Nursing Resume Examples

Nursing Resume Examples (Text Format)

Years of Experience

Common Key Skills and Action Verbs for Nursing Resumes

Applying to jobs doesn’t just mean impressing the hiring manager. It means getting past the automation firewall of applicant tracking systems (ATS). An ATS automatically sorts resumes into categories and highlights only those with the right set of keywords, instantly identifying the best matches for each job posting. In practical terms, the more keywords you manage to use in your resume, the more likely you are to make it to the hiring manager’s desk and land an interview. Here are some of the phrases you might want to include to better showcase your skills as a nursing applicant.

Tips for Writing a Better Nursing Resume

Highlight your educational achievements for health care

Registered nurses might have a diploma, an ASN or a BSN. While all of these paths can lead to a career as a registered nurse, education level plays a big role in hiring and in determining salary levels. When listing education, don’t just state the degree earned. Be sure to include where you went to school, the location, when you graduated and the degree. Then, pull out the relevant coursework to match each application. For example, if applying at a pediatric office, highlight any clinical training that worked with children.

Quantify your nursing experience on your resume

Listing work experience without using numbers and hard data can make it difficult for a hiring manager to get a good idea of your actual skills and abilities. When putting together bullets for your professional experience, be sure to use numbers whenever possible. Think about your experience. How many patients did you see in your unit on a daily basis? How many beds are in your hospital or exam rooms in the practice where you worked? How large was your nursing team? How many new hires did you train? Demonstrating this information can be invaluable on your resume.

How to Align Your Resume With the Job Description

While the need for nurses is expected to grow, hiring managers may still sort through dozens of resumes to find the best fit. The right mix of skills and experience is critical when hiring, so it’s important to make sure your resume reflects the most important requirements for each potential job.

The best way to tailor your resume for each job posting is by including the skills and experiences that are most important to a prospective employer. How do you tell which requirements are the most important? In general, the information posted first is the most critical, along with any information that might be repeated. To make sure you locate the right skills and use the best keywords, compare your resume to the job posting.

In health care, employers often list qualifications that are legally required to practice medicine in the advertised position. It is important to include this information under education and certifications. Focus on the responsibilities section or qualifications that may be given in addition to basic legal requirements when highlighting skills. For this post, a tailored response should include words such as:

• Care
• Clinical
• Health care
• Hospital
• Nursing
• Patient
• Procedures
• Professionals
• Team

Here is an example of what a tailored response might look like for professional bullets:

Author

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).