As 2022 comes to a close, it’s time to upgrade yourself to usher in the New Year — including updating your resume. Whether you are actively looking for a new job or want to put yourself out there in case an opportunity arises, it’s good that you have a freshly updated resume prepared. Here is a quick guide on how to make a good nursing resume.

Write down all your skills — including new ones

More than just educational background and work experience, recruiters and human resource (HR) specialists also consider clinical skills during the hiring process. 

If you have been or are currently a practicing nurse, chances are you have acquired new clinical skills in the past months. Have you attended training sessions or earned certifications since you last worked on your resume? Did your current role hone a new skill set?

Do not be afraid to put all these skills, certifications, and training in your updated resume. The skills you indicate in your updated resume will tell HR people that you are competent and highly skilled.

More than just clinical skills as a nurse, you may also add other valuable skills to your profession. These include communicating with others, staying organized, solving problems and critical thinking, and acting as a team player, to name a few.

Review your work experience

Are you done revising your skill set? The next part that you have to update is your work experience. Part of how to make a good nursing resume is keeping it brief and concise. 

You might also have to remove old positions, especially if these are already decades old and irrelevant. For example, if you have been in your current role for ten years, it’s time to let go and delete your first job position.

Highlight major positions relevant to the work you want to get into and will give you an edge over the others.

Don’t forget your volunteer work

Skills and past job positions are major factors that HR people look into when deciding to hire a nurse. However, they also take a look at one’s volunteer work.

If you have helped in a medical mission, regularly participate in healthcare initiatives, or volunteer in a non-government organization, then do not forget to write all of these down in your updated resume.

Your future employer would love to see how you contribute to social good even when expecting nothing in return.

Make use of numbers

Quantitative information can be attractive. More than that, it is also an excellent way to present your experience, especially if the numbers are relevant.

For example, indicate the years you have stayed in a particular position or worked for a company.

You may also use statistics, if available, to highlight your achievements as a nurse. Do you know how many cases you have handled or the percentage of something that you have contributed to your healthcare facility? Put that in your updated resume.

Always keep it short but sweet

As mentioned before, keeping your resume brief and concise is a good decision. Recruiters and HR must look at many resumes from applicants across all departments. 

A long resume does not equate to a good resume. Rather, a good resume is straight to the point and presents relevant and significant information in the shortest way possible.

Ensure your resume is ATS-friendly

Many companies and recruiters use software that makes hiring easier and faster. The Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) is a program that sorts and filters resume to aid HR people in determining the cream of the crop from a sea of potential candidates.

ATS has a system in which the user inputs relevant keywords, and the ATS tracks which resumes contain these words. By doing this, HR people already have a shortlist of candidates with the qualifications they are looking for.

When you know what keywords may be used, you can already encode them in your resume. How do you determine these keywords? Check the job description, as this is often an easter egg hunt of significant keywords.

Keep the design simple

Aside from using keywords, also be mindful of the layout of your resume. There is beauty in simplicity.

Stay clear from colorful resumes with complex designs. Nothing beats a simple resume in black and white with minimal elements.

Proofread before finalizing

The final and crucial step in making a good nursing resume is proofreading everything. Check for grammatical and typographical errors that you may have missed out. 

The last thing you want is for future employers to think that you made your resume in a rush because of all the mistakes you failed to notice.

How to make a good nursing resume

A new year ushers in a fresh start, so it’s fitting that you updated your current resume. How to make a good nursing resume is easy if you know the basics. In a nutshell, write your work experience and skills in detail while still keeping it brief but concise.