Homepage
Read our
Blog
GS-JJ Custom Pins have Automated Quotation System for Custom Lapel Pins, you can easy to Select what your Lapel Pins needs online. Cheapest price Guarantee, Free 2 days quick Shipping http://www.gs-jj.com Our product lines include: Lapel Pins / Medals / Lanyards / Belt Buckles / Challenge Coins / Ornaments / Embroidered Patches / Key Chains / Silicone Wristbands and MORE ......
* *
|
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
copyright ©2000-2021
nursesnet.com
|
Resume and Cover
Letter Writing for Nurses
The American style resume is a means to sell
your capabilities and services. The
argument even applies to resumes in the medical
profession. It is quite unlike
a Curriculum Vitae, the chronological list of
work and education experiences preferred in Europe and
the Far East. The Resume provides details of your
skills and experiences to a potential employer
so that he can see, in summary, how your skills
are relevant to the potential job and how you could
contribute something of value in your future
workplace.
A
resume is your advertising and selling tool.You
might fulfill all the requirements for a
particular position, but your resume
fails, if the employer does not, by what he sees
on it, immediately conclude, that you are the
person for the job. Remember,
your priority is to
create a resume that attracts the reader's
immediate attention. The
first twenty seconds will decide whether it ends
up in the "under consideration" or the
"rejected" file.
The most effective resumes
are focused specifically on a job and address the
potential employer's stated requirements for the
position.
|
|
The more you know about the duties
and skills the job demands, the better you can organize
your resume around these requirements and, the more
effective the resume will be
Hence, the primary requirement for
writing a good resume is information about the job on
offer. It is not enough to regurgitate what
you have done in the past, since that information, with
all its accomplishments, skills and experiences is only
relevant to the requirements of the position for which
you apply. The more you know about the job
and the employer, the more likely you can "cut the
cloth to the right size" and create a resume that
explains how you will be an asset to your future employer
with the job he offers.
To write a resume that fulfills your primary objective,
namely "to get that job,"
there are some important points, which
you should seriously consider:
|
Define
the Purpose of the Resume |
The
Purpose of the Resume is, in the first instance, to
be considered suitable and invited for an
interview. |
|
Stress
your Strengths and show your Technical and
Personal Qualities |
It is
important to show your important
technological and personal qualities and
strengths to a future employer. The
emphasis here is on "relevant." Therefore,
read the job description and advertisement well,
so that you keep the qualities you offer
pertinent to the job! Back up your
qualities with achievements that show them in the
right context. Do not exaggerate your
abilities, but show the ones you have! |
|
Use
the right Title for the Positions you held |
Don't be
general and "wishy-washy." Each
job has a title, use it relevantly, when
describing your past duties and employment. |
|
Make
the most important points first! |
State
the important points (qualities,
experience, training, leadership, responsibility,
etc.) that are relevant to the job
offered first. Health Care jobs,
probably more than most other jobs are defined by
a mix of technical ability, human emotional
strength, and teamwork. Show how you can excel in
all of those, within the job on offer! |
|
Show
and describe your professional Goal |
Be
short and to the point and only describe what is
relevant within the job on offer. Be
specific, not vague, but remain consistent! |
|
Explain
the benefits of your skills to your work and the
Job offered |
The
employer will want to know how your technical
ability and your experience will be relevant to
the job offered. The mere fact that you
have these abilities is not enough. |
|
Achievements
and Responsibilities |
Show
in your resume what you have achieved within
the responsibilities give to you in your former
jobs. Just listing duties will not be enough. |
|
Individual
Resumes |
Write
specific resumes for each job application. Having
a "general or generic resume" will be
helpful for that. However, you have to
individualize each resume you submit so that it
reflects what you bring to the job. |
|
Irrelevant
Information |
Do
not include irrelevant information in your
resume. In the USA/Canada things like
your political affiliation, religion and sexual
preference are not usually included in a resume.
Even age is not relevant, nor is your marital
status, or country of citizenship (except for
certain government jobs).
European CV's will require you to state
your age, marital status, country of nationality,
but never your religion, political
affiliation or sexual preferences.
|
|
Avoid
being Negative |
Don't
sound negative about former employers, whether
in your resume nor in your interview. Don't state
what you disliked to do as part your job. |
|
Identification
of Name and Contact Details |
Put
your name and your contact information clearly on
the top of your resume. Repeat the name
and the e-mail or phone on the top of the second
page.
