Resumes are a simple tool for showcasing your qualifications, your experience, and how you present yourself. Effective resumes stand out immediately when experts review them. A small mistake or error could remove your name from the list of preferred candidates.

Whether you are a fresher or experienced, your resume will hold high importance when you apply for a job. The chances of you scoring that job increase if you have an effective resume.

So, you know the importance of a resume but don’t know where to start? Look no further. Here are some key points you need to add when creating a professional resume.

First things first, a resume should contain - your full name, campus and permanent address, telephone numbers, and email addresses.

Apart from that, a nursing resume should include the following information:

• A clear-cut career and job objective which shows your sense of direction to the employer. 

• Mention your education, training, and licenses as well as academic honors, scholarships, and extracurricular activities. For Nurses in entry-level positions, you should highlight your education and skills. For intermediate or higher-level nurses, you may desire a position that allows you to grow, and be challenged, so highlight your job experiences. 

• Mention your interactions with other departments, external agencies, and health care professionals.

• Highlight your duties and responsibilities as a registered nurse, including planning, assessing, and evaluating patient care, record keeping, the type of work or ward and routine tasks carried out, etc. 

• As a specialized professional nurse, demonstrate what type of individual you are and give as much detail as possible of your skills and experience. 

• Highlight any other achievements that have benefited your department and obviously your organization in general.

• You should include volunteer work you've done. Especially if the experience is relevant to the job that you are applying for, these experiences should be listed under work experience.

• As an experienced nurse, there are other things to include in your resume such as:
  
  Your resume should have the names of each of your employers and your corresponding job titles. 

• Give a brief description of the employer like what they are doing, if they are not well known. 

• The number of staff that you manage (if applicable) 

• Present a narrative statement of your value-like experience with a comprehensive background like pediatric, oncology, long-term care, and ICU/ER, knowledge of Medicare home health regulations and JCAHO standards/reimbursement requirements, a registered nurse with 10 years’ track record providing quality, patient-centered care in home, hospital, nursing home, hospice, and private office settings, etc.

With that out of the way, there are several other things to keep in mind. Here is a simple list of Dos and Donts.

What You Should Do When Writing Your Resume:

• Proofread and double-check all the information. Make sure all the information you have put in is correct, authentic, and not exaggerated. Incorrect contact information could prevent your employers from getting in touch with you.

• Be concise and clear. Avoid including non-relevant information such as your favorite color or your favorite TV shows etc. An employer typically skims a resume in 30 seconds. Your goal is to quickly convey to them your qualifications for the role.

•  Customize your resume for the position that you are applying for. Do your research on your job and employer. Mention any relevant work experience or accomplishments. 

• Keep your resume short. A resume should be no longer than 2 pages. It is generally more preferred to be of one page. The goal is to add all the appropriate details while also keeping it as short as possible. Avoid cluttering your resume so that employers can easily find the information they need.

What You Should Not Do When Writing Your Resume:

• Don’t add inappropriate information. There is no reason to add your personal information such as your height, weight, etc. Make sure your email address is professional and easy to read. You should avoid using too many special characters or letters in your email address, and avoid offensive addresses. 

• Avoid using personal pronouns. Avoid the use of "I" and "my". Your resume should be written in the third person. This makes the resume appear more objective. 

• Why you left your previous jobs should not be included. Keep the resume as positive as possible. Only state your start date and your departure date on your resume. Your resume should be neutral although a potential employer may ask why you left later at an interview. 

• Referencing is not necessary. Reference letters or such information should be left out of the resume. It is recommended that you keep it in a separate file and only hand it in if asked.

Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills and expertise from job-seekers that match the skills necessary to perform a particular job. Implementing these key points into your resume makes you appear more professional and increases your possibilities of getting hired.