In this week’s post, I welcome Marianne DiMola, President and Founder of Global Care Management, to share some words of wisdom for those who find themselves looking to make a career change or looking for work as they have lost their job during these challenging times. Having an up-to-date and strong resume will help you stand out no matter what job you are researching.
In this post, Marianne shares tips that she has learned over the years as a leader in staffing and consulting in the area of case management. Take some time and read her post and then think about where you and where you want to go. Having a strong resume will help you get there!
Tips for writing a strong resume
So, you found yourself trying to write a resume during the pandemic. Great timing!
It seems like there never is a good time to write a resume. We are either unemployed and scared or employed and angry or disheartened.
Unfortunately, some of you are indeed writing your resume during a pandemic and are currently unemployed.
The first thing you need to do is put the wine down, grab a mask (to be safe) and run around the block. Breathe in the fresh air, and look up at the blue skies, get the right perspective back in your head.
Next, let’s gather your evaluations. If you did not save them, you can get them from human resources. How about some emails from managers or colleagues, clients/patients thanking you for going the extra mile. An executive commending the team for a job well done. You are part of that team, take the victory lap!
Now, sit somewhere different and start writing all the things you were responsible for and how you did them. Don’t give up; keep this page open for a day or two. Walk away from it and come back. You will probably be surprised by your accomplishments!
If you were let go due to the pandemic, you are not a bad employee; you’re not a bad person. Okay, maybe you do not have the best luck, but keep reading those positive things about your work and start sharing the news.
Even in the best of times, care managers forget to take care of themselves, but this is a critical time to be positive. Your words will come through your resume.
Tips
Remember to use power words. Did you “support” a new policy or “implement” a new policy. Did you “participate” or “collaborate.” Be accurate, be strong! There is a list of power words on our company page at https://globalcaremanagement.com. Once you get to the company page, scroll down to close to the end and you will see a full array of ‘power words’ . Feel free to borrow a few for your resume.
Do you include a summary, accomplishments, or profile at the top of the resume? Please accomplishments only!
Listing soft skills at the beginning of the resume takes away from your skills and achievements. Soft skills are “team player or great interpersonal skills.” Accomplishments are “reduced Length of Stay” or “reduced readmissions.” Remember, if you are part of the team that did this, it is your victory lap as well as your director’s. Include these achievements.
Be Specific
If you are in management – size matters! How many beds in your hospital? How many lives did your department manage? How many people did you manage? Please include this information along with any union labor relations experience.
Please do not exclude experience to minimize the length of your resume! Yes, your resume needs to be concise and easy to read. But leaving out accomplishments defeats the purpose of presenting a resume. For nurse case managers, your clinical experience is always wanted, even if combined, simply including total dates and units worked.
Please remember the little things. Do not use “I” in a resume. Use the same fonts. Make sure all bullets have periods or do not have periods. Use the same format for company, title, and dates. Make sure to use the correct tense. The current job should be in the present tense, such as “provides, responsible for, performs, manages or conducts”. All other jobs should be in the past tense, such as “provided, managed, performed, or conducted.” Most resumes have one or more of these errors.
For those of you currently employed, I urge you to update your resume regularly. The best and easiest time is after an evaluation, promotion, or successfully completing a project.
Are you up to date?
Healthcare jobs are always shifting. Look at your skills and see how they can apply to similar positions. Care management has grown from hospitals and payors to physician practices, IV companies, non-profits, ACO’s, telehealth, pharmaceutical companies, and more. Look at this as an opportunity for a new adventure! If you need to hone your skills think about taking a few online courses. Education can be an confidence builder.
Best of luck in your job search. I hope this post has been helpful.
Here is some information about me: I am Marianne DiMola and have more than twenty-five years of experience in healthcare human resources management and career development. I am President and Founder of Global Care Management, specializing in care management staffing and consulting.
If you are looking for a career move, please feel free to reach out to me in the following ways:
Direct Dial: 800-674-4270 / Email: marianne@cmstaffingsolutions.com /Website: Global Care Management Website at https://globalcaremanagement.com / Connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mariannedimola
NOTE FROM ANNE: I would like to thank Mary Anne for writing this post and thank you for reading it. If you have any comments, please feel free to put them in the comment section. Share you tips you have used when searching for your a job.
If you want to write a guest post in Nurse Advocate,email me directly at anne@nuresadvotes.com.
Have a good week!
