Category: Resume

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Advanced Practice Providers Job Search Resume

How Your Resume Can Help Make Your Next Interview Great

Your resume begins the interview process. Most clients have you fill out an application, but they seldom review that when they’re meeting you. It’s your resume that they read and use during an interview.

 

So how do you make sure your resume makes you standout and helps you be their choice to hire?

 

First your resume needs to give them an idea of the full scope and depth of your experience, background and knowledge, more than just the basics. But you have to do that in a few pages and not write a novel.

 

It needs to show your potential and any transferable skills and even creativity and that you have qualities to be a great employee who can far exceed their expectations.

 

Remember before you come in they will carefully review your resume, make notes on it and ask questions to get additional information they might need. Your resume helps them create some questions that are unique to you and your experience to find out if you are the person they’re looking for.

 

A few tips to make your resume standout:

  • Simple is always best – no fancy fonts, no weird formatting and no flowery words. Well written text and information telling a future employer who you are. Make it easy to find out what you can do.
  • Use bullet points for your experience and other information. Long paragraphs are boring, hard to read and so people don’t and can miss what experience you have.
  • Beef up your resume by using words like achieved, mentored, trained, saved, expanded, increased, maximized, negotiated – to show work you’ve done and how you exceeded expectations.
  • Leave off personal info like social security number, spouse, kids, pictures and jobs from the early 90s and the 80s.
  • Length – 2 -4 pages works for experienced candidates; 1-2 pages for new grads.

Resume Format – what your resume needs:

  • Objective – I like these when they’re well written, hate them when they’re rambling and say nothing. If you’re going to use one make it short and tell what job you are looking for. No more, no less.
  • Summary of Qualifications – a great way to highlight your best skills and what employers care about – 2-4 well written bullets about your background. Tip – you can tailor to the job description.
  • Education – if you’re a new graduate your education should be before your work experience, if you’re more experienced and have lots of work experience it can go at the end or the beginning; it’s up to you. Include dates of graduation.
  • Work History/Experience – List your most recent position first. Write in the first person – but leave off “I”. So instead of I see – See 15 patients daily……
  • License and Certifications – List national certifications and state licenses that are active or in process.
  • Other – you might want to include associations or volunteer work that relates to the job.

 

Our current Advanced Practice Provider Jobs

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Advanced Practice Providers Resume

Get Rid of Red Flags on Your Resume

Your resume is the first thing a potential employer sees before meeting you. It needs to highlight your experience, background and strengths. Resumes with red flags can stop the process.

 

 How to avoid red flags on your resume:

Gaps – Employment gaps can be a big red flag as an employer reviews your resume. I knew one hiring manager who used a red marker and circle gaps and if there too many, the person was toast. Sometimes the gap can be explained; you took care of sick parent or went back to school, etc. Cover letters can be helpful to explain some gaps but be careful not to be too wordy. For an interview; it’s important to be prepared and be honest when you explain the gaps. Have a short detailed answer (no rambling please).

 

Sloppy resume – Resumes with formatting errors, typos, spelling and grammar errors, different fonts show a lack of attention to detail and is a big red flag.  Not taking the time to prepare a good resume makes an employer wonder what else you might not prepare for.

 

Words with no substance – I recently spoke to a candidate who had great experience but you’d never know it from his resume. The words he used were vague and didn’t highlight what he could do. Hiring managers care about substance – How have you impacted the company/practice? Numbers, specifics are what they are looking for. Saw patients vs. Saw 15 patients daily. Performed surgery vs. performed  ‘x’ number of ‘type’ of surgery. Flowery words are a red flag that you might not have the experience they need. Be specific.

 

Not Customizing – Tailoring your resume for a specific job is vital. It shows the employer you read the description, researched the company and made the connection with your experience. Use keywords to highlight your background.

 

No achievements – Detail your accomplishments. Potential employers like results, so show them.

 

To fix the issue, you should review your resume, look for the red flags then rewrite and revise. It’s worth the time to have a resume that stands out.

 

 

 

 

 

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Job Search Resume

What a Recruiter Sees When They Review Your Resume

Did you know that a recruiter scans a resume for one, maybe two minutes? That’s it. Hardly enough time to learn just how wonderful you are, but it’s all you are probably going to get.

 

It’s important that your resume is good. Not good, in fancy font or a picture or some weird formatting. Good in information about you. Information and details that tells them who you are, what your skills are and what you offer.