If you have a name that can be used by either
male or female, make sure that you state Mr. or
Ms., where you have your name. If you have a
foreign name, identifying gender is often
difficult. |
|
Do
not state the obvious |
Avoid
stating facts, like "available for
interview" or "references on
request." If you were not interested in a
meeting or in giving references, you would not
apply for the job!
|
|
List all your
Positions |
If you
continuously worked for the same company for a
considerable time, list all the different
positions and roles that you had
separately. You probably had different
responsibilities and developed different skills
on each past employment and the prospective
employer would like to know these. If
space is an issue in your resume, give less
detail on positions you held further back in
time, or, if they have less relevance to the job
you apply for |
|
Have
a complete Listing of your Work Experience. |
List all
the relevant Jobs you have held, but unless it is
your first job after university, or it is
functionally relevant, don't mention that you
"flipped Hamburgers" or worked in a dry
cleaning as a summer job! |
|
Only
List Activities that are relevant to the Job
Application |
Do not
list your hobbies or even involvement in civic
affairs. Unless, of course, it has a direct
relevance to the job you apply. However,
otherwise, being a Deacon in your Church does not
interest the employer. |
|
No
use of Slang or Professional Jargon in your
Resume |
Do not
use slang language of professional jargon in your
resume. The Human Resources Manager may only have
a passing acquaintance with your professional
terminology, and he will be the first one to see
the resume! |
Once you have completed the
substance, or the content, of your resume, you
have to focus your attention on the layout
and format and to checking
and proofreading. The points below put
these elements into context.
|
Pay
Attention to the Format, Typeface and general
layout |
Make sure
that you have a design which is easy to
read and well organized. Use a font
(typeface) that is large enough (10-12 point,
depending on the font) and see that your layout
keeps sufficient "white space." The
best fonts are probably Ariel, Times
Roman, Helvetica or Verdana. Refrain
from using exotic fonts! They usually end up in
the waste paper basket!
Remember your resume should not exceed two pages.
Do not use capital letters to emphasize something
in the script of your resume (except
where it is grammatically correct!)
The key is to communicate
the message that you are suitable for the job
offered! |
|
Use
"bullets" to emphasize something in
your layout |
This
avoids long and tedious text paragraphs.
Personnel Managers (Human resource managers) like
to read short and relevant sections because they
have lots of applicants to consider. Therefore
- Keep your sentences short,
and
- to the point
- Do not fill the whole page
with text. White space between the words,
lines and paragraphs will improve the
legibility of your resume.
|
|
Pictures |
Do not
include or attach photos to your resume, unless
it is a requirement for that job. |
|
Printer
and Paper |
For a
paper version of the resume, use good white paper
and a good quality laser printer. Do not use
color paper or paper with printed borders or
similar enhancements. |
|
The
Email Resume |
Use a
standard format such as .doc or .pdf or simply
text (.txt or .rtf) Remember most Human Resource
Managers or employers will not even attempt to
open other documents. |
|
Proofread
the Resume several times |
A resume
with mistakes will most often end up in the
wastepaper basket. Therefore, the importance of
proof-reading your resume cannot be emphasized
enough.
- If English is your second
language, have someone whose mother
tongue is English, proof your resume and
cover letter.
- A single typo can cost you
the chance of the job.
- A unique and uncommon
English formulation will reduce your
chances of getting an interview, let
alone the job.
|
|
Have
someone Review your Resume |
Whatever
you think about your resume, before you send it
out, get a second and third opinion about it.
When you work too much time on your resume, you
will not see your mistakes. Another person will
be in a better position, to evaluate the overall
quality of your resume and maybe make some
valuable suggestions. |
When you have completed all of
that, read the resume once again before you send it out. Only
when you are sure it is what you want to submit, send it
to the potential employer.
Professional Help
If you find resume writing difficult, or if
your first language is not English, you might consider
some professional assist in writing the resume. Remember,
if your grammar is poor, a potential employer will not
make any allowances for you. Your resume will end up in
the waste paper basket.
The cover letter is your introduction to a
potential employer. What you write in it is the first
impression the person gains about your, your capabilities
and your personality. Therefore everyone who sends out a
resume needs a cover letter. Whether you send it by mail,
e-mail, fax or delivered by hand, is immaterial.
Although it creates additional work, the positive side of
the cover letter is that it provides you with an extra
chance to emphasize what you have to contribute to the
job, the company or organization. Remember, the person
looking at your submission will ask himself: "How
can this person help us?" Your cover letter has to
answer that question in your words, and your resume will
provide the comprehensive support.
Every job
offered has different requirements, and it is,
therefore, essential that you write a specific
cover letter for every job application. There is
no such thing as a "general cover
letter." Most potential employers see a
general cover letter as a sign of a lack of
genuine interest in the job and, your chances of
being considered for the offered position will be
significantly hurt. Therefore, take the time and
make an effort to send a cover letter that is
tailored to the particular job and to
the company you are applying. |
Although it creates additional
work, the positive side of the cover letter is that it
provides you with an extra chance to emphasize what you
have to contribute to the job, the company or
organization. Remember, the person looking at your
submission will ask himself: "How can this
person help us?" Your cover letter has to
answer that question in your words, and your resume will
provide the comprehensive support.
The Essential Rules for creating an
effective Cover Letter
- The Cover
letter must not have any spelling or typing
errors. Have it read by someone else and
checked before you send it.
