Tag Archives: january

January has arrived, time to apply for a new nursing job.

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December was a busy month for us in terms of candidates applying for jobs, but now it’s time for the January surge of activity from both candidates and employers. January comes joint first with September for the time of year when the most jobs are posted and employers are keen to get great applications from candidates who are ready for a change.

However, before you click that apply button and send off last year’s CV, STOP and think! Shouldn’t you update your CV first, and maybe take a look at your personal statement? My answer is definitely!

The last thing an employer wants to see from a good candidate is an out of date CV and a personal statement that doesn’t relate to the job they’ve applied for. It can really put a black mark against your application. Make sure you avoid this at all costs by updating your CV before you apply – check out this blog for tips: Make over your nursing or midwifery CV for the new year. Your personal statement and covering letter also need work together, and one size definitely does not fit all! Your covering letter should be re-written to suit every single application you make, and it should summarise why you’re the best candidate for the role and the qualities you have that match the requirements in the job description. Your personal statement should then go into more detail about your skills and competencies, why you see yourself in this job and how your experience so far in your nursing or midwifery career could help you in this role. Don’t risk sending in the personal statement you wrote the last time you applied for jobs because it won’t match the requirements of this job, and the information contained in it about your skills and experience will be out of date.

It’s a tough job market out there, and as a candidate you need to give yourself every chance of being the best applicant for the job. Think of the employer looking through your application and CV with a checklist of questions such as:

  • are you a suitably qualified candidate for this job?
  • do you have a current NMC registration?
  • do you have the essential skills and qualifications we requested in the person specification?
  • can I contact them by email / phone?
If you’re looking through your CV and the answer to each question isn’t obvious in a couple of seconds, then it needs rearranging. You don’t have long to capture the attention of an employer when they open your CV, and it’s in your interest to lay the information out in a clear and logical order. Don’t make an employer have to guess at answers to their questions. For example if you weren’t working for a period of time because you took a career break to have a family, then say so. Put accurate dates in your employment history to cover the period you didn’t work, that way the employer knows there is a perfectly legitimate reason why you weren’t working at that time.
Give yourself every chance of getting through to an interview simply by updating your CV, personal statement and covering letter. Why not kick off your job search by Searching All Nursing Jobs

Make over your nursing or midwife CV for the new year

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If you’re thinking about looking for a new nursing or midwifery job in the new year, and even if you’re not, this is still a great time to update your CV and give it a make over ready for its next outing.

Your CV shouldn’t only get updated when you’re about to start job hunting, although that is an essential time for an update, you should also maintain your CV while you’re working in your current job. It’s always easier said than done, you come home from a busy shift exhausted from the day and the last thing you want to do is sit down and update your CV. Even if you just make a few scribbly notes about the things you achieved and the team you manage that’s better than nothing.

The current employment section is one of the most important parts of your CV, and you should go into detail about not only the responsibilities listed in your job description but also the additional tasks you manage and any extra experience you’ve had while in the job that could be beneficial to put on your CV.

This is especially important if you’re applying for a nursing or midwifery job in a different specialism or area to the one you’re currently working in. Transferable skills are a key part of whether you will be one of the few candidates offered an interview.

Don’t forget that CPD is also an important part of impressing an employer with your CV, any training provided by your employer whether it’s external, internal, accredited or in-house it’s all valid and useful. You should make sure you record all training you receive, the material you learnt and when you completed the course on your CV.

Once you’ve updated those key areas, you should be good to go. You don’t have to do a complete redesign if you don’t want to, as long as all your information is up to date and accurate that’s all you need. Don’t mess with a winning layout if you don’t have to!

Best of luck with your job applications!

Other articles you may be interested in:
How to update your nursing CV for the new year
How to write a nursing CV for a tough job market