I've written resumes for a diverse range of health care professionals including, but not limited to, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Clinic Managers, Ultrasound and X-Ray Technologists, Physical and Respiratory Therapists, Orthopedic and Medical Assistants.

Of all of these, I've found health professionals often assume that employers will understand the range of patients, disease processes they have knowledge of, size and type of staff they have coordinated with just by listing their job title(s). As a result, they often include weak descriptions of their skills within their resumes. Another problem area for health professionals is being given the same, or nearly the same, job title for every position they've held - which does not show the diversity of their skills and experience at a glance.

Frank had been a Charge Nurse for three different hospitals, one of which had been for a cardiac unit. He found a better paying position for a Charge Nurse on a Geriatric Wing specializing in Cardiac Care. He knew he was a good candidate for this position because he had also been a Charge Nurse on a Geriatric Unit. Checking back on several similar positions that he hadn't landed interviews for, he was told that his resume just didn't look strong enough. So he knew that he had to revamp his resume to bring out the full range of his Charge Nurse experience on the cardiac and geriatric units. Take a moment and look at the job titles in Frank's before resume and you'll see that they are repetitive and do not show the diversity of his skills at a glance.

Now read how I expanded Frank's titles when working with him to create his new resume. Notice that I've expanded his titles to include the units he worked on. Which is more effective in marketing Frank for the Cardiac / Geriatric Charge Nurse position? Notice that we also reprioritized the chronology of Frank's employment starting with his most important positions on the cardiac and geriatric units. Frank can include a compressed work history in chronological order at the bottom of his resume to let employers know where, when and how long he worked in each position.

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my main website's home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

In Summary
With hospital administrators and human resource managers receiving hundreds of resumes for each position it's important that your resume categorize your most relevant experience so that employer's see it at a glance. Many don't have the time, or won't take the time, to ascertain if you have the skills they need. Instead they'll just move on to the next resume.

If you have extensive healthcare experience or are graduating from a 4 year university program, I recommend that you consider purchasing my booklet series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Increase Salaries. It is targeted for job seekers with salaries ranging from $20,000 to $100,000+ and provides over 2,000 skills, skill headings and sample sentences including a list for the healthcare field. It provides extensive resume examples and worksheets to help you identify your skills and market them to match the jobs you want. For a complete description click on the link below.

Or, hire Melissa Pontow to write your resume.  Melissa has been trained extensively by Regina Pontow, author and owner of this website.  Melissa has been writing resumes online since 1997.  Please click here to review Melissa's resume writing services, or qualifications listed in Melissa's resume. 

I used my new resume for application to a  very competitive graduate program for Nurse Practitioners. Well my application was accepted! Since that time I've also used your strategies to write my resume and be hired as a Nurse Practitioner. Thanks for helping me achieve my career goals! Barbara Ann Boslaugh Haner, MN, ARNP Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

http://www.free-resume-tips.com
Website Contents, Regina Pontow, 1997-2006
Worldwide Rights Reserved
Website contents derivative of Proven Resumes & Confidence Builders, 1992-2006
DISCLAIMER