- Is is
important to get the hiring manager's name so
that you can address your application to a
particular person. If you send your
resumes uninvited to the personnel department,
make every attempt to find his details. Sometimes
a phone call will give you the information about
who makes the hiring decisions. Be sure
you spell person's name correctly and that you
have his or her correct title. Address
the person with his or her proper social title,
e.g. "Mr.," "Ms.,"
"Mrs.," "Miss,"
"Dr.," or "Professor." Keep
the Cover Letter formal and to the point.
- Write the
Cover Letter in your words and do not
use a standardized "copied format
letter." Do not be chatty or too personal:
Keep it formal! To be effective, the Cover Letter
should transmit and highlight your relevant
experience, knowledge, enthusiasm, and focus on
the potential job in a logical and systematic
manner. Group the items you specifically want to
address and be concise within each paragraph
- Do not use
slang, "Internet jargon," or other
expressions which some people consider
"natural" (as opposed to
academic or formal!). Today, many
employers are gravely concerned about the
"sloppy" and inappropriate use of
language. They may deduce, once you
become an employee, you will communicate using
inappropriate language. On the other hand, do not
use words you picked from the Thesaurus without
being entirely sure that you understand their
proper meaning and the context in which one uses
a word or expression. If you are not sure about
your grammar, there are books you can purchase.
If you submit an application for an international
job, remember that writing styles and grammar
differ from one English-speaking country to
another.
- Indicate in
your Cover Letter that you have acquired some
knowledge about the company and the industry.
Do some research before you write the resume and
the cover letter. However, keep the communication
of this knowledge within clearly defined limits.
Showing your potential employer that you know
something about them is to make it clear, that
you did not pick the company at random. You want
to show the hiring manager, that you know who
they are and that you have deliberately chosen
them!
- Use language
that is appropriate and relevant to the employer.
If you are applying for an advertised position,
use the advertised requirements and work them
into your resume or cover letter, if necessary
emphasize them in bold script. Be sure to address
the specific needs and shortly indicate how you
can fulfill them.
We thought long and hard about this
question! After all, "everyone can write a
resume," so, why use someone else who is not
familiar with your particular circumstances and who does
not know your ambitions job wise? Maybe, the answer is in
this very sentence: In your eagerness to present yourself
in the best possible light to a future employer, you
overlook what the company sees or wants to see from you!
You present in your resume what you want, rather than
what the employer requires or what he is looking.
A professional resume writer is not the
prisoner of his representation. He or she looks at the
task of writing a resume neutrally, dispassionate and
with distance to your past. As a consequence, that resume
writer might see strengths and weaknesses that you will
not see as important. The distance the resume writer has
creates a balanced picture of yourself.
Most people argue that each resume has to be written as a
response to a particular job, because only some of the
things, you might offer, will be useful in that job.
Therefore, the resume as a response to a job vacancy has
to be tailor-made. That is correct!
However, if you start off with a well written generic
resume that projects your abilities and your strengths,
while it puts your weaknesses somewhat in the background,
you are starting out with an advantage.
A Resume Appraiser, as opposed to a
writer, will look at your resume and recommend, if
required, changes. There are numerous free sites for
that, but you have to remember that the business of the
appraiser comes from resume writing and the free
appraisal is one way to get clients. That does not reduce
their usefulness in creating a good resume, but you have
to be aware of it.
We show sites offering Resume Writing Services. JobLine
International also has a team of highly
experienced resume writers that provide a resume and
Cover letter writing. Below is a comparative analysis of
some of the services offered on the net. Click on the
names on the far left, if you want to know more. Prices
may vary from time to time.
Specialist Resume Writing Services
JobLine International |
$349.00 |
We have a resume writing Service
that offers a written resume sent to you by
e-mail based on your data, plus a generic Cover
Letter (or specific, if you want that) . Turn
around is usually 24-48 hours. MS Word format or
html. Special services such as translations or
the writing of a Curriculum Vitae
($549.00) are also available. Recommended! |
* |
$114.00 |
employment911 offers resume
writing including a cover letter with a six hours
turnaround. They also rewrite your resume, if you
do not get a job within six weeks of using it. Recommended! |
Access More Career Tools, Advice, and Information. Create a FREE Monster Account Today! |
$119-395 |
Monster is not only a large job
board, but also offers a variety of support
services for job seekers. One of them is Resume
editing ($119) and Resume writing (from $215) .
In their own words: We know what employers want.
We market your strengths to edge out the
competition. We tailor your resume to meet your
specific needs. Recommended! |
We have had direct experience with
the above services we recommend. Other services
are by no means inferior, but we have not had any direct
experience with them.
We will edit your existing resume and a
specific cover letter. You send us your resume and cover
letter by e-mail and we will edit it to help it along and
make it appropriate to the job you apply to. Obviously we
will need a short description of the job as well (we do
not need the employers name, but the country location
would be useful since resume and cover letters can
different from one country to another). Please send the
supporting material (resume, cover letter, short
description of job applied for) by e-mail together with the
Paypal payment ID number. We will edit your resume/cover
letter within 72 hours after receipt of all the details.
|