Building a successful resume or CV involves the following:

• Organization: Well organized, simple font, and easy to follow
• Content: Create ongoing lists of your skills, experience, and accomplishments
• Structure: Order is the key including a summary, education, experience, credentials, and accomplishments
• Clarity: Create a clear and understandable message using simple, precise language. Consistency: Use a consistent format and appearance, Failure to do so portrays an image of disorganization and inconsistency in the workplace.
• Conciseness: This reflects your ability to write in an organized, accurate and explicit manner. Concise statements give the reader an immediate orientation to your qualifications and experience.

Suggestions for organization and clarity:

• White space: This is the space not covered with print. Balance white space and print to make the reader comfortable.  Too much print makes a page difficult to read.
• Font: Use a serif type font like Times New Roman, Veranda, or Calibri. Only use one font throughout the document.
• Type size: Use 12-point type if possible. A 10-point font may be needed to accommodate all the information you plan to include, but do not use type smaller than 10 point.
• Margins: Use 1-1.5 inch margins.
• Bulleted lists: Use bullets to emphasize information that is important to the reader. Bullets outline specific experiences and skills.
• Uppercase and bold-type lettering: Use uppercase letters to set off different sections of the resume. Use bold type to call attention to positions held or organizations where you’ve worked. Use Italics sparingly for emphasis.
• Keep lines and horizontal spacing consistent.
• Avoid splitting a section when going on to a second page.
• Headings should be consistent in style, size, and formatting.
• Check text for misspellings and poor grammar – use proofreaders.
• Avoid using abbreviations for states, degrees, addresses, etc.
• Align text on the left side of the page; do not indent more than 1.5 inches for any of the content. Justifying the text is not recommended.
• Borders and horizontal lines: While borders and horizontal lines can be effective, keep in mind that scanners may have a difficult time reading your resume. If you decide to separate sections or enclose material using this type of design, be careful.
• Simple resume or CV templates can be found online or within many software programs.

In determining the best layout for your resume, ask these questions:

• What layout will make the best first impression?
• What layout will communicate the message you want to communicate and what the reader wants to know? Is this person organized, can they communicate clearly? Are they concise?
• How will a combination of lines, boxes, bold text, text alignment, and bulleted lists guide the reader?
• How can you use the layout to direct the attention of the reader to the content that matches your skills, qualifications, and accomplishments that will trigger the thought, “I want to talk with this candidate?”

Traditional Resumes

A resume not only documents your accomplishments, experiences and skills; it will speak for you when you cannot be there to speak for yourself. Professionalism, clarity, and well thought out information will communicate this information most effectively.

Keep your resume updated. 

When you learn new skills, receive a new certificate or educational accomplishment, start a program, have high patient satisfaction scores, or initiate or participate in a safety committee, add it to your resume.

Set aside time at regular intervals (e.g. monthly, quarterly, etc.) to update your resume.

Career tip: Your resume must attract attention, create interest, and achieve the ultimate objective – get you an interview.

Putting together a resume helps you organize your thoughts and establishes a road map for your professional development. Your resume provides you with a document that prepares you for completing applications or for answering the inevitable “Tell me about yourself” question all interviewers will ask. Resume readers are usually strangers, so you need to make a case for yourself quickly.

A few points to keep in mind:

• If you are applying to a large hospital, your resume will likely be read by human resource professionals, employment firm recruiters, hiring managers, and personal contacts, who may have been instructed to look only for keywords such as specific experience (or, as noted above, they may be fed into a machine that scans your information into a database).
• If you are applying to a small practice, your resume may go right to the practice owner, physicians and nurse practitioners for their review.
• All resume readers scan a resume initially for a quick orientation, but each has different objectives. These objectives could be to screen resumes, review them for discussion points or to identify your credentials and qualifications to refer your resume to a third party.
• Your success in moving from this initial review to the next step in the hiring process depends on the organization and clarity of your resume. Your resume must attract attention, create interest, and achieve the ultimate objective — get you an interview. 
• We recommend saving your resume with the following file name:  Your Name, PNP/NP, followed by PC or Unit Name or clinical role for which you are applying. Many people title their resume “Resume” without thinking that a recruiter or manager may have several NP resumes in a file or folder. Would you like them to notice your resume first?
• Formats that include well-thought-out boxes, bold, and bullets appear clean and neat. Bold, centered, capital text can be used to start a new section such as: WORK EXPERIENCE

The following should be included in your CV or resume. Each of the following sections will describe what should be included in that section for a CV or resume.

