Resumes for New NPs
Dear Career Coach: I am still in my first NP job, now 3 years
past graduation, and am wondering if I should still include those clinical rotations
on my resume when I go to look for my next job.
Or is it okay to simply move them to a separate page as an attachment
and refer to them on my resume if employers are interested?
Dear Reader: Excellent question! Job seekers often wonder about the resume
etiquette regarding their “student” experiences. As I have mentioned in previous posts, it is
essential when looking for your first NP job to create a section on your resume
to outline what you accomplished in your student clinical rotations.
Because you have not yet “officially” worked
as an NP it’s the next best way to give a potential employer some idea of where
you are with your NP skills.
However, once you have landed your first NP position it’s
time to remove your student rotations from your resume permanently. Once you start
working at your first job you now have “real” experience that is yours and
yours alone. Employment experience
outshines any student clinical rotations you may have had in school.
The truth is now that you have your first job, future
employers aren’t likely to consider your student experience information to be
very helpful and may even find it to be confusing.
When I reviewed resumes from experienced clinicians it
always made me scratch my head and wonder what they were trying to tell
me. Leaving your clinical rotations on
your resume will only muddy the waters and serve to remind a potential employer
that it was not that long ago you were a student.
In today’s competitive market landing a new job is really
about selling yourself and your current skills. So once you have your first NP
position you want your message to convey “experienced” rather than “new
grad.” The focus should be on your
employment and your accomplishments.
In short, your student clinical rotations should come off
your resume after you land your first job.
Questions? rdahring@gmail.com