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DRAW
FROM JOB ADS TO CREATE YOUR RESUME
By Quick
and Affordable Resumes
Before an artist can sit down to a blank canvas and
paint a masterpiece, he needs a reference point such as
a garden or bowl of fruit. Similarly, job seekers need
job ads to identify their required skills.
You are probably like most people when it comes to
describing what you do on a day-to-day basis. You are on
autopilot. You can do your job with your eyes closed
because it is fairly routine with the exception of a few
special projects.
So why do you draw a blank when it comes to writing your
resume? Sure, you can cover the basics, such as the
industry, the products involved and maybe even touch on
the types of clients and department you work in.
But what about really getting into the nitty-gritty
about the scope of your responsibilities? Do you know
how to break it down and align it with the requirements
of a position?
This exercise is designed to help you work it out. Let's
review a job ad for a nurse.
* Must have experience assessing, planning, implementing
and evaluating pediatric patient care within a large
medical facility.
* Must have experience planning for expected outcomes of
care for those patients assigned.
* Must have experience performing interventions
according to identified priorities, plan of care, and
hospital policies.
* Must have experience promoting interpersonal relations
with patients, family, and physicians.
* Must have experience communicating pertinent
information about patient, nursing unit, and activities
as appropriate.
If you were a nurse who had to write a resume, you might
compose the following statements:
* Provide exceptional nursing care to patients.
* Work well with patients, families and nurses.
* Report problems to physicians requiring immediate
attention.
So, what is missing from this information? In reviewing
the requirements, you can see that it is too general and
does not provide enough detail to qualify for a position
in a particular unit, within a certain type of medical
facility and working with a specific patient population.
Many people might prescribe to the theory that nursing
is nursing. But this is simply not the case. A nurse
works in either a private practice setting, a nursing
home or a large medical center. He or she can work in
any one of numerous specialty units such as pediatrics,
critical care, Operating Room or Medical Surgical. The
list of units is extensive.
Would a hospital searching for a pediatrics nurse
quality this job seeker for the position? Chances are
they would be more likely to quality the job seeker who
wrote the following in his or her resume:
* Provide quality pre- and post-operative care to 8-12
pediatric patients on a busy pediatrics unit with 40
beds.
* Collaborate with medical and mental health teams to
identify and manage patients' and family needs.
* Develop patient care plans and discharge plans.
* Coordinate patient admissions and transfers.
* Educate patients and their families with a focus on
expectation, prevention, medication, at-home care and
pain management techniques.
Now the reader can see what the patient population is,
the type of unit, and the scope of responsibilities.
This is only a brief to make a point.
To take it further, examine each requirement and think
about what you do along those lines. Modify the
sentences to make them your own and real. The
requirements are an excellent tool to help you identify
what you do, and to find great key words. In the end,
you will be giving the reader what they are looking for
in a candidate.
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