Today, resumes need to be more than a chronology of positions held and skills learned. To sell yourself you need to show potential employers what you can do for them. Tailor your resume to the position you’re applying for by including key words from the job description. You want to create an obvious match with your abilities. Quantify accomplishments where possible. Bullet points, action verbs and white space make resumes easy to review. Always check grammar and spelling.
Follow these extra tips for medical professionals:
- Delete excessive jargon. Don’t load your resume with medical jargon and acronyms. Always spell things out the first time, including professional associations and certifications. Use acronyms for subsequent references. Many people will read your resume, including non-medical personnel and those unfamiliar with your specialty. Write your resume so everyone who reads it can understand it.
- Emphasize versatility. These days it’s important to show a diversity of experience on your resume, not just clinical skills. Candidates with broad experience offer employers greater value. Mention business, administrative, managerial, and teaching experience, even if outside the medical field. Supervisory experience and familiarity with budgets and scheduling are valuable assets in today’s marketplace.
- Stand out from the crowd. A resume is not just a job description. Focus on unique and unusual experiences that will make you stand out from other applicants.
-Hit the high points. Summarize agency work or travel nursing assignments in one or two sentences rather than listing each short-term assignment. Highlight a few notable experiences or accomplishments.
-Avoid educational clutter. List degrees, licenses, and certifications, but make a general statement about continuing education. Offer to provide continuing education specifics on request but don’t clutter your resume with a lengthy list of short courses. Highlight continuing education courses pertinent to the position you seek in your cover letter.