224 unit 3 | Professional Issues
responsibilities of each position. Emphasize your
accomplishments, any special techniques you learned,
or changes you implemented. Use action verbs, such
as those listed in Table 14-1, to describe your accom-
plishments. Also cite any special awards or commit-
tee chairs. If a previous position was not in the health
field, try to relate your duties and accomplishments to
the position you are seeking.
Education
Next, focus on your education. Include the name
and location of every educational institution you
attended; the dates you attended; and the degree,
diploma, or certification attained. Start with your
most recent degree. It is not necessary to include
your license number because you will give a copy of
the license when you begin employment. If you are
still waiting to take the NCLEX, you need to indi-
cate when you are scheduled for the examination. If
you are seeking additional training, such as for
intravenous certification, include only what is rele-
vant to your job objective.
Your Objective
It is now time to write your job objective. Write a
clear, brief job objective. To accomplish this, ask
yourself: what do I want to do? for or with whom?
when? at what level of responsibility? For example
(Parker, 1989):
■What:RN
■For whom:Pediatric patients
■Where:Large metropolitan hospital
■At what level:Staff
A new graduate’s objective might read: “Position as
staff nurse on a pediatric unit” or “Graduate nurse
position on a pediatric unit.” Do not include phras-
es such as “advancing to neonatal intensive care
unit.” Employers are trying to fill current openings
and do not want be considered a stepping stone in
your career.Skills and Experience
Relevant skills and experience are included in your
résumé not to describe your past but to present a
“word picture of you in your proposed new job, cre-
ated out of the best of your past experience” (Parker,
1989, p. 13; Impollonia, 2004). Begin by jotting
down the major skills required for the position you
are seeking. Include five or six major skills such as:
■Administration/management
■Teamwork/problem solving
■Patient relations
■Specialty proficiency
■Technical skillsOther
Academic honors, publications, research, and mem-
bership in professional organizations may be
included. Were you active in your school’s student
nurses association? A church or community orga-
nization? Were you on the dean’s list? What if you
were “just a housewife” for many years? First, do an
attitude adjustment: you were not “just a housewife”
but a family manager. Explore your role in work-
related terms such as community volunteer, personal
relations, fund raising, counseling, or teaching. Atable 14-1
Action Verbs
Management Skills Communication Skills Accomplishments Helping Skills
Attained Collaborated Achieved Assessed
Developed Convinced Adapted Assisted
Improved Developed Coordinated Clarified
Increased Enlisted Developed Demonstrated
Organized Formulated Expanded Diagnosed
Planned Negotiated Facilitated Expedited
Recommended Promoted Implemented Facilitated
Strengthened Reconciled Improved Motivated
Supervised Recruited Instructed Represented
Reduced (losses)
Resolved (problems)
Restored
Adapted from Parker, Y. (1989). The Damn Good Résumé Guide.Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press.