn job description, sometimes repeatedly. it's no big whoops if you give meds and do treatments, you're supposed to do that.

certifications: bls, aha (or arc, whatever), date

committee responsibilities: admission committee: i did this, and this, and this too. as a result, this, this, and this changed in these ways to make things better in these ways.

add to education: abccc, asn nursing program, present gpa x.xx, date of graduation may 2013

used the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care
identified and prioritized patient care requirements

lpns cannot assess and plan and evaluate in most jurisdictions. check the nurse practice act in your state to be sure. saying that you are might cause employers to infer that you don't know the limits of your role and could be off-putting.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Apr 28, 2012

You might want to reword your objective as it reads poorly and almost sounds 'slang' (as in like totally rad, man). Objectives should be specific like "licensed practical nurse seeking a full time direct patient care position in an inpatient hospital environment".

Agree about the assessment comments being a red flag. Include your license and certifications. I would rework your Skills profile to be more practical oriented rather than personality traits. Skills are measurable and objective whereas personality traits are more subjective...while you may think you work great under stress your supervisor may not.

Add information about achievements such as "appointed to facility wide admissions committee by director of nursing and staff development".

Try rewording job descriptions (you can even utilize the company job description ofr ideas/guidance) Administered medications and treatments as ordered can be enhanced to say administered scheduled medications and treatments consistent with physician ordered plan of care and facility protocol/standards of care"

I was always taught to put "anticipated graduation date" if the date is in the future.

Good luck

bstewart40 · Apr 28, 2012

Indiana's state practice acts are pretty vague. Typically what LPNs are prohibited from doing are determined by the facilities. As a nurse in my facility, I always do the initial admission assessment. I don't do the care plan in the strictest sense of the word, but that may be because I am a floor nurse. Our UM is an LPN, and I know she participates in those meetings. I do care plan for medications, PT/OT/ST orders, and treatments.

What would you suggest I change that line to? What do I need to put under my job titles? Should I take those repetitive descriptions out?

All my volunteer work (such as for Project Safe Place) was approximately 5 years ago. I have 2 kids and I work full time. I'm not sure what volunteer opportunities I could undertake that would be useful.

Thank you for looking over it for me! I really appreciate it!

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Apr 29, 2012

I would move your experience to the top, I'll explain why in a minute. I think the "objective" is not needed. It is pretty much assumed that if someone is reading your resume you want a job. If you must leave it- take out the word "totally", it makes you sound 14. You should also write a complete sentence that ends with a period (this matters). I think the skills section is just fluff. It's like saying in a personal ad that you like long walks on the beach and sunsets, meaningless. So by the time I got to your experience I was already annoyed at all the useless information I had to read through to get to the meat of the resume. Your work experience is the most important thing and I like the way you wrote it. I would lead with that. Then list your licenses and certifications. This shows me you actually qualify for the job. Education would be next. I don't really care where you graduated, as long as you did. Lastly list any related volunteering you have done, awards you have won, projects you have led at work and so on. Good luck.

bstewart40 · Apr 29, 2012

BRITTANY ______

Address | CITY, IN ZIP| Phone Number [email protected]

OBJECTIVE

A licensed practical nurse seeking a full time direct patient care position in an inpatient hospital environment.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Charge Nurse-LPN, FACILITY 7/2011- current

CITY, IN

Perform physical assessment of new admissions and current residents
Administered medications and treatments consistent with physician ordered plan of care and facility standards of care
Communicate and coordinate care and delivery of services with all medical disciplines

Medical-Surgical LPN, Maxim Staffing Solutions 5/2011-current

CITY, IN

Administered medications and treatments consistent with physician ordered plan of care and facility standards of care

Charge Nurse-LPN, FACILITY Health and Living Community 1/2011-5/2011

CITY, IN

Performed physical assessment of new admissions and of current residents
Administered medications and treatments consistent with physician ordered plan of care and facility standards of care
Communicated and coordinated care and delivery of services with all medical disciplines

LICENSURE

Licensed Practical Nurse

License Number: *********

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Basic Life Support- Renewed 04/2012

Appointed to facility-wide Admissions Committee by Director of Nursing

EDUCATION

Ivy Tech Community College, Practical Nursing program

Graduated December 2010, GPA 3.6/4.0

Ivy Tech Community College, ASN program

Anticipated Graduation: May 2013, Present GPA 3.6/4.0

This is what I did based on everyone's suggestions. I couldn't think of anything that wasn't redundant to put in the skills profile, so I took it out completely. Anything else?

