4 Resume Tips for Travel Nurses

Applying for jobs can be stressful and confusing. What do you put in your resume? How do you make your resume stand out? What are hiring managers looking for? It is difficult to know how to find answers and answers can vary from job to job and manager to manager. In spite of the difficulty and confusion, by following a few simple tips, you can put forth your best travel nurse resume. Let’s discuss how.

#1: Laser Versus Shotgun

Applicants will usually settle for trying to get all the information into their resume that they can. The tendency is to treat your resume like an overfilled luggage bag that you can’t zip up. This is the shotgun approach; bringing everything you could possibly need but a lot of what you don’t. Rather than that, you should use the laser approach, which is comparable to bringing exactly what you need on your vacation rather than every possible item. The laser approach zeros in on exactly what the hiring manager wants and incorporates these experiences and traits into the resume. Reference the job posting or other specialty specific information to determine what to laser in on.

Between travel assignments you can update your resume to reflect both your latest job and the job you are applying for with laser focus. Doing this between assignments will make it quick and easy to maintain an up-to-date resume while tailoring your resume to the next job you are interested in.

#2: Adaptability

Travel nursing will require you to be flexible and to adapt to new situations quickly and effectively. The healthcare environment is already complex enough as it is but regularly coming into new units, work cultures, workflows, colleagues, and patients will require significant adaptability. Travel nurses who are versatile and can adapt to the ever-changing healthcare environment are highly valuable. Highlighting such attributes can help to grab the attention of the hiring manager. Also consider words like flexible, teachable, and the ability to learn new things quickly.

#3: Avoid Generic

One way not to get your resume to stand out is to be generic and boring. Using broad words that are vague and unclear as to what your trying to communicate will lead to an ineffective and generic resume. Use appropriate, accurate words that are also attractive and unique. Expressions like “great leader” and “hard worker” could be transformed into “tactful visionary” or “motivated team player.” Don’t be generic. As a successful travel nurse you have attributes others don’t, bring them out creatively.

#4: Bring Purpose

People who work with purpose tend to be more compelling and attractive as candidates. Dig deep and try to understand your “why.” Why is the job important to you? Why are you applying for the job. Purpose supersedes the need for money or experience and gets to the heart of why this job is important to you. Whether you thrive in an adrenaline-packed, fast-paced environment and are applying to the ER or you prefer to give compassionate care to cancer patients because a close family member of your died of breast cancer, find you why and incorporate it into your resume. Often through a purpose statement or maybe in a cover letter. Consider adding why you’re passionate about travel nursing. That could easily separate your resume from other candidates. “Whys” are important!

Incorporate these tips into your travel nurse resume and no matter where you travel to, you will have a quality nurse resume!