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Steps to Help You Land the
Interview and Get the Job
Career Services Center
 Christy Meriwether, Managing Director
 Donna Balko, Assistant Director
Steps
Step 1 – Constructing a Winning Resume
Step 2 – References
Step 3 – Letters of Recommendation
Step 4 – Cover Letter
Step 5 – The Interview
Step 6 – Thank You Notes
Step 7 - Resources
What is a resume?
• It is usually the first impression you will make on a
potential employer, so create interest by telling
them why they should hire you!
• Summary of relevant experience
• Screening tool (good and bad)
• It is an invitation for an interview
• Career planning tool
General Tips for Resumes
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Name at a 16 font size
Headers (Education, etc.) at a 12-14 font size
Use a horizontal format
Text underneath headers is at an 11-12 font size
Readable and clear font
Acronyms spelled out when not commonly known
When spelled out do not put acronyms in
parentheses unless using them more than once
General Tips for Resumes
• Do not write in first or third-person, except in
the Objective Statement where you can use
pronouns, “I” or “me”
• Use action verbs to describe school and work
experiences and use proper tense
• Use bullets for lists – not for one item
• No pictures, graphics, or URLs
• If your resume is two pages, put your name on
the second page
Sample Elements of a Resume
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Name, Address, Phone, Email
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Objective
Education
Clinical Experience
Related Work Experience
Certifications
Honors/Awards
Community Engagement
Professional Memberships
Objective Creation Tips
• Keep it concise, targeted and relevant
• Focus on how your skills and how you will
benefit the employer
• Should be crystal clear about career direction
• Varies depending upon the job you want
Objective Format Example
• Begin with what you are seeking
• Add what you will bring to the position
• End with how you will help, benefit, or
improve the hospital, etc.
• Keep to one sentence
Seeking a graduate nurse position in University Medical Center’s Critical
Care internship program where I can utilize my compassion and critical
thinking skills to provide optimal care to every patient, every time.
Education
• Name of school plus city and state
• Bold the university and/or college names (include any
institutions where you completed over 6 hours)
• Do not list high school
• Degree, month, and year (do not say “anticipated” graduation
date)
• GPA optional (if over 3.0)
Example
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, Lubbock, TX
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May 2014
GPA: 3.0
C l in ica l E x p e r ie n c e s – G e n e ral T ips
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Relate bullets to your objective
Use bullets that begin with action verbs
Two lines or shorter in length
Think in terms of a process
Hospitals want to know your performance in the
following areas:
Competent bedside care
Use of high level equipment
Performance in high level procedures
Good communication skills
Teamwork
U s e t h e J o b D e s c r i pt i o n a s a G u id e
Job Responsibilities: Implements and monitors patient care plans. Monitors, records
and communicates patient condition as appropriate. Monitors and documents
patient's condition and effectiveness and timeliness of care and/or interventions;
evaluates, updates and revises plan of care to facilitate achievement of planned and
expected outcomes. Serves as a primary coordinator of all disciplines for wellcoordinated patient care. Administers prescribed medications and treatments in
accordance with approved nursing protocol. Notes and carries out physician and
nursing orders. Assesses and coordinates patient's discharge planning needs with
members of the healthcare team. Assesses educational needs of the patient and
significant others considering cultural issues and other special concerns. Provides
teaching and educational material as appropriate. Validates and documents patient
and family understanding of teaching.
C l i n i cal E x p e r i e n c e s a s a S e p a rate H e ad in g
Clinical Experience
Pediatrics
• Administered breathing treatment to asthmatic child, educated child and mother on
proper technique, and offered reassurance
• Used non-pharmacologic techniques to comfort child with abdominal pain, as well as
monitoring vital signs
Labor and Delivery
• Counseled a young mother with gestational diabetes on proper nutrition
choices
• Monitored fetal heart rates throughout labor and delivery, and reported
abnormal findings to charge nurse, while emotionally supporting the patient
Additional 72 hours in PICU and NICU during Fall of 2016
Clinical Experiences with Education
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, Lubbock, TX
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May 2016
GPA: 3.0
Clinical Experience
Med/Surg
Summer 2016
• Observed hospice referral and was mentored on easing the emotional impact of
impending death
• Translated for the nurses and physicians on the unit for a patient who only spoke
Spanish
• Taught patient about post bypass diet, activity, and medications as part of discharge
instructions
Surgical ICU
• Conducted hourly neurological checks on a patient suffering of coup contrecoup lesion
• Placed a nasogastric tube on a patient in the SICU
Additional 96 hours in high acuity setting during Fall of 2016.
