Looking to make a career change in healthcare? Contact our team and let us take care of everything, from CV writing tips to advice on what to wear at the interview, we can offer insider tips from our staff that have worked in the roles you are interested in. Read on for tips on wiring the best CV possible to get you in the door.
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Working in the healthcare sector can be rewarding, but when searching for jobs, it’s important to look for positions that suit your skills and experience. A CV is an effective way of summarising your relevant experience and skills to show employers that you’re a good fit for their healthcare positions. Understanding what hiring managers look for in a CV can help you write an effective application and land an interview.
Tips for CV Writing
Gather relevant information
Before you write your CV, gather all the relevant information to include. This includes basic information such as your name, contact information, previous employers’ details, graduation dates and training certifications.
Draft your personal statement
Your personal statement is the first thing a hiring manager reads, so you want to capture their attention and tell them right away why you’re a great fit for the healthcare position. Use this section to provide a summary of your motivation for working in this particular role. Briefly highlight your relevant skills and experience and refer to the job description to bring in the appropriate skills that the employer is looking for. Use concise phrases, such as ‘Compassionate and respectful healthcare professional, with five years, of experience working within paediatrics’, to highlight your characteristics and experience.
List your work experience
Your experience section shows hiring managers whether you have the required experience for the role. For each of your previous employers, provide the company’s name, their location, the dates you worked there, your job title and a brief outline of the duties and responsibilities for the role. Using bullet points to summarise your responsibilities can help you keep this section concise. It’s typical to list your experience in reverse chronological order, so your most recent experience is at the top of the list. If you have limited professional experience in the healthcare sector, consider including volunteer experience in healthcare.
Describe your education and training
While there are no specific education requirements for many roles, relevant training in health care is beneficial. Within the education section, include any courses that helped you develop practical healthcare support skills. If you have GCSEs in maths, English or science these are often beneficial too. Be sure to mention any short courses you’ve taken that are relevant to the role, such as nutrition or infection control and any formal education. Creating a section specifically for your education and training shows employers you’re committed to your professional development and passionate about working in healthcare.
Mention additional relevant information
Consider adding additional sections to your CV or including a ‘further information’ section to mention relevant details that don’t fit into any of the prior sections. The information in this section is unlikely critical to getting the job but can help you stand out from other candidates. Depending on the role you’re applying for, you may outline your availability to work shifts.
Proofread and edit
Once you’ve finished writing your CV, proofread it and edit the contents so that it’s no more than two pages long. While it can be tempting to reduce your font size to fit more content in, between 10-12pt is standard for CVs. Instead, ensure you’re not repeating yourself and include only relevant information. When proofreading your CV, check for spelling or grammatical errors too.
Get in touch with our expert team who can guide you in creating a top-notch CV that is sure to secure you an interview for your next role.