Anyone have good nuggets of wisdom regarding writing a resume, cover letter or interviewing?

From a recruiting standpoint, when writing your resume give all your employment information as clearly and concisely as possible for every single employer. The names, dates of employment, reasons you left or are thinking of leaving, what your duties were. Be prepared to explain why there may be gaps in your employment history. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure for both your resume and cover letter. Try to grab the hiring authorities attention in the first paragraph of your letter. Don't say what your experience isn't, state emphatically what your experience is.

A few days before your interview, sit down and write out your career goals, questions you want to ask, be clear on what you're looking for. When you go into the interview, be prompt! If something happens, call and notify them why you will be late or can't make it, don't just not show up. This is a huge flag to a potential employer.

Don't run out and purchase a business suit, but dress well. Dress trousers, a nice sweater, blouse, shirt, nice shoes, skirt, dress etc. Go light on the perfume. If you're applying for direct patient care, do not go into the interview with long nails, dirty nails, fake nails, bright polish. Your manicure should reflect a professional persona.

Even if you're getting red flags and know you wouldn't work there if it was the last job on earth available, be polite, thank the interviewer for their time.

I'm employed for a non profit agency, Residental Home for Recovery Alcogolic/Drug related Veterans. I'm an LPN the only medical personel in the facity, I put the medications into 7/day pill boxes. I would like to get more nursing experience, but have problems with the cover letter. Any tips would be helpful. Thanks!

I do a lot of hiring, and the one thing that eliminates most candidates is a poor cover letter. Keep in mind, if you’re a firing manager sifting through a pile of resumes, you’re looking to eliminate as many as possible quickly so you can come up with a manageable batch of candidates to interview. Typos, poor grammar, dubious word choices: they all get tossed in the round file immediately, even if the candidate might be otherwise qualified. In a recent cover letter, the candidate assured me he was a “nubile thinker.” Next! Another told me she was “carefull and thorough” – misspelling “careful” in the process.

Remember, your cover letter is as important as your resume for getting in the door. If you’re unsure of your cover letter skills, have a trusted friend read it over. Don’t be overly stuffy or pompous, just try to sound like yourself (but spell everything right and use the correct words). You don’t need to start with the stilted “I read with interest your recent ad for xxxxx.” The hiring manager already knows that, since you’re responding to the ad. And read the ad carefully. The employer is giving all kinds of hints on what he/she is looking for. Address those points specifically if you can. Don’t send out a generic cover letter.