 

A few reminders: (you’re heard it all before but it never hurts to review)

  • Check your spelling, grammar and format (resumes with large gaps look messy).
  • Be sure your dates are easy to see and your jobs are in chronological order with your current/most recent position first.
  • A summary of qualifications with 2-3 well written bullets can be helpful to quickly see what you bring to the table.
  • Length – 2-3 page resume seems to be the average these days. You don’t have to squeeze it all on one page anymore. However, resume that are five or more pages might need some editing or formatting.
  • Another suggestion is to have more than one resume. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants many times have worked in one or two specialties during their careers. A specialized/focused resume is a great way to highlight that experience. Each resume can concentrate on those specific skills and make it easier for the recruiter or manager to see that you fit their needs.

 

So many resumes, so little time.

Remember, recruiters look at hundreds of resumes in a week and they know what they need (skills, experience, etc.) If you make it hard to find on your resume; they will look elsewhere. A Recruiter is a company’s first line of defense. They are the ones who forward resumes to the hiring managers. So it’s vital that your resume gets their attention. And that your skills and experience are easy to review.

 

 

What do they look for when viewing a resume? 

  1. Your title (what you’re doing now) and where
  2. Your skill set – what are you trained for and what you do and most important how close your background matches their open position. So be sure to have a short paragraph, or better bullets describing some of the work you do daily.  If you’re a new graduate NP or PA, they check what type of clinical rotations you did during school, so be sure they’re listed.
  3. Job History – Stable work history? Job hopper? Do you have progression in title, responsibility?
  4. Certification and state license(s) – Do you have a current state license? Are you certified as a FNP, PNP, ACNP, PA-C, etc. New graduates should note the date of their certification exam if you have it.
  5. Where are you located – are you local or will you need to relocate?
  6. Education – They want to be sure you went to an accredited school and when you graduated.

What can cause a Recruiter to pause when reviewing a resume? (Doesn’t mean they’re not interested; just be ready to answer questions).

  1. Gaps – note if you went to school, volunteering, cared for a sick relative, were raising your kids or even if you traveled for a year.
  2. Short tenure at more than one job – have your response prepared to explain a short job. And don’t forget if you worked contract, locum or interim to add that next the title.

You made it pass the first brief scan of your resume, what’s next?

  1. A more in-depth review of your resume – skills, jobs, experience, etc.
  2. Education – be sure you list the school, dates and type of degree you received.
  3. Your online footprint – There is a good chance they’ll check out your online presence at some point to learn more about you – what do you like to do, volunteer, sports, etc. And if you haven’t – clean up and get rid of anything (pictures, quotes, etc.) that might not be seen as professional.

If they feel you meet enough of the qualifications for the job, your resume is forwarded to the hiring or department manager for review. This is the ultimate goal; get off the desk of the recruiter and in the hands of the decision maker.

A well written resume with real skills, accomplishments and experience will you get more than a passing glance.

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Career Success Job Search Resume

Useful tips to survive a Recruiter’s review of your resume

What a Recruiter sees when they review your resume?

Most recruiters scan a resume for one, maybe two minutes. That’s it. It doesn’t sound like enough time to learn just how wonderful you are but it’s all you’re probably going to get.



It’s important that your resume is good. Not good in fancy font or a picture. Good in information. Information and details that tells them who you are and what you offer.

A few reminders: (you’re heard it all before but it never hurts to review)

  • Check your spelling, grammar and format (resumes with large gaps look messy).
  • Be sure your dates are easy to see and your jobs are in chronological order with your current/most recent position first.
  • A summary of qualifications with 2-3 well written bullets can be helpful to quickly see what you bring to the table.
  • Length – 2-3 page resume seems to be the average these days. You don’t have to squeeze it all on one page anymore. However, resume that are five or more pages might need some editing or formatting.
  • Another suggestion is to have more than one resume. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants many times have worked in one or two specialties during their careers. A specialized/focused resume is a great way to highlight that experience. Each resume can concentrate on those specific skills and make it easier for the recruiter or manager to see that you fit their needs.

Remember, recruiters look at hundreds of resumes in a week and they know how to find what they need but if you make it hard for them they will look elsewhere. Recruiters are a company’s first line of defense and they are the ones who forward resumes to the hiring managers. So it’s vital that your resume gets their attention and your skills and experience are easy for them to find.

 

What do they look for? 

  1. Your title (what you’re doing now) and where
  2. Your skill set – what are you trained for and what you do and most important how close your background matches their open position. So be sure to have a short paragraph, or better bullets describing some of the work you do daily.  If you’re a new graduate NP or PA, they check what type of clinical rotations you did during school, so be sure they’re listed.
  3. Job History – Stable work history? Job hopper? Do you have progression in title, responsibility?
  4. Certification and state license(s). New graduates should note the date of their certification exam if you have it.
  5. Are you local or will you need to relocate?
  6. Education – For experienced NPs and PAs this is less important as the recruiter is more focused on your experience.

