Travel nursing is an amazing and exciting opportunity to explore the country! You get to adventure while you do your job and be well compensated for it.
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
However, in order for an opportunity like this to not go to waste, you need an updated travel nurse resume. Our Ventura MedStaff recruiters handle countless resumes every day, and we know what works best and what doesn’t. So here are some helpful tips for first-time travel nurses.
Be Clear and Concise
Your resume should be about you and your professional qualifications. Keep it positive, upbeat and to the point. Recruiters have to go through hundreds or even thousands of resumes to find the right person. Due to this, most will only spend a few minutes per resume looking it over. They need to be able to scan it quickly and easily and find all the skills and qualifications they need to move you onto the next stage of the interview process. You will want to create an engaging travel nurse resume that will set you apart from the competition and improve your career.
Include Relevant Travel Nursing Experience
This may seem like a no-brainer. You are applying for a nursing position, therefore the information should be about your nursing experience and qualifications, right? Well, in our experience, that is not always the case. Some people will try and include more information than necessary on their resumes.
You want to stick to what is relevant. This means that you do not have to include your time volunteering at a soup kitchen or the grocery store job you worked in high school, only past nursing or healthcare work.
Tailor Your Travel Nurse Resume to the Position
Another helpful tip is to tailor your resume to the position you are applying for. Don’t underestimate the power of a resume exclusively designed for your dream assignment.
This means specifying certain skills and experiences that are relevant to the position you are applying for. If a hospital uses a certain system and you have experience with it, make sure you mention it where applicable. If there’s anything that can give you an extra edge when applying, use it and highlight it.
Make sure to clearly label things such as your education with all the relevant degrees, seminars, training, things such as your organizational skills, as well as your previous experiences. Make sure you list things out using bullet points, making it easier to read than a block of text.
Try and Stand Out
Whenever you apply for a job, you are competing against other individuals, and your best chance of being picked is to make sure you stand out. Make sure you highlight any special skills you have, list out all certifications, and include anything that will set you apart from other professionals.
Proofreading Is Vital
Finally, before hitting send, make sure you proofread your resume. There is nothing worse than sending out a resume with typos or grammatical errors. This will make sure you stand out negatively. Once you are done proofreading, make sure you send it to a friend or family member for them to proofread it as well. A second set of eyes who are not familiar with what your resume is supposed to say will catch any mistakes that you miss.
Here at Ventura MedStaff, we work with nurses every day helping them to find assignments all over the country. If you need help perfecting your resume and getting a travel contract, reach out to one of our recruiters. We would love to help you start your career as a travel nurse.
