Your Resume
You need to choose a format that best showcases the successes of your career. Language in the resume should generate a sense of action, purpose, success, dynamism, impact, progress, results, and value. It needs to be organized, easy to read, focused, tailored to the job at hand, consistent in style, and relevant. Your goal is to separate yourself from the majority of candidates applying, to stand out and accurately communicate the values and talents you possess.
Type
- Chronological is the most commonly used format – look to the right for example of order of content. We will review the components of the chronological type resume, as it is most commonly used.
- Functional format may be used to take the focus away from work history or to focus on specific areas of expertise hen an individual is changing functions.
- A resume differs from a Curriculum Vitale (“CV” or “vitae”), as it is a comprehensive biographical statement emphasizing your professional qualifications and activities. It is not the standard resume but a variation provided only when specifically requested, usually in pursuit of an academic or research position.
- Online resumes are often different than what you prepare when you are applying for a specific job. Look at multiple jobs that you are interested in and try to find the keywords that they use. Then, incorporate those into your resume. Many times, recruiters use computer filters to narrow down choices before they even look at a resume, so you want to make sure yours gets through.
Resume Content
- You should think about what message you are communicating- do you want to focus on your depth of experience, your years of experience, etc. Highlight the information on your resume that relates to what you are emphasizing.
- It should be a brief and focused marketing tool that conveys key credentials for future positions.
- Write it like a technical memo- don’t use “I” statements and omit the articles such as “the” and “”
- It should contain pertinent information- no more, no less. Try to limit the content to one page unless you have certifications, publications, presentations, etc. to exhibit. You may opt to limit your information to the past ten to fifteen years, unless special circumstances warrant more.
- You should indicate the type of impact you have on an organization by using specific percentages, quantifying words and dollar amounts whenever possible to indicate savings, results, etc.
- Remember the person will be reading top to bottom and left to right so put the most important information in that order. If you want to focus the reader on the company, put that first in your position summary. If your title was more important, put that first.
- The reader scans your resume in the first 10-15 seconds. If you have captured their interest, they will invest time to continue reading your resume.
Resume Content sections
- Name & Contact Information
- Objective/Summary
- Position Summary A
- General Information
- Value Statement
- Strategic Contribution 1
- Strategic Contribution 2
- Position Summary B
- General Information
- Value Statement
- Strategic Contribution 1
- Strategic Contribution 2
- Education
- Advanced Credentials
- (If applicable, include these sections)
- Professional Development and Training
- Licensures/Certifications
- Technology Summary
- Articles Authored
- Presentations
- Associations
Resume Components
Objective or summary
- An objective on your resume can be very useful when targeted and concise, but leave it out if you’re afraid it may block you from certain positions. Make sure that it quickly defines what you’re looking for in two or three sentences. Think of your objective as a headline, title, or a branding statement. It tells the reader in as few words as possible what separates you from other candidates.
- The summary describes in broad terms the unique qualities, talents, abilities that you have utilized throughout your career to create your success and the impact they have had on the organizations and departments you have led or been a part of. You will usually find it easier to write this after you have completed the experience section of your resume.
Areas of expertise
This is a bulleted section to draw the reader’s attention to your areas of leadership, knowledge and expertise.
Include clinical and general keywords in this section to increase the likelihood that your resume will be selected when an electronic scan retrieval system is used. Again, you will find it easier to write this section after you have completed the experience section of your resume.
Position Summary
- Each job summary consists of General Information, Value Statements and Strategic Contributions.
- Starting with your last job (if doing a chronological format), start with the general information. Write down your employer name, dates of employment, title and duties.
- Next, for that same job, replace your duties with strategic contributions. Identify your achievements and the underlying drivers. What has made you successful in your career? These accomplishments validate the statements and focus the reader on the impact these successes had. Measure results- think about your performance, and apply numbers where possible, using percentages, dollar signs and time qualifiers. Some questions to help you:
- What is your most significant achievement?
- What was your impact on the division, organization and group?
- You can also ask colleagues and vendors for their input. For example, you could say, “We had a great working relationship. What did you like best about working with me?”
- What would not have happened if you hadn’t been there?
- Dig through your old annual reviews and take note of what your supervisors praised you for.
- Describe the challenge or situation you were presented with and define your impact. Quantify with numbers and percentages.
- Finally, summarize your contributions with a brief value statement describing your areas of success, accomplishments, value, and impact in each organization. Here are some examples of value statements.
Education
Begin with the most advanced degree you have obtained.
Additional sections (if applicable)
- Advanced credentials
- Professional development and training
- Licensures / certifications
- Technology summary
- Articles authored
- Presentations
- Association memberships
Resume tips
Preparing
- Use high-quality stationary and envelopes matching your cover letter.
