There is no shortage of opportunities for a travel nurse. However, it is growing more competitive to land your perfect job. Being a travel nurse means you must be able to market yourself. One way to improve your marketability is to have a great resume. After all, your resume is one of the keys to having a success travel nursing career. These 10 resume tips for a travel nurse will help you become seen by hiring managers and land that ideal job.

Clean, Relevant, Brief

1. Keep it beautiful and brief. Hiring managers are sometimes sifting through hundreds of resumes. To make yours stand out highlight the most important things. Use bullets to help make it easy to skim through.
2. Keep it clean. Some might refer to this as less is more. Don’t oversell and feel like you have to get everything on your resume. Again, focus on what’s important and remember to leave some white space to make it easy to read.
3. Keep it relevant. Understand the job description and highlight the things the nursing manager will care about. That isn’t to say remove things that aren’t relevant. Just make sure your experience for the assignment you are applying for is visible.

Highlight Your Experiences

4. Make all licenses and certifications visible. You worked hard to achieve your licenses and certifications. Show them off. Be proud. When you make licenses and certifications easily to find, it will improve your stock of being a qualified candidate.
5. Include any honors and awards. Just like you should be proud of your education, be proud of your achievements. If you have been recognized and received special awards include that in your resume. It’s best to keep it relevant to the assignment you are applying but showcasing your excellence is always a good thing.
6. Emphasize Bed Count and Facility Size. Not only does a hiring manager see your experience and education, but including logistics about places you have worked is important. How many beds were in the unit? How many beds were in the facility? They want to know if you are a good fit in their work environment.
7. Computer experience. There are a lot of systems being used in the healthcare industry. Some are complex. If you have experience using the computer system in the facility you are applying for will make you stand out.
8. Are you bilingual? This might sound silly to include in your resume but speaking multiple languages is always something you should include on your resume. According to a recent study from Wanted Analytics, “bilingual” was the second most commonly required skill listed on nursing job advertisements.

Include Specifics

9. Include your availability. Being a nurse is a round-the-clock job. Are you able to work days, nights, mids? Are you open to working 8, 10, 12-hour shifts? Including this level of detail about the type of job you want can make you more marketable. Don’t leave this part out.
10. Get a second opinion. You know your experience better than anyone else. But sometimes having another person read will help make your resume an A+. Get a trusted friend, colleague, or recruiter to help give an extra set of eyes.

In conclusion, your resume is a vital piece of information to guide your travel nurse career. Think of your nursing resume as an advertisement that sells you. It can be your best friend if done correctly. Be mindful of the role you are applying for and tailor your resume accordingly. No one wants to read a resume that looks like was identically copied and distributed to other facilities. You want every aspect of your resume to be a strong representation of what you have to offer an employer. Follow these tips and you are well on your way to landing your next travel nursing assignment.

By Gypsy Nurse