An effective resume can be a travel nurse’s best friend. In the same way that this career choice presents unique opportunities and challenges, this vital document must go the extra mile to adequately reflect the skillset and experience of today’s sought-after travel nurses.
Think of the resume as the leading item in a personal marketing campaign to “sell” yourself to the potential employer. These pages—because the one-page-only rule shouldn’t be applied to a travel nurse resume—are tasked with introducing the entire picture of you and piquing the interest of the intended audience.
Just as a commercial or printed ad has but a few seconds to capture the audience’s attention, your resume must immediately reign in the reader, so that he/she will want to continue reading.
6 Start-To-Finish Resume Tips Sure to Get You Noticed
1. Create and manageFor simplicity on both sides of the equation, create this crucial document in Microsoft Word and save as a .doc or .docx file rather than a PDF. A readily accessible and editable file makes for easy management for you as well as potential employers. Choose a conventional style, formatted in a traditional font, and skip the fancy stationery. Bypass fancy altogether in favor of clean lines and simplicity.
Make a great impression from the first glance with your name, all relevant professional titles (RN, BSN, MSN, NNP, FNP-C, FNP-BC, etc.), and your current contact information, including telephone number and email, centered at the top of the page. Only professional-sounding email addresses, please. Why? Because “FunFridayNightGal@gmail.com” will likely get your resume tossed.
Bypass the “seeking a whatever, whatever position” boring beginning in exchange for a salesman’s approach that puts your selling points front and center. Create bullet points that present the most relevant info, such as the number of years in a travel nursing career, specific experience with trauma levels, leadership positions, shift experience, etc. A travel nurse-specific resume should also detail information such as facility bed count, type of units/floors worked on, and computer charting or EMR experience. Keep the descriptions focused, rather than wordy.
The Gypsy Nurse team suggests including a mention of the states in which you are licensed. Despite changes in the eNLC compact states, there may still be states where you are not permitted to work as well as the possibility that a specific recruiter doesn’t operate in certain states.
Have you taught prenatal classes? Hosted smoking cessation seminars? Did you serve on an organization’s ethics committee? Any committee involvement, volunteer positions, or instructional opportunities most definitely belong on this document that’s leading the charge toward your next assignment. Yes, even social committee chair, community liaison, and auxiliary volunteer coordinator.
6. Update frequently
As in after each assignment. One of the perks of travel nursing is the valuable experience and new skills gained with each assignment. You’ll want to include every facet of your skillset to paint the most vivid picture of what you can bring to a position and the organization. If you heeded tip #1, updating regularly will be a cinch.
A resume that effectively and vividly paints the complete package of skills, experiences, and characteristics you bring to a travel nursing assignment will open many doors in the wonderful world of travel nursing. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get that resume updated and turn it into a captivating read.