Nursing resumes make or break an application. After all, it is your resume that recruiters first see which gives them an initial impression of you as an applicant. Coming up with an attractive resume can be challenging but many resources can help you. Follow these nursing resume writing tips and strategies from experienced professionals to guide you and land your dream job in no time!

Reflect: What can you bring to the table?

Employers hire people who they see will bring significant contributions to the company. That being said, your resume should market you as a potential asset. It should be meaty enough to show how qualified you are for the role and interesting enough to pique their interest.

Ask yourself: Why should they hire me? By reflecting and identifying early on what your potential is, it will be easier for you to write your nursing resume.

Do diligent research

Among the nursing resume writing tips and strategies from experienced professionals that you should not skip is doing your research. Learn more about the position you are eyeing and the company you would like to engage with.

A quick search on the internet will usually yield informative results. Take a look at your future company’s vision, mission, and core values. Know what services they offer and if there are specialties. This gives you a better idea of how to write your resume.

Read the job hiring post carefully. What are the tasks and responsibilities assigned to that role? Are there special skills and qualifications required?

Take note of important keywords

This step is often underlooked in nursing resume writing tips and strategies from experienced professionals. While doing your research, highlight or jot down important keywords. Trust us when we say this will help you in the long run.

What are keywords? These are words used by your potential employers in their hiring posts. You may also find these words in their core values, mission, vision, and even in their branding. Some examples are compassionate, patient-focused, determined, and service-oriented.

What do you do with these words? It’s simple. Incorporate the keywords you have listed in your resume. That way, recruiters will consider you for the role because you possess what they are looking for.

Customize your resume per job application

Though it can be a tedious job if you are applying for multiple companies, it pays to custom-fit your resume. 

Before doing so, create a master resume that serves as your starting point. Put your work experience, clinical and interpersonal skills, qualifications, and certifications. Once you have that, it’s time to customize.

Take a look at the required and preferred qualifications in the job hiring post. Required qualifications are non-negotiables that applicants should possess. On the contrary, preferred qualifications are those that give you an edge over other applicants.

Tick off the qualifications that you have and put them in your resume. This will also make it easier for recruiters to browse through your resume and see if you are a good fit for the role. Don’t forget your keywords per company!

Have an interesting resume objective

Recruiters go through many applications. If you want to stand out even in the early parts of the hiring process, make sure your resume objective is interesting. What is a resume objective and what do you put?

A resume objective is a short statement or sentence typically placed at the top part of your resume. It gives the reader a quick overview of yourself in a nutshell.

In your nursing resume objective, put your clinical skills, certificates, training, work experience, and other qualities that will make you qualified for the position. You may also put what type of job you are looking for.

Some examples:

A diligent and motivated nurse who is looking for a full-time position at [medical facility], I advocate for quality patient care.

A hardworking and compassionate nurse with years of experience in cardiac care seeking a position at [medical facility] where I can help improve the lives of my patients.

Let your work experience stand out

Another integral part of your resume is your work experience. One of the common nursing resume writing tips and strategies from experienced professionals is to establish that you have considerable work experience.

Don’t just write what your previous jobs are and the period you worked for them. Instead, specify what your contributions are. These can be your accomplishments or even day-to-day tasks that are useful for the role you are applying for.

How many patients did you cater to in a day? What specialized clinical skills were you able to use in line with your responsibilities? What tasks did you accomplish that not everyone can do?

For example, a usual job description would be: “took care of patients in the pediatric ward,” You can specify to make it sound like: “provided assistance and quality care to 30 patients in the pediatric ward in line with the treatment plans provided by their doctors.”

Make yourself a potential asset

Companies are looking for qualified nurses who will bring significant contributions to their company. With this, show what you can bring to the table. Follow these nursing resume writing tips and strategies from experienced professionals to help you build a resume that will make you a potential asset.