Re l ate d Wo r k E x p e r i e n c e
• Place of employment, city, state, month, and year of
employment
• Position held under place of employment
If you have limited space, put the position in front of the
place of employment so it is on the same line
• Bulleted experiences beginning with action words
Example
Hospice of the South Plains, Lubbock, TX
June 2011-August 2011
Nursing Assistant
• Provided hospice-related healthcare in nursing homes, assisted living centers and
patients’ residences
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Assisted patients with ……
O t h e r H e ad e rs
Certifications
American Heart Association, CPR/BLS and First Aid Certified
Honors
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Dean’s List, Spring 2013
Leadership
Dean’s Ambassador, TTUHSC School of Nursing
Community Engagement
March of Dimes Walk America, Volunteer and Fundraiser
Professional Organizations
Texas Nursing Students’ Association, Member
F i n i s h st ro n g
• Proofread and have others proofread!
• Print on resume paper and use a quality printer
• Also use for cover letter and reference page
Refe re n c e s
• References Available Upon Request
• Last item on the resume
Signals the end of the resume
May help you stand out
• Reference Page is Separate from Resume
• Include your Page Header at the Top
• Center and title the page “References”
Name, credentials, title, address, phone, email
Left justified
Refe re n c e s
Example:
References
Fred Faculty, MSN, RN, CNE
Associate Professor
TTUHSC School of Nursing
3601 4th Street, MS 0000
Lubbock, TX 79430
806-743-0000
[email protected]
L ette rs o f Re co m m e n d at i o n
Typically, instructors listed as references are also asked
to write a Letter of Recommendation.
The School of Nursing provides a standard form*
which is to be used unless a formal letter is required by
the hospital.
*Available on the SON website as a student resource.
Fo r m al Lette rs o f Re co m m e n d at io n
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Think of the image you want to put forth and choose people
who can write to support that image
Meet with each of them and tell them what you are applying
for and why
Ask them if they would be able to provide you with a strong
letter of recommendation
Give them 3-4 weeks notice
Provide them with information about the job, who/where to
mail the letter, deadline and resume
Be prepared to provide them with a summary of your
accomplishments
C ove r Lette r
• Your marketing piece when you are not there
• Remember, do not repeat the information in your
resume
• Include why you became a nurse
• Be specific. Don’t just tell them you are qualified.
Give examples.
C ove r Lette r
First paragraph – Introduction
• Introduction with information about the job you are applying to
Second paragraph – Body
• Why are you interested in the position?
• Why their hospital?
• Why did you go into nursing? What sets you apart?
• Be specific
Final Paragraph – Closing
• Indicate you hope to meet with them
• Make reference to your contact information
• Thank them
More about proofreading
• Watch for words in ALL CAPS
• Don’t rely on spellcheck alone:
I am experienced in all faucets (facets) of accounting
Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team
Player, Attention to Detail
Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest
chain store.”
Hope to hear from you, shorty
I te m s to Re m e m b e r
• When applying online
Resume
Cover Letter
• When applying in person
Resume
References in case they ask for them
• Generally, references are requested during or after
the interview
Re s o u rc e s
www.ttuhsc.edu/son/career, For Students
Career Counseling
Donna Balko, Assistant Director
Christy Meriwether, Managing Director
Resume Builder (Optimal Resume)
“How to Guide”
Interview Stream (interview prep)
Jobs
Current Job postings
Quick jobs – Current job postings updated daily
Interview Prep
Library of Resources
Re s o u rc e s
Library of Resources
• Resume Building PowerPoint
• Resume Checklist
• Resume Planning Guide
• Documenting Clinical Experiences
• Cover Letter Planning Guide
• Action Verbs
• Interview Planning Guide
• Top 10 Interview Questions
• Interview Questions (Sample Behavioral Questions)
Fo l l o w U s
SONCareer
@son_career
@SON_Career
“One important key to success is selfconfidence. An important key to self-confidence
is preparation.”
–Arthur Ashe