RESUME GUIDE

Overview

Resumes are marketing tools for your career and they should be used to highlight skills and education. Resumes may also be the first and only impression that the employer gets of you before an interview. Therefore, a resume should be accurate, well organized, concise and professional.

Resume Format and Layout
There are three basic types of resumes: chronological, functional and a combination of the two. The chronological format presents your experience and education in reverse chronological sequence, starting with the most recent. This format is simple, straightforward and most managers and human resource departments are very familiar with this format. It also represents the greatest number of resumes written in the healthcare setting. (See sample) The functional format focuses on areas of skill and draws attention to accomplishments rather than work experience. This format is more commonly used to effectively represent nurses who have had gaps in their work history due to raising families etc. The functional format may be less familiar to hiring managers so it would be increasingly important to keep it basic and clear. The combinational format is applicable to situations where nurses have had diverse work experience and/or want to move into a new title or specialty. Remember that there is no single, best way to set up your resume as long as it presents your strengths clearly.

Resume Technology
Each human resource department has a preferred format in which to view a resume. Some of these formats include optical scanning, email, fax and electronic news groups (each of which adhere to different guidelines). By simply uploading one Word-formatted resume through AfterCollege's service, your resume will be converted into all the necessary formats saving you the time and effort of producing multiple resumes. (See page one for instructions to upload resume.)

Sections of a Resume (A top-down guide)

I. Identifying Information
The top of the resume should include:

• Full name
• Current address and phone number, including area code
• Permanent address and phone number if pertinent
• Email address, if available

II. Objective
Although the objective is optional, it has the advantage of telling the recruiter or human resource manager, at a glance, the type of position you are seeking.

Sample Objectives:
- Seeking a position in a Pediatric Registered Nurse New Grad Program.
- Obtain a position in a Labor and Delivery New Grad Program where I can apply my nursing training to help patients through the birthing and healing process.

III. Education
As a current student or recent graduate, you will likely want to highlight your education by placing this section near the top of your resume. This section should include the first three items listed below, while the others are optional.

• Names of the degree granting institution, listing first the most recent degree earned
• Degree received and major
• Graduation date or projected graduation date, or dates of attendance if no degree was complete
• Any minors, specialization or focus areas
• Overseas academic experiences
• Courses relevant to the positions for which you are applying
• Honors and GPA are optional, although recommended if they are a strong selling point. Be sure to indicate GPA as based on a 4.0 scale. (e.g., 3.6/4.0)

IV. Experience
When describing your experience be sure to elaborate more on your most recent position and include:

• Title of the position
• Name of organization and location with city and state
• Date of employment/involvement
• Description of responsibilities beginning with action verbs (see attached list)
• Mention verifiable accomplishments

Suggestions for describing your experiences:
- Be action-oriented. Begin each sentence with an action verb. They attach significance to the position being described and also draw attention to desirable traits that employers are looking for.
- Describe you experiences in terms of accomplishments including the variety of tasks performed, including progressive increases in responsibility, if any.
- Include paid jobs, internships, volunteer community service, extracurricular projects involving leadership or teamwork, special academic research or honor projects, etc.

V. Additional Information
This section can include languages, interests, extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, etc. However, if one of these areas is especially relevant to your objective, you may choose to put this into a separate section (please see below).

Other Possibilities for Sections
Choose your headings based on the background and qualifications that are of interest to the prospective employer. Be descriptive in your selection of the heading.

Sample headings include:
- Honors and Awards
- Professional Affiliations (participation in field of interest)
- Community Service
- Outstanding Accomplishments

References Recruiters and managers will assume you have references therefore stating that they are available upon request is not necessary. Be sure to read about references in the interview section of this handout.