Top 10 Nursing Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Top 10 Nursing Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Regardless of whether you are just starting your nursing career, or if you have a desire to make a change, a resume is an essential element. Often, a resume is the determining factor on whether or not you are presented with the opportunity to interview for the desired position.

Resume Mistakes When preparing your resume, plan to spend an adequate amount of time to perfect it. The number one mistake on a resume is grammar and typos. When a hiring executive has the first glance at a resume, imagine how it resonates with them if the first things they notice are typos or improper grammar. It's not uncommon to have errors on long reports, however a resume should be no more than one page, and a mistake, or numerous mistakes in the form of grammar or spelling, can halt you chances prior to even considering your credentials. Review your resume, use a grammar check program, many are available free, and will generally capture 90% of grammar errors. Read your resume out loud so that you will actually hear any grammar mistakes. Have another person check your resume for you, two sets of eyes are better than one. You may be the best candidate for the nursing position that you are applying for, so don’t let typos or grammar mistakes prevent you from getting that interview.

Do Not Underestimate Your Knowledge Professional resume writers say that the one mistake many people make is to underestimate their knowledge. As a nurse, you have a world of information within your mind. If you attended a conference on the proper care of a hospice patient, and received a certificate, don’t fail to include that on your resume. Remember the person looking at your resume does not know you at all; they are making an initial judgment and assessment based on that one piece of paper, or computer screen in front of them. If you don’t include your knowledge and accomplishments, they will not know them, and the next resume may present better than yours. You don’t have to elaborate on all certifications or accomplishments; however, they should be mentioned in the form of a short sentence. If you have spent the last 2 years working with patients that have orthopedic conditions, don’t overlook that on your resume, it may be just the specialty field the hiring executive is looking for. When you skip or don’t include your area of expertise and knowledge, you are underpresenting yourself, and creating a higher chance that you will be overlooked because of your resume, never even getting the opportunity to interview for the position at hand.

Related:

How to Approach a Generational Gap with your Fellow Nurses

Do Not Over-Inflate yourself As a nurse, you know that you are knowledgeable, and you know how diligent you are in making sure your patients receive the best care possible. There is little you have not seen or done in the medical treatment room, the reality is, you are a superhuman in scrubs. The hiring executive that reviews your resume does not want to know that you are a superhuman. Because compassion is part of being a nurse, and in fact a very important part, it’s often put at the top of the list of what nurses consider their attributes. Compassion is a great thing for a nurse, without it, you would not make a good nurse, however on a resume, it is virtually wasted space. It would be acceptable to list the word compassionate when providing a brief description of yourself, however do not elaborate on it. A Human Resource professional is looking for your area of medical expertise, and not that you are a compassionate person. Providing you receive an invitation for a face to face interview, you can elaborate slightly more on the fact that you care about your patients, but a one page sales advertisement for your nursing skills is not the place to do so. The facility you are applying to is not looking to hire a compassionate person; they are looking to hire a professional nurse. Your level of compassion will follow you naturally and demonstrate your ability to be a good nurse, once hired.

Do Not Discuss Previous or Current Employers When you compose your resume, obviously you will list the facilities that you have been employed with. You do not however need to discuss the actual facility. For instance, it would not be wise to indicate the reason you are leaving your current position is due to the fact that they lack technology. It may be true, however, it is not information that should be shared. Don’t throw your current employer under the bus so to speak. It not only makes them look bad, it makes you look bad as well. Everyone has had that supervisor from, well you know, not a nice place. You could fill an entire page with the annoyances of this supervisor, and all of it would be accurate. However, it would be valuable wasted space on your resume. You are not selling that person, or having a complaint session regarding them, you are selling yourself, and your abilities. Only you need to know that you cannot wait to get away from that supervisor. Perhaps your current supervisor is holding you back, don’t say as much on your resume, and phrase it more like “a desire to have the opportunity for advancement”. The hiring professional will view you as hard to get along with, a complainer and not a team player if you make insults of your current or previous employer and their staff.

Related:

Top 10 Tips to Prepare Yourself on the Day of the NCLEX

Be Honest and Realistic Sure, you are selling yourself, and your abilities as a nurse, however, don’t sell yourself as having knowledge, or a training that you do not have. In the field of nursing this could be a detriment to a patient, and to the medical facility. You want to include your accomplishments, and certifications, however, don’t overstate, or make it sound as if you are bragging. Also, do not claim to have knowledge in a

specific area that you don’t. Ultimately, you could be placed in a situation with a patient, and told to perform a procedure that you actually have no knowledge of.

Under-Promoting Yourself It is a common mistake to under promote, or underestimate your abilities on your resume. When you submit a resume that uses general terms, it does not stand out, and will blend in with the numerous other resumes received. A common term many nurses use is “general nursing”. There really is no such thing as general nursing, as each nursing job is different, at least in some ways. You can have the title of registered nurse; however that title can vary quite a bit from one medical facility to another. If you worked in ICU, that is pertinent information, or if you worked in the emergency room, and covered the maternity ward when needed, that also is very relevant information on your resume. If you leave this type of information out, you are short changing yourself. Don’t just do one generic resume for every job you want to apply for. You should never falsify your resume; however you can tweak it to display your relevance to a particular job.

Resume Programs A resume program may help to start you on the way to writing a professional resume, however don’t rely on it completely. There are some resume programs specifically designed for nurses, and they are not a good substitute for a personal resume. These programs tend to use medical terminology beyond what most people would relate to. They also tend to make you sound like a robo-nurse of sorts. Another consideration is, if you use the first nursing resume program that you found on a search engine, how many others will use the same one? Using a cookie cutter type resume is never a good idea, you are trying to stand out, not blend in.

Not Providing Details When you start your resume, it’s a good idea to start out by making a list of your current and previous job responsibilities. All too often nurses will simply state, “I cared for patients in labor and delivery”. That is far too generic. Did you empty bedpans, or did you administer labor inducing drugs and assist the physician in the delivery room. By offering some detailed information, the hiring executive may notice a specific work function that you have experience in, and it's just what they are looking for.

Don’t use an Objective on your Resume Replace the “objective” spot on a resume, with a “summary”. After all, the Human Resource department, as well as the potential supervisor does not have nearly as much interest in what you hope for your future, as what you will bring to the table with your job skills and abilities. If you are afforded the opportunity to interview, that will be the time, if asked, to give a brief description of what your future career goals are. Resumes that have unrealistic goals, are just that unrealistic, and may appear like you are simply looking for a stepping stone for the next great job.

Following some simple guidelines can make your resume stand out, and help you secure an interview or a promotion with your current employer. A few do have and don’ts will help you land the perfect job.

Related: Leading Registered Nurse Margaret Louise Manrodt, RN, BSN to be published in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare as New Member of the International Nurses Association Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter