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By
Mary Ann
Hellinghausen When a job opportunity presents itself, one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is to submit a polished résumé. Healthcare recruiters know exactly what to look for when screening applicants, so it’s essential that your résumé make a positive statement about you. Kim Marino, author of Résumés for the Health Care Professional (John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1993), and Texas healthcare recruiters offer the following tips for crafting successful résumés: 1. Create a goal Create a goal and focus your résumé toward that goal. “Focus on where you’re going, not where you’ve been,” Marino said. The résumé should be precise and focused, highlighting the professional experience that contributes to your goal. Teresa Hord, recruitment specialist for Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, also prefers that résumés specifically state what job the candidate is seeking. “We don’t have time to be career counselors,” she said. But Karen DeLavan, senior recruiting consultant for nursing and allied health at Texas Health Resources in Dallas, said that flexibility also is important. “I would hate to see [a specific focus] limit people, with as broad a field as health care is,” she said. 2. Highlight your skills If you are making a lateral move, write a functional résumé that highlights your skills. If you are trying to move up in the profession, organize your résumé chronologically to show progression, Marino said. However, try not to make the résumé a rote recitation of the same information. And don’t go back any further than 10 years. “If recruiters see the same title over and over again, they’ll see you’ve done the same thing. If there’s something you’ve done that stands out from everyone else, highlight it. Create a separate category and list it,” she said. DeLavan said she likes chronological order because it points out an employee’s stability and loyalty. “However, I do like looking at a functional résumé that shows how they’ve grown, advanced, and made changes,” she said. Hord prefers a chronological listing with the job title and specific dates. She also likes having the candidate’s education at the top of the résumé. “Right away, I can see if they have a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree. I don’t have to weed through all the other information to get there,” she said. 3. Include a cover letter If you are faxing or mailing the résumé, include a cover letter introducing the résumé. A cover letter is not necessary if you are delivering the résumé in person, Marino said. Hord recommends mentioning how you heard about the job opening in the cover letter. If you are responding to an ad, specify where you saw it. DeLavan said a cover letter can be a good place to expand on your experience and professional goals. For example, a nurse can express her interest in continued work in a med/surg unit for a few years and her desire to eventually work on a cardiac unit. 4. Use action verbs Using action verbs to illustrate experience is important, Marino said. “For example, an occupational health nurse may have established healthcare programs, provided emergency first aid, prepared and maintained medical records, instituted a specific program—action verbs are a strong way to make a statement,” she said. Recruiters said they do not pay much attention to the verbiage, but want specifics—no fluff—in a résumé. “And leave off the personal information,” Hord said. “I’m just shocked that people are still putting their marital status, their hobbies, even their height and weight. If it’s not pertinent to the job, we don’t want to know it.” 5. Focus on experience Marino, Hord, and DeLavan agree that recent graduates should highlight their clinical and preceptorship experience. Graduates should also list any type of volunteer healthcare experience and include a very brief history of any other jobs to show job stability, Marino said. What do you
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