- Use the same font as your cover letter.
Composing
- Put your contact information on the top of both pages of your resume.
- Write all aspects of the resume in active voice. Here are examples of action words.
- Write out numbers one through nine. Numbers 10 and up can be written numerically. Avoid the use of abbreviations, industry-related jargon and acronyms. Use an objective tone. Words that are overused, trite and self-congratulatory should not be used.
- As a rule, keep it brief and simple. Omit references, personal information and interests. Try to present your value, the who, what, where, why, how and when, all within thirty-sixty seconds of reading your resume.
- Avoid leaving gaps between employment dates. It’s best to list jobs by year rather than by month.
- Look ahead and stay relevant- use key words reflecting the industry and profession you are targeting rather than from previous experience. Remove any outdated skills.
- Be factual. Employers have terminated employees for falsifying resume information.
- Focus on accomplishments, not duties. Instead of writing a list of job duties on your resume, demonstrate how each duty contributed to your organization’s bottom line.
- In your objective statement, write about what you will provide to your employer, not what you want to provide.
- Avoid repeating information. If you performed the same tasks for more than one employer, you can eliminate it from one of the organizations. Focus on your experience from the last 10-15 years.
- Tailor your resume. Make it your job to know a great deal about the organization you intend to send your resume to. Know their needs and history and how you can help them. Highlight relevant skills and experience that address their needs.
Formatting/Sending
- Proofread twice yourself and then have two other people check for spelling, grammar and facts. You may inadvertently type words that are not picked up by spell check. Check grammar, spelling and facts.
- Format in a simple way. Avoid over-usage of bolding, italicizing, exclamation marks, underlining, etc. When it gets translated to a simplified format that employers use, it often looks like a broken jigsaw puzzle, so keep your formatting clean and simple.
- If emailing, use Microsoft Word and send it to yourself first to make sure it looks professional.
Clinical Keywords
Accreditation
ADL assistance
administer medication
admission
ambulatory care
ancillary provider
anesthesia support
bed assignment
bedside care
billing practices
care assessment
care plan
case review
chart review
charting
claim assessment
clinical assessment
clinical educator
clinical expertise
clinical procedures
clinical protocols
clinical rotation
clinical specialist
compliance monitoring
data collection
diagnosis education
direct patient care
discharge planning
doctor’s orders
dressing changes
emergency care
evaluation
facility management
facility performance
floor assignments
homodynamic monitoring
infection control
intervention
JCAHO
medical delivery system
medical management
medical necessity
medical therapies
Medicare reimbursement
medication inventory
nursing care
nursing documentation
nursing operations
nursing research
organizational restructuring
patient admission
patient assignment
patient care
patient education
patient monitoring
patient outcomes
patient rights
patient rounds
patient safety
patient satisfaction
performance improvement
personnel management
physical assessments
physician negotiation
physician provider
physiological monitoring
policy adherence
practice improvement
practice operations
pre/post op
preauthorization
problem resolution
process improvement
product recommendations
project management
quality assurance
quality initiatives
quality management
rapid assessment
readmission reduction
resident care
resource utilization
risk management
room turnover
service standards
staff assignment
staff development
staff utilization
staffing requirements
state licensure
strategic planning
surgical consultation
task delegation
therapeutic relationship
transcribing orders
triage of patients
trouble shooting
utilization review
vital signs
workflows
General Keywords
built consensus
business development
change management
competitive market
corporate vision
cost reduction
customer attraction and retention
customer retention
decision-making
department reorganization
e-commerce
infrastructure development
internet
investor and board relations
improvement
leadership
long-range planning
Quantifying Words
business development
expansion
growth
increasing productivity
market share increase
optimization
profit
reduced overhead
revenue generation
sales/customer increase
shareholder value
Action Words
attain, achieved, acquired, adapted, addressed, administered, analyzed, anticipated, assembled, assisted, audited,
budgeted
cause, create, communicate, calculated, centralized, changed, collaborated, composed, condensed, conducted, constructed,
contracted, converted, coordinated, created, cultivated,
direct, demonstrated, designed, developed, devised, discovered, doubled, drafted,
execute, edited, eliminated, enforced, established, evaluated, expanded
forge, forecasted, formed, founded
generated, guided
human capital development, hired
implemented, improved, informed, insured, interpreted, interviewed
launch, lead
maintained, managed, marketed, minimized, motivated
negotiated
obtained, operated, organized, originated, oversaw
performed, planned, prevented, produced, programmed, promoted, provided, publicized, published
reconstruct, recruited, reorganized, reported, researched, resolved, reviewed
spearhead, selected, separated, set up, simplified, solved, surveyed, staffed, supervised
turnaround, taught, tested, trained
used
Value Statements
Visionary leader who… excels in process improvement, turnaround management, and business development strategies for international business, high tech and manufacturing industries.
