Do:

• Tailor the resume to the opportunity by highlighting your qualifications and expertise that match specific job requirements.


• Highlight your achievements by demonstrating the ways in which the projects you worked on affected the company's bottom line. Did they reduce costs, increase patient satisfaction, or improve quality of care? Use power verbs (see examples below).


• Include special recognition, awards and participation in relevant professional organizations.


• Proofread for errors. You can be screened out for not being detail-oriented.


• Review your resume with your references so they are up-to-date on your current accomplishments.


• Update your resume after every position or assignment. If you have worked for a temporary agency, you should list the agency as your employer and not the specific locations of your assignments.


• Provide a cover letter. The cover letter should include:
  
  
  Explain why you are sending a resume . Don't send a resume without a cover letter. Don't make the reader guess what you are asking for. Be specific, if you have a job title or posting number, provide it.
  
  Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization — in a newspaper, a web site, a family friend who works at the organization. It is appropriate to mention the name of someone who suggested that you write.
  
  Convince the reader to look at your resume – the cover letter will be seen first. Therefore, it must be very well written and targeted to the employer.
  
  Call attention to elements of your background — education, leadership, experience — that are relevant to a position you are seeking. Be as specific as possible, using examples.
  
  Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills.
  
  

Don't:

• Misrepresent your education or experiences.


• Give reasons for termination or leaving a job.


• Include personal information such as your height, weight, Social Security number, social activities, and personal or religious philosophies.


• List references or state: "References available on request." The interviewer will assume that you will provide these contacts when asked.


• Use exact dates. Months and years are sufficient.


• List your high school education if you're a college graduate.


• Provide salary information in the resume.

Tips for formatting resumes:

• Left justify the document.


• Avoid graphics, italics, underlining, bold and shading.


• Avoid horizontal or vertical lines.


• Use a sans serif font in size 10-14.

Power Verbs for Your Resume

accelerated accommodated accomplished achieved acquired acted activated adapted added addressed adjusted administered admitted advanced advised aided alleviated allocated allowed altered ameliorated amended analyzed appointed apportioned appraised apprised approved approximated arbitrated arranged ascertained assembled assessed assigned assisted attained attested audited augmented authored authorized balanced bolstered boosted brainstormed budgeted built calculated catalogued centralized certified chaired charted clarified classified coached collaborated collected commissioned committed communicated compared compiled composed computed conceptualized concluded confirmed consented consolidated constructed contracted contributed converted convinced cooperated

coordinated correlated corresponded counseled created critiqued customized debugged deciphered dedicated delegated deliberated demonstrated designated designed determined devaluated developed devised diagnosed directed disbursed dispatched displayed drafted eased eclipsed edited educated elevated elicited employed empowered enabled encouraged endorsed engineered enhanced enlarged enlisted enriched enumerated envisioned established estimated evaluated examined excelled executed exercised expanded expedited explained extended extracted fabricated facilitated familiarized fashioned figured finalized forecasted formulated fostered founded fulfilled generated grew guaranteed guided hired identified illustrated implemented improved

improvised increased indexed indicated inferred influenced informed initiated innovated inspected inspired instituted instructed integrated interceded interpreted interviewed introduced invented investigated involved issued judged justified launched lectured led licensed lightened linked maintained marketed measured mediated minimized mobilized modeled moderated modernized modified monitored motivated multiplied negotiated officiated operated orchestrated organized originated overhauled performed persuaded pioneered planned polished prepared prescribed prioritized processed procured produced programmed projected promoted publicized purchased queried questioned

raised rated realized recommended reconciled recorded recruited rectified reduced (losses) refined referred reformed regarded regulated rehabilitated reinforced rejuvenated related relieved remedied remodeled repaired reported represented researched reserved resolved (problems) restored retrieved revamped reviewed revised revitalized revived sanctioned satisfied scheduled screened scrutinized secured served set goals settled shaped smoothed solicited solved sought spearheaded specified spoke stimulated streamlined strengthened studied submitted substantiated suggested summarized supervised supplemented surveyed sustained synthesized systematized tabulated tailored traced trained transacted transformed translated transmitted updated upgraded validated valued verified visualized wrote