Creating A Great Resume - PDF Worksheet

R.I.P. OBJECTIVE STATEMENT

Lets get started with, in my opinion the most important part of any resume, the objective statement. The objective statement has taken the spotlight and is king on the resume. Now you might be saying to yourself, "If the objective statement is king why am I saying R.I.P. to it?" Great question: R.I.P. to the old way of writing your objective statement. The days of writing an objective statement about what your looking for in a position is over. Since we are a staffing/placement firm for Registered Nurses and Therapists here is an example of what we see most of the time on an objective statement on a resume that is sent to us for an open position. (This is just an example that we made up and in no way singles out anyone)

Example mission/objective statement - To obtain a challenging career as a Registered

Nurse in which I can utilize my excellent customer service and organizational skills while providing the highest level of patient care. The mission/objective statement written above is no longer acceptable to hiring managers and/or facilities. It is outdated! 99% of anyone who has ever written a resume/cv has just about written the same mission/objective statement entailing what he or she as a employer are looking for to benefit them. Remember the title of this little worksheet - WE WANT TO STAND OUT WITH OUR RESUME/CV ABOVE OUR COMPETITION. WE WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AND THE FIRST TO GET THE CALL FOR AN INTERVIEW.

How do we accomplish this goal?

We start by changing our way of thinking. Instead of thinking what's in it for me, think how can I help this company/facility with the skills I bring to the position.

Our new mission/objective statement should read - Motivated medical professional with over 8 years experience organizing and providing exceptional assistance to an entire emergency department. Adept in accurate data entry with excellent communication skills.

With mission/objective statements, it's the first statement that the hiring manager or recruiter will see. You only have one chance and 15 seconds to get it right. Compare the two mission/objective statement above and you can clearly see which one stands out!

When you are selecting a font for your resume, the font size should be between 10 and 12 to allow for readability. You should use a readable, font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. Do not use the default - it's boring and we want to stand out.

1. Know the purpose of your resume - The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job.

2. Use effective titles - Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 15 seconds. Try to be as descriptive as possible. For example:

Bad title: Registered Nurse

Good title: Per Diem/Supervisor RN - ICU/CCU/PCU

3. Proofread it twice - One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip.

Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, and what I mean is have someone else read it the second time for errors.

4. Put the most important information first - This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first. You may have to tailor this for each different position you apply for. Make sure to compare to the position summary.

5. Do not include "no kidding" information - There are many people that like to

include statements like "Available for interview" or "References available upon request. If you are sending a resume to a company, the hiring manager knows that you are available for the interview and that you will/should have references.

By Nicholas Blake