Strategic planning expertise… in workflow prioritization, elimination of work redundancies, multi-organizational unit restructure and integration, maximizing workforce performance excellence, streamlining systems, and revenue generating productivity._
Dynamic senior executive with… expertise in leading reorganization and downsizing efforts, dramatically improving operations and successfully directing new product development.
Critical thinker with… a strong commitment to creating profitable systems improvements that exceed organizational objectives, by relying on business acumen and pioneering industry innovations.
Change agent with… decisive leadership strengths in building profitable relationships in global distribution planning, creating rapid execution systems, and protecting revenue and reducing costs.
Adept negotiator of… multimillion dollar new accounts, who has won expanded market share and improved profit margins to drive growth and revenue.
Spearheaded… programs credited with the creation of community-based resources, promoting involvement to produce positive individual outcomes.
Strong communicator
Persuasive negotiator who
Innovator of
Visionary with special expertise in
Respected leader of
Successful execution of
Strong entrepreneurial background
Dynamic manager
Accomplished executive
Extensive record in
Tactically proficiency in
Resources
On the following pages are two examples of quality resumes, as well as a page of keywords and other helpful resources in writing your resume. There are many tips out there about resume writing, but we wanted to give you a few good examples to get some ideas from.
Mary A. Jones
Address
City, State Zip Code
Phone Number, Email |
EDUCATION
Master of Science in Nursing 1996
ABC University School of Nursing
Town, State
Bachelor of Science in Nursing 1987
ABC College
Town, State |
PROFILE
Registered professional nurse with 25+ years of versatile experience in operations, program development and administration. Excellent problem solver and communicator, skilled in building rapport between executive management and physicians. Demonstrated track record in building strong, cohesive teams and achieving profitable outcomes. Strong commitment to healthcare, nursing and quality initiatives including patient safety and patient rights.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Vascular Program Manager, Department of Surgery
ABC Hospital, Town, State 2002-present
- Oversee the start-up of the Vascular Care Unit including renovation of existing space to accommodate new unit, development of unit admission criteria, pilot testing and implementation of documentation tools.
- Coordination of unit and multi-unit performance improvement activities, leading to improvement in lower extremity assessment and monitoring, improved pain assessment and increased patient satisfaction.
- Meet with staff formally and informally to address unit issues and conduct the unit staff meetings. Availability of this unit has resulted in a standardized utilization of intensive care beds, greater continuity of patient care and an increase in patient satisfaction.
- Management of unit operations including bed flow, patient assignments and procurement of supplies and materials.
- Input into staff clinical performance, in writing recommendations supporting staff for clinical advancement and assisting with their development.
- Development of protocols, policies and procedures that have resulted in a decrease in complications and in length of stay and the improvement of managed care processes with individuals in the unit.
- Secure resources to support patient care and assure compliance with current standards relevant to a vascular patient population.
- Collaborate with physicians, nursing management and staff to establish effective relationships, working agreements and quality partnerships.
Manager, Emergency Department
XYZ Hospital, Town, State 1998-2002
- Management of day-to-day operations of Level 1 trauma center seeing 75,000 patients per year
- Provide direct leadership and supervision to staff RN’s, LPN’s, paramedics and patient care associates
- Recruitment and retention
- Staff performance evaluations
- Facility patient flow
- Involvement with design and implementation of redesign
Nursing Supervisor
ABC Health Services, Town, State 1994-1998
Supervision of healthcare team, caseload and office staff.
- Developed and implemented a successful training and in-service program for managed staff.
- Planned and coordinated all conference arrangements with professional staff.
- Directly responsible for agency operations in absence of Director.
- Assisted in the design for clinical development, policy and procedure manuals.
- Provided case management and clinical services to affiliated Hospital division.
Critical Care Charge Nurse 1990-1994
ABC Hospital, Town, State
Critical Care Relief Charge Nurse 1988-1990
ABC Hospital, Town, State
LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION
- State RN #R12345
- State APRN #12345
- Medical-Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist, 1994, Re-certification 2001
- Cardiac Life Support (CPR) Certification 2002-present
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Society for Vascular Nursing, Award of Excellence, 2004
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- State Chapter, Society for Vascular Nursing 1995-present
- ABC Hospital Pain Management Team 1995-present
- ABC Hospital Nursing Implementation Team, 1994-1995
- XYZ Hospital Nutritional Support Committee, 1992-1995