Six steps from a hospital talent team
It can be daunting to try and convey your skills and nursing experience in a few short paragraphs. By sharing these tips from our Talent Acquisition team at Epworth, we aim to make creating your CV less overwhelming.
Soon, you’ll have a nursing CV ready! This will allow us to match you to your dream job, based on your skills, specialty and interests, alongside your preferred Epworth hospital location in Victoria, Australia.
1. Focus on the content – don’t worry about adding colours and design
Does a fancy template make a difference? Nice headings and borders may be advantageous in some industry sectors, but the most important thing is that the information detailed in your CV is neatly set out, concise and easy to read.
Make your CV look professional with consistent formatting and spacing within and between sections. For example, making the heading in each section slightly larger in font and bold. Then, reducing the font size for the body text.
2. You can draft your CV anywhere – even from your phone!
It doesn’t need to wait until you’re at a desktop computer. There are many apps like Google Docs where you can create and edit documents on your mobile phone.
The most important thing is to start your draft. Only have 5 min before you need to leave for a shift? Start listing your experience in a note on your phone or note down your recent job titles and dates of employment. You can copy and format this information when you have more time or access to a computer.
3. Ensure your CV includes the essentials – starting with your contact details
Staring at a blank document? Start by including your contact details at the top of the page. Primary contact details are all that’s necessary:
- full name
- best contact details.
Include a short summary of your current experience and skills (2 to 3 sentences). This will make your CV more personalised and allow you to share a bit more about yourself.
4. List your work experience, with the most recent first
The suggested format is position title, organisation, and the amount of time you have been in the role (month/year). For example:
Registered Nurse, Hospital name/organisation
September 2021 – Present
- Responsibility #1
- Responsibility #2
- Responsibility #3
Because job titles and roles can vary slightly across hospitals, note your main responsibilities for your professional roles in bullet points. Keep these brief and accurate – if you’re applying to a specific role, show how your experience relates to the responsibilities of the role advertised.
Similarly, if you are currently in a role with similar key selection criteria, use your current job description as a guide to detail roles and responsibilities.
5. Add your educational experience
Use the same format as your experience section.
Name of course, Institution
Date of completion/graduation.
6. Nearly done – now it’s time to proofread
Take some time to review your CV closely. This is the perfect chance to catch a spelling error or think of an achievement at a previous role you could add.
Happy submitting and best of luck on the next step in your nursing career!
If you’re seeking your next opportunity in Melbourne or Geelong, we’d love to hear from you. Register your interest today and find out more about joining Epworth, Victoria’s largest not-for-profit private hospital group.
03 August 2023