8 Elements to Make Your Healthcare Resume Stand Out

Updated on November 22, 2021

Getting hired in the healthcare field is easier when your resume accurately represents your achievements and stands out to hiring managers.

Are you looking for a job in healthcare? Pay attention to these 8 resume elements to maximize your chances of getting hired.

1. Organize your work history to highlight the most important information

For the most part, your work history should be presented in chronological order. However, if your resume exceeds one page and your biggest achievements are on the second page, consider reorganizing your chronology.

Hiring managers will usually read through two-page resumes, but the first page will always grab the majority of their attention. Try to place your most significant achievements on the first page where they’ll be seen.

2. Be generous with white space

White space creates the visual impact of your resume. Hiring managers looking at your resume won’t actively notice your whitespace – it’s a subtle, often overlooked element that adds to the overall presentation.

For instance, if you shrink your margins down to fit more content on each page, your resume will look cluttered. A cluttered resume probably won’t get you hired. Stick with ½-inch margins all around.

3. Use powerful verbiage

The words you use matter. Some words will make you appear passive, while strong words will make you appear confident. Choose strong words to elicit a better response from hiring managers.

For example, resume templates are a great source for examples of strong verbiage. For instance, if you’re a nurse, use a nurse resume example to get ideas for phrasing your achievements. Saying you “accelerated patient recovery by minimizing infections” will speak volumes to a hiring manager.

4. Condense your sentences

If you’re running out of space, start condensing your sentences by eliminating unnecessary words and rephrasing sentences to use fewer words.

5. Focus on formatting

Give some care to the following formatting styles:

·  Typeface. Basic is best. Choose a basic sans serif font like Arial or Calibri. Serif fonts are a bit trickier. While serif fonts are technically easier to read, too much serif can make a font harder to read. Stick with sans serif to avoid using the wrong font.

·  Font size. Stick to 12pt fonts, and don’t go above 14pt for headings. Resist the temptation to shrink your font to make more content fit on the pages.

·  Bold and italics. Use bold text and italics sparingly. The more instances of bold content you have, the less any of it will stand out.

·  Line spacing. Use standard single spacing for your resume. Anything less will be hard to read.

·  Colors. Keep your text black. Colors will make your resume look less professional.

·  Bulleted lists. Use bulleted lists to condense large amounts of information rather than spelling everything out.

6. Word your achievements to show the benefits of hiring you

When listing your achievements and explaining what you’ve done in the past, word things in a way that potential employers will understand. For example, rather than listing your daily responsibilities and tasks, focus on the outcome – what did those tasks contribute to the company?

Similarly, list your skills in a way that demonstrates how your skills will benefit a potential employer. However, don’t just focus on technical skills. For example, flexibility and cultural competency are two relevant and necessary skills you might not think of right away.

7. Limit the use of acronyms and jargon

If you’re switching industries, avoid using industry jargon and acronyms a potential employer won’t understand. Even if you’re staying in the same industry, limit the amount of jargon you use. Sometimes hiring managers get overwhelmed with jargon, so use it sparingly.

8. Avoid putting others down

One thing to watch out for is putting others down while discussing your own achievements. For instance, if you were hired to find and fix security holes, phrase your achievements in a positive way without putting people down who were involved in the problem.

For example, avoid this type of phrasing: “I fixed a major security hole that the former team created out of incompetence.”

Instead, write something like this: “Discovered and fixed a major security hole that was causing X, Y, Z problems for the company.”

You don’t need to point out the faults of those who came before you. Acknowledging how you fixed the problem is all you need. If you put others down while discussing your achievements, potential employers will see that as a sign of arrogance, and they might be hesitant to hire you.

Be transparent during your interviews

Nursing isn’t easy. Be transparent during your interviews when asked about times you could have done better. Part of being a nurse requires accepting responsibility for outcomes within your sphere of influence. If you want to get hired, transparency is equally important as a stellar resume.

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