How to Write The Best Nurse Resume?

Have you been staring at your current resume for a while and can’t find the inspiration to improve it?

We get it.

Resume writing can be a daunting and sometimes quite frankly boring task.

Yet, whether you’re a student looking for your first job or a seasoned nurse looking for a change, spending time crafting your resume is critical. After all, your resume is your way to showcase your skills, knowledge, expertise and achievements and get the job you’ve always wanted.

That’s why it should always be tailored, carefully crafted and include vital information your potential employers will want to know about you and your career.

So to help you in this complex task, here are five nursing resume tips to stand out and land your dream nursing job in no time!

Contact Information

You should always have a contact section on top of your resume, right under your name to make it easy for prospective employers to reach out to you should they have any questions or just want to schedule an interview. All you need to include there is your phone number, LinkedIn profile (if you have one) and your email address.

Now, while it might sound obvious, you need to ensure the email you list under the contact section looks professional. An email that simply contains your first name and last name will sound much more professional than an email with the name of your favourite superhero and a random number in it!

Professional Summary

A resume is like a sales brochure. It’s a tool to help sell yourself to a company or organisation. So, just like any good sales brochure, it should contain a compelling elevator pitch explaining why the company should hire you. It should be concise and give the reader just enough information to compel them to continue reading.

Naturally, it should also list relevant qualifications and skills for the job.

Work History

The next section, called work history or career summary, is where you need to list your jobs, the companies you have worked for, the amount of time you were in each role for, your responsibilities, achievements, and promotions.

This section is critical as it showcases your abilities, skills and career progression. However, be careful not to get too much into detail. Instead, keep the details for the interview and focus on relevant work experiences. Listing the summer job you had a few years back as a bartender won’t help prospective employers understand your skillset. And if relevant, list your biggest achievement for each role.

A good way to format your work history is to write a few sentences about your role at the job, and then underneath it list (in dot points) a few key points about how you used your skillset in this role. You want this section to be easy for the recruiter to read whilst conveying enough information about the role and what you brought to the table.

Education

As a registered nurse, the education section of your resume is essential. This is where you’ll include your degrees / qualifications, training and certifications. Some of these credentials are required for the role you’re applying for, and therefore, employers will carefully review this section. So, make sure to include your school, degree and certifications, and the date you graduated and obtained them.

Use Keywords

When potential employers or recruiters read your resume, they’ll have a natural tendency to look for keywords when reading through. This will allow them to quickly see whether you’re suitable for the role. Even though you have the required skill set, not using the right keywords could cost you the job. So, spend time studying what they’re looking for and clearly highlight the skills and experience that match their needs.

Another reason keywords are important is that depending on the type of company you apply for, they’ll be using software to scan resumes for keywords to streamline the pre-selection process.

You’ll find more information on how to ensure your resume gets past the robots on Seek’s website.

We hope this article will help you write the perfect nursing resume. If you want to work as a self-employed registered nurse, you need insurance.

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