One important thing that bridges you, a new travel nurse looking for a steady job, and a great healthcare facility is a solid, well-written resume. A resume should highlight your strengths and help you make a great first impression. But not all resumes are created equal, so it’s important to learn the do’s and don’ts of resume-making to ensure that the document you’ll turn in to your prospective employer accurately and concisely reflects your skills and experiences.
In this article, we rounded up the top 10 resume writing mistakes that new travel nurses must avoid to help them land the job of their dreams.
10 resume writing mistakes to avoid
- Using two or more columns for your resume layout
Keep your formatting and layout as simple as possible, not only for easy readability but also to ensure that applicant tracking systems (ATSs) can parse them without any issues. When your resume uses two or more columns, includes graphics, or uses heavily styled templates, the ATS can have a hard time reading your resume due to compatibility issues, which can cause you to lose out on job opportunities.
- Not tailoring your resume to the role you’re applying for
Not all jobs are the same, so you shouldn’t use the same resume for all the jobs you’re applying for. In healthcare, you’re most likely going to apply for a job that you’re qualified for — for example, as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), you’ll apply for jobs that look for LPNs. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t tweak or tailor your resume to highlight the experience, skills, education, and certification the role calls for.
For example, if the job requirements state that CPR and basic life support (BLS) certifications are required, if you have them, update your resume to increase your chances of landing the job.
- Not creating a professional email address
While you may have sentimental feelings for the email address you created when you were in middle school, chances are that it’s not the most professional-sounding email address you could have made. Having a professional email address can help make a good first impression, allow you to be taken seriously, and enable your potential employer to contact you easily.
- Not being consistent and concise
The little things count when it comes to resume writing. One little thing that people tend to overlook when it comes to writing resumes is consistency. Make sure that you’re using the correct verb tense throughout your document, especially when writing the job description for previous roles held (except the job you’re currently doing, which should be in the present tense). Your punctuation styles should be consistent, too.
Conciseness is also important. You don’t need to have a five-page resume to wow your employer. In fact, a one-page resume that lists all your skills and experiences is ideal.
- Using slang and colloquialisms
When you use slang, colloquialisms, and even generic cliches in your resume, you run the risk of making a memorable resume for all the wrong reasons. Casual or slang terms can make you come off as unprofessional, confusing, or careless to recruiters, so avoid using them.
- Adding irrelevant information
To keep your resume short, you don’t need to add all of your skills or previous work experience, especially if it’s not relevant to the role you’re applying for. For example, you don’t need to add all the extracurricular groups you were part of in high school and college. If you have previous work experience but not in healthcare, you can highlight the skills you’ve learned from your previous roles, such as time management, customer service, and problem-solving skills.
- Forgetting to add your contact information
Don’t forget to add your contact information in the top-most part of your resume. Your contact information should have the following details:
- Your full name
- Degree and professional license
- Location (city and state)
- Contact number (landline and mobile numbers)
- Email address
- LinkedIn profile (optional)
If you recently changed your number or created a new professional email address, don’t forget to update your resume.
- Adding a photo
As previously mentioned, ATS platforms don’t process resumes with graphics and heavily stylized templates well. Hence, it’s not ideal to add your photo to your resume. Adding photos to resumes is unnecessary and not standard practice in many countries, including the US.
- Using an unprofessional file name
Before you hit that “attach” button on your email or on the ATS software, make sure that you’ve saved your resume using an appropriate file name. You can use your first and last name and affix the word “resume” at the end.
- Not proofreading your resume
Make sure that your resume is free of spelling errors, incomplete sentences, formatting mistakes, and inconsistent tenses by proofreading your resume. You can make use of free tools such as Grammarly to help spot mistakes and repeated words, so you can correct them before you send your resume out to recruiters.
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