Things that make them pause? (Doesn’t mean they’re not interested; just be ready to answer questions).

  1. Gaps
  2. Short tenure at more than one job

You made it pass the first brief scan of your resume, what’s next?

  1. A more in-depth review of your resume – skills, jobs, experience, etc.
  2. Education – be sure you list the school, dates and type of degree you received.
  3. Your online footprint – There is a good chance they’ll check out your online presence at some point to learn more about you – what do you like to do, volunteer, sports, etc. And if you haven’t – clean up and get rid of anything (pictures, quotes, etc.) that might not be seen as professional.

If they feel you meet enough of the qualifications for the job, your resume is forwarded to the hiring or department manager for review. This is the ultimate goal; get off the desk of the recruiter and in the hands of the decision maker.

To make that happen, be sure your resume is well written and informative. This will help you get more than a passing glance.

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Career Success Job Interview Tips Job Search Resume Uncategorized

Resume Tips For Healthcare Providers

healthcare resume tips
In the healthcare industry where jobs continue to rise, it’s important for job seekers to keep their resumes current and completed in way that will get them noticed. Whether you are connected to this industry, looking for better opportunities and job roles, or have newly joined the health care industry, the competition and high standards sought, require a greater set of skills and experience. Portraying your skills and experience in an effective way on your resume, leaves you with smart job options. Here are a few tips you can follow to help sell your skill set to potential employers and recruiters!

Use your full title and licenses with your name
Whether you are a DR, RN or PT, you must be specific in your name title when writing a resume to leave healthier impression on the recruiters. Always list your licenses along with the states you are eligible to work within. This will allow employers and recruiters immediately identify if your licenses are a fit for the current position.

Go for a profession Email address
Professional email address means that it should start with your first name and end at your last name when able. It definitely does not resonate well with a potential employer or recruiter when an email address has a weird name such as “coldbreeze@ yahoo.com”. These are the initial things to notice when presenting your resume, your email must be professional and simple.

Objective statements are outdated
It was a trend in previous decades to present an elaborated objective to will help you to impress the interviewer. It’s already understood when you present your resume that you are searching for better opportunities that will enhance your expertise and skill set. Therefore, an objective statement should only be added in your cover letter when you are switching to a different field or industry.

Use bullets to list your skills
Bullet points makes it much easier to go through entire resume and avoid distraction for those who review hundreds of resumes in a day. These points help to summarize your past experience. Try keeping your points to 10 or 15 lines. Use bold and italic point style only to differentiate between companies and job titles.

Identify each and every certification
Whether it is ACLS, D.A, D.C or any other certification it must be included in your resume to save time for everyone involved. If this is not done, the employer or recruiter might skip you while reviewing the resume simply thinking that you don’t have the required qualifications.

References mean a lot
It is not mandatory to add your current references in to your resume because the space should be used to describe your expertise and education history. Instead you should make it available to provide whenever it is asked for. References should not include friends or co-workers rather it should include your former supervisor and management staff.

Personalize / customize everything for each job
You must customize everything whether it is you resume or cover letter. By this – we mean that you should make sure your resume is customized for every position you are applying for. Using keywords from the job description you are applying for can be a great help!

Be descriptive with your employment dates
Always insert the month and year from where you started and ended each position you held, so that the interviewer can easily see your work history at a glance.

Be precise
Your resume is the only thing which comes to a recruiter before you reach to them in person. So, make it as elaborated as you can whether you were a physician, worked as midwife, have intern / resident experience, it should specifically describe the departments where you worked such as ICU, PACU, and Surgical ward to further showcase your skills and experience.

Last but not the least, you should present your resume in a professional manner. When submitting resumes through email the .pdf formats work best when sending resumes along with the cover letter.

When your resume is completed – be sure to check out our national healthcare positions here: Healthcare Open Positions Nationally

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Job Search Nurse Practitioner jobs Physician Assistant jobs Resume Success Uncategorized

Best Salary Negotiation Tips

salary money
You are looking forward to getting that new job but they didn’t offer you the salary that you were looking for. Now is the time to negotiate that salary, don’t wait until later. Negotiating a salary isn’t an easy task. Talking about money is difficult alone for many people. Use these tips to negotiate the salary you want.

Let Them Make The Initial Offer
Never give the number that you want first if you can avoid it. This allows you to get a general feel for the salary range that they are willing to offer you. It also gives you grounds to negotiate on. You don’t want to start the negotiation process before they are ready, so as hard as it is, just wait for them to start it.

Do Your Research
You should know what people with similar experience in similar job positions are getting paid. It is great if you can figure out this information about people who work at the company you are negotiating with. It gives you even better grounds to negotiate on. One tool for this is Glassdoor, a website and app that lets employees rate their employers, both past and present.

Don’t Be Rude About It
You might have viewed that low salary offer as a slap in the face to your experience, education, and training but it wasn’t. Any business that knows its business starts low and expects you to defend the salary that you want. Throughout the negotiation process you should be polite but willing to take a stand for what you need and want.

Don’t Get Personal
Your future employer doesn’t need to know why you need your salary, they need to know why you deserve it. Avoid bringing up the personal reasons that you need or want your salary. When you beg or give personal explanations for needing a salary it comes off as desperate and needy. Both are things that you don’t want your employer to think about you.

Be Flexible
Don’t be set in complete stone. You should have a number that you won’t go below and a number that you want. Remember that you are just starting with this company and you will have room to grow. They don’t know you yet and most companies have policies set forth for salary evaluation at the end of the year. Don’t forget to highlight what you do throughout the year in an unobtrusive way so that your boss knows that you have earned a salary raise.

Talk Full Compensation Package
You should make sure that you talk with your employer about your full compensation package. Compensations other than cash can help make up for a lower offer. For example, if you are in a higher level position a company car might be a perk. Discounts can also help to make up for a gap in what you were expecting and what you are being offered.

You are the only person who can determine whether or not a salary offer is right for you. Remember to be flexible when you are starting out at a company though. This looks good for you and gives you room to grow. Know when low is too low though, you need to worry about yourself.

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Career Success Job Search Resume Success

Personal Branding: Making Sure Your Social Media Footprint Makes You Stand Out

Social media

Your personal brand plays a large part in your professional world. Today people use the internet as a big tool in hiring so what goes on social media can help make or break that new job that you have been looking at. Use these tips to help make your social media stand out from all of the rest.

Do Not Erase Social Media

A lot of people’s first thought when they are looking to get a new job or a promotion is to wipe their social media account. Completely getting rid of it or remove all of the content from the account: This is the last thing that you want to do. Data miners, those who look for your data on the internet have ways of finding things that have been recently removed and will use these if your social media presence is gone or bare.

Instead of deleting your whole account, target the posts that you think are the worst offenders. Do not remove much though as it will leave gaps in your account.

Social Media is Personal Marketing

Treat your social media as a way to market yourself to friends. It is how you show someone that you are a good friend and being a good friend doesn’t mean that you have to be a constant partier. Fill out your profile thoroughly so that your friends will know what you like and it shows that there is real content behind you. It also shows potential employers that you take things seriously.

A social media profile should make you appealing to everyone, not just friends.

Think Before Posting

Before you post anything on your social media page in the future you should think first. Pictures of you partying, posts with negative text, and fights between friends are not good things to have on your Facebook. Take a second before posting anything and ask yourself is this something that would be okay for future employers to see?

Don’t forget to ask your friends to help you by not posting negative content of you and not tagging you in things that you shouldn’t be tagged in.

Update Regularly and Engage Friends

Potential employers or investors want to know that you’re an active person. When you post content regularly it helps to show this, so does regularly engaging your friends. Commenting on photos, tagging people, and getting people to comment on your photos shows people that you don’t just go home and sit alone. Even executives and smart people need releases from work and you are expected to have yours.

The most important thing to take away from this is to make your social media profile a reflection of you in the digital world. It should be both professional and social. Also make sure that your page does not appear artificial, this makes people question who you are. Once you start, don’t forget to be consistent. Every brand, including your personal brand needs to be consistent.

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Why Changing Jobs in the New Year is Most Beneficial

E very year we begin the year with Resolutions. Things we plan to do in order to make our lives, or ourselves better. These are usually about dieting or exercising, but it is shown that the real things to make a difference are when we make real life changes and seek out something that will truly better our lives. Here are 6 reasons why changing your job in the New Year will enhance your career and your life.

 

Ready to Advance your current title.

Often times, we need to change to a new company in order to advance in our careers. It isn’t that the current job doesn’t appreciate you, It is usually due to the fact that they just do not have the room to properly promote within. There are often more spots available for entry level than management. Make sure you appreciate the experience that your current job has taught you and take those lessons on with you.

Major life change.

Sometimes we have a major life change happen that causes us to reevaluate our current roles and positions, does the current job accommodate my life and career goals that I have lined up with my current changes. If you just got married or had a baby, you might have different objectives than when you first began your career.

Better Management to encourage you.

Sometimes, even if we work for a great boss, they become so used to how fantastic you are that they do not push you the way that you often need to be pushed. When we change jobs and find ourselves with a new superior, they often find new ways to push us and encourage us to do better and be better.

More challenging job tasks.

When we find ourselves in the same job for a long period of time we often find that we can do the job without really challenging ourselves. It almost becomes second nature, and we get complacent. It is often wise, whether it be a promotion within the same company, or a lateral change, or even a complete job change, to challenge us with new tasks and different responsibilities. This keeps us sane and also keeps our minds awake and functioning higher.

You increase your earning power.

When we discover our full worth, and we seek out different jobs or positions, we increase our confidence which in turn boosts our earning power. You have the ability and luxury to seek out the income you desire and need and it helps you be more confident in asking for what you deserve.

You gain a broader knowledge base.

With all the challenges that come with a new job, you also gain more knowledge. Whether it be continuing education or just knowledge you learn on the job, you will learn more and that will carry over into your job and make you a better employee and candidate for any future promotions.

young people

Whatever your reasons are, any time is a good time to start the rest of your life, so go for it!

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The Right Time to Make a Career Change

Are you in a good place in your career but think maybe it’s time to move on to something better?  How do you know when is the right time to make a change in your career or if it’s best to stay where you are?  Here are some things to consider when evaluating your life and career.  

 

 

1) Evaluate Your Current Situation

You want to review your career skills and interests, and evaluate your satisfaction with your current situation.  If you have additional education you have been considering, now is a good time to pursue continued education.  

 

2) Discover Your Unique Career Vision

Figure out where you want your career to go. Where do you want to be in the next 5 years? 10 years? What are the current trends in your career field?  What motivates you?  What skills are most beneficial to a successful career in your industry? What positions and organizations fit in your vision? 

 

3) Develop A Plan 

Outline your short and long term goals in order to achieve your career vision. Short term goals should be attainable within two to three years, long term should be attainable within three to five years.  Your short term goals should be stepping stones to reach your long term goals. The goal can be a specifc promotion within the same company, or maybe you have your heart set on working for a specific facility or organization.  Whatever the goal is, set the plan to make them happen. 

Once you have your goals, develop an outline and timeline to make it happen. This will layout specific tasks that need to be completed in order to reach your goals.  

 

4) Make it Happen

Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who can guide you, they will assist you in navigating your career path. They csn help you better understand your strengths and the areas you need to work on. You want to choose someone you trust and eho is admired within your industry. Be sure to keep your mentor apprise of your plans and goals so they can properly guide you as you grow within your career. Review your resume and profiles are up to date with all of your information. 

Network, network, network. This is one of the biggest keys in growing your career in today’s job industries, the more you network, the more opportunities that can come up to help grow your career.  

 

Finally, never stop learning.  You will never know everything there is to know, especially in the medical field. Continue to educate yourself, whether it be reading the latest articles pertainning to your field or continuing education classes, continue to learn and grow. Once you have your plan written out, use it as inspiration and let it help keep you in the right track to reaching your goals.

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Career Success Job Search Resume Success

Using Positivity to Improve Your Job Search

When we are children we naturally stay happy and find the positive and joy in everything in our lives. As we grow up, we learn fear and doubt. This can damage several aspects of our lives as we grow and become adults and we allow that fear to affect the choices we make and how we make decisions, especially in our adult lives and the big choices we have to make regarding our careers and family.
Positive Thinking Word Cloud Concept
Often times we get so caught up in the stress of being an adult and the responsibilities that go along with it, we forget that often times choosing what makes us happy and what guides us to the best choices in our lives, is usually what we tend to shy away from. We find much later in life, that the secret to a happy life is making better choices. We hear from our wise elders what they woukd have done different if they had only known, but now we know what we can do different. So why do we continue to repeat their mistakes? Do you want to be the one telling your grandchildren in 20 years that you “would have been happier if..”? No?
Now you ask, how do we change this? How do we make our lives better and happier? It all starts with our attitude, believe it or not. There have been several studies that have shown that our attitude in life has a direct relation to our success and happiness. There have been books and movements solely based on the ideal that if you purely believe something is going to happen, it will happen. This is something you can apply to your job search. It is said that people can read you through the phone, they can hear your smile and know if you are a fit to their organization within a short phone call. The same can be said about your resume or profiles online. Through your words and postings, prospective employers get an immediate window into who you are and what you stand for. This is directly related to your positivity, and your outlooks on life.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Have positive outlooks, take the lessons our previous generations have taught us. Pursue happiness in your professional pursuits as well as personal. Once you have the career you desire,  find the employer to match it. If you enjoy what you do and where you do it you aren’t really working, you are pursuing a passion.