7 Tips for Making Your Travel Nurse Resume Stand Out

Are you ready to upgrade your resume and find your dream travel nursing job? We’ve compiled the best travel nurse resume examples and a host of tips and tricks you can use to stand out.



The Best Traveling Nurse Resume Secrets

Every resume includes past employment and formal education, but a stellar traveling nurse resume includes much more.

Here’s our list of 7 resume-building secrets you should know to prepare the ultimate travel RN resume.

1. Customize Your Summary

Every travel nurse position is unique, so tailoring your resume to each position is key. The easiest way to customize your resume for a job is to study the assignment listing for buzzwords used by the hospital or facility and sprinkle those buzzwords throughout your RN resume.

Go the extra mile by researching the specific hospital and unit related to the assignment and looking for this:

  • What qualities does the hospital highlight in its mission statement?
    Do you possess those qualities? If yes, include them.
  • Has the hospital reached any notable goals recently?
    Include an example of how you met a similar goal in a former position.
  • What electronic records system does the facility use?
    Include your experience with their preferred system in your computer skills section.

Taking the extra step to research the facility can help you uncover information that is not listed in the job posting. More importantly, it will also help you better understand your potential job environment.


2. Conquer the Applicant Tracking System

When it comes to the best travel nurse resume examples, resumes submitted online almost always go through an Applicant Tracking System. This system completes a computerized analysis of each resume before it is ever seen by a human.

To make sure the computer ranks you at the top, follow these tips:

  • Mirror the job description in key areas whenever possible.
  • Focus on relevant experience.
  • Format appropriately.

The best nursing resume examples:

  • Stick with professional but relatively common formatting.
  • Don’t underline words or use uncommon characters.
  • Use plain bullets.
  • Use black and white; avoid color.
  • Refraining from adding images, text boxes, columns, tables or anything else that the system cannot understand.
  • Use conventional headings like “Summary”, “Experience” and “Computer Skills” for example.

3. Include ALL Licenses and Certifications

The best thing you can do when it comes to your licenses and certifications is to list every last one. Follow these tips for properly doing so:

  • Include the complete title of license or certification.
  • List the full name of the certifying body.
  • Include the license of certification number when applicable.
  • List the date you obtained the license or certification.
  • List the expiration date if applicable.
  • Be sure to use the correct significations and state if it is a compact nursing license.

4. Use a Spelling and Grammar Checker

While the Applicant Tracking System may not knock you for a few mistakes, CareerBuilder says 58% of hiring managers will automatically dismiss a resume including spelling or grammar errors.

Paying close attention to these small details will set you up for success when creating your traveling nurse resume.


5. Choose Your Words Wisely

You may be surprised to learn that swapping certain words on your resume can exponentially increase your odds of landing an interview.

Focusing on action words is a simple way you can make your resume highly impactful. These words help the hiring manager envision your work ethic and picture you in action.

Travel Nurse Resume Action Verbs | Travel Nurse Resume Examples 4 Secrets for Standing Out

Source: TotalMed


6. Be Highly Detailed

You will never find travel nursing resume samples that are considered “too long.”

Include every last detail about your past experiences to provide a comprehensive overview of your skills and capabilities.

When the Applicant Tracking System and/or Hiring Manager is reviewing your resume they want to see details about things like:

  • Qualifications and awards
  • Managerial experience and style when applicable
  • Licensing and certifications
  • Statistics that quantify your successes

If you feel it is relevant to the position, include it. Be concise throughout, but do not feel like you must leave important pieces of information out.


7. Include the Big Six

Stellar traveling nurse resume examples always include six sections.

Let’s review them:

  • Summary
  • Speciality
  • Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Experience
  • Computer Skills
  • Education

This is the most common order. However, there may be instances in which you modify it.

1. Summary
Employers want to know what you really bring to the table, so tell them with a powerful and real summary!

2. Specialty
This is a brief section where you list your specialty and the number of years you have worked in it as well as your personal philosophy of nursing.

3. Licenses & Certifications
As outlined in tip #3, don’t skimp here. The most effective RN resume examples show off the hard work you put into becoming the talented nurse you are.

4. Professional Experience
For each position held, include:

  • Names of employers.
  • City and state of each employer.
  • Positions you held in with the most current position at the top.
  • Employment periods for each job.
  • A brief description of responsibilities.

5. Computer Skills
As the healthcare system continues to utilize advancements in technology, listing your skills here is important.

  • List the official name of the systems with which you have experience.
  • List the amount of time you spent with each system.
  • Include any specific training you received in the system.
  • Did you perform any key functions within a system? Be sure to mention it.

6. Education
Include the following information regarding your formal education:

  • Formal name of the institution(s) you attended.
  • The dates you attended.
  • The complete title of the degree you earned.
  • Any honors that are specific or relevant to the job you are seeking.

Travel Nurse Resume Example

Example of nursing resume that will likely stand out in the crowd:

Travel Nurse Resume Template | Travel Nurse Resume Examples 4 Secrets for Standing Out



Wow Employers with Your Resume

As you can imagine, using the tips and tricks outlined in this article will make your traveling nurse resume stand out.

Do you have any further questions about what to include? Ask us and we’ll get back to you.



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