Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide - UTMB School Of Nursing

Sep 13, 2026

Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide for UTMB School Of Nursing explains how hospital human resources staff and screening databases evaluate nursing applicants. It focuses on building a resume that makes a strong first impression within seconds, clearly connects past accomplishments to the hiring manager’s needs, and increases the chance of receiving an interview. The guide outlines preparation steps, recommended targeted reverse chronological structure, and practical formatting rules including font, margins, dates, and length.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What Is a Resume?

Preparing to Write Your Resume

Recommended Style: Targeted Reverse Chronological

Formatting Your Resume

A Resume includes

| RESUME& COVER LETTER WRITING Guide | | --- | | | | Introduction
A human resources assistant at the hospital for which you would like to work has begun to check heremail. She’s received 100 this afternoon, all with resumes attached. Forty of the resumes are for the same nursing position for which you have applied. She’ll also have to collect those in the mail and fax machine—close to 150 in all. | Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide UTMB School Of Nursing She is the first to review the resumes. Her job is to scan each one in a computerized database. She’ll then query the database based on specific key words identified by the nursing supervisor. Those resumes that meet the requirements will be forwarded to the human resources manager for further review. Those who submitted resumes that don’t meet the criteria will get a polite rejection letter—or hear nothing at all. In other hospitals that do not use a database, a staff person will visually scan each resume to see if minimum qualifications are met. On average, he’ll spend 10‐20 seconds screening each one. In these organizations, your employment future depends on a favorable first impression from an overworked human resources staff member. Which pile will your resume end up in after a 10‐20 second review? Yes? No? Maybe? These scenarios are not unlikely. If your resume doesn’t capture the immediate attention of the person or computer screening it, you may not be interviewed for the position‐‐even if you have the required experience. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to increase the likelihood that your resume will geta second look. The purpose of this guide is to help you create a resume that keeps you in the running. That is, it motivates a potential employer to call you in for an interview. What Is a Resume? A marketing tool that sells YOU not a listing of Education and jobs 􀁸 It must convince potential employers to learn more about you 􀁸 They must believe that you have the skills to be a successful nurse 􀁸 A winning resume generates a positive message about your experience and doesn’t raise questions or confuse the reader Your resume must describe what you can do. Have you treated critically ill patients? Can you demonstrate that you can work well under increasing pressure? Have you developed new health programs? The hiring manager has to see how your previous accomplishments are relevant to her needs. If she sees a link, chances are you will be called in for an interview. Preparing to Write Your Resume 􀁸 Work up a spreadsheet with all your Educational, Clinical, Professional & Volunteer Experience with Dates and bullets of your responsibilities and skills used 􀁸 Plan on taking 2 hours to get a draft done and then let it sit for a few days and edit it 􀁸 Let an objective person read over the job to which you are applying and then give you feedback on your resume Recommended Style: Targeted Reverse Chronological Although there are many types of resumes, this guide will focus on targeted, reverse chronological resumes as they best communicate an individual’s skills and accomplishments. Provide an overview of your background and outlines specific accomplishments and experiences. Office of Student Affairs 2 August 2013 Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide UTMB School Of Nursing Remember, the person reading your resume has a problem. Your job is to demonstrate that you have the requisite skills to meet their needs. A targeted, reverse chronological resume is the best way to achieve this objective. After you have completed a basic resume, develop resumes that are individually targeted to the positions you are seeking. Be sure your resume reflects back specific job description philosophy & duties. It is far more effective to spend the extra time to do this than to have a resume that is too broad and vague. We recommend that you develop a template and adapt it according to the positions for which you are applying. Formatting You

FAQs

Why does the guide emphasize a strong first impression for nursing resumes?

Because resumes are reviewed quickly by people or computerized databases. If the document does not capture attention and key requirements, the applicant may not be interviewed even with relevant experience.

What is the recommended resume style in this guide?

A targeted reverse chronological resume. It highlights skills and accomplishments in a way that communicates how they meet the employer’s needs.

What formatting rules does the guide recommend?

Use a basic readable font (e.g., Calibri or Arial), keep titles and text within recommended point sizes, avoid all caps, set 1-inch margins, include month and year for dates, and ensure name appears at the top of each page.

Sep 13, 2026

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