NP Sam · Apr 29, 2012

BRITTANY _____
Address Here | City, IN zip| phone number [email protected]
OBJECTIVE
A licensed practical nursing position that will totally utilize my skills and abilities
SKILLS PROFILE
Success oriented with high energy and positive attitude
Strong sense of responsibility and motivation
Eager and willing to learn
Function effectively in stressful situations and emergencies
Strong patient advocate
EDUCATION
Ivy Tech Community College, CITY IN
Practical Nursing program, Graduated December 2010
Maintained GPA of 3.6/4.0 throughout college career
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Charge Nurse-LPN, (facility name) 7/2011- current
CITY, IN
[*] Perform physical assessment of new admissions and current residents
[*] Provided direct patient care, including administering medications and specialized treatments, to residents as ordered
[*]Communicate and coordinate care and delivery of services with all medical disciplines
Medical-Surgical LPN, Maxim Staffing Solutions 5/2011 current
(CITY), IN
[*]Used the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care
[*]Identified and prioritized patient care requirements
[*]Provided direct patient care, including medication administration and specialized treatments as ordered
Charge Nurse-LPN, (FACILITY) Health and Living Community 1/2011 5/2011
CITY, IN
[*]Performed physical assessment of new admissions and of current residents
[*]Provided direct patient care, including administering medications and specialized treatments, to residents as ordered
[*]Communicated and coordinated care and delivery of services with all medical disciplines
This is my resume. I keep getting turned down for hospital positions. I've edited out my personal information, but the gist of everything is still in there. I need to know what to do to brush this up. I'm BLS certified, I'm on the Admissions Committee at my current facility, currently returning to school for my ASN. What can I do to make my resume more attractive? I'd really like to get into a hospital before my skills go to waste.

I totally agree with the "totally" comments;). Your whole objective made me say "Oh are you?" because you say you are looking for a job that will use your skills and abilities as if the other ones did not. If you must use an objective how about "Seeking full-time LPN position on ______ unit."

Also, "success oriented" needs to be removed. No one is failure oriented so that doesn't add anything to your resume. You might not have been able to secure a position because you have been working only a year and might have no experience on particular unit you are applying. Hang in there!

NP Sam · Apr 29, 2012

Whoops you already made some changes. Didn't read beforehand. iPhone scrolling is too fast

fthibodeaux · Apr 29, 2012

If you are still having trouble getting that job then perhaps you should take your resume' to a college career counselor or a professional recruiter and have them see what is glaringly wrong there. A little extra effort can go a long way.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Apr 29, 2012

I think part of the problem is that you appear to have had three different jobs in a short period of time.

Also, many hospitals do not use LPNs in the inpatient setting - I know mine (also in IN) uses very few, and they are formerly grandfathered.

And yes, 'totally' is not professional sounding. Also, assessments are outside the scope of practice of an LPN in Indiana.

Keep working on the ADN program, and then start looking at hospitals. I think the RN credential will be the determining factor. Good luck.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2012

1. Objectives are useless, in my opinion. It's a fancy way of saying, "I'm sending you this resume because I want a job." Really?

On my resume, I don't have an objective. Instead, I have a Professional Profile. That's where I summarize what I bring to the table as an applicant. It's like an abstract for my resume. All the interviewer has to do is read the profile and they know exactly who I am and what I can do.

My professional profile looks something like this:

BSN educated Registered Nurse with hospital and clinical training. Highly organized with well-regarded administrative and supervisory strengths. Proven leadership and training abilities. Reliable, ethical healthcare provider with ability to stay calm and intervene during crises, to facilitate groups and educational seminars, and to collaborate on multidisciplinary teams. Critical care experience caring for pediatric and neonatal patients. BLS and PALS certified.

