In the twenty years of operation, Kate Cowhig International Recruitment has placed approximately 10,000 candidates. That’s a lot of C.V.’s!
We at Kate Cowhig International Recruitment know how difficult it is for nursing and healthcare professionals to prepare a CV. We have found that many applicants find it difficult to express their clinical knowledge and expertise onto paper. We here know that many of our candidates have the gift of the gab but find the application process a daunting experience.
It’s time to freshen up that nursing and healthcare CV to show potential employers just how suited you are to their hospital. With today’s cutbacks potential employers have little time available for recruiting and will only interview the best possible candidates. So by making your CV clear and concise you will strengthen your chances of securing permanent placements. Remember CV’s should be at a maximum of two pages.
Our top tips for a good CV include:
1. Contact Details- You would be surprised how often people forget to put their contact details on their CV. It is so important to include your
- Name
- Home Telephone Number
- Mobile Telephone Number
- Home Address
- Email address
- Qualification
- Visa Status (where applicable)
Potentials employers will have hundreds of CV’s on their desk- if your contact details are wrong they won’t chase you.
2. Key Skills and career objective- At KCIR we love to read an ambitious CV. It is important for your key skills, key attributes and career objective to be clearly stated near the top of your CV. This description should be concise and to the point containing key words depending on your key attributes. Example of these key words are; Surgery, Midwifery, Psychiatric, Mental Health, Neonatal, General, etc.
3. Nursing Employment History– It is important to briefly outline all of your relevant nursing experience so that potential employers are interested in you as a nurse or healthcare professional. There are many ways to showcase your experience but we believe at KCIR that reverse chronological order is the best as it shows exactly what role you are currently undertaking.
If you are a new graduate be sure and write about the experience you learnt on your internship. Most new graduates have fantastic experience from working in major hospitals so don’t be afraid to mention the hospital’s name and what speciality you worked in.
You should always include all of your nursing duties and responsibilities. This is an opportunity to reiterate your key skills. Don’t forget to include all of the key skills as mentioned above. When we at KCIR are searching for a nursing/healthcare CV we do a search on these key words.
These should be duties and responsibilities should be kept clear and concise in bullet format.
If you have taken a year out to go travelling be sure and highlight this. Gaps in CV’s can act as a deterrent for potential employers. If you feel a position is not relevant to the position you are applying to, give a one line outline on that job.
4. Qualifications- Briefly outline in bullet format your qualifications including degree/ diploma and courses undertaken.
5. References- Job seekers should always have good professional and academic referees. Remember always ask your references prior to giving their name!
We hope that these hints help you in your job search in the future. If you want any further information please contact any of the team on 00353 1 671 5557 or email info@kcr.ie for further details.
