How to write a Nursing Graduate Resume - Tips and Tricks to stand out!
Your CV is the first impression you'll make on potential employers, so it's important to make it count.
You have a measly 7.4 seconds to make an impression before the panel say, “yay or nay”.
How your position and present yourself on paper is how you will be perceived by the panel.
It’s no longer enough to download a bland FREE template of the internet, plug and play your information and then spray and pray to all your potential employers.
Landing your first graduate role is competitive and you MUST stand out for all the right reasons!
Here are some actionable steps you can take to craft a winning graduate nursing CV:
Step 1: Formatting your Resume.
Optimising white space on your resume is your primary task.
Optimise your headers.
Don’t waste any “white space”.
Optimise your layout where possible to ensure you don’t waste unnecessary space.
Step 2: Making your Resume Stand out!
There’s a reason why Kim Kardashian is super famous.
She looks good – whether you agree or not, looks sell!
So, how can we apply this to our applications?
You must make sure your application is visually appealing.
One first glance, it draws the attention of the employer.
We live in a world, where we make decisions about reviewing a post/TikTok within 1-3 seconds.
Don’t be fooled. Your panel are also human, fickle and don’t care how long you have spent on your applications.
If it doesn’t look “good” you are at an immediate disadvantage.
How you present your application is how you will be perceived.
What do you want them to think when they look at your application for the first time?
Step 3: Content is King/Queen!
Once you pass the first glance test and they are intrigued, now you must prove to them that you got the goods!
It’s time to sell your skillset through the content within your resume.
Now, it’s not enough to be generic, vague and cookie cutter in your writing style.
Drop the “I’m excited to apply…” BS. It is boring and it’s been overdone.
You must consider why they should choose you over the thousands of other applicants.
You must make it crystal clear to them why you’re perfect.
The best way to do this, is to get innovative, creative with how you tell your story.
It’s called marketing my friend.
It’s how the world works and a life skill worth acquiring.
A proven layout within your resume that just works is the following:
Header – with your Name, Personal Details
Professional Career Summary
Education
Registration
Placements
Work History
Referees
Step 4: Tailor, Tweak and Adapt
If you are applying for multiple roles, please don’t spray and pray.
This is a recipe for multiple rejection emails!
Its super important that once you have established your foundational resume template, that you tailor, tweak and adapt it for each job application.
You must show them that you read the job description – I know! Crazy right?
Some commonly asked questions I get that might just save you from making these mistakes…
It’s not a strategy to use your university assignment resume that you submitted for your final year portfolio – why? Because it’s been a LONG time since your university lecturers sat on an ACTUAL grad recruitment panel.
An academic resume is different to a professional resume.
Your AIN resume that you used to land that job during your university, isn’t going to cut it. Up level it and show them your growth.
Leaving your graduate applications to last minute is not a strategy that will instil confidence in your abilities and chances.
Apply ahead of time, get started now, don’t delay. The panel do pay attention to when the applications are submitted.
There are a lot of considerations and biases that are introduced to this process – don’t give them reasons to say NO!
Now go ahead conquer, apply these steps, and get started on preparing your graduate resume.
About the author.
Liam is an ex-Nurse Unit Manager, who has sat on graduate nurse panels across Australia and knows what panels are looking for! My vision is to make sure NO graduate nurse is without a job in 2023!
5 Ways we can support you in your nursing career ✅
Join our Nurse Career Academy and work with us to help guarantee your next nursing role!
Book a free Career Clarity Call with Liam to discuss your career situation!
Join our private FB community to surround yourself with like minded nurses!
Check out our Youtube Channel for more nurse career support!
