Your nursing career has a unique narrative that propels it, and your resume is one place where it’s essential to get the story right if you want prospective employers to notice you or other opportunities to come to fruition.
In a complex, evolving, and often competitive job market, having an up-to-date resume ready to go at all times is simply smart. But no matter how important it might be, many unprepared nurses only dig out their resumes in a panic when they hear about a fabulous job, fellowship, grant, or other opportunity, and the deadline to apply is the next day. That stress is entirely avoidable if they only look over their resume once a year.
If you haven’t checked your resume for more than a year — or you don’t even know where you have a copy, digital or otherwise — then some resume resuscitation is needed ASAP. But remember: before you try mouth-to-mouth on that decrepit old resume, remove the cobwebs first.
A Relic in the Attic of Your Life
If you’re one of those nurses whose resume is gathering dust in the attic of your life, there’s no time like the present to find that relic of a document and expose it to the light of day. After all, if an incredible opportunity comes, will that resume antique do the trick? Probably not.
Whether you’re a new nurse, a nurse with several years of experience, or a seasoned nursing professional with several decades under your belt, you must always have a resume that’s free of dust and ready to use, perhaps with a quick tweak or two.
The bottom line is that you don’t want to stay up until 3 a.m., worried and exhausted, rewriting your resume from scratch because a deadline for an application snuck up on you and is due tomorrow morning. Who needs that kind of unnecessary stress?
But I’m Not Going Anywhere
“But wait,” you say, “I have a great job, and I don’t expect to go anywhere until I retire!”
In response, I’ll say that even if you’re comfortable in the same position you’ve had for years and think this doesn’t apply to you, my message is this: the need to have an updated resume always applies to everyone. Period.
It’s no secret that 21st-century healthcare is a moving target. Acquisitions and health system mergers are common, and when corporate restructuring happens, any position — no matter how solid it seemed — could end up on the proverbial chopping block, including yours.
You also never know when some amazing opportunity requiring a resume may come along — including those within your place of employment. Being involved in all sorts of activities looks great on your resume, especially if you are interested in leadership and other career-building strategies. Whatever your ambitions, these types of opportunities might include:
- Important interdisciplinary workplace committees or special projects
- Applying to be on the advisory board of a non-profit
- Being nominated to the prestigious American Academy of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, or similar organization
- A nursing fellowship that would allow you to pursue a research project you’ve been thinking about for years
- Applying to graduate school
- Going on a medical mission with Doctors Without Borders or a similar aid group
There are many scenarios when you might need your resume, and you don’t want to be caught unprepared when the opportunity knocks.
Updating a Resume: It’s Not Rocket Science
Updating your resume isn’t rocket science but takes little thought and effort. You can program your calendar to remind you to review it annually on New Year’s Day, your birthday, or any other date that works for you.
If you don’t currently have a resume, there’s plenty of help, including career coaches (some of whom are nurses), videos, articles, blog posts, and downloadable resume templates.
Ultimately, there’s no viable excuse not to have your resume primed and always ready for action. After all, once you get it written and in tip-top shape, updating it once a year is extremely easy.
So, if you’re a nurse and want every possible door to be open to you as you move along the yellow brick road of your career, keep your pencil sharp, your resume up-to-date, your head on a swivel, and your mind open to the possibilities.
You deserve every chance of success and satisfaction, and a resume is an essential slice of the career mobility pie. And you can pass on the cobwebs.
Looking for a new nursing job or career advice? Visit Daily Nurse’s Nursing Career Resource Center.
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