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Ownership of the company may be public or pri- Writing a Résumé
vate, foreign or American. The company may be
local or regional, a small corporation or a division of Your résumé is your personal data sheet and self-
a much larger corporation. Depending on the size advertisement. It is the first impression the
and ownership of the company, information may be recruiter or your potential employer will have of
obtained from the public library, chamber of com- you. With the résumé you are selling yourself:
merce, government offices, or company Web site. A your skills, talents, and abilities. You may decide to
telephone call or letter to the corporate office or prepare your own résumé or have it prepared by a
local human resources department may also gener- professional service. Regardless of who prepares
ate valuable information on organizations of inter- it, the purpose of a résumé is to get a job inter-
est (Crowther, 1994). Has the organization recently view. Many people dislike the idea of writing a
gone through a merger, a reorganization, or down- résumé. After all, how can you sum up your entire
sizing? Information from current and past employ- career in a single page? You want to scream at the
ees is valuable and may provide you with more printed page, “Hey, I’m bigger than that! Look at
details about whether the organization might be all I have to offer!” However, this one-page sum-
suitable for you. Be wary of gossip and half-truths mary has to work well enough to get you the posi-
that may emerge, however, because they may dis- tion you want. Chestnut (1999) summarized
courage you from applying to an excellent health- résumé writing by stating, “Lighten up. Although
care facility. In other words, if you hear something a very important piece to the puzzle in your job
negative about an organization, investigate it for search, a résumé is not the only ammunition.
yourself. Often, individuals jump at work opportu- What’s between your ears is what will ultimately
nities before doing a complete assessment of the lead you to your next career”(p. 28). Box 14-1 sum-
culture and politics of the institution. marizes reasons for preparing a well-considered,
The first step in assessing the culture is to up-to-date résumé.
review a copy of the company’s mission statement. Although you labor intensively over preparing
The mission statement reflects what the institution your résumé, most job applications live or die
considers important to its public image. What are within 10–30 seconds as the receptionist or
the core values of the institution? applications examiner decides whether your
The department of nursing’s philosophy and résumé should be forwarded to the next step or
objectives indicate how the department defines rejected. The initial screening is usually done by
nursing; they identify what the department’s
important goals are for nursing. The nursing phi-
losophy and goals should reflect the mission of the
organization. Where is nursing administration on box 14-1
the organizational chart of the institution? To Reasons for Preparing a Résumé
whom does the chief nursing administrator report?
Assists in completing an employment application quickly
Although much of this information may not be and accurately
obtained until an interview, a preview of how the Demonstrates your potential
institution views itself and the value it places on Focuses on your strongest points
nursing will help you to decide if your philosophy Gives you credit for all your achievements
of health care and nursing is compatible with that Identifies you as organized, prepared, and serious about
of a particular organization. To find out more the job search
about a specific health-care facility, you can Serves as a reminder and adds to your self-confidence
(Zedlitz, 2003): during the interview
Provides initial introduction to potential employers in
■ Talk to nurses currently employed at the seeking the interview
facility. Serves as a guide for the interviewer
■ Access the Internet Web site for information on Functions as a tool to distribute to others who are willing
to assist you in a job search
the mission, philosophy, and services.
Adapted from Marino, K. (2000). Resumes for the Health Care Professional.
■ Check the library for newspaper and magazine
N.Y.: John Wiley & Sons; and Zedlitz, R. (2003). How to Get a Job in Health
articles related to the facility. Care. N.Y.: Delmar Learning.