How to optimize your nursing resume for recruitment software

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UPDATED JANUARY 17, 2023: We are constantly updating the resources on this page, so please take time to check out the links and get all the information you need to source your next great opportunity.

An introduction to ATS

With over 75% of recruiters and employers now using recruitment software to select and manage applicants throughout the recruitment process, it’s crucial that your resume appeals to both humans and the “machines.” You may have heard people talking about ATS, which is an acronym for Applicant Tracking System. These are the overarching technology platforms used by organizations to manage their recruitment process, but it’s the resume parsing and matching modules that we need to concern ourselves with.

ATS have the ability to match an applicant’s resume to the job description and “parse” the data in your resume into the ATS. Your nursing resume needs to contain the right information so that the ATS judges you a good match for the role, and it needs to be in a format that the ATS can easily read and parse, so when the data is transferred into the ATS, the information is transferred to the correct fields.

Free nursing resume assessments

There are a number of automated resume assessments available to job seekers that claim to judge how ATS-optimized your resume is. Be aware that only true way to “score” a resume, as far as ATS optimization is concerned, is to measure it against a job description or run it through a proper ATS.

It is possible for a resume scanner to look for obvious omissions or errors, but if you take advantage of a so-called ATS scanner tool, be aware that receiving a score without a benchmark is flawed logic i.e., if your score is 57%, ask yourself the question “57% of what?”.

There are some resume assessment tools that allow you to upload a resume and job description and these provide a much more useful yardstick. There are also some useful resume assessment tools that provide hints and tips; just be aware that as far as ATS optimization is concerned, some are more of a clever sales pitch than a tool with any scientific foundations.

Key nursing resume optimization tactics

Aside from the effectiveness of various resume assessment tools, the logic of optimizing your resume for recruitment software is still a good one. Whether you are a Nursing Manager, a Clinical Nurse, or a Staff Nurse, ensuring your resume works for you is essential.

Here are some quick wins to make sure your resume appeals to both humans and the machines.

• The type of document you use for your nursing resume matters and Microsoft Word has historically been safer than PDF. Although many newer ATS are able to read PDF, some of the older technologies struggle with this format. Arguably, PDF is better for those ATS that are able to read PDF documents, so look out for any instructions when making your application.
• When structuring your nursing resume, the format you choose is essential, and a chronological resume with education first, is the most accepted format for nursing professionals. Display your roles in reverse chronological order and avoid features such as sidebars and funky layouts as they confuse the ATS.
• Graphics such as logos are not advised, and headers, footers and tables can also cause issues. ATS cannot deal with fancy formatting, and they may affect your resume’s appearance once it has been parsed by recruitment software.
• Headings are also important! Firstly, make sure your resume has headings, and secondly, make sure they are commonly used ones. Having a “Work History Synopsis” may sound cool, but the resume bots won’t have the faintest idea what that section is. “Professional Experience” on the other hand, is a much more optimized heading that matches what the software is designed to find.
• If you have an unusual job title, it may be a good idea to change it to a more well-known version. ATS are not programmed to find every possible variation of a job title, so commonly used titles are much more effective. If you are concerned about how a recruiter or potential employer might feel about changing your job title, you could use the more commonly used variant and add your actual job title alongside in brackets.
• Having your job title, or at least how you professionally describe yourself, after your name, is a great tactic to signpost your resume and help the bots figure out what you are. 
• Keywords are crucial as the ATS algorithm is looking for a match between the keywords on your resume and the keywords on the job description. Ensuring that you include relevant key nursing terminology in your resume throughout the experience sections and in your profile will ensure you meet the requirements of ATS. 
• The general content of your resume is also crucial, making sure the descriptions of your positions are aligned with the requirements listed on the job description.
• Accomplishments are one of the most important elements of a nursing resume as far as a recruiter or employer is concerned, but some ATS are clever enough to look for statistical indicators that you have succeeded in your role. This might be more difficult as a nursing practitioner, but if you are a manager and have performed against clinical KPIs, these are worth adding. For example, you could provide tangible results in terms of improvements you have delivered around patient care statistics, projects you have been involved in, or management initiatives you have delivered. 
• Fonts can play a small role in your resume’s readability, so play it safe and stick to common serif or sans serif fonts such as Arial and Calibri.
• When using acronyms, it’s important to ascertain how likely it is that a recruiter will be searching on the abbreviation or the long form version.

Some Help

If you are interested in having a free evaluation of your nursing resume, including elements that affect ATS optimization, please email your resume to CVIA Careers at info@cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk quoting JCWN07.