chapter 14 | Your Nursing Careerr 225college career office, women’s center, or professional
résumé service can offer you assistance with analyz-
ing the skills and talents you shared with your
family and community. A student who lacks work
experience has options as well. Examples of non-
work experiences that show marketable skills
include (Eubanks, 1991; Parker, 1989):
■Working on the school paper or yearbook
■Serving in the student government
■Leadership positions in clubs, bands, church
activities
■Community volunteer
■Coaching sports or tutoring children in academic
areas
After you have jotted down everything relevant
about yourself, develop the highlights of your
qualifications. This area could also be called the
summary of qualifications or just summary. These
are immodest one-liners designed to let your
prospective employer know that you are qualified
and talented and the best choice for the position.
A typical group of highlights might include
(Parker, 1989):
■Relevant experience
■Formal training and credentials, if relevant
■Significant accomplishments, very briefly stated
■One or two outstanding skills or abilities
■A reference to your values, commitment, or
philosophy, if appropriate
A new graduate’s highlights could read:
■5 years of experience as a licensed practical
nurse in a large nursing home
■Excellent patient/family relationship skills
■Experience with chronic psychiatric patients
■Strong teamwork and communication skills
■Special certification in rehabilitation and ream-
bulation strategies
Tailor the résumé to the job you are seeking.
Include only relevant information, such as intern-
ships, summer jobs, inter-semester experiences, and
volunteer work. Even if your previous experience is
not directly related to nursing, your previous work
experience can show transferable skills, motivation,
and your potential to be a great employee.
Regardless of how wonderful you sound on
paper, if the résumé itself is not high quality, it may
end up in a trash can. As well, let your prospective
employer know whether you have an answering
machine or fax for leaving messages.
Job Search Letters
The most common job search letters are the cover
letter, thank-you letter, and acceptance letter. Job
search letters should be linked to you SWOT analy-
sis. Regardless of their specific purpose, letters
should follow basic writing principles (Banis, 1994):
■State the purpose of your letter.
■State the most important items first, and
support them with facts.
■Keep the letter organized.
■Group similar items together in a paragraph, and
then organize the paragraphs to flow logically.
Business letters are formal, but they can also be
personal and warm but professional.
■Avoid sending an identical form letter to every-
one. Instead, personalize each letter to fit each
individual situation.
■As you write the letter, keep it work-centered
and employment-centered, not self-centered.
■Be direct and brief. Keep your letter to one page.
■Use the active voice and action verbs and have a
positive, optimistic tone.
■If possible, address your letters to a specific
individual, using the correct title and business
address. Letters addressed to “To Whom It May
Concern” do not indicate much research or
interest in your prospective employer.
■A timely (rapid) response demonstrates your
knowledge of how to do business.
■Be honest. Use specific examples and evidence
from your experience to support your claims.Cover Letter
You have spent time carefully preparing the résumé
that best sells you to your prospective employer.
The cover letter will be your introduction. If it is
true that first impressions are lasting ones, the
cover letter will have a significant impact on your
prospective employer. The purposes of the cover
letter include (Beatty, 1989):
■Acting as a transmittal letter for your résumé
■Presenting you and your credentials to the
prospective employer
■Generating interest in interviewing you
Regardless of whether your cover letter will be read
first by human resources personnel or by the individ-
ual nurse manager, the effectiveness of your cover
letter cannot be overemphasized. A poor cover letter
can eliminate you from the selection process before