See how much more informative and unique that is than saying, "Seeking full time LPN position on inpatient unit"? If you scrap your objective and add a well written and specific professional profile then you'll set your resume apart from the beginning. 2. Your experience section needs work. It's repetitive and generic. No where near specific enough to grab the attention of a recruiter. On my resume, I list exactly what skills I performed, what equipment I have used, and what my duties were. Here's an excerpt from my experience section related to my current job in PICU:

Performed the duties of a staff nurse in a 25-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Worked closely with physicians and respiratory therapists to deliver care to critically ill infants, children and adolescents. Utilized medical technology including traditional and oscillating ventilators, continuous monitoring systems and Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). Performed complete and constant patient assessments, recognizing changes in conditions, adjusting care, initiating interventions and advocating for the patient when needed. Duties included floating to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the general pediatrics floor.

You definitely need to get rid of the generic comments and add specifics for each job. Here's some ways you can rewrite them:

Before: "Provided direct patient care, including administering medications and specialized treatments, to residents as ordered"

After: "Provided high quality, individualized care to up to 35 residents per shift. Administered PO, NGT, GT, SQ, IM and IV medications per state and facility regulations. Utilized feeding pumps, IV pumps, nebulizer machines, and Continuous Passive Range of Motion devices. Utilized multiple wound care products in order to perform complicated wound care on various types of wounds including pressure ulcers, skin tears. surgical wounds. colostomies, urostomies and Jackson-Pratt drains.

There's a lot more detail you can include in just that one section. When you talk about communication and collaboration- state specifically what you did with whom. Example: delegated and supervised CNAs. Obtained new orders from MD based on patient assessments. Coordinated care with ancillary therapy departments to ensure the resident's maximum participation and benefit. Worked closely with dietary staff to establish nutritional plans to meet the medical, cultural and social needs of the residents. Etc.

Try not to say the same things about each job. DEFINITELY don't put the exact phrases down for two jobs. Rephrase or reword the information to make it sound unique. Remember, this is supposed to showcase your experience. You don't want to the recruiter to get the impression that there's only a few things you did- assess, give meds and treatments, and talk to other people. You want him to think, "Wow, this applicant has a lot of experience with so many things!"

3. Be more specific in your education section. Not every LPN program is the same. How many hours of clinical did you have? What units did you do clinicals on? Did you become IV certified? Yes, the things you will list here are pretty much expected of LPN programs, but you can still use this opportunity to go the extra distance and make it clear that you didn't just pass the program- you actually learned something from it.

4. Consider whether you should even include that you're in the ASN program. You're applying for LPN jobs. If you mention on your resume that you're in the ASN program, you know what that screams to the recruiter? "She's going to have a really busy school schedule that I need to work around and then she'll leave for an RN job!" You want the employer to think you are committed to working as an LPN for longer than a year. They don't want to hire you knowing you're likely to leave and they will have to train someone else. It would be one thing if you were an ASN enrolled in a BSN program- that show's that you're continuing your education in your career path. But an RN and LPN are separate careers. Would you apply for a job as an accountant and list on your resume that you'll be graduating from nursing program in a year?

Basically what I'm saying is be specific and be descriptive. If you've learned that your resume should be in bullet points and shouldn't be more than one page- throw that thinking out the window. You're competing against hundred of resumes. The last thing you want if for your resume to look and sound like everyone else's. You need to make sure that when a recruiter picks up your resume, they don't think of you as just another LPN. You need to stick out. You need to sell yourself in your resume, because if you don't, you won't get the chance to sell yourself in an interview.

By the way, in case you're doubting me, my resume as a new graduate nurse was created using the advice I have given you. I had a professional profile. I was specific in my past job experiences. I spelled out each clinical rotation, how many hours, and what skills/types of patients I cared for. My resume (my manager specifically commented on how impressive it was) landed me an interview for pediatric intensive care at one of the largest hospitals in New Jersey. New Jersey is one of the toughest markets for nurses in the country, and I landed a specialized position as a new graduate because of my resume.

GreenGlassCastle · Apr 29, 2012

I agree with everyone. The wording could use some editing. Instead of an objective, discard that and replace it with a "Professional Summary." And then personalize it to fit the job position you are applying for. I applied to many positions and each time I did, I would change it around to fit what the job position. For example, for peds position, personalize it to highlight anything pediatric. If you are applying to a clinic position, highlight your volunteer at a low income clinic. Also try asking your professors to take a look and offer suggestions on how to make it better. Thank you for sharing and best of luck!