Contact information:

• Your name, followed by your credentials should be bolded and centered at the top of your document.
• Your credentials should be listed after your name.
  • Make sure credentials are listed correctly.
  • Preferred order:
    • Highest earned degree
    • Licensure state designations or requirements
    • National certifications
    • Awards and honors
    • Other recognitions
  • Refer to this document by the American Nurse Credentialing Center for the correct way to list your credentials.
• Do not put your name in a header on the first page.
  • • You should make a header for all but the first page to include your name, credentials, and contact information.
• Below your name include your address, telephone number(s)
  • Make sure your cell number is included, and email address –use an email address that you will have for a long time and make sure it is professional.
  • Do not use your current employer’s email address
• Do not include things such as age, height, weight, sex, marital status, number of children, a picture of yourself, or personal information in this section or anywhere in the resume.

Job objective:

• Resume:
  • A job objective could be listed here if not including a cover letter.
  • If a cover letter is being included, provide your job objective tailored to the position you are seeking.
  • Your job objective briefly states the kind of work that you are pursuing. It is also the starting point for building a clear, consistent, and concise message. Knowing and understanding your job objective is critical to writing a resume. 
  • If you choose to include an objective, please do not state the obvious, “I want to get a job as a pediatric nurse practitioner.” Each stage of resume building involves analyzing and selecting information to sell your accomplishments, experiences, and skills. How specific should your objectives be?  If you know exactly the job that you are after and are qualified, you can spell it out.
• CV:
  • • Does not include a job objective.
    • If CV is being used in pursuit of a new position, an objective should be included in the cover letter.

Education:

• List all college and graduate school education, and additional education as well as relevant other education in reverse chronological order.
• You may also want to include the title of a thesis under the degree conferred. Experienced PNPs may want to list Education after work experience. Please see the sample resume and CV.

Licensure and Certification:

• List current licensures and certifications, including expiration dates.
• Indicate if you have current certification in other areas, (e.g., basic or advanced cardiopulmonary life support).
• Resume: Place this section after work experience.
• CV: Place this section before work experience.

Work Experience:

• List any related and other pertinent work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent listed first).
• Include position, institution, city, state, and dates employed.
• Resume:
  • Discuss specific skills related to the job you are applying for under each position you have held.
• CV:
  • Additional details not needed.

Academic Experience:

• List any academic positions held, including volunteer faculty.
• Include name of university, city, state, position held, and dates of appointment.
• May include any specific coursework.
• E.g.:
  State University, Acronym, City, State
  Assistant Professor – College of Nursing
  • • Fall 2009: August to December, 2009. Lecturer for Professional Nursing course in Baccalaureate program. Acronym Distance site: Hospital, City.
    • Fall 2008: August to December, 2008. Lecturer for Assessment and Planning Nursing Scholarship Acronym Distance site: Hospital, City.

Graduate Clinical Experience: New Grads and APRNs with < 2 years of experience

• Clinical Rotations
  • Dates of rotation
  • Clinical site
  • Specialty
  • City, state
  • # of clinical hours
• Examples:
  • Roxboro Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Clinic
    • Completed 120 clinical hours
    • Worked in a rural clinic where a variety of conditions were treated including depression, ADHD, Type II Diabetes, and others.
  • Pediatric Management Clinical Experience
    January – August 2010
    • Capital Pediatrics & Adolescent Center – City, State
    • Southern High School Wellness Center – City, State
    • North City Pediatrics Group – City, State

Awards and Honors:

• List honor and date awarded in reverse chronological order (from newest to oldest)
• List all of your awards and honors including place of employment, school, organizations, and many other sources.

Organizations and Memberships:

• List your membership in any professional organizations.
• Include any leadership roles, committee work, dates and project title if applicable.
• Remember quality of organizational membership, not quantity​.
• When considering memberships, identify your professional home and support your national organization​ or specialty.​

Scholarly Works:

• Research:
  • Resume:
    • List any pertinent research related to the position you are applying for
  • CV:
    • List all research
    • Example:
      Date Type of Grant, Grant name
      #Grant number, Organization or Program Name
      Foundation or Institute name $Amount
      PI Name of Investigator
      Your Name Funded Percent
• Publications and Presentations:
  • Resume:
    • List any pertinent publications and presentations related to the position you are applying for
  • CV:
    • List all publications and presentations
    • Include subheaders for presentations and publications
    • Publications: Include if peer-reviewed
      • Use APA format
      • Guidelines for APA format
    • Presentations:
      • Use subheadings to include if invited or accepted
      • Use additional subheadings to list if scope is local, regional, national, or international

Service:

• Listing relevant activities or community involvement that demonstrate important skills, accomplishments, commitment to health care, and character.
• Levels of service may include:
  • Specific practice​
  • Employer​
  • Profession​
    • E.g. service on any organizational committees and any service as a peer reviewer for professional journals.
  • Community