One reason why the healthcare field is so popular is because of all the different directions a healthcare career can go. You can be on the floor working directly with patients or behind the scenes ensuring the necessary processes are finely tuned and working. But the variety of jobs can also pose a dilemma if you are not clear in what you want.

A recent article on a job searching site raises a common issue that prevents the very qualified from getting their dream job. The problem? No defined objective. If your resume has an objective that is too broad or unclear, even though your education and experience may prove you to be a smashing candidate, you will be overlooked for someone who knows what he or she wants. The key to getting that interview is for a hiring manager to see a clearly defined job target along with the education and experience that support your objective.

But for many people especially those who are looking to simply get their foot in the door at a hospital or clinic, they are not exactly sure what they want. Here are three key strategies you can employ to ensure that your resume doesn’t doom you to the bottom of the pile.

1. Create an Inventory Resume

An inventory resume highlights your key areas of skill and accomplishment but doesn’t target a specific job or industry. This approach is the preferred method if you plan on sending your resume to a number of potential employers but you are not sure what openings are available. The best inventory resumes lead with a career summary that demonstrates your most marketable job skills. Avoid the common mistake of creating a general, one-size fits all objective section and using phrases like “looking for a challenging opportunity.” Show your diverse capabilities instead.

2. Develop Multiple Resume Versions

Perhaps you are a little more focused than most but are open to several different directions rather than just one or two paths. In this case, you should create several versions of your resume that target the different routes you’re willing to take. This is easily done by changing the content of your summary section by emphasizing key points for the specific goal you are pursuing. For example, if you are a nurse and are open to working in several areas of nursing that you are qualified for, then customize your resume to focus on the matching qualifications for each job.

3. Focus Your Resume

The most obvious conclusion is of course to determine a career direction. Hospital Dream Jobs can help you with that goal. Job hunting takes time and if you put in the time the better chances you have of finding the best career for you. Hospital Dream Jobs is the best source for healthcare careers and if you take time each day to review the job postings and focus on those that closely match your skillset and are most interesting to you then you can develop a targeted resume that clearly states your goals and most relevant qualifications.

Whether or not you’re looking for a job right now, now’s the time to pull out your resume, dust it off, air it and freshen it up. You never know when an exciting new opportunity will present itself (or when you might find yourself in the midst of a sudden downsizing).

Here are some tips for updating your resume:

The Year in Review

Make sure your current job is on your resume. Many of us forget to add our newest job once we’ve been hired. As you list your job responsibilities, be sure to include any projects you’ve managed or major accomplishments. Update it at least once a year.

 Go Back to the Beginning

Look at the job listed on your resume that was the longest ago and consider how relevant it is to your current and future career goals. If it’s still relevant, keep it on there but consider paring the description down.

Eye Candy

One thing recruiters will do after scanning your resume is to read the very last section (kind of like skipping to the end of a book when you don’t have time to read the whole thing!). So list your most recent workshops, professional associations and awards at the bottom. If you’re still listing awards you received in college 20 years ago, it may be time to consider getting out and getting more involved. Employers want well-rounded individuals who stay on top of their game.

Trendy to a Point

As with everything else in life, resume formats follow trends. You want your resume to reflect current trends that work. When I’ve been on the hiring end, I’ve seen some trends that were all about big, fancy fonts and colored, textured papers. To me they seemed more about looks and less about content. It’s easy to surf the web for current resume style guides and compare and contrast them, looking for the styles that say modern, clean and professional. Those will best present you as the professional that you are.

Final Words of Wisdom

Proofread over and over, and then have a few friends proofread over and over. Typos and grammatical errors will land your resume in the trash faster than you can say, “Are you still hiring?” Also, save your resume in the 3 most commonly accessed formats, text only, Microsoft Word and PDF so you have what is needed at the ready and no one can say to you, “Sorry, I couldn’t open your resume.”

If you feel it’s time for a complete overhaul, read our two-part blog on writing resumes in our Resume Tips.

Now that you have your outline from Writing Your Resume, Part 1,
you are ready to organize the information and format it in a way that will catch a potential employer’s attention-in a good way. No, I don’t recommend using neon colored paper or stationary that rocks. Stick with a basic, neutral color and use resume paper from an office supply store if delivering a printed version. Crazy script font that is not easily readable is a no-go and will not present your professional side. So stick with a standard font (Times, Times New Roman, Arial, etc) that is readable and professional.

When organizing your resume, keep the following
in mind:

1. At the top of the resume should be the header with your name, address, phone number, email and website (if applicable). Also feel free to add the URL’s to any social media profile. Note: This exact header should be used on all correspondence going to the potential employer, including the cover letter and reference sheet.

2. Next down should be your objective, should you choose to include one.

3. After that you should provide a list of skills. This is where you use the “power verbs” that you hear so much about. In other words, don’t list “Office Filing” as a skill-list “Handled office filing”. Here are some other examples:

“Patient Services” could be “Accessed and Delivered Patient Needs”

“Supervised” could be “Hired, Trained and Evaluated Employees”

“Medical Charting” could be “Maintained Client Charts”

4. Then comes work history and I’ve seen two effective formats for this. One is listing the work history in chronological order, with your current job first. The other is to make two headings, one that says “Related Work History” where you list all the jobs that are similar (or have a similar skill set) to the one that you are applying for and the other heading that says “Additional Work History” where you list the rest of your employment. There are pros and cons to both. Chronological order may not bring out the jobs that you really want the potential employer to see and the other system may give the impression that you have gaps in your work history, even if you don’t.

5. Include at least the position you held, the employer name, city/state of employer, dates worked there and duties in each listings. For example:

Lead Nurse, Willowback Medical Care Center, Chicago, IL. June 2009-March 2011.

6. After work history should be education, publication credits and volunteer work in a similar format to the one you used for work history. For example:

EDUCATION

BS in Nursing, Nursing College, Seattle, WA. 1993

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Boy Scout Leader, Boy Scouts of America, Chicago, IL May 1995-present

PUBLICATION CREDITS

“The History of Medical Staffing”, Medical Times, May 2005.

I see very few resumes with references listed on them. Instead make another sheet (with the same heading that is on your resume) and list them there. If the employer doesn’t ask for them initially, it makes a great impression to bring them with you when an interview is scheduled.

What do you think makes a great resume? Let us know in the comments section.

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You will find resume writing tips galore on the Internet and in books. Some are great ideas. Others, not so great. When searching for resume samples you will find several dozen samples that are offered as the “best” style to use. But the information can be confusing and overwhelming.

What’s the best way to write a resume that is compete, honest and stands out from the crowd? I recommend that you first write an outline. It will be an invaluable tool as you organize, format and write your resume. Include the following in your notes:

1. Your goals- Write them all down and then compact it to an objective that clearly states a goal that your potential employer will see on your resume. Do not include desired salary and be careful about self-serving statements. (Consider what you can provide for the employer versus what you want from them).

2. Your Job History- Dig up your job history, including name/address of employer, dates worked, salary and specific duties. Also note any special accomplishments while in that job position.

3. Your Skills- Make a list of the skills that you have and don’t forget the basic ones. Remember that not everyone can type at the same WPM that you might be able to and believe it or not, not everyone knows how to use the Internet. Add any special skills that might be applicable only to the positions that you are applying for.

4. Your Education- List your education, including the name/location of the school, dates attended and concentration of study, including your high school. Include any classes, seminars and continuing education. Include degrees and certifications obtained.

5. Your Awards- If you have obtained awards in your professional or personal life, make a list of them including the year received and what they were for. Also include any publishing credits you might have.

6. Your Volunteer Activities- If you volunteer your time outside of your home to help others, include this on your outline. This shows that you are a caring individual with goals other than earning a living.

7. Your References- Prepare a list of people who might be willing to be a reference. Call them or send them an email to make sure that they are okay with it. Concentrate on those you know from a professional arena and ones you’ve known longer than a year or two, if possible.

In the next post, we will discuss how to organize and format your resume to be the best that it can be in this competitive job market.

by John Chase

Gone are the days of simply mailing your resume, receiving a call, shaking hands at the interview, and agreeing on a start date for that new job. The Internet has taken over the recruiting landscape, and everyone is required to submit a resume online. While that brings greater efficiency to the process for employers, it can be awfully maddening for job seekers.

But it doesn’t have to be that way if you know how to navigate the system. (And by all means, if you haven’t already done so – file for unemployment).

Consider these tips before pressing “submit” to send your resume:

• Search job boards and the websites of employers that appeal to you.
• Print out the job postings that you’re interested in pursuing before you apply.
• Use a highlighter to mark the keywords and industry language used to describe the requirements and responsibilities.
• Compare those words and phrases to the language that appears in your current resume.
• Figure out how and where to add the most relevant keywords to your resume, assuming you have the specific knowledge, skills, and experience.
• Applicant tracking systems will search for keyword matches — the more matches, the better, which often determines if a recruiter opts to view your resume.
• Once you’re confident that your resume reflects a strong match, go ahead and submit that targeted resume online.
• If the system requests a cover letter, write a short one that expresses why you’re a strong match and why you’d like to join the organization. This is a chance to tout your research on the role.
• Never submit a generic, one-size-fits-all resume or cover letter. If you really want the position, you’ll customize all documents for each job.

Once you apply, get to work to find an internal referral to make a personal introduction. Here’s how:

• Attend job fairs to meet face-to-face with employers and other professionals.
• Create a free profile and become active on LinkedIn or Facebook, which boast a combined 60 million users. Surely you can find someone who knows someone to make that connection.
• Join an association in your field and network with like-minded peers.-
• Connect with your high school and college alumni groups. Old pals could be new connectors.
• Follow up with a call or email to the recruiter responsible for filling the position. Never say, “Did you get my resume?” Instead be ready to reiterate your strong qualifications and interest in the role. You’ll have just a brief moment to sell yourself, so rehearse before making the call or sending the email.
• Don’t know the name of the right person? Cold-call the company and ask an operator to put you through. If that doesn’t work, do a Web search on the term “recruiter” or “HR director” along with the name of your employer of choice. The results may reveal the name you’re trying to find. LinkedIn is another resource to find the correct name.
• Stay top of mind. Every recruiter is different, which makes this a challenge. Some say you’re welcome to follow up weekly. Others say every other week is enough. And then there are some who’ll tell you to never call. Find the right balance so you’re politely persistent without crossing over to a pest.
• Ask them directly for advice on how and when to follow up. A simple question, “What’s the best way to keep in touch?” will give you the details you need to stay ahead of the pack.

These resume tips should help you in your job search. And if you haven’t already done so – file for unemployment.

About the Author

John is a DJ and radio producer by trade who has performed in the U.S., Russia, Germany, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and India. Through a strange twist of fate he found himself working in the debt consolidation and debt settlement field in Chicago. John has a great interest in charity work as well.

His other interests include fitness, science & technology, modern medicine, politics, world events and pop culture.

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