Nurse CV example

How to write a CV for a nurse

Once you’ve selected the best template for you, it’s time to get into the content of your CV. In the sections that follow, we’re going to give you a total overview of how to write a CV for a nurse, including:

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Adding contact details to your nurse CV
• Nurse CV personal statement
• Tacking work experience on a nursing CV
• Nurse CV skills
• Get education right on your nursing CV

Adding contact details to your nurse CV

Hiring managers will need to be able to reach you, so it’s important to add all your contact details early. It’s best to highlight this information near the header of your document. Choose a bold font that makes it easy to read.

The things you’ll need to include are:

• Your full name – leave out your middle name
• Location – so your employer knows where you’re based
• Phone number – a mobile is best
• Email address – make sure to use a professional email

Example of contact section for nurse CV

Nurse CV personal statement

Creating an effective personal statement is a good way for you to get noticed. Your personal statement will act as a quick intro to you as a candidate. It will outline your qualifications, character traits, skills, and achievements. You will only have three to four sentences to make an impression, so it can be tricky to write! Let’s make this process simple for you.

The first sentence is all about engaging the reader. Give them some snappy insight into your previous experience and career. The second sentence is all about explaining what you have achieved, using real-world examples. Sentences three and four are where you should outline any special skills or experience that you may have.

So, what do we mean by ‘real world examples?’ These are facts, figures, or stats that show you have made an impact in previous positions. Perhaps you’ve looked after a number of patients throughout your career with special health problems – this would be a great thing to mention! You need to ensure your employer knows you are an effective nurse.

You should also consider the following for your personal statement:

• Keep it at or under 100 words
• Keep the tone friendly and formal.
• Tweak your personal statement so it matches the job advertisement
• Always write in the third person as this is standard CV practice

Example of personal statement for Nurse CV

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Tacking work experience on a nursing CV

The work history section of your CV is what will take up most of the space, and is one of the first things employers will look at. This section is all about outlining any relevant work experience you have so your employer knows you’re up to the job. It’s important to format the information you include so that it fits with the job advertisement you’re applying for.

What’s the best way to do this? Begin with your most recent or current role, then list up to six responsibilities for each. Make sure to highlight any transferable skills that the job role has given you.

You’ll want to include:

• Job title
• Employment start and end dates
• Company name
• Company location
• List of key responsibilities
• Relevant achievements

You should add in specific, real-world evidence here too whenever you can. This will catch the reader’s eye. Instead of writing “assisted patients,” you could write “assisted over two hundred patients.” This gives more detail and will allow you to impress your employer.

You also want to make sure that you don’t include any repetitive, or irrelevant tasks. These include daily things that everyone might do while working as a nurse. For example – answering emails or liaising with colleagues.

It’s also a good idea to use action verbs and positive adjectives throughout. Action verbs here are anything that you can replace “responsible for” with. Some of the best action verbs include “helped,” “assisted,” and “led.” Positive adjectives are ways to describe yourself, for example, “punctual,” “empathetic,” and “helpful.”

Example of work experience for nurse CV

Nurse CV skills

The CV skills section of your CV holds a lot of weight for potential employers. It allows them to quickly figure out if you have the skills that they are looking for. You should also remember that some companies use ATS software to scan your CV for keywords, ensuring you meet any basic requirements they’ve set. Because of this, you’ll need to make sure that you have included a mixture of hard and soft skills.

Soft skills come from your personality. You can think of these as positive qualities that make up your experience. For example, you could be “punctual,” “empathetic,” or “conscientious.” Hard skills, by contrast, are skills that you have learned either through hands-on experience or education. For a nurse, these could include “assisting patients,” or “administering treatment.”

You’ll need to add some of both to ensure that your CV stands out from your competition. Think of it this way – you don’t want to be a candidate who lacks practical experience, and you also don’t want to be one who doesn’t have a good strength of character.

If you’re searching for some ideas, check out these lists:

Get education right on your nursing CV

You can consider your qualifications as the bedrock of your CV. This section is especially important if you are going for a competitive position, or if you are searching for an entry-level position and don’t have much hands-on experience. Your education section is the place to go into detail about your university, school, and any other college courses you’ve attended. Also add any certificates, professional training, or memberships you have to governing bodies.

It’s vital that you only include relevant qualifications. For example, it’s not worth highlighting your English Literature GCSE, if you have more relevant nursing qualifications to outline. You should also steer clear of any incomplete courses, or bad grades that you may have. Each qualification should strengthen your CV.

So, what are some of the basic requirements to become a nurse? You’ll find that most employers will require either a BSN (bachelor of Science in Nursing) or a diploma in nursing. This will allow you to get your foot in the door, so make sure you put whichever you have at the top of your education section.

Example of education for nursing CV

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