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An updated résumé allows job seekers to pinpoint areas that need improvement to compete in the health care marketplace.

Considering a job change? Consider this: Like an effective matchmaker, a good résumé can serve as your own personal agent and make the difference between whether or not you get that all-important interview.

How well does your résumé represent you? Experts agree that it is a good idea to review the document frequently and view it as a work in progress-a marketing tool that effectively frames a job applicant's work experience and special talents.

"Remember, a résumé is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. A résumé is a marketing piece, not a career obituary," said Yana Parker, author of The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples. After all, every day is a learning experience and each day presents at least one opportunity to learn new job skills or improve existing ones.

With the nationwide nursing shortage waxing critical, the demand for nurses continues. While many health care facilities take unprecedented steps to attract nurses, including generous sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance, training for new graduates and re-entry nurses and enhanced benefits packages, nurses still are expected to bring the required experience and skills to the job and be prepared to come on board running.

Not only can an updated résumé provide an edge in applying for that great job, but the process allows the job seeker to review existing skills for transferability, determine whether career goals are on target and pinpoint areas that need improvement to compete in today's health care marketplace.

Whether seeking a first-time position as a new graduate, looking for career advancement, craving a change of scenery or planning a job change for other reasons, job hunters will find that a well-crafted résumé is essential. Knowing what potential employers and nurse recruiters look for in a résumé can give an applicant the leading edge that lands the interview.

Getting started

With more than 10 years of health care recruitment and staffing to his credit, Lloyd Lombard, personnel analyst for San Joaquin County Health Care Services in Stockton, Calif., likes to see a résumé that is perfect in its visual presentation and quality of the written word. Lombard recommends that the résumé and accompanying documents be printed on plain white or ivory bond using a standard typeface such as Times and a type size in the range of 11 to 14.

"Reviewers take only a moment or two to skim a résumé and determine whether the applicant has what they're looking for. Résumés printed on colored paper or having graphics or shading are distracting. Some applicants don't seem to realize that interviewers must often sift through dozens of résumés a day. The candidate who makes the interviewer's job easier has the advantage."

Lombard advises résumé writers to start with a good job objective. "Nurse recruiters like to see some form of stated objective that defines the position a candidate is looking for. A clearly stated goal immediately informs the employer that you have a sense of direction." A portion of the résumé should reflect the job seeker's education, degrees, certificates, professional association memberships and evidence of continuing education in their specialty area. "When a candidate can demonstrate independent efforts in continuing education or training in their stated field of interest they stand out from the rest-it's like going above and beyond the call of duty."

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