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Lombard cautions against résumés with
more than two pages, unless applying for a director
of nursing or other management position. Candidates
with many years' experience should summarize it chronologically
with dates. Job applicants who list experience without
dates may be viewed as "trying to hide something."
Margaret Loper, RN, director of strategic recruitment
with Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston,
often speaks to student groups about résumé
writing. She agrees that résumés can be
a candidate's best marketing tool and should create
enough interest so that an employer will want to speak
to the applicant in person. Loper stresses the importance
of clarity in reflecting knowledge, skills and talents.
"I want to know what type of position the candidate
is looking for. Many times on a cover letter the candidate
will state they have skills that would benefit our organization.
This shifts the responsibility to the interviewer to
find a position. The interviewer will try to match up
the candidate to an open position, but it may not be
what the candidate is looking for."
As vice president of nursing at Harrison Memorial Hospital
in Bremerton, Wash., Kathleen Sanford, RN, is concerned
that nurses do not take the time to write professional-looking
résumés. She believes this oversight adversely
affects how nurses are viewed professionally. "A
lot of nurses show up without résumés.
They come in and fill out applications very sloppily
and are not careful about dates or other information.
When dates don't match, that is an automatic turnoff."
Sanford observes that a résumé gives
an applicant a "leg up" and speaks louder
than an application, but estimates that only one in
three walk-ins have a well-written résumé
in hand. "A résumé is a calling card
and not to have it denigrates our profession. I think
we forget sometimes that the things that each of us
does come back to all of us."
In addition to reviewing a résumé for
appearance, Sanford uses it to evaluate an applicant's
communication skills, including spelling and grammar,
as well as experience and accomplishments.
"I want bullet points that say what made you a
great staff nurse. Did you figure out a way to make
patients safer? What special things are you proud of
that you did on the job? Are you a team player? What
are your career goals?"
Sanford sees education as another important aspect
of the résumé and advises applicants with
years of experience to list recent continuing education
courses showing they have "kept up."
Helen French, RN, a clinician at the University of
Virginia Health System in Waynesboro, Va., believes
that many nurses have a hard time accurately describing
their work experience and recommends they invest in
having their résumés prepared by a professional.
"There are a lot of things we are not taught in
nursing school-including the reality of unethical behavior.
Too many times, I have participated in panel interviews
where candidates overrate or underrate themselves."
In reflecting on the electronic mailing of résumés,
French said: "If someone doesn't teach you, it
comes back to bite you. Realize that whatever you put
down in writing is available to everyone in the world.
Be careful not to say anything bad about anybody. I
have been to meetings where I have heard nurse managers
say they will disclose information about former employees
on the phone that they would never write down. While
this is illegal, it happens."
French encourages job seekers to be persistent. "If
you are not accepted by one hospital, go on and continue
to look. This may not be the right match for you, but
don't give up."
Dolores Bower, Ph.D., RN, dean of the college of nursing
at Niagara University in New York, oversees courses
that prepare new grads for employment. Affiliated with
Erie County Medical Center near Buffalo, the college
serves diverse communities, including a large elderly
population in rural and urban areas, making it difficult
to attract nurses.
Bower is proud of the preceptorship where senior nursing
students partner with a hospital staff person. She says
local hospitals welcome their graduates because of the
school's reputation for producing compassionate, caring
nurses who use good judgment in providing patient care.
"During the final five weeks, they are bridging
into employment. It's wonderful that most have job offers
at the end of their internship. They are evaluated not
so much for how much experience they have, but how well
they think on their feet. The trick is to convey this
on a one- or two-page résumé."
Bower advises new graduates to "think about how
you want to stage your career. Go through your own goals
and strengths, likes and dislikes. Ask yourself: Have
I ever done anything that would distinguish me from
any other new grad? Where do I want to be in five years,
10 years? "Cite leadership skills acquired through
volunteer work or service groups. Focus on service experience,
like community health or hospice gained during the college
years. Pick up letters of reference."
Bower observes that since Sept. 11, an increasing number
of nontraditional students are entering accelerated
nursing programs and choosing nursing as a second career.
This group is showing the greatest growth across the
country.
"I think many people started re-examining their
priorities and looking at the deeper meaning of life.
Most are extremely skilled with tremendously rich and
diverse backgrounds. They have bachelor's [degrees]
in other areas and many are going straight through MSN."
She advises them to carefully examine skills, such as
fund raising and office management, for incorporation
into their résumés.
Contact Alicia Hugg at rosewind09@earthlink.net
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