A resume in it's basic construction is a presentation of selected credentials and facts that you choose and assemble to highlight your strengths and capabilities as it relates to the intended audience.

AUDIENCE
The first consideration in effective resume writing or CV preparation is to identify the intended purpose or the audience.

• Are you planning on getting your first job?
• Applying for an advanced position within your organization?
• Applying to a specific job with a known job description, or a general job category?
• Applying to grad school?
• Applying for a grant?
• Navigating the UMHS Framework process? (Click here to be directed to Framework suggested resume format for your portfolio.)

The subsequent resumes or CV you would develop for each of the above
situations could be quite different.  It is even possible that you will have
several resumes prepared to best suit different situations.

SELF-ASSESSMENT
The next step towards the creation of your resume is a survey of your strongest credentials within the context of the audience or targeted purpose that you identified in the first step.  If this self-assessment is a struggle, or if you are unsure of your target audience's expectations, you may benefit from a career coaching appointment where the fundamentals of career self-assessment and research can be explained.  This process may be very useful in assisting you organize information within your resume or CV to your best advantage.

STRUCTURE
There are different resume structures to consider ("chronological", "functional", and "targeted" or "blended" are commonly known), that may be used to present your relevant qualifications in the best way possible, which is an important consideration when your resume is acting as a marketing piece.  A well put together resume or CV could mean the difference between an opportunity and the rejection pile!Generally, a format that works best will highlight your strongest credentials as related to the opportunity at hand.  If you are at an entry-level point, a chronological resume showing the progression of your educational attainment may work best.  If you are re-entering the work force -- a functional resume may give you a better opportunity to group skill sets as a way of demonstrating a combined competency profile. A word of caution: Resist the temptation to simply fill out a resume template by cutting and pasting in your information; a lot of marginal information is clogging up resumes across America because resume templates tend to be used improperly.  You really need to reflect on your strongest points and how best to present them, while being mindful of your target.  So with that, "resume writing" tips (Yes, even this one!), need to be carefully considered.... think if the advice or format is really relevant to your situation and if it will enhance or hurt your unique presentation. A career coach is an ideal sounding board for these issues; don't hesitate to contact one when needed.

1/12/09="46" height="42" border="0" />QUARTER RULE
With the above disclaimer firmly in mind, a format that works well in a variety of situations is a resume that uses a "Credentials" or a "Qualifications" section, which is usually a bulleted list of the four to five most relevant reasons as to why you are uniquely qualified for the opportunity.When using your resume to apply for a new position, make sure you have the most relevant information that supports why you would deserve such an opportunity clearly presented within the first 1/4 page -- this is called the "quarter rule".  If you don't capture a recruiter or manager's interest within the first 1/4 page of your resume, the chances that they will continue to read it is lessened.The basic questions need to be answered in this section:

1. Who you are - (Name, address, phone and e-mail)
2. What you want - (Objective)
3. Why you deserve it - (Qualification or Credential section)

The remainder of the resume should follow a more traditional chronological format covering employment, education, affiliations etc. 

OBJECTIVE
Detailing what you want, needs to be based on what you want in relation to a potential employer has to offer. An employer is looking to fill institutional needs, not honor your wish list.  They are looking for a mutually beneficial relationship, matching their needs with yours.  If your objective can reflect this, you will capture their interest.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure you have the exact title that the employer uses to describe their opening.  Consider creating a customized objective for each resume you use.

WEAK OBJECTIVE:

Looking for an opportunity in a progressive organization where my skills can be utilized in a growth opportunity.

RE-TOOLED OBJECTIVE:
   (Based on a job posting for a Nurse Manager position for a pediatric unit.)

Nurse Manager position capitalizing on my ten years of experience in Pediatrics and over 15 years in patient care overall.

QUALIFICATIONS / CREDENTIALS
This section should have 3-5 bulleted points that are the strongest reasons for, or support of, your stated objective.  These statements can include specific or specialized work experience, special projects, exemplary or volunteer related accomplishments, unique capabilities, publications, summation of total time in your profession or specialty area, certifications, clinical placements, specialized training or education. (You would still list relevant education in a chronological order under your education section.)  The key here is to ask yourself what are the strongest reasons why you should be considered for the opportunity, and then articulating your accomplishment or capabilities to reflect this.

STRENGTHENING YOUR RESUME - IQ2
Improve the IQ quotient of your resume by developing meaningful statements.  You can accomplish this by applying the IQ2 rule.  Check to see if you can further: Illustrate, Quantify, and Qualify your statements.

STATEMENT:

Worked in pediatric unit.

STRONGER STATEMENT (after IQ2 treatment):

Worked in fast-paced pediatric unit for large metropolitan hospital.

EVEN STRONGER STATEMENT:

Worked over 10 years in 28 bed pediatric unit for a large metropolitan hospital with a diverse patient population.

A note regarding the last statement: make sure you pitch to the opportunity at hand – if the job posting has mentioned diversity, then this may be a good time to indicate that you have worked in such an environment.  The trick here is to add value in relation to the posting.  For example: if the posting was for a small community hospital, then the statement regarding a “large metropolitan hospital” is not necessarily a “qualifier” for you for the opportunity (even though it may be a true statement).  This potentially could be viewed as something about you that is in direct contrast to what the employer may be seeking.  In other words: they may rule you out for a possible interview if they feel you would not understand the needs of a smaller community hospital, or they may think or assume that you desire a faster paced environment that they wouldn't be able to provide you.  You should consider reviewing and revising your strengthened statements within your resume for each opportunity or for each purpose your resume serves, and modifying as appropriate.  There really isn’t such a thing as “one size fits all”, though you do not have to re-invent the wheel every time you need a resume.  Small tweaks of a basic resume are easy enough to do with a word processing program.  Customizing your resume for each unique situation is well worth the time investment. Sometimes career seekers will defend generic or unspecific statements in a resume stating that they want to be considered for all opportunities and don’t want to rule anything out.  However, having a generic resume is usually the quickest way to achieve just this, 'ruling yourself out',  as you don’t stand out to the hiring organization.  A career coach can help you identify potentially important “value added statements” to focus on if you are having trouble with this.

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Tips:

• If you are new to your profession, it is best to keep your resume to one page.
• It is OK to go over a page if you have relevant work history.  (Make sure to include your name and a phone number across all pages; papers can become separated.)
• If you haven't included relevant certification (i.e. BLS certification, etc.), information within your credentials section, create a "certification" section at the end of your resume.
• If you are approaching more than 3 pages, consider a CV (see below) if appropriate.
• Consider summarizing work history that is older than 10 years (unless you are developing a CV), by creating a section titled "Other Work Experience".  This way you can focus on information relevant to the objective and leave out information that is not.
• Generally don't include high school information, unless you are entry-level.  In this case you should consider highlighting extra-curricular achievements or volunteer work you may have held -- room permitting of course.
• Knowing your audience will benefit your resume preparation.  You can incorporate language and word choices that are familiar to your audience (if you have a job posting or an institution's mission statement, try to incorporate the exact words that they use if applicable).  You can identify or at least take educated guesses as to the items about you that they might be most interested in if you have taken the time do your research.  (Use our research center or on-line resources to accomplish this.)
• Proofread and have a second set of eyes check your document as well.  Spell check isn't able to identify correctly spelled, yet misused words.
• Not everything belongs on a resume, just your most relevant information.  You stand to lose the reviewers attention if you fill space with information that you can't fully explain the importance or significance of in the context of the recruiter/manager's needs.
• Don’t forget to review for meaningful statements by testing to see if you have: illustrated, quantified, and qualified statements (IQ2).

 

What is a CV and how do you use it?

CV's (Curriculum Vitae), are typically used in academic and research environments or for more established health care positions.  CV's are much lengthier than resumes as they detail your accomplishments in a chronological format that demonstrates your professional growth.  Memberships, affiliations, certifications, specialties, grant/funding awards, and speaking or publishing events are typically detailed in their own sections.  A CV may be requested for application to grad school, or for submission along with grant applications.  When applying for an academic position, typically a CV is more appropriate than a resume.  

Cover Letters:

A cover letter is an appropriate way to introduce your resume and to cover capabilities or points of interest to your audience that may not be appropriately or adequately covered in the resume.  You may cover your ability to meet other requested qualifications in a job posting that may be difficult to communicate in the format of a resume.  For example: a request to be willing to work nights -- you can indicate your acknowledgment of this requirement and your willingness to accommodate it within a cover letter.  You should use a standard business letter format, making sure to have the name and title of the person you are addressing if known (if not,  then address it to "    fill in name of organization here      Representative"),  and the correct address.  

Thank You Letters:

It seems that thank-you letters are a dying art -- which is unfortunate because good manners and common courtesy in the business world are never out of style.  Keep in mind that you may not be interested in the job after an interview,  but undoubtedly you are interested in your professional image -- which has a way of preceding and trailing you.  Don't ever neglect to send a thank-you letter when you have the opportunity to do so; it is your opportunity to speak to your integrity and to respectfully acknowledge the reviewers/interviewer's time that they've spent considering you.  Sometimes this very action has been the basis for a call back or a consideration for a yet unannounced opportunity.Keep the letter brief; no more than a page.  If you are interested in being considered further, indicate so and use the opportunity to reinforce important points that you may have not had the chance to fully cover in the interview.

Never really had the need to write a resume?

The process of identifying your capabilities and accomplishments as they relate to your intended career direction is a beneficial process regardless of applying for a position  -- it is something you should consider creating and revising periodically for no other reason than to clarify and strengthen your professional development path.

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There are many excellent resources on the web for helping people write resumes, CV's, cover and thank you letters.  There is also a growing trend to communicate this information by way of electronic mail.  If you would like more information or assistance in fine-tuning your professional resume or CV, don't hesitate to contact the CPDM to set up an appointment with our Career Coach.

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Written by: Marietta Van Buhler, Program Manager - UMHS Nursing Administration for HRSA grant #:D65HP05254 – Principal Investigator: Margaret Calarco, PhD